This was my second time on this trail on a sled. I wasn't too worried about it. There was nothing too technical and I expected an easy run. We lined out and the ladies took off first. I figured they would catch and pass me soon anyway so I waited to give them some running room and then pulled the snub line release.
They were on fire again. These dogs love to run but you've heard me say that before. I reached down to grab my mittens. The first part of the run is not the time to let go of the handlebars or take your focus off balancing and controlling the sled. I learned this quickly.
When I bent over to reach the mittens the sled began to tip. I was unable to recover being bent over the handlebar and down I went. I held on though and was dragged by the team at 20+ mph on hard, crunchy snow.
Days prior to this a friend of mine from Canada, Mario, was explaining how to recover from just such an incident. I had been dragged probably 500 feet by the time I gathered myself. The conversation with Mario came to me now and I began pulling myself up onto the sled which was now on it's side. I managed to get my waist over the edge and put both feet on the runner that was on the ground. Crouching and trying to balance, I yanked the sled upright and quickly put my right foot on the runner as it landed. It worked! I thanked Mario a few times after that.
I had tipped over before even though I've only been on a sled a few times. This was the first time it happened while I was going that fast and the dogs did not stop. So, among all the lessons I'm learning good upper body strength is one more thing needed to be a musher.
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