I created Sun Dog Express Dog Sled Tours in the summer of 1998. Disallusioned with working as an advertising manager for Beaver Sports Inc. of Fairbanks, Alaska. I decided to see if I could get paid to work at my passion - dog sledding. I sold my shares in Beaver Sports to make myself a cushy little nest egg, quit my job and began to put flyers around town and brochures at local hotels.
I was able to secure a small area in a large warehouse at the back of Beaver Sports to establish my office. Just so happens that Beaver Sports is located off some of the best dog mushing trails in Fairbanks. My sled dogs spend a few months of the year at this "winter" dog yard and the rest of the year is spent at my ranch - getting a sun tan.
One of my very first customers was a film crew from the BBC. They were doing a documentary on global warming called "Arctic Warning" and wanted the film to have a broader appeal. I was the only person included in the film that didn't have a docterate degree. It was interesting to be wired with a microphone that they could pick up voice on for 1/2 a mile.
The reporter, Julien O'Hallaron, asked me to run my very excited dog team around a one mile loop many times so they could get just the right shot. My dogs were happy to obligue. We went to Creamers Field Wildlife refuge to film. As I recall the snow was still pretty low for that time of year so the trail was bumpy. Fences on the trail, usually open during winter months, weren't open yet so it was interesting getting a six dog team through little openings between the pilings meant for a person to squeeze through. The sled just barely fit and it was a task to keep the team slowed down enough to get through the tight space without taking the sled apart.
We were successful and the film premiered three months later in Great Britian and on the Discovery Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment