Every Musher is on their own Journey

Running the Mid Distance Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon
Day 81, November 21, 2010
Team Buzzsaw / Stewart Taylor Printing

Lance Mackey, 4 time Iditarod champion, came to Duluth this weekend to promote his book "The Lance Mackey Story". He was sponsored by Redpaw dog food and Dog Booties. This allowed me the opportunity to attend a couple events where I mingled with some mushers. What I learned was that each musher is on a journey, their own private journey with goals and aspirations to achieve something....but all different from each other. One musher's goal is to live in Alaska and run the Iditarod. Another was to run the Stage Stop in Wyoming. Another was to finish higher than she did last year in the Beargrease. One was currently out of dogs but was trying to find a way back in. One is in dogs and trying to get out. Another was happy to just be a musher. Mackey's lofty goal is to win the Iditarod for the 5th time, while my simple goal is to just be competitive in my first experience of running the half Beargrease. We're all in the same sport yet entirely different goals and journey's. I spoke with an old friend yesterday and found out that he ran dogs for 7 years! He talked with burning passion about the sport. You could tell that he had a great experience when he had the dogs but somehow, for some reason, got out. But even he had a journey in the world of mushing that left him with great memories. In my opinion, mushers are passionate about something that most people will never fully understand or have the opportunity to experience. It is hard to explain but somehow you get pulled into this sport, not from your hand, but from your heart and from the love of these incredible animals. If you let them, they will take you on a journey, your very own journey and one that will be different from every one else.