Hiawatha Dog Sled Race, Part 1

Hello! Hannah here with an update on the dogs and our latest adventure!

Pence is healed up and back to normal, again, after two more anal gland ruptures. Poor thing has had it rough the last couple months. Also, we have Boo back with us! He’s been such a cuddle bug. Because it has been so cold here in Indiana this winter, he’s actually growing out a little more of a winter coat than he has the last few years. It’s more noticeable along his spine, on his paws, under his belly, and on his back legs.

The dogs were recently reunited at Beth’s house where they stayed while we went on a GRAND ADVENTURE TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH! That’s what my family called it at least. There are so many fun stories from the trip that this will probably take a couple different newsletters and still not be able to fit everything. But I’ll do my best…

A day (weekend) in the life of a dog sled team handler…

Last Friday, Riley and I packed up and headed north to meet up with our friend Quince Mountain (Q) in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He signed up for the 80 mile Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race and asked if we would like to handle for him and potentially do some training runs after the race. Of course, we said YES!

We had never been to a sled dog race on snow before, or one that was more than like 2.5 miles long. We arrived Friday evening just in time for the musher meeting. For those who don’t know, that is where all the mushers or “drivers” gather to go over the race rules, learn more about the trail, and find out their bib number and start time.

After the meeting, we went back to our cabin to pack the sled for the race. We included mandatory items such as a sleeping bag, headlamps, and first aid kits for dogs and humans. We also packed the dog booties, harnesses, and the gangline, and attached the sponsor banners to the sides of the sled. We were way ahead of schedule for once! (At dryland races, we tend to get ready in a hurry at the last second).

On Saturday, Q’s race did not start until 7pm, but there were plenty of activities and tasks to keep us busy until then. There was a 30 mile race that began at 9am, where we watched our friend Martha Schouweiler from Otter Run race.

I love this photo that I caught of her and her team just out of the start chute.

Martha is pretty much the queen of this sport (at least in my mind) and kicked ass! She won the race, finishing in 2 hours and 15 minutes!

Below is a photo of Riley, me, and Q while we were watching the 30 mile racers down the trail. All of these super awesome seal hats were Q’s, but he let us borrow them because they’re insanely warm and we would look like the coolest team out there.

After the 30 mile race, we “dropped” Q’s dogs. Since we have a lot of family and friends that do not know the ins and outs of mushing and its lingo, I’ll explain some terms like this along the way, which are part of “handling” duties. Dropping dogs just means we got them out of their dog boxes on the truck/trailer so that they can use the bathroom/eat/drink/stretch their legs.

Then, it was time to vet checks. Vet checks are where the onsite veterinarians come to check over each dog that will be in the race. They listen to their lungs and heart, and may check other things like muscles and paws.

Although Q could only run 8 dogs in the race at one time, the race allowed you to have a pool of 10 dogs to go through vet checks and choose to race from during either leg of the race. This was the first time I had experienced a race where you could have a pool of dogs to choose from.

When vet checks were complete, we checked out the local winter festival that was happening in conjunction with the sled dog race. Our first stop was the chili cook off. You paid $5 and could try as many chilis as you wanted, then vote on your favorite chili based off of taste and your favorite chili based off presentation. It was hard to pick a favorite, because they were all so different! Very tasty though. The festival also had other events like corn hole, ice fishing, sled dog rides, ice bowling, and some shopping booths.

We went back to the race site and attended the banquet where the top three mushers were given awards for the 30 mile race. We enjoyed a spaghetti dinner, then headed back to the dog truck to start preparing for the race. This is where more of the “handling” duties come in. Some people told us it seems like we are a “pit crew” for the dog team and that sounded pretty fitting.

We dropped all the dogs again and gave them their pre-race hydration/snack. At around 6:20pm, Riley and I started putting each dog’s harness on while Q started putting booties on the dog’s paws. Around 6:45pm, we started hooking each dog up to the gangline. The gangline is the line that connects to the sled, with pairs of dogs spread out every 6 feet or so (idk the exact measurement). And we put snacks for the dogs and Q in the sled.

I stood at the front of the line with the leaders while Q and Riley brought dogs to the line. With a minute until their start, we moved the dogs and sled up to the start line. At this point, our main job is to hold the dogs back at the start line so they don’t start too early or go out the side of the start chute. They’re jumping and screaming like crazy, trying to take off down the trail. Also, to keep an eye on dogs that may get too excited and chew through their harnesses or necklines. The neckline is the line that connects the two leader’s collars together, and connects each of the other dog’s collars to the gangline.

Once the countdown got to zero, Riley and I jumped back to the side of the trail and let the dogs go. They were off on the first 40 mile leg of their race. We knew they would settle into an 8-9mph pace, and expected them back in about 4 hours. If you’re curious which dogs went out with Q in the first leg of the race, I posted a thread with dog introductions on Bluesky.

After they left, we watched a few other racers leave the start chute, then went inside the banquet area to start watching the trackers. It was dark, so there was not much use in trying to go down the trail to get photos of them. We ended up meeting several people and chatting for a while. I did a little video interview with the race media people about what handling in a race like this means and how I got into the sport and what kind of races I’ve done.

Then, we actually got invited to a Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club member’s cabin for snacks and to watch the trackers and live feeds together while we were waiting. We introduced them to what “tracker panic” was. Tracker panic is where you’re intently watching the trackers on the sleds, but sometimes they don’t refresh or jump around and look like they’re somewhere they shouldn’t be, etc. and you freak out wondering what happened!

We were chatting away when all the sudden we realized Q was only about 8 miles out! 8 miles out was our cue to start preparing the dog’s water and dinner for when they finish their first 40 mile leg. We heated up water and poured it in a five gallon bucket on top of hamburger or pork, and thawed out chicken thighs. We also filled another bucket of plain water.

We went back to the finish line, which was the same as the start line, just coming back through the opposite side. Riley stood ready to catch the dogs and direct them back to the dog truck while I knelt next to the finish line attempting to take photos.

Well, I had my camera on the wrong setting and completely failed at getting photos of the night run lol. But, this was Q and the team coming back through the finish line for the end of his first 40 mile leg.

Right away, we started unhooking the dogs from the gangline and taking them back to the truck. Each dog was given clear water first. Then, we started removing booties and harnesses. After that, we gave the dogs their post-race dinner. By that time, it was maybe 11:30pm or so. We put the dogs back in their dog boxes for some rest and we went back to the cabin for snacks.

We found out Q’s second 40 mile leg would start at 8:23am Sunday morning. We knew we would have to be up around 6am to start getting the dogs ready for the race. Riley and I went back to the dog truck around 1:30am to drop them again after they had eaten and drank, while Q tried to get some rest. We were able to get a few hours of sleep before it was time to get up and do it all over again!

This newsletter is already pretty long, so I think I’ll leave off here and write about the second leg of the race and the training runs we were able to do the following day in another newsletter.

We will be back with part two soon.

-Hannah, Riley, Boo, and Pence