Cabin Life # 4: Mush Mush

For the past two winters I have had the pleasure of playing with a couple of pretty rad dog teams and had the opportunity to learn a few of the ins-and-outs of handling and mushing dogs.

Dog mushing is something that I never really imagined myself doing, being someone who was always a self-proclaimed cat person, dogs were never quite my thing. I always liked dogs —having grown up having them — but I never wanted to own one myself, until I took care of and fell in love with sled dogs. They won me over with their unique energy and sweet expectant faces. They are absolutely the hardest working and most dedicated dogs I have ever met. I definitely hope that mushing is something that I will be doing for many winters to come.

When you approach a dog yard with your sled in tow the dogs immediately know what they are about to do, and they are excited! Most sled dogs in the Yukon are Alaskan Husky's. These dogs are incredibly athletic — small, strong and agile they are literally made to pull — pulling is their job and they love to do it. This makes them the most common dog to use when sledding, but often they are bred with other athletic dogs who may have a strong pulling gene.

Walking into the dog yard is a sensory overload. Your senses are filled with the barking, jumping and howling of dogs who want you to choose them first to hook up to the gang line. They all come out of their individual houses to see who or what is going on. They are tethered to a post with a chain that allows them enough room to run eat and go into their houses without any of the dogs getting into each other’s spaces and causing any trouble. Dog fights can be common among these types of animals. Even playful fighting could cause an injury and take them out of the team, so it is avoided at all costs by the handlers.

Each dog has a unique personality, and knowing those is the job of the musher or handler. Some dogs love to be near and run next to each other, others do not and could make your run very difficult and dangerous. Some are motivated by each other and will follow them to the ends of the earth, others like to be out front, and those are the leads.

Lead dogs are a special kind of animal. In my experience, the lead dog often is the oldest and wisest dog. It often lives in the house with the musher away from the dog yard. Because their direction instinct is so attuned they are often left off leash to their own devices, but usually hang around the dog yard, or beside their owner. They are the ones that guide the pack. They must listen for commands from the musher and bring the other dogs in the right direction, without them the other dogs will go astray. They often have a very strong bond with the musher, and mushers can often be found having long in-depth conversations with them, planning out their next moves, offering encouragement and comfort to one another and holding each other together on long races. A good lead is the most integral part of the team. Without a good lead your run can become very frustrating very fast, they must listen intently to the mushers spoken commands as this is the only way the sled is directed. The lead must be confident, independent and fast as they do not have anyone to follow, and can literally make or break a dog team.

When you walk through the yard the dogs look at you expectantly and jump towards you pulling their chains taught. They rest their paws on your arm and calm when you stop at each dog to give them a pat before choosing the first to go on the line.

Each dog that is going to be in your team is harnessed. The dogs are old hats at this process, lifting each leg as you guide the harness over their head and pull their front paws through. Once you have your sled secured all your dogs harnessed and your line ready it’s a race to get the dogs hooked up. Then you take them and attach the harness at the back and front to the gang line one by one. This is a strategic process and must be completed quickly as the energy of the dogs mounts. They are excited and ready to go, when you attach them they begin to jump up and forward launching themselves into the air as they do. Once you have all the dogs on the line you can jump on the sled, release the brakes and you are off.

Standing on the back of the sled you watch each dog as they steady into a pace that will bring you through small passes and trails that are often only accessed by dogs. Keeping your feet steady on the runners you use the brake in between to keep the dogs from over-exerting themselves but keeping the line taut.

When you are out with the dogs there is a calmness that takes over, like nothing else. Once you get into a rhythm with them a silence comes over the world and whoosh, you are transported. All you hear is the sound of the dog’s feet as they pat across the snow, your own breath in rhythm with theirs as each breath crisps with the exhalation. The snow slides beneath the sled as it slips over the fresh snow beneath you and you suddenly find yourself miles away from nowhere.

As you anticipate the turns and twists of the trail you call out “gee” or “haw” to your leader to indicate the direction you choose while leading the sled with your weight. Each movement connected to your lead as if through ESP as they guide your path.

Sledding is unlike anything I have ever done before, the ease with which you move juxtaposed with the hard work it takes to maneuver the sled, and the feeling of being out, just you and the world with your dogs. When we stop for a coffee break, the dogs lay down for a well-deserved break themselves. We have situated ourselves within a valley between two mountain peaks that we have been travelling between for about an hour. Here the snow is deep and our feet crack through the icy surface sink into the soft snow as we stop the sled and step off the rails. We can only stop for a moment before the dogs are ready to go again and begin pulling at their snow hooks.

And with a quick "Ok" they are off again, pulling you forward with a swift movement before steadying into a pace again with tongues hanging out, and a smile on your face; the world is in front of you, and it feels like you could go anywhere with them leading you.

This experience has been one that I definitely hope to enjoy for years to come and has given me a renewed appreciation for a dogs spirit and the connection that is created through them to their human owners…

Man is truly a dogs best friend.

Running on a Frozen Fish Lake, YT

Running on a frozen Upper Labarge

A quick stop to rest and take in the scenery

Quick rest along the Yukon River

#78 Why Korea Sucks: It doesnt....

So when i think about leaving Korea I am filled with a total sense of joy and happiness. going back to my familiar town, living near to my family and friends; these ideas fill me with happiness and a desire to leave as soon as possible. But then i think about the things that ill miss when I am gone, and how being in Korea isn't really that bad at all, and that thought is kind of scary. I am immersed in a completely different culture, and i have allowed myself to get swept away into some of the more beautiful habits that this country holds. 

first: Food- A lot of foreigners complain about the food here in Korea, and wish it to be more like American food. Usually the complaints are about the fish based meals; I can understand if you don't have an affinity for fish how this would cause a problem. But living in Korea, I expected to eat Korean food, not western food. Now, I know I sometimes crave familiar foods- but its just that... I crave something familiar, and food just seems to be the easiest thing to rag on- it wont talk back.

It seems to me that a lot of people have dissociated themselves with that fact and just completely given up on even trying to accept and eat Korean food, and thus adapt to the place that they are living. They are trying to create their old world in this new place they have landed. This is a perfectly natural thing to do, to an extent. It feels to me that when we choose to live in a foreign country that we must take the good and the bad, and rather than simply refusing to try something; give it a try, you never know what will happen. In accordance with food.. think of all of the things you loved when you were a child- i can guarantee your palate has changed quite a bit since then; just as it can change with you acclimatise your palate to these new flavors- it might not like it at first- but after a while your taste-buds will settle in, and you can enjoy a truly authentic experience.

"Korean food is delicious and nutritious." We hear it all the time from our co teachers and friends; but have we ever taken the time to stop and listen? To wonder how this could possibly be? Most of the food here is fresh! so fresh in fact that sometimes its still moving on your plate. I know its not always the most appetizing thing to think of eating every part of an animal (including the bladder, blood, feet brains and tounge) but every part that they eat has a 'reason' behind it. there is a nutrient found in these foods that helps you maintain health. Im sure not ALL of these statements made are true.. but some of them must be; and I cant see why they wouldn't. I am served fresh fruits and veggies at every lunch hour, and a soup that couldn't possibly come from a package  or a bag (like most soups would back home in our school caf's)

I am a veggie, so i don't have to deal with a lot of the gross meat related food here, which may make me an hypocritical observer. But I find that there is such a backlash against the food in Korea from the foreigners that it begins to bother me. I almost WANT to try these foods to see what all the fuss and muss is about. Every day I am served a large plateful of fresh veggies (usually in some strange sauce of sorts) and often i find myself thinking about why they prepare these dishes in the way that they do. I look over to my co workers trays and notice huge hunks of meat and fish baked to perfection, bones still in. I look at their shiny hair and great complexions and seemingly healthy disposition and can begin to understand where it might come from. Its not very often you see an obese Korean... whereas in America the obesity rates have risen to such a high level that the centers for disease control estimate that at least "110,000 people die per year due to obesity and 1/3 of all cancer deaths are directly related to it."

"Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona remarked that obesity is a more pressing issue than terrorism, 'Obesity is a terror within. It's destroying our society from within and unless we do something about it, the magnitude of the dilemma will dwarf 9/11 or any other terrorist event that you can point out...'" (killeratlarge.com) [those interested in learning more about this epidemic can go here obesity in America]
I know this is an entirely different issue here but it is a pressing one. and one that i think about when i am deciding whether i want to eat the north American option or the Korean one. I feel that Korean people are more aware of what they are putting into their bodies (a mass generalization i know) and i want to be too.


The food is healthy here and i will surely miss it... (even when I'm eating my delicious poutine... haha)


brings me to my next topic.


Price: The cost of going out to eat here is EXPONENTIALLY less than at home (provided you are going for the non-American option of the yummy Korean food). Tell me a place in North America where you can get a bowl full of veggies and rice, a healthy and filling meal, with all the soup you could ask for, and several side dishes including kimchi, beans, radish, green garlic etc etc. and perhaps even a bowl of hot spicy soup with tofu for under 5$... I dare you to tell me where this exists in America. It simply doesn't! the cheap options include ... fast food, fast food, and more fast food. To go out and get a salad outside of the home costs about the same as it would for 3 people to eat out in Korea.  This is something my wallet and I will dearly miss when we depart.


These are some superficial things ill miss about Korea. within these ideas there are a few other things about the culture that come to mind that will be a happy memory to look back at. the fact that everything is "healthy." the funny little sayings that even the most inexperienced English speakers can say. Ill keep thinking of things as time goes on... but hey, I've still got another year left ;)