Syracuse.com - Let the dogs out: Green Lakes to hold sprint mushing demo (video)

[HuntingNY-News]

Green Lakes State Park holding sled dog demo on Saturday, January 25.

Roy Smith has a need for speed.

The Lacona resident grew up a ski racer, slicing trails through the snow of New York's Mohawk Valley region. But while training at Lake Placid in the early '90s, he found himself in awe of athletes much faster than himself: Teams of dogs hitched to sleds, speeding down ski trails.

"Now THAT'S racing," Smith recalled thinking.

Smith soon hung up his skis, bought six dogs and dedicated himself to sprint mushing.

More commonly known as sprint racing, the sport features teams of dogs bred to pull sleds 20 to 30 mile distances at speeds between 20 and 25 miles per hour. Smith has since raced throughout New England and Canada and was a two-time International Sled Dog Racing Association silver medalist in the sprint racing class.

On Saturday, the owner of Adirondack Kennel will be bringing his dogs to Green Lakes State Park for a demonstration.

Sled dog sprint racing in Alaska

Unlike the thick-furred huskies often associated with sled dogs, sprint racing dogs are lanky, short-haired hybrids. Adirondack Kennel currently consists of 34 dogs whose lineage is a precise mix of Scandinavian hound, Alaskan husky, bird dog and greyhound.

"They run superfast, they just fly," Smith said. "You can't keep up with the dogs. You can ski your hardest, but you won't be able to keep up."

Like all great athletes, the dogs of Adirondack Kennel love the thrill of competition. Smith said that when his team sees other dogs being hooked up to sleds, they get psyched and want to be hooked up too.

"The beauty of the lineage is that they want to succeed," Smith said.

In addition to the Green Lakes demonstration, Adirondack Kennel will be giving rides at Borio's Restaurant in Cicero on Saturday, February 1, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., and at the Oswego County Winter Carnival in Pulaski on Sunday February 2, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The Details

What: Sled Dog Demonstration

When: Saturday, January 25, 1 p.m.

Where: Green Lakes State Park, 7900 Green Lakes Road, Fayetteville, N.Y.

Cost: Free

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog