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Turning Heads Kennel

Alaska Dog Sledding Tours

The Role of Tourism in Racing the Iditarod

April 18, 2018 by Sarah

The role of Alaska Tourism in Racing the Iditarod
The Role of Tourism in Racing the Iditarod. Original Photo by Kalani Woodlock

It seems strange to think that a little over a month ago, we were in Nome completing a 1,000-mile journey with our dogs. While we work on organizing Travis’ stories from the trail we thought we’d write about the migratory lives that many in the mushing world live in order to fund this crazy lifestyle.

Dog sledding in Alaska is not a cheap sport to participate in and running Iditarod, makes dog sledding much more expensive. Racing a 1,000-mile endurance race requires lots of additional training which in turn requires the dogs to eat a lot more food and go through lots of booties. We go through approximately 6,000 booties over the course of a training season. Our dog food bill is more than our mortgage, utility payment, and truck payment combined! On the low end of the scale, mushers spender approximately $30,000 dollars to train and race a team capable of reaching the finish line in Nome. Lots more, if you plan on running competitively. Of course, regardless of what is said by animal right’s activists, the financials of racing Iditarod do not make sense. Teams finishing in the top 20 are, at best, breaking even. We participate in the Iditarod because we love traveling the trail with our dogs: nothing is more remarkable than going on a 1,000 mile journey with your best friends!

Although many mushers hope for large sponsorships to materialize to offset the heavy financial burden running an Iditarod kennel entails, the majority of Iditarod mushers and their handlers have to figure out how to finance the high cost of running dogs on their own. Many mushers look to Alaska’s booming tourism economy to make their winter dreams a reality. Alaska dog sledding tours help turn many mushers’ Iditarod dreams into realities.

Because the tourism industry allows mushers to continue to work with our dogs, it is heavily favorited by dog mushers. Mushers pursue dog sledding because they love to be around dogs and working in tourism allows this. Other popular occupations for Iditarod racers include construction as well as fishing which are also seasonal occupations here in Alaska.

For our kennel and our Iditarod ambitions, we rely on tourism. We operate two different dog sled tours out of our hometown of Seward, Alaska. At our kennel, we operate a dog sled tour that focuses on providing hands-on experiences to small groups of guests. Our goal is to share our passion for dog mushing and also to educate the public on dog sled racing and sled dog care. The tour includes a fun dog sled ride on a wheeled car through wooded trails where we perform a one-of-a-kind lead dog demonstration, showing off our dogs’ training and intelligence. We love this tour because it focuses on training new lead dogs and takes our guests “behind the scenes” to show how we use positive reinforcement to teach our sled dogs our dog mushing commands.

We also offer a dog sled tour up on Godwin glacier for those seeking a winter-like experience and wanting to experience Alaska dog sledding on snow in the summer. Guests take a helicopter ride up to Godwin glacier, mush for two miles, and enjoy the amazing scenery. It’s really incredible how you can go from a summer landscape to a winter landscape in just a short helicopter ride! Alaska’s beauty constantly amazes us and this tour has been described as “life-changing” and “the trip of a lifetime!” Our dogs certainly enjoy getting to go on a winter vacation and we frequently rotate the dogs between our kennel and our remote glacier camp.

Our tour operation gives us lots of freedom not only in how our tours are conducted but also in how our dogs are cared for. For us, our livelihood also allows us to work with our dogs day in and day out which has major training benefits. We believe our summer dog sled tours really help us as a competitive racing kennel as we can continue to work with dogs and train lead dogs, work on developing young talent, and building a cohesive team. Tourism is also a really great way to introduce people to our sport and teach visitors all about how we care for our sled dogs.

With this to look forward to after returning home from Nome, we slowly began packing up our Willow residence. It almost seemed like we couldn’t leave Willow quick enough — the snow in Willow was melting and after having been gone from Seward for over 6 months, we were ready to return home. So we began the long arduous process of moving.

The process has taken weeks and is slowly coming to an end with the final dogs arriving in Seward. We couldn’t be happier in returning home: our local community has supported us in every conceivable way — from throwing fundraisers, to recommending our tours, to even helping prepare our food drops.

We are excited for summer to begin and for the opportunities that await us. We look forward to meeting new friends and sharing our passion for mushing with our guests. In between, we will enjoy the sunshine, barbeques, gardening, and friends that only home can offer.

We are so grateful for all the support our kennel receives from visitors to Alaska. Thanks for helping turn our dream into a reality and allowing us to live this wonderful lifestyle with our dogs.

Bring on the summer! We can’t wait!

 

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Recent Posts

  • How Mushers Get Home After Finishing The Iditarod
  • Scouting Our Glacier Dog Sledding Camp
  • Turning Heads Kennel is Featured by The Seward Chamber!
  • The Role of Tourism in Racing the Iditarod
  • Travis Beals Finishes the 2018 Iditarod
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Well, he’s off! We’d hoped to livestream the s Well, he’s off!
We’d hoped to livestream the start of #Iditarod but because of the new location, we unfortunately didn’t have coverage!

The starting line up this year:
BB - Blue
Spartan - West
Krum - Granger
Melissa - Queen
Skiff - Jovie
Ohmer - Mongoose
Delta - Tug

Go Travis go!
The countdown to race day has started. Travis is g The countdown to race day has started. Travis is getting in the last few training runs before #iditarod to determine the final few dogs on the roster.

Our trail has one minor road crossing that we usually have no problem with —  as it’s in a wide open area — so we have plenty of opportunity to see cars and vice versa but with it continuing to snow day after day in Willow, the berms have gotten quite high. 

Because of this, after Travis and the team take off I drive down to play crossing guard.

Here’s a glimpse of the team from yesterday. #dogsledding #turningheadskennel
Well we got 1882 lbs of food headed out on the #id Well we got 1882 lbs of food headed out on the #iditarod trail for mushers and dogs. 

A big thanks to Caleb & Dave for helping cut meet, Victoria & Richard for letting us post up at their house, and a huge crew of human volunteers who helped cook Travis’ meals for out on the trail. @dlwalkerak for cooking and organizing and: @zudyscafe @akcarlyn @lonechicharron @woodysthaikitchenak @bakingthyme and Cristian McClain for cooking @majormarinetours for some great snacks and Portage Transport for delivering.

It’s not small feet getting a team ready to go 1,000 miles but this year— with little indoor access —- it really took a lot of careful planning to make sure Travis stays warm and well fed.

Thanks team!
A lot of the time, we are running teams of 8+ dogs A lot of the time, we are running teams of 8+ dogs. It’s more practical with a lot of dogs in training. That being said, there is something magical about breaking things down and working with the dogs one on one in smaller teams. This is especially true for our youngest teammates!

In this video, 16-month-olds Keister and Tucker are working as a lone pair. With no one else to guide them, the pups get their first experience taking commands without the pressure of having other dogs “chase” them. They also get to practice lining out and staying forward oriented.

Working at night with young leaders, a headlamp also becomes a great tool as we can easily show the trail we want the dogs to take. 

#dogsledding #mushing #iditarod #alaska
Under the pine boughs we go. Fresh snow makes fo Under the pine boughs we go. 

Fresh snow makes for fun runs and acrobatic mushing as you dip and dive to dodge the low hanging branches. On occasion, we use our axes to cut out trees too low to safely pass under. These momentary stops are an opportunity for the dogs to cool off and for us to stop and enjoy a warm thermos of tea.
Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 💕 Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 💕
Sunshine, mountains, and snow in the not so distan Sunshine, mountains, and snow in the not so distant future.🤞🏻

#turningheadskennel #dogsledding #falltraining #iditarod #mountains #optoutside #instadog #husky #huskygram #instahusky #mushergram #alaska #seward #dogsofinstagram #iditaroddogs #mountainlife #fall #falltransition #winteriscoming #oneteamonedream #trainhard
These spectacular fall days are 💯 #dogsledding These spectacular fall days are 💯

#dogsledding #dogmushing #instadog #dogsofinstagram #sleddog #husky #huskylife #huskies #instahusky #iditarod #seward #alaska #alaskalife #instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogs #happyplace #fall #dogstagram #huskygram
In the early days of fall, sometimes the cool morn In the early days of fall, sometimes the cool morning air gives way to a lingering sun-kissed warmth. When that happens, the dogs are all too eager to mush down the many little stream beds near our home.

#iditarod #dogsledding #mushing #seward #alaska #instadog #instahusky #explore #explorwithyourdog #iditaroddogs #instamush #huskygram #huskiesofinstagram #huskynation #huskylove #getoutside #optoutsidr #outdoordogs #turningheadskennel #sewardalaska
Hobie, with a salmon snack.⁠ ⁠ Our dogs eat fi Hobie, with a salmon snack.⁠
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Our dogs eat fish as part of their diet. Did you know that at the height of training and racing, sled dogs consume a whooping 13,000 calories a day? These dogs can pack away the food!⁠
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Salmon is a great snack year-round as it is high in water content. It helps keeps the dogs hydrated in the heat of summer and in the cold of winter!⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky #yumm #salmon #fishsticks #munchies #bigappetities
Calysta and Goblin demonstrate some of the gear we Calysta and Goblin demonstrate some of the gear we use to protect our dogs out on the trail.⁠
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#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska #dogmodel #dogjacket #nonstopdogwear
Can't wait for those early mornings on the trail w Can't wait for those early mornings on the trail where the night fades into day.⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska #nature #907 #photography #naturelovers #beauty #photooftheday #wilderness #alaskaphotography #outdoors #wanderlust #alaskaliving #naturephotography #travel
PHASMA. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ Or as we lovingly call her " PHASMA. ⁠
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Or as we lovingly call her "Spazz-ma" ⁠
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Phasma is a happy, high-energy, go-getter and is fun addition to any team.⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs ⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky
Goodbyes are the hardest part of mushing but an in Goodbyes are the hardest part of mushing but an inevitable part of owning a kennel. It never gets easy.

Today we said “see you later” to 8 dogs: Lizzie, Wrestler, Vrabel, & Mouse who left for Delta Junction and Schooner, Zema, Breck, & Check who headed off to Nome.

Dogs leave our kennel for various reasons but  generally it can be summed up by that they will have more and better opportunities elsewhere or to provide talent in their new home that is needed.
Just because they leave our yard, doesn’t mean they leave our heart. 💕💕💕

(And yes, I still cry every time )
- Sarah
🎶The best way to spread some cheer is singing l 🎶The best way to spread some cheer is singing loud for all to hear 🎶

#mushing #sleddogs #huskies #elf #iditarod #alaska #dogsledding #kennel #seward #sunset #singing #howling #howlforhealthcareworkers #dogs #instadog #dogstagram #travelingdogs #dogsofinstagram #turningheadskennel #love #lovetosing #spreadjoy #hAppy
Life is better shared with dogs. 💕 So proud of Life is better shared with dogs. 💕
So proud of this incredibly talented group of athletes. We are lucky to share such an amazing life together!
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#dogsledding #iditarod #alaska #explore #denalihighway #mushing #bluesky #getoutside #optoutside #huskygramn#magic #explorealaska #wanderlust #instadog #huskies #huskygram #dogstagram #sunlight #winter #snow #peaceful #happydogs #workingdogs #epic
Earlier in the year we broke a lot of trail. So gl Earlier in the year we broke a lot of trail. So glad as this year #Iditarod is going to be SNOWY!
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#dogsledding #mushing #alaska #eureka #explore #sleddogs #huskies #musherlife #instadog #workingdog #dogslife #happydogs #winter #getoutside #optoutside #wanderlust #alaskalife #snow #snowy #instahusky #husklove #travel #travelgram
The #iditarod race team is busy training hard 😂 The #iditarod race team is busy training hard 😂😂😂
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Don’t be fooled — Fun, rest, and recovery are JUST as important as miles in leading up to race day!
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One week til the #Anchorage start! We’re ready! Are you?!
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#dogsledding #mushing #huskies #instahusky #huskygram #dogstagram #workingdogs #doglife #dogteam #sleddog #sleddogs #mustlovedogs #doghouse #ilovedogs #mush #alaska #doglovers #instadogs #instadog #alaskanhuskies #alaskaphotography #dogmushing #northernlife #dog #doggo #dogphotography
Down to the last few days before #Iditarod 2020. W Down to the last few days before #Iditarod 2020. We did a HUGE shout on our facebook. Did you see it?⁠
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>> https://www.facebook.com/turningheadskennel/⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska⁠
#denalihighway #cantwell #turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs #dogsledding #mushing #northernlife #alaska #explore #travelgram #snow #winter #optoutside
Suns out, tongues out! Vrable & Wrangler . . . . Suns out, tongues out! 
Vrable & Wrangler
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#iditarod #dogsledding #happydogs #instadogs #dogsofinstagram #mushing #alaska #husky #huskies #huskygram #instahuskies #mushlovedogs #mustlovedogs #explore #optoutside #winter #snow #workingdogs #explorealaska #workingdog #travel #travelgram #instatravel
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Turning Heads Kennel
31722 Herman Leirer Road
Seward, AK 99664

Info@TurningHeadsKennel.com

Recent Posts

  • How Mushers Get Home After Finishing The Iditarod
  • Scouting Our Glacier Dog Sledding Camp
  • Turning Heads Kennel is Featured by The Seward Chamber!
  • The Role of Tourism in Racing the Iditarod
  • Travis Beals Finishes the 2018 Iditarod
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