Musings on mushing

I finally managed to go to the Sun Dog express and get a taste of dog mushing. Out here, where the winters can be long and the nights pitch dark, Mushing is a big hobby for many people. Some people own up to 40 to 50 dogs which they train for mushing contests. In my case, it was more of sitting in a sled (the second image is more of a publicity stunt....) and being pulled around a frozen lake by a pack of 5 dogs - Deadly and Percy (lead dogs), Esther (swing dog) and Cheena and Yukon (wheel dogs).
The most surprising aspect of the mushing is the silence once the sled is in motion. Despite the barks and yelps while in the dog yard, sleddogs switch off into complete silence once they are given the "go". So when I was on the sled, the only sound I could hear was the movement of the sled and nothing else.
Most sleddogs can typically pull up to 250 pounds and they are extremely efficient in conserving energy, which is why they are absolutely quiet when they are "at work". These amazing animals can actually work themselves to death and it is actually upto the owner to recognize this and give them a break...