The encounter

Today was the day of initiation to dog sledding. In the morning, we met Andrew, one of the mushers who will accompany us in the coming days. There is no doubt that this is not the first time he takes part in this kind of adventure. His face bears the traces of more than a day of sunshine in nature and, in his speech lies the wisdom of one who has learned to speak with his dogs. He speaks to them as some speak of their children, there’s all the love in the world in his voice. He explains how to address them, take care of them and how to direct them on the trails. The secret lies in the calmness and gentleness as in his explanations.

Then, we went to meet Andrew’s dogs in the kennel. The calm reigning—for those who know the rather noisy atmosphere that sometimes fills kennels—was impressive and well reflected the personality type of the owner. It was the perfect time for participants to walk among those dogs—future members of the expedition—and show them affection, give them hugs! It was an awesome time as several participants got rid of their fear of dogs. With the cute faces they have, it’s difficult not to melt for those four-legged cuties about to pull us through some of the Charlevoix region!

We did not simply meet the dogs, we decided to harness them for a ride, just to test our steering skills and breathe fresh air. Certainly, the air was fresh and we quickly realized that handling a sled is an art that will certainly develop with a little more experience. It was impressive; harnessed dogs excited with the idea of running beyond human understanding, the Charlevoix mountains that were filling the greatness of the sky, the muffled sound of the sled on the crusted snow, the panting dogs trotting to a steady pace and the different landscapes unfolding before our eyes. We came back hungry and had a great supper prepared by the guides. We will probably have the same eagerness to get in our bed tonight!

Just after supper, we had a pre-expedition discussion on the objectives and concerns of each participant. Several interesting things were brought forth, but I would to let you in on what Mitchell shared with us. When asked why he wanted to share the adventure, he replied that for him it was not so much a question of “why” but rather “why not?” It is perhaps not the first time you hear this because it was not for me. However, it is sometimes rather by the context that one day we finally understand something they had heard several times. So tonight, when we heard Mitchell share this, I wanted to share with you as well and challenge you to a different glimpse of the next proposals that will be presented to you.

Can you imagine? Tomorrow we leave on a 5-day expedition: 14 participants, 6 members from the Foundation, 3 mushers, 2 snowmobile drivers and 80 dogs! What a beautiful parade it will be! Can’t wait till tomorrow!

Isabelle Robinson, blogger and photographer for On the Tip of the Toes Foundation.