A while back I headed in the direction of Luzern for the weekend for a friend’s hen do. On a Saturday in February, we headed to the Hüttenhotel Husky-Lodge in Muotathal to learn how huskies are cared for and to go on a guided snowshoe walk with them.
The dogs were SO sweet and I left the trip wanting to bring one home with me!
We learned that they are so friendly and tame. If you do not hurt them, they will not hurt you. Belly rubs were much appreciated!
We split the hike with one dog per two persons and unknown to me and my partner, we picked the alpha dog of the pack. She always wanted to be at the verrry front of the trail!
Although we didn’t ride on a sled with the dogs, it was very interesting to experience walking with them. I already have experience snowshoe walking with Kay and with the dogs, it was a whole different experience!
The dogs with blue eyes were male and the ones with brown eyes were female. They had some Siberian huskies and some Swedish kinds… I forget all the different types, but they said they sometimes trade dogs to keep the genes healthier in breeding.
My partner had the dog most of the way up and the dog was really pulling her. My friend could barely control the dog even walking. It was a bit funny seeing the dog surge forward.
We switched shortly before our summit and the dogs really do help alleviate the energy required for uphill climbs! But on the reverse… it can be quite disastrous going downhill if you are not in control of your dog!
I have an OK time leading dogs and I seemed to be better about holding our dog back than my partner. Maybe part of it helped that I was speaking to my dog in Swiss-German, unlike most of the English colleagues around me. It was hilarious to hear them try and say “Stop, slow, slower!!” to the dogs with no reaction.
She might be peeing during our break, but she was still cute. 🙂
I really had to be careful on the way down to take slow and steady steps and make sure that when she would pull ahead, she would not set me off balance, toppling me over.
Overall, the walk was much more enjoyable with the dogs. They helped pull you up, down and forward on the long stretches. You could really feel the difference in energy exhausted on the flat stretches.
The weather was not the greatest, but it didn’t rain or snow, and at the end of the day we saw a bit of blue sky and some mountains in the distance. All in all, not a bad day!
We ended the evening back at the lodge with a fondue dinner. I had risotto and lamb to keep gluten free and we all enjoyed a well-deserved glass of wine!
