Today is Wednesday and the weather is overcast with a threat of snow in the forecast. The word threat is misleading as there are parts of the BC mainland that have been praying for snow. Here in the Whistler area folks are content with the snow that is here and the outdoor events of the next few days are best performed without fresh snow. None-the-less snow followed by rain is the forecast.Yesterday was a planned Family Day for us as we all had the day off work and had agreed to spend the day together doing whatever we pleased. Tara-Lee had made an arrangement, and I use the term in its fullest meaning, for Freddi and I to experience a dog-sled run. It was a Christmas gift from Tara-Lee , Gray and Bree. Since Tara-Lee had already experienced this activity only 4 of us drove into town early in the morning to meet up with the Outdoor Adventure Company. We took Tara-Lee’s car as we can park it in the Hilton Hotel lot where she works and the shop we were to go to was just around the corner.
The day was perfect as the fog in Pemberton was left behind and the run up the highway gave us clear sky and the brightness of a bluebird day in the mountains. Parking in the village has become a hassle as there are no spots available except for 1 hour parking in the Marketplace. All other lots have now been closed for private use by VANOC, sponsors and other supporters. The locals are unhappy about that but seemed to have just accepted it and have started to get caught up in the spirit of the games. We walked to Starbucks for some refreshment and sustenance and then checked in with the company. They were all very friendly as they gave us our waivers to sign saying that we were crazy and accept all the liability for undertaking any of their adventures. We paid our money and away we went by van to where they set up the dog-sleds in the Soo River Valley. Rob, our driver, was a long time local and he advised us about some of the history of the valley we were going to be in. Gray and Rob bantered back and forth as they both are ardent snowmobilers and both know the area pretty well.
We arrived at the valley location after thumping along a bad dirt road for several km. The team greeted us
and started to talk about the dogs that were all lined up and chained to wires to keep them in one place. They were very quiet and looked fairly docile but once hooked up to the sleds they become very active and excited about going for a run. We walked about and were introduced to the dogs while we prepared for our trip. Our dogs were called Jet, Johnny boy, Smokey, Rudolph, Myers, Cinnamon, Igloo, Moose, Frodo and Sherman and each of them had a personality of its own. The common trait was they were all very friendly. We were taught to harness the dogs and helped our guides, Gord and Nick, get the dogs ready for a run. Bob, the owner of the business with 300 dogs, was working with his team of race dogs and his race sled that was much smaller than the sleds we were going to use. The team had selected 10 dogs for our two sleds as it was co
ol morning and the snow was hard and slippery. Normally they run 6 dogs per sled but that day we were set up with 5 each. Once we were all hooked up and we were familiar with the dogs we started our tour of the valley with the guide standing on the rungs behind us. The course was about 3.5 km out with a round trip of 7 km. The dogs pulled hard to get us up the first hill and into the track. They were very excited about their opportunity to run and we were on our way.
We arrived at the valley location after thumping along a bad dirt road for several km. The team greeted us
and started to talk about the dogs that were all lined up and chained to wires to keep them in one place. They were very quiet and looked fairly docile but once hooked up to the sleds they become very active and excited about going for a run. We walked about and were introduced to the dogs while we prepared for our trip. Our dogs were called Jet, Johnny boy, Smokey, Rudolph, Myers, Cinnamon, Igloo, Moose, Frodo and Sherman and each of them had a personality of its own. The common trait was they were all very friendly. We were taught to harness the dogs and helped our guides, Gord and Nick, get the dogs ready for a run. Bob, the owner of the business with 300 dogs, was working with his team of race dogs and his race sled that was much smaller than the sleds we were going to use. The team had selected 10 dogs for our two sleds as it was co
ol morning and the snow was hard and slippery. Normally they run 6 dogs per sled but that day we were set up with 5 each. Once we were all hooked up and we were familiar with the dogs we started our tour of the valley with the guide standing on the rungs behind us. The course was about 3.5 km out with a round trip of 7 km. The dogs pulled hard to get us up the first hill and into the track. They were very excited about their opportunity to run and we were on our way. 
The views along the way were spectacular and both Freddi and I tried to take pictures of the environment and of course the dogs pulling us along. At our first stop Freddi joined Gord on the runner and I stayed in the sled. Although the dogs needed the rest period they were more than ready to start running again as soon as the brake anchor was pulled from the snow. Gray and Bree were in a sled ahead of us and we both were travelling pretty quickly through the valley. At another stop point, Gord and Nick kept one of our cameras and set us free to go to the end of the course and return to them as an opportunity to go it alone. Bree was driving ahead of us and she went
into the corner pretty quickly while Gray was sitting in the sled. Well she rolled the sled and ended up in the snow bank with the sled being pulled along on its side until Gray pushed it up onto the runners again. We passed Gray first, with no driver, and then Freddi navigated the corner successfully and missed Bree who was killing herself laughing on the side of the track. When we got back to the two guides they had successfully stopped driverless sled as the dogs were planning to run all the way back with Gray in the sled. Bree walked back to us an
d shared her experience to the amusement and laughter of all.We returned with the ladies in the sleigh and Gray and I riding the runners. The warmth of the sun, the vistas, the freshness of the day, the sound of the dogs pounding the track and panting away all made the experience a truly unforgettable experience. Once back in the compound area we gave each of our dogs a treat bone and played with the puppies while we sipped a hot chocolate and chatted happily about our experience. Bob took a high speed run on x-country skis while he was strapped to 2 of his race dogs. It looked pretty scary as he was flying along the track. We bid the dogs farewell and were driven back into Whistler by Rob. It was an invigorating and spectacular experience.
Once in town we walked about for a while and watched the surge of human traffic along the stroll. There were many more people than previous days and it proved to be great people watching as we had a beer on the sunny patio of Longhorn’s at the foot of the Whistler gondola. We saw many teams as they become readily identifiable as they travel in packs and all wear the same uniform. The most striking so far is the Russian team as they have both white and red uniforms with contrasting emblems and names complete with red shoes. The European jackets are brightly coloured and usually “stay puff style” with very s
hiny material. The colours range from black to bright yellow in the full spectrum of colour. Tara-Lee joined us at Longhorns while we chatted with Jill Krop the Vancouver Global Anchor for their news team. We decided to walk down the stroll and do a little shopping before we went tot eh Tube Park to take a few runs on their big tubes. We took the gondola and walked from the transfer point to the Tube Park. When we got there they notified us that due to the weather conditions (cool) the larger course was closed for the balance of the day. We decided not to go that day and wait until the longer runs are available. We clambered down the hill again and returned to our shopping as I was looking for some Olympic wear. We found what I was looking for (along with some other “stuff”) at the Olympic Shop which carries all of the Bay’s line of clothes. From there we made our way back to the car and home for some quiet time. It was almost 5 PM when we got back to the house. It was a full day with lots of laughs. Tara-Lee made us a great dinner and we vegged for the rest of the evening at the house as no one had much energy after the day. I slept well ...... 
hiny material. The colours range from black to bright yellow in the full spectrum of colour. Tara-Lee joined us at Longhorns while we chatted with Jill Krop the Vancouver Global Anchor for their news team. We decided to walk down the stroll and do a little shopping before we went tot eh Tube Park to take a few runs on their big tubes. We took the gondola and walked from the transfer point to the Tube Park. When we got there they notified us that due to the weather conditions (cool) the larger course was closed for the balance of the day. We decided not to go that day and wait until the longer runs are available. We clambered down the hill again and returned to our shopping as I was looking for some Olympic wear. We found what I was looking for (along with some other “stuff”) at the Olympic Shop which carries all of the Bay’s line of clothes. From there we made our way back to the car and home for some quiet time. It was almost 5 PM when we got back to the house. It was a full day with lots of laughs. Tara-Lee made us a great dinner and we vegged for the rest of the evening at the house as no one had much energy after the day. I slept well ...... 
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