It's not often that the first snow of the year leads to the first sledding of the year. Dog sledding, much like skiing, requires a substantial "base" for safe sledding for one very important reason -- being able to stop. Keeping your sled stopped is done by use of a snow hook -- literally, a "hook" that digs into the snow and holds the team. And if the snow is too thin or too light and fluffy, it means you can't stay stopped!!!

Well, this year's first snow was too thin for stopping, just like most years. But we had the opportunity to double sled -- a team of dogs pulling two sleds, and two people. We still can't stay stopped for long, but in the case of an emergency, one person can "hold" the team while the other deals with whatever problems there might be. It worked great and, this year, the first snow lead to the first sledding.