A dog sledding excursion

MY EXPERIENCE

Like many people, my only exposure to dog sledding had been via Disney movies before I ventured out with Base Camp Bigfork, LLC. However, one of the first things that owner Mark Schurke told me when I set up our time was that his trips were hands-on and not like those people have seen in the movies.

So with all of my expectations thrown out the window, my friend Beth Ellison and I met Schurke at his home in Ferndale for an early spring dog sledding adventure. The first thing Schurke did was introduce us to his dogs. Again, they weren't what I expected.

I assumed that they would all be black and white with blue eyes similar to Balto in the Disney animated movie and the mascot at the University of Washington. As it turns out, these Inuit dogs are like humans in that their fur color, eye color and other physical features vary from dog to dog. A few things were universal among them though — they were adorably cute and sweet in nature.

When Schurke sent the dogs over to meet my friend and me, they immediately came over toward us and a few jumped up to say "hello." I'm not really into dogs that jump up on people, but they were quick to get down when asked and even, though they weighed quite a bit, they didn't feel like they were going to knock me over.

Schurke is extremely knowledgeable about his dogs and their heritage and he was eager to share what he knew with us, which was very interesting but seemed unnecessary. That is until later on in the trip when it helped us understand the dogs' behavior better.

After the meet-and-greet, the dogs that were staying behind were put back into the dog yard and the dogs that were going on the sledding trip were loaded up. The dogs ride in a large wooden crate that Schurke built. It has sliding doors that the dogs climb through to get into one of the eight cubby-holes where they lie down for the ride. Schurke straps the sleds, one of which he also built, onto the top of the crate and the crate is hitched to his Jeep Cherokee.

Once the dogs were loaded up, we did the same and headed to Crane Mountain. With all the warmer weather we have been having in Bigfork, it is hard to imagine that snow still exists anywhere except the Mission Mountains. However, my fear that we were about to be taken on a dirt ride quickly went away as we drove up the mountain.

Schurke usually guides his trips on trails around his Ferndale home, but was able to extend his season by moving the trips to Crane Mountain, which has still been getting new snow as recently as last week. Spring snow is heavier and stickier than the powdery snow that the trips were through during the winter months, so we were warned that we would have to help the dogs along a little bit on some spots.

When we got to our starting point Schurke showed us how to put a harness on the dogs, and one-by-one he let them out of the crate for us to help him get them ready for the trip. Once they were all harnessed, Schurke selected a dog to be the lead dog and hooked her up first. He then paired the others up and attached them to the line. As soon as they were attached to the rope, the dogs began howling and barking in unison, excited for the upcoming trip.

With the dogs ready to go, it was time for our lesson on how to operate the sled. The two of us had a small platform to stand on and a large handle to hold on to. Schurke, who cross-country skis along side the sled, taught us the commands to use to get the dogs to go and to stop, but he also shared the importance of using the heal break pedal on the back of the sled. He also gave us instructions about leaning to the left and the right when we needed to in order to stay on the trail. Then, it was off we went.

The first 10 seconds were admittedly a little bit scary. Beth and I both felt like the other one was pushing into us and that we would surely fall off, especially when the whole leaning into the turns part came up. We quickly devised a plan though, altered our positions and soon got the hang of it.

From then on the trip went fairly smoothly. We had to help the dogs push the sleds quite a bit, but both of us had skipped the gym, so we didn't mind lending a hand. The views from Crane Mountain were amazing as we could see all the way across the Swan River and onto Flathead Lake. Saturday was fairly sunny, so we actually got too warm rather than too cold.

We stopped every once in awhile to let the dogs rest. They ate snow to cool down, went to the bathroom and a few times even got a little feisty with each other. The dogs let us know when it was time to get back on the tail by howling and jumping up in the air.

One of the best parts of the trip was just watching the dogs and learning about their different personalities. Even though Schurke had told us all of the dogs' names, we took it upon ourselves to spin them into nicknames. Anernek naturally turned into Internet. Ginger, a male dog whose legs moved in a circular motion when he ran, was nicknamed Precor after the makers of the elliptical trainer. Ginger also earned the name Casanova after he repeatedly tried to get frisky with one of the female dogs, Whiskers, who was in heat. We were actually pinned with the task of telling on Casanova to Schurke when he tried to make his move on Whiskers — not exactly a Disney moment.

I though it might be weird to have Schurke skiing instead of sledding, but it actually proved to be very helpful. When the dogs got tangled in the ropes, he was there to quickly fix the problem. He was also able to watch how the dogs were working together and rearrange them to get them to pull better as a whole.

When we got to the top Schurke supplied us with some water, granola bars, peanuts and made some tea and cocoa. It was a nice break for us and the dogs before we made the return journey.

The ride down was much faster, as we knew it would be, and seeing the views from the other direction was great. The dogs did a good job of getting us down, even though the snow had softened up quite a bit during the time we had been on the trip.

When we got back down to our starting point, we unharnessed the dogs, loaded them back into their crate and headed back to Base Camp.

It was a weird experience to go from dog sledding on a snow covered mountain to driving home with my sunglasses on and windows down in my car. I am a snow lover and I feel cheated after getting so little of it this winter. So it was nice to get some extra time with it on Saturday, especially while doing something as fun as dog sledding with my friend.BASE CAMPMark and Samantha Schurke established Base Camp Bigfork, LLC in late fall 2009 to provide tourists and locals with a unique sled dog experience.

Throughout the winter Mark took people of all ages and outdoor activity ability levels on dog sledding trips through trails around Ferndale and surrounding areas near the couple’s home, which is also where Base Camp is located.

“This winter has been interesting,” Mark said. “Starting a winter business in a down economy and a low snow year was difficult, but we’ve had a pretty good year. The hardest part was just getting the word out.”

While many may assume that the trips are similar to a horse-drawn carriage ride of some-sort, Base Camp’s trips are much more hands-on, though adjustments are made based on the participants’ capabilities.

“Dog sledding is very fun, but the other part of it is just being outdoors and being around the dogs,” Schurke said.

Base Camp offers half- and full-day trips as well as multi-day trips with lodging since they have a vacation rental on the property.

“Dog sledding allows people to get outdoors without having to be super athletic,” Mark said.

For those looking for a more extreme adventure, they can also take guests skijoring with the Inuit dogs. Mark also leads winter camping trips by dog team, which he gained some notoriety for in Snowboarder Magazine when he took 2010 U.S. Olympic Bronze Medalist Scotty Lago last year.

Mark is hoping to add activities for the off-season, though his winter season is not over yet. Since there is no snow left in Ferndale, he has been taking trips on Crane Mountain. The Ferndale trails are more flat and narrow which make for an easier ride, but the excursions on Crane Mountain take guests deeper into the woods for a more reclusive adventure and the view from the top helps make the extra work of the uphill climb worth it.

“Things went well even with the challenging winter,” Schurke said. “Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and we’re hoping it will just keep growing.”

 Mark was exposed to the world of dog sledding by his aunt and uncle who have a sled dog business of their own in Ely, Minn.

Paul and Sue Schurke, Mark’s aunt and uncle, helped inspire his love of dog sledding, desire for an adventurous lifestyle and entrepreneurship. Paul was part of the first unsupported trip to the North Pole in 1986, which he was recognized for in National Geographic Magazine.

Mark and Samantha moved to the Bigfork area in the summer of 2007 after living all over the country, having most recently split their time between Arizona and Colorado, where Mark worked as a guide in various capacities. Samantha is an interior decorator and last year became a new mom when she gave birth to the couple’s son, Otto.

“I saw a lot of potential in Bigfork,” Schurke said. “You’re on the edge of the wilderness, but you’re still close to town and a lot of different types of activities. That’s where the name Base Camp came from.”  

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For more information on Base Camp, visit www.basecampbigfork.com or call 871-9733.