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Dog Sledding Saturday

28/1/2016

19 Comments

 
This past Saturday we set off on a winter adventure, escaping the city for a day of dog sledding, snow shoeing, and hanging out with puppies!
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Elizabeth in her element.
The dog sledding day trip was organised by Luke as a Christmas present to Elizabeth (the opposite of our cocktail-making lesson). We booked the trip through Toronto Adventures, who run a wide range of day trips from the city, and even provide transportation to and from the activities. We headed up to York Mills subway station to catch the bus which would take us about an hour and a half North of Toronto to the Windrift Kennels, where we were greeted by the sounds of 170+ excitable dogs.
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Windrift Kennels.
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Dogtown.
Once we arrived, we were divided into a few groups and rotated through the various activities on offer. As others set off for their mushing lesson, or headed out for some snow shoeing, we were given a chance to hang out with some of the dogs and warm ourselves up with hot apple cider while we waited our turn. Being such dog fans, we were very happy to have some time meeting the dogs, including the crazy ones who would later drag our sled (running and jumping in circles while barking madly) and some very new looking puppies (words cannot describe the cuteness).
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One of Elizabeth's new best friends.
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We came very close to taking one home.
Before we knew it, it was our turn on the sleds. After a worryingly brief lesson on how to drive the sleds, Elizabeth hopped into the sled while Luke climbed on the back, making sure to stand firmly on the brake so that the four dogs up front didn't drag us off into the woods prematurely.

And then we were off through the woods - leaning around corners, and occasionally missing trees by mere centimetres. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun, and with a clear blue sky and snow all around it made for a pretty special experience. We ended up doing two laps of the route that led us through the woods and around the kennels, swapping spots half way through. By the end of it our poor dogs were getting a little tired of dragging us around. We needed to give the pack a little encouragement now and then, and even had to help one of the dogs out when he got himself tangled up in the line while trying to pee and run simultaneously.
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Sledding up.
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Riding through the woods.
We also managed to take some (shaky) video footage along the way.
Our first stop after the dog sledding was back to the campfire, where we warmed up with smores, soup, roasted Timbits and more hot apple cider. On such a clear day with a little wind chill, things got cold on the sled so we were happy to stock up on some warm snacks before heading back into the woods for a spot of snow shoeing. With snow and ice clinging to the trees and sun streaming between them, it was a beautiful little hike. We ended up back at the kennels, for a little bit more hanging out with the dogs (one of which quickly became Elizabeth's new best friend). Just before leaving we stopped by to say hello to a mother and her three little pups, and seriously considered stealing one away inside our winter coats. We didn't though. Just FYI.
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Warming up after our sledding with some roasted marshmallows.
It was an awesome day trip, made all the better by the sunny weather, and turned out to be a pretty great Christmas present. On Friday night we also enjoyed another one of our Christmas presents, going out for dinner at Momofuku Shoto for a fantastic 6 course meal (though there could have been more, we lost count. So much food.). Thanks very much to our Secret Santas!

Here are some more pictures from our snowy Saturday adventure:
What were we up to this time last year I hear you asking? We were taking on some other winter sports as we hit White Hills for some downhill skiing, and back in 2014 we were enjoying some tasty food at the Pop-Up Deli in St. John's.
19 Comments
Polly link
28/1/2016 09:15:58 pm

Wow, this looks so fun! I'm definitely jealous of all your snow and adorable puppy time, what a great way to spend a weekend!

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Elizabeth link
29/1/2016 05:58:35 pm

It was the best - honestly one of my favourite experiences ever! Hanging out with dogs and being in nature is a great way to spend a day.

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Ashley @ The Wandering Weekenders link
29/1/2016 12:30:21 pm

What a fun gift, and it's perfect for the colder weather! I can't imagine the cuteness of all those dogs and puppies, and it looks like y'all had a fantastic time!

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Elizabeth link
29/1/2016 06:14:00 pm

Luke is so good at picking out gifts! We also really lucked out on the day because it was so clear and sunny.

I was obsessed with the dogs and wanted to snuggle them and take them all home! It was so much fun.

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Katie link
29/1/2016 10:43:24 pm

Wow! What an experience! I'd love to do this someday. Really cool, and nerve wrecking, that you got to drive the sled.

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Elizabeth link
1/2/2016 08:57:26 pm

Well I would definitely recommend it! :)

Driving the sled was kind of overwhelming at first, especially after only receiving 5 minutes of instruction! But the dogs were great and are used to their commands and the trails.

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Marcella - WhatAWonderfulWorld link
1/2/2016 01:01:01 pm

This looks like such a great experience!! The snow scenes are so picturesque and look like a true winter wonderland :)

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Elizabeth link
1/2/2016 08:58:30 pm

Absolutely! I couldn't believe how picturesque it was. We had the perfect day for it with fresh snow and a bright blue sky!

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Kaelene link
2/2/2016 04:58:45 am

Dog sledding, this is definitely on my bucket list, what an awesome way to spend a Saturday!

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Tanja/ the Red Phone Box travels link
2/2/2016 11:05:03 am

This is awesome! cute dogs! #travel tuesday

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Jessi (Two Feet, One World) link
3/2/2016 02:11:42 pm

Oh SQUEEEE - how cute are those puppies! This looks like such a fun adventure :) I would love to try it one day.

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Cass @ Cass Travels link
4/2/2016 06:20:32 am

This is amazing! I am so jealous - I've always wanted to do this :):)

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Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi link
4/2/2016 03:35:04 pm

Awwww, this is amazing - it's still a dream of mine!

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Ayla link
4/2/2016 05:45:36 pm

Oh how cute!! I went dog sledding in Lapland years ago but I'd love to do it again. Although I'm not sure I would be able to stop cuddling them long enough for a ride!

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Frankie Winter link
5/2/2016 02:39:54 am

This is the cutest thing ever. I'm usually more of a crazy cat lady than a doggy obsessive, BUT LOOK AT THE CUTENESS! x

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casacaudill link
5/2/2016 07:00:57 am

I know a lot of animal rights activists hate dog sledding, but our experience in Lake Tahoe totally changed my perspective on it. I can't speak for anywhere else, but those dogs *loved* to run and were so happy to be out on the trails. Such a fun and memorable experience.

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Andrea Vaughan
25/3/2016 03:40:42 pm

I too have been on this trip..In fact I gave it to my adult daughter as a birthday/Christmas present as well...We went on the Jan 7th trip I believe and it was fantastic. I have ben on many trips with Toronto Adventures...camping in Algonquin, Breakfast campfire horseback riding trip, and a few others. They always do a bang up job and give you a great experience.

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Caroline
2/3/2017 10:20:45 pm

Lovely pics and great experience! I'm considering booking with Toronto Adventures too to go this week but was wondering how long you effectively spent dog sledding? I m ight steal a puppy if I go! ;)

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Elizabeth link
7/3/2017 07:58:27 pm

Hi Caroline! It was probably 15-20 minutes each, so 30-40 minutes in total. It was really fun - hope you enjoy!

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