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| Claire runs a team with the ATV |
“READY, LET’S
GO!” The sudden explosion of movement
forces me back on the ATV, bringing my feet off my carefully chosen spots,
rocking my body backwards and immediately silencing my whir of apprehensive,
even nervously excited thoughts. The sort of thoughts one might expect when one
relocates thousands of miles away from home, away from family and friends, away
from a student filled city with pubs and clubs on almost every given street, to
live and run dogs in the heart of the North Woods; the famous Minnesotan Wilderness.
‘Am I going to like this?’ I think as I plonk down on the ATV with the dogs
attached to the front for the first time. ‘I hope I like this. Oh, what if I
don’t like this? I’m not exactly an adrenaline junky… I mean, I cried when I
tried to ski every time I went for 5 years. Gah, this better not make me cry,
that would be embarrassing. Phew, just chill out Claire. Breathe. Okay, don’t breathe that hard you’re going to look as if
you’ve escaped an asylum or something. Breathe
in. Is this a good place for my feet? There’s not any other place for them
so it better be. Why do I have such big feet! Breathe Out. Am I holding on tight enough? Oh, yeah, I’m starting
to lose blood flow to my fingers, probably tight enough. Breathe in. Oh my… okay Linda is getting ready to go. Breathe out. She’s asked me if I’m set
to leave…. Breathe in. You know what?
I’ve never wanted to do anything more.’ Breathe
out. “I’m set”.
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I wish I could
describe to you, in sufficient detail, the feelings, the sights, the sounds and
the smells of my first fall training run through those woods but I’m afraid my
writing skills aren’t anywhere near proficient enough to do so. If they were perhaps I could tell you about how the
icy air, which might seem bitter and cruel to others, seemed to welcome me and
paint my face with fresh clean kisses. Perhaps,
I would be able to share with you the quiet in my mind as I watched a sea
of the richest, fullest green unravel before me, interrupted only by shocks of
white and black birch. Perhaps I
could explain to you the sense of weightlessness my heart achieved as we would
jump and spring over rock and stump, or the thrill of evading the sweet smelling
slap of a low hanging balsam branch. Perhaps
I would find the words to explain the marvel of seeing the team of gorgeous
creatures before me, effortlessly and elegantly crisscrossing the lumps and
bumps that would probably cause me to break a bone if I ran above a mere trot.
Or how humbling it is to be able to witness them in full stride, fulfilling the
task they were bred for, still meeting their side of the agreement
that was forged thousands of years ago when humans and dogs first worked
together, seeing this relationship still benefit both beasts and be carried on
from the bare roots. Perhaps I could
describe how joyous it is to stop and walk out to praise each dog, their big
spooling tongues and wide open mouths like giant grins to expel the heat,
making them look like they’re all bursting with laughter at some secret joke.
Or perhaps I would be able to thank
the people at Points Unknown for giving me this chance to be here, nestled in
the quiet embrace of the wood, for filling my heart with the sort of unrivalled
love you can only feel for the selfless, loyal creatures that dogs are, or for
filling my brain with more than I have ever learnt before, allowing my body to
grow stronger and my soul fuller. Yes, perhaps
if I could only put it into words you would be closer to knowing just how my
first fall training run went. Alas, the metaphors and alliteration and writing
techniques I learnt so begrudgingly in high school do not quite match the
feeling you can only get from this incredible experience. Perhaps you’ll have to come try it yourself?
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“Woah!”. The run was over, we were back at the kennels. Linda jumps off. “How was that?” she asks smiling. I grin, but how could I explain all those feelings? “Good!” I reply, overjoyed at now being able to answer my own initial question: yes, I am very much going to like this.
By Claire Hendry
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