PUWAWA 2010 Part II; Guest Arrival and Refresher

Everyone familiarizes themselves with the sled. The stomping in of the snowhook is practiced.

Each person spent time visiting with the dogs, making new friends and rekindling old friendships. Cheryl is reminded that Ilu is a handful!

Each dog gets a chance to lead their two dog team and musher around a small loop so that everyone can get their sled legs back from last season's adventure.

White Feather waits her turn.

Our guests arrived at 2PM on the dot. When we saw them coming around the corner we wondered if they had left the bulk of their gear back at their vehicles and were delighted to hear that they had learned something from last year. The knowledge gained was that they needed only less than half of what they brought, so packed accordingly!

Their first refresher was at the truck where we hooked the team up and went over components of the sled. Once the gear was loaded we began our run into the cabin with our guests following on snowshoes.

Scott had prepared some wonderful snacks for our hungry snowshoers that included bison sausage from a Minnesota Bison farm as well as some local cheeses. After a brief orientation, out into the dog yard we went. Harnessing the dogs was on the agenda and another refresher on the components of the sled so that we could then get each new musher out on a small team to regain their sled legs. It was nice to see the confidence come back as each person navigated through the steps for safely running a small team of sled dogs.

Darkness soon came and we went inside to enjoy the wonderful cooking creations Scott had prepared. The air was crisp and the sky was clear and bright with stars as we all rested comfortably in our cozy and rustic abode soothed by the heat from the woodstove and the low hum of the propane lights. Outside the dogs howled a joyous chorus, welcoming old friends and in anticipation of the adventures to come.