To begin the day, we visited Alaskan Husky Adventures in Willow, Alaska to dog sled and meet Iditarod racers. As one group went out to dog sled, the others got the chance to meet the team of dogs and talk with racers/workers. The dog sleds held groups of two and four. Nine of us were able to drive, brake, and even steer the sled. We sled for about thirty minutes and got the chance to meet the team of dogs we were sledding. During the ride, we learned many facts about the dogs. The strongest dogs were in the back of the line-up while the best listeners led the pack. Each dog has to eat approximately 10,000 calories a day. The mushers also explained how they participated in the Iditarod races and the training it required. During the time we were not sledding, we met dozens of dogs of varying breeds. Each dog was extremely friendly and loved to socialize. It was amazing to meet the dogs and see how much they enjoyed doing their job. There was also an amazing gift shop we could purchase merchandise from.
We also visited the Musk Ox farm, which is a non profit organization dedicated to domestication of musk ox that once roamed the wide arctic. We had two amazing tour guides who led two groups, each consisting of 15 members. During this icy walk we were able to walk around and learn about how Musk Ox were taken care of by the members at the farm such as ensuring their food is played farthest away from them to ensure they were getting proper exercise and how they are getting vital nutrients at this farm than out in the wild. These musk ox were actually brought from Greenland to Alaska, which makes it super interesting to learn how they have been growing up in the state and cared for to ensure they feel safe and comfortable. Our tour guides also talked about how much research is still needed to learn more about Musk Ox as well. This was overall a great experience as we were able to see Musk Oxen weighing more than 700 lbs each as well as understanding their unique physical characteristics!
We ended the day by having a great seafood dinner at Humpy’s and listening to live music there. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the Westchester Lagoon in Anchorage. There, we were able to walk along a snowy path and see a frozen lake with the sunset in the background. Once we were done, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for our early start tomorrow.