Mushing

The word Mushing is derived from the French word Marcher. About a 150 years ago adventurous souls from the West travelled to the Northern wilderness. They got in touch with the local Inuit people. Together with their dogs those people lived from hunting and fishing. The dogs were responsible for fast transportation, on the ice as well as in the interior. French trappers started using the dogs to check on their traplines. They used the word “March” which means “Go” as a command. The English started pronouncing this as “Mush”.

Sleddogs became the mean way of transportation in the far North. During the mad goldrushes at the end of the nineteenth century thousands and thousands of people from the South journeyed to Alaska together with their dogs. For many this whole trip was a big disappointment. Disillusioned they travelled back down, leaving behind their dreams and maybe a couple of frostbit fingers.

Nonetheless, a lot of them stayed and founded small villages, even towns. The dogs resupplied those remote settlers during the winter.

Nowadays sleddogs are replaced by snowmachines and airplanes. However, by mushing as a sport we can now honour this bond between man and dog, created over centuries. There’s many a legend about dogs saving people, making survival possible in these brutal areas.

Mushing as a sport is something special. It’s all about our canine athletes when we’re out there. We’re the privileged guys getting to drive on the back of the sled.

As a musher you’re a coach, a nutritionist, masseuse, strategist, mechanic and doctor. Executing all these tasks you create an atmosphere. The dogs pick up feelings real easily. This is a huge challenge for the musher of course. You’re the pack-leader and every mistake you make is relentlessly punished. Your dogs function as mirror for your emotions, character, inconsequence’s and weaknesses.

Not only the dogs function as a mirror when you’re out there. Nature plays a major role as well. She puts you to the test. She’s unpredictable. The one moment you’re in complete harmony with her, emerging in her beauty. The other she tears you apart. She makes you feel big and very small at the same time. She makes you humble. She makes you strong.

These experiences are very unique. They are not to describe. They do affect your everyday life however. Being out there all on your own, you might call it selfish. However you carry these experiences with you. Unconsciously they affect those around you. Unconsciously they enjoy those inexplicable moments of unity you had as well. Unconsciously you start to live more conscious, and live a happier life.

Like Mark Jenkins put’s it:

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure, self-determined, self-motivated, often risky,forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagined it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.”

Mushing can be such an experience.