This is part two of a three part blog, OIF/OEF Veterans Dog Sled with Outward Bound. You can find Part One here.
We ate very well. Most meals were hot, convenient, one-potter, belly-fillers. Memorable dinners included macaroni and cheese, potato chowder and pizza. Breakfasts often included a hot or cold bar of granola, grape nuts, other cereals, mashed potatoes and powdered milk. An egg, spinach, hash brown and sausage casserole was especially memorable. Kim’s “donuts” made from frying English muffins in butter and covering them in powdered sugar were a very welcome warm treat. A chocolate cake and cinnamon rolls rolled out on the back of a large aluminum scoop shovel were the crème-de-la-crème. Both were made from scratch by Kim and cooked in a Dutch oven fueled by the fire. As a cinnamon roll connoisseur I can tell you that those rolls rank second only to those prepared by my high school cafeteria many, many years ago. We took no lunch breaks, rather we munched from our squirrel bags all day long to maintain energy and body temperature.
A squirrel bag.
OB’s pre-expedition handouts said to lay off sweets, meat and caffeine. I spent 3 weeks drinking caffeine free coffee in preparation. That wasn’t too hard. However, Byron had the coffee connection hooked up with a small French press – THANK YOU Byron. As a chocoholic I took a bag of Nestle chunks that were brought out and shared at appropriate times. Byron did the same with Starburst and Kim would bring out mini candy bars. All good bandages for tired minds and tired bodies. Our water came from the lakes or snow and was then boiled. Individual Propel mixes made the hard water more palatable and encouraged me to stay hydrated. A hot drink bar of instant Russian tea, instant Chai tea and hot cocoa were welcome respites before breakfast and dinner.
dv’s Time Out Corner – Absolutely do not confuse the powdered milk with the powdered potatoes when doctoring your coffee. Team member Judy found this to be less than palatable.
The finer points of boiled lake water.
Mornings developed into another routine. The same avian carnivore would awaken us, we’d stuff packs, tear down shelters, consume breakfast, pack sleds and pulks for the day and depart. Daily journeys varied from 2.5 miles to 6 plus miles over ice or slush covered lakes, 16-24 inches of soft snow that collapsed when you tried to ski or sled over it, bare ground patches, boulders and logs.
A great disappointment came on the day we were transitioning from Horse Lake to Horse River. The plan was to visit waterfalls near the Canadian border. However, the ice on Horse River would no longer support us and the banks were not continuously navigable. I enjoyed performing a little scouting in sometimes waste deep snow to see if a marsh emptied into the river further along our route. It made me feel like I was back at home scouting for deer and turkeys. A new route was planned. Another challenge came about when the snow on a particularly steep ascent had totally melted and open water presented itself at the bottom. Kim dug in her tool box of knowledge and safely belayed the sleds, most dogs attached, down and around the obstacles with great skill.
Belaying the sled over a bare spot with open water nearby.
Since my return I have been asked how the female team members did considering the physical demands of the course. My answer is that we were all equal and we performed equally. That is the truth. From sawing and splitting to sled-lifting and dog handling everyone helped everyone with everything. Based on my military experience I very much prefer a gender integrated environment over a segregated one. I prefer the balancing nature of our differing perspectives and abilities. I told my wife before departing that I hoped my team would be a mix of men and women. Thankfully it was.
Although the military is generally gender integrated it isn’t always what I consider an adult environment. In our OB wilderness environment adult, discrete behavior was the rule. Slammers, if available, were often in very close proximity to camp. Close enough for participation in normal conversation. Trail business was conducted often within sight of one another. Eyes were averted and discretion given. Sleeping bags, regardless of gender, were next to one another. We were a team. It felt good to be part of this kind of team. I am appreciative for people who want to be equal acting equal.
Part of the experience was to do a “Solo”. We were given a saw, tarp, individual mess kit, foil package of vegetables and bratwurst sausage, package of Ramen noodles, matches and some twine. We then picked a site off the lake map and trekked to it. The idea is to boost confidence and provide some time for inner reflection. Prior to this Kim made sure we received a lesson on fire-making if team members thought they needed it and a suggested configuration for the shelter including recommended knots.
Since it was early afternoon I had enough time to cut about 1/8th cord of wood and kindling, build my shelter, practice a few laps of ice skiing, get an abdominal and push-up work out in, do a stretching routine and watch the sun go down from a small bench I made from some wood graciously donated by a beaver family. Inadvertently I had grabbed the vegetarian foil pack so dinner turned out to be a vegetable medley with Ramen noodles and some American cheese from my squirrel bag. Pretty tasty. I did learn that my woods-fabricated pot hook needed to be about 18 inches long rather than the original 4 inches. The twine connecting it to the tripod was very susceptible to licks from the flame. Dessert was a mixture of raisins, peanuts and chocolate chunks I’d concocted from the squirrel bags and the stash of chocolate I brought – one of my favorite trail and hunting munchies.
Tripod, wood, kindling and bench.
Solo shelter.
The next morning we returned to camp and discussed our experiences in a supportive, facilitative environment. I want to say how much I appreciate the service of our military members who have done ground tours in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom and their families. THANK YOU. As for me, my shipboard experiences were rather mundane and I spend so much time in the woods that my self-reflections remained the same as always. No new revelations came along. It was fun, though.
That is it for Part 2. Visit again next Monday, April 12, 2009 for Part 3.
happy dog sledding, dv
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Coming up on Mostly Archery
- Bowfishing – Preparing the Boat
- Overhauling My Hunting Bow
- Veteran’s Dogsled in Minnesota’s Boundary Water Canoe Area – Part 3
