After our scenic hike we headed over to the Denali National Park sled dog kennel to meet the pups and learn about the history of dog sledding in Denali. Fun fact: Denali National Park is the only park that continues to rely on dog sledding as a main mode of transportation in the backcountry, and assist in research missions and rescue throughout the winter.

We enjoyed a presentation from a park ranger who went over everything from the positions of the different dogs relative to the musher, the sled dogs’ training schedules, and the advantages of dog travel compared to mechanized transport in the wilderness. The presentation included a live demonstration of the dogs on the move around a track. We couldn’t believe how fast and strong they were!

— Anna & Kevin