My Time At Bacon’s Acres
written by Harlyn Baker
July 9, 2024
Four years ago if you’d asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would’ve said
a dog musher. I read all the books, watched all the movies and studied the Iditarod. I
thought it was the coolest thing. (Pun not intended) So one day we stoped by the
Iditarod Museum to check it out, we held some puppies and went on the cart ride and
we asked one of the ladies working there if she knew anyone in Big Lake who could
teach me how to be a dog musher. So she gave us a number. My mother text her and
we scheduled a day to meet. I can’t remember the exact date but I know it was a
summer day in 2020, we walked over to her kennel as it was only a few minutes away
from our house. When we got there a lady came out of her cabin and introduced
herself. She was Kristin Bacon, dog musher, three time Iditarod runner, and soon to be
one of my closest friends. We walked around the kennel, she introduced us to the
dogs, and we started talking; I asked her if she wouldn’t mind teaching me how to be a
dog musher. She said of course. So my family walked home and I started painting dog
houses. Since that summer in 2020 to now (2024) I’ve had a lot of experiences and
have learned a lot, how to hook up a dog team, how to take care of them on and off
the trail, how to the care of myself on the trail, and lots more.
One of my most rememberable adventures was in April of 2022. We had 12 dogs on
the line, I was in the basket and Kristin was driving. It was a clear Friday morning in
Alaska, and that was the day I was to learn to drive the dogsled. So I did the usual,
feeding, watering, and scooping poo, but since spring was on its way Ms Kristin
wanted to get me out on the sled before the snow melted, so she grabbed the tug line
and handed it to me and said, “ Put it on the sled.” So I grabbed it with confusion
because I had no idea how to put it on. So I grabbed the line, which took me a little bit
to straighten out and put on the sled, but eventually, I got it. It was a twelve dog
gangline, so I knew I was in for a treat. She picked the twelve dogs, told me how to put
the harnesses on, and showed me how to move the dogs. We put one dog on the line
at a time, wheel dogs which are the ones closest to the sled, team dogs which are the
dogs behind the swing dogs; they help swing the team when turning, and then the lead
dogs lead all the other dogs. When all the dogs were on the line, she wanted me to
stand on the brake so the dogs wouldn’t run off, but twelve dogs is a lot of power; you
could literally feel the power through the lines to the sled, so she had to help me and
said, “Stand on it! Pretend you weigh three hundred pounds!” When we were ready,
she took my place on the brake; I quickly got in the sled basket, and we were off! We
crossed a road with a bump, and we were on the trail. Our plan was to go ten miles
round trip and go on part of the Iditarod trail and halfway through; I was to drive the
dogsled for my first time. Whenever we turned, I was surprised at how quietly she
could give the commands. She didn’t have to shout over the sound of the runners or
the dog's paws hitting the ground. It was a little scary at first with the snow hooks
hanging by my head, but I had a lot of fun, more than an ATV. And then it was my turn.
She stopped the sled, and I got on the runners with her behind me. Ooh boy. I thought
as I gripped the handlebar tightly, legs shaking, trying not to show my fear and anxiety.
“You ready?” She asked. “Yeah,” I answered, but my mind said no, no, no. And then
she gave the command, “All right!” And suddenly I was driving a dogsled! All right, this
is pretty cool. I drove with the dogs running at about nine mph for a little while with Ms
Kristin taking pictures. And then there was The Turn, as I call it; it was a right turn,
nothing too big or anything, but the trail conditions weren’t that good, and it was my
first time, and I had a very small idea of what I was doing and as I said the command
“Gee!” We went into that turn, and the sled tipped, throwing me and Ms Kristin in the
snow while the dogs kept running, leaving us behind. It drove the wind out of me when
I hit the hard snow me and Ms Kristin quickly got up, and she started calling for the
dogs to stop, but they were going without a look back. Ms Kristin cursed, and we
started running to get the dogs. She told me that it was the first time she had lost her
team on this trail and that it’s important not to let go of the sled so you don't lose your
team because a lot of bad things can happen to you and your team, the team could get
hurt, a dog could die, the same thing could happen to you. We walked for a while;
thankfully, it was a sunny day with no snow or rain; Ms Kristin called her friend to help
get the dogs in case they went home. It was a while, but eventually, we started to hear
dogs barking. Then soon, we saw them around a corner, a tangled mess of lines and
dogs barking. I helped get the dogs straitened out and quickly hopped in the basket. It
was a smooth ride after that; we crossed the road again and stopped, unhooked all the
dogs, put them back in their houses, rolled up the gangline, and put the sled away.
Here is a list of some things I’ve learned at Bacon’s Acres, both personal and dog
mushing related.
1: When driving a sled you never let go, even when you think you're going to fall off.
Hold on!!
2: You never stop learning. (Sometimes whether you like it or not)
3: Don’t knock it till you try it. (How can you say you don’t like it if you haven’t tried it?)
4: To grow confidence you have to get out of your comfort zone. (And sometimes a
good friend to “push you” a little bit)
5: If you see something that needs done, do it, don’t wait for someone else to do it.
6: Make sure to keep an eye on the trail for obscurities, snowmachines, moose, other
teams, stumps. Etc
7: Always carry a knife on you.
8: Its better to have something and not need it then to need it and not have it.
9: Assembling and disassembling gangs lines.
I’ve learned and grown a lot since 2020, had some exiting adventures, and I know I will
never be truly “done” with dog mushing. It has been an awesome four years, and I will
keep those memories close and I will never forget my time at Bacon’s Acres.
Thank you Ms Kristin for an awesome and exiting last four years, for teaching and
helping me learn how to be a dog musher and always being patients even when I was
not getting it. Thank you for helping me become who I am today.