Call Of The Wild

Bruce Langmaid’s dogs are his only companion as he races hundreds of miles across frozen lakes and barren land

Bruce Langmaid with his team of dogs head out into the wilderness.

Alone with a team of sled dogs, gliding over miles of white, pristine snow, calculating every moment to ensure the safety of the team – is what dog sledding is all about. No one knows this better than Scugog’s own Bruce Langmaid, a ‘musher’ for the past 30 years.

As a youngster, Bruce was raised in a family of dentists, but his fate presented a different route. After completing Oshawa High DSchool he set his sights west, to work on the TransCanada Pipeline system.

A year or two later he returned to Oshawa to re-acquaint himself with his girlfriend, whom he later married. The couple then moved to Ashburn, where Bruce began investigating the sport of dog sledding.

“We had a ‘setter’, which was our family pet,” Bruce explained, “but there was no reason you couldn’t harness him and turn him into a sled dog… so I did” he said chuckling as he spoke.

Soon thereafter he split the cost of a sled with a friend, and along with the family’s two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and the setter, Bruce had his first dog sled team.
“We needed a fourth to round it out so we acquired a husky and we had a pretty good team.”

Since then Bruce has never looked back.

His first race took place in Minden in the early eighties and he fared well. It didn’t take long to realized that sledding was an expensive sport so Bruce moved to Coates Road, south of Port Perry, and opened a kennel.

Bruce has an uncanny ability to communicate with dogs and training them comes naturally. It is for that reason the kennel was a great success and after a few years they outgrew their location and moved to the south end of West Quarter Line in Blackstock.

Bruce Langmaid with two of his Alaskan Husky pups.

There, on a 100 acres of tall pines, his dogs and those boarded, seem to truly enjoy their stay and have for the past 13 years.

Mushers (the people who lead the team of dogs) are constantly breeding different varieties to create the perfect balance between speed and endurance. Bruce now races only Alaskan Huskies, as they are long distance runners and have the stamina to finish a 600 km race without any problems.

“The longest race I was involved in was the “Yukon Quest” in 2005, a 1,600 km event over 15 days,” he says. But Bruce’s favourite race is the 400 mile event called the “John Beargrease” sled dog marathon at Duluth, Minnesota, in which he competed last year and plans to attend again this year.

“Everyone always asks me about the races I have been in, but no one ever wants to know what actually happens during the events,” Bruce says.

Training for the “Beargrease” begins in the fall using all- terrain vehicles. The dogs are extremely eager to start as they are bred for sledding and are exceptionally hyped. Alaskan huskies can easily travel 100 km or eight hours without stopping, which is very taxing on the Musher.

The team travels to the destination of the race in advance, to familiarize themselves with the course and to qualify for that particular race. Finally, the big day arrives and through a lottery, each team’s position is chosen.

“It is important to remember,” Bruce explains, “you are not racing against other competitors, but against a clock. When you start makes little difference. It’s when you finish that matters.”

The dogs are pumped and chomping at the reins, eager to do what they love most. The whistle blows and they’re off.

The first checkpoint is 100 km away and Bruce and his team arrive at 7 p.m. in good spirit, adrenaline flowing. The dogs are also excited and eager to continue. “The stop is only three hours and there is a lot to be done,” Bruce explained.

The most important part is of course, the dogs. Their booties have to be removed and they have to be fed. Each animal is carefully inspected and a bed of soft straw is made up for each of them. If there are any concerns, a vet is called immediately and the dog is looked after.

“People don’t realize the winners of these races are usually the teams where the dogs are best looked after and in top condition.” After the dogs are taken care of, the Musher has a chance to grab a quick bite and change his clothes. He then has to repack the sled, making sure there are enough supplies in case of an emergency.

The runners on the sled will be replaced if necessary to suit the trail conditions and the dogs are awakened and new booties put on. (Booties are exactly what you would expect: little shoes to keep the ice from hurting the dog’s feet).

When the team is ready, the signal is given and they begin the next 100 km leg of the race. It’s 10 p.m. now and pitch dark, but the dogs prefer to run at night as it is cooler and by nature they are nocturnal creatures.

The lead dog is outfitted with a collar light and lights on the sleigh and from Bruce’s head lamp show the way. “It is important to always stay to the right on the trail. You never know what might come your way,” he explains.

Bruce relies heavily on his lead dog. Often the first couple dogs of his team are already around a bend and he cannot see them. “I have encountered everything from moose, to loons, logs to porcupines. The lead dog has to make instant decisions which will ensure the safety of the entire team, me included.”

If a dog becomes ill or develops leg problems, Bruce has to remove him from the team and lay him in the sled until he makes it to the next stop.

“I once had three dogs in the sled, which drastically slowed me down, but the dogs are everything and their well being is most important,” he emphasizes.

Bruce is currently developing an offshoot business with his sled dogs which will give tourists the experience of dog sledding in a professional manner. He can take up to three people on a lengthy course where they experience spectacular scenery, wildlife and ice caves.

His boarding kennel is also doing very well, due largely to his love for dogs and the care they receive. I watched Bruce frolic with some of his huskies at his property in Blackstock. Each dog is personally trained from the time they are a pup and they all know Bruce and obey his every command.

If you want to experience a thrill of a lifetime and go sledding with veteran Bruce Langmaid, give him a call at 905-986-1707.

By Jonathan van Bilsen
Focus on Scugog