Hike! (Mush!)

When the temperatures start to plummet from the feverish summer highs of 60°F to the winter average of 23°, our kids start to whine.  The clothing is too bulky, hands are too cold, and very soon it comes down to the ultimate complaint:  “We don’t want to go outside!”

With the snowdream of happy kids, frolicking in gently falling flakes, floating before our eyes, we rack our brains for different carrots we might dangle to lure them away from the cozy, snug, winter comfort of home.

Enter dog mushing.  Right?!  What kid wouldn’t realize what a blast being pulled around on a dogsled must be?

So we got the dog, figuring at the very least, we wanted to learn to skijor ourselves.  Meet Voodoo, ex-Iditarod dog turned couch thief (and the Easter halibut, and granola bars from strange kids’ hands, and the whole butter dish; the list goes on.  The microwave is a very good place to hide cookies, cakes, breads…and halibut.

Then we got a sled and met friends that enjoy having an extra set of hands and another dog to run along theirs (7!).  Of course now that we have the sled and the dog.  It makes perfect sense to spend our lazy Saturdays plowing trails with the kids in the woods.

The thing about dog mushing is that there is plenty of downtime while waiting for the teams to get back off the longer loops.  DO YOU SEE THEM FROLICKING IN THE GENTLY FALLING SNOW!?!?

Integrity Disclaimer: The one in pink was begging to wait in the car before we distracted her with the above games.  Her hands were cold, her clothes felt too bulky–oh! And my absolute favorite complaint, it’s right up with, “I forgot to go the bathroom.”

‘My shirt sleeve is funny’.  It is NOT fun to fish around for one of the many layers with your hand shoved up their tight snowsuit sleeve, find it, get it perfectly situated under the glove (or over, depending on the kid) and then realize they really do have to go the bathroom.  Sigh.

Here they come!

And still the whole afternoon to fill…with being in the warm, cozy comfort of home.