HOMESTEADING DOG SLEDDING

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All store-bought sleds come "shoed" with some form of plastic runner (the build- it-yourselfer will find that less expensive sheet tin works almost as well) and all such snow-contacting surfaces should be coated with a special friction-fighting compound called P-Tex (available from sledding equipment suppliers). The sleds are also equipped with a brush bow ... which is an expendable "front bumper" (this piece of equipment will often get smashed in the course of a season) that protects your sled from structural damage when you meet up with the unusual-but famous-winter tree that "pops up out of nowhere".

The easy-to-build sledge (called a comitik by the Eskimos) is an even better hauling device than is the "classic" freighter sled. This flat slider consists of little more than a platform attached to a set of runners, and can be easily put together out of 2 X 8's and plywood. I've used my homebuilt comitik extensively and find it perfect for hauling lumber and materials to remote cabin sites.

Most ready-made sleds have a couple of hooked braking devices ... but the experienced dog sledder normally uses a dragging foot and a verbal command to stop the vehicle. A veteran musher won't trust a brake hook to keep a harnessed sled "parked", either ... but instead trains the team always to lie down when the dogs are not pulling. (The cheechako will undoubtedly endure-at least once—the unenviable experience of being left behind as his or her team and sled disappear over a hill.)

HARNESS AND LINES

Of course, well-trained dogs and a nicely built sled won't do you much good unless you have some means for "getting the two together" . . . that is, some lines and harnesses. Each dog should have a properly fitting body yoke (these are available for around $10 to $12 each from the same firms that supply sleds). I use the versatile "fishback" harness on my dogs, because it's comfortable and well suited to fast travel.

Your animals will also need strong collars ... so they can be "staked out" on the dog lot. These "necklaces" also secure the lines that keep your "sled steeds" parallel to the central line. Let me emphasize, however, that a dog should never be made to pull from his collar alone! A "tail line" -running from the back of the harness to the central tow line -should bear that stress.

Tail and neck ropes are usually 1/2' thick, while the central tow cord will have a 5/8" diameter ... and all lines should be made from braidednot twisted-nylon. Attachments can then be sewn through the strands of such cord with a large plastic needle known as a "fid" . . . and you'll be able to make easy line adjustments in the field without going through the finger chilling hassle of untying frozen knots.

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