We were gifted a dog sledding experience at Kinadapt and due to weather we didn't get to to do when we originally got the gift. Though this year, we were back in Canada and the weather was cooperating so we decided to finally do it. Overall it was definitely a cool (literally) experience and we got to do something together as a family.
L O C A T I O N
It takes between 1.5-2 hours to get to Rawdon from Montreal. It feels like a pretty easy route. You follow signs and please make sure you have a car that can go on dirt/snow roads. The road ends and you basically park where it ends.
E X P E R I E N C E
You start at the main building that looks like a house. You wait on the porch and you're given an orientation about the dogs, how to approach a dog, and how to be on the sledding experience. They are all lovely jolly people who are bilingual which is great cause my French is no good at the moment.
After the orientation, you're separated into groups. One to go sledding and the other to tour and learn more about the dogs. It was very informative in terms of what breeds they have. There are some dogs who are related. Some that are retired from sledding who were super sweet. I love old sweet dogs. They also show which dogs are marked to stay away from as they're more timid.
Then we were told to go to the other building which is a walk away. It's where you get hot cocoa and a baked good at the end. It's also nice and warm away from the elements. After a bit of time there waiting for our turn, we were ready to get into our sleds. You get to sit in the sled, a small blanket covers your legs (if you're lucky) and a tarp flap covers you (if you're lucky). Since I was with my niece, they were very good about bundling us up. My hubby and my in-laws said they didn't really tuck them in well so they were more cold than we were.
There was 4 sleds in our ride. We were on the third with Alexi who actually does race dogs. He was a hoot. Answered a lot of our questions, introduced us to all the dogs and was wonderful. He was also the one who kept us company at the Sugar Shack at the end with our hot cocoa and banana muffins. Our ride was 30 minutes long which was plenty to experience how they maneuver the dogs and the terrain was rough but it was fun with ups and downs like a roller coaster.
There are two outhouses that are relatively warm inside but the most interesting experience using them as they use wood flakes to absorb. They have instructions on how to use it which was great. Just the seat cover kept falling down which isn't great.
T I P S:
+ Layer Up
I layered a bunch of clothing as I knew we were about to go to cold. I wore 2 baselayers, a tank top, a long sleeve, balaclava, wool hat, snowboarding gloves, super thick hiking socks, furry snow boots, down parka, snowboarding pants, leggings, and sunglasses. I was still cold in my feet and hands.
+ Hand Warmers
We didn't get a chance to grab them on our way up but it would've made our hands much warmer. My fingers were super numb.
+ Mittens
I would say go for mittens instead of gloves. But if you don't have it have snow gloves not any ol' gloves cause you do need to insulate well.
+ External Camera
I couldn't take any videos as we were going pretty fast and my fingers would've been numb. So if you want to document your ride, something external that you can easily maneuver as you can't really grab things in your pockets as you're going fairly fast.
S E R V I C E
Everyone seemed to love their job and their dogs. They all were very cheery considering it was 9 degrees Fahrenheit though that day it felt like -13. The dogs also were outside which felt kind of wrong but maybe they're warm enough and are used to it? I saw one that was shivering and was a bit concerned. Though they were all running around and excited so it seemed like it was okay.
O V E R A L L
The experience was great. It was nice to do it with family. Being outside 90% of the time was a little rough but make sure to dress accordingly and it should be fine. They do send an email in regards to what to bring which is helpful. Maybe next time we'll do the mushing. read more