Alaska - Sled Dogs - JU54 or JU57

[KikisDad]

We are on the Solstice on 9/6/13. They offer two almost identical sounding trips; "Dog Sled Summer Camp" and "Alaska Sled Dogs & Musher's Camp"

They are both 2.25 hours, both are on wheeled sleds and both get puppy time. Does anyone know the differences and can recommend one?

Thanks!

[ghstudio]

We are on the Solstice on 9/6/13. They offer two almost identical sounding trips; "Dog Sled Summer Camp" and "Alaska Sled Dogs & Musher's Camp"

They are both 2.25 hours, both are on wheeled sleds and both get puppy time. Does anyone know the differences and can recommend one?

Thanks!

 

I don't know the difference, but if I can spend your money, you will have a far better, realistic experience if you do the helicopter to the dog camp that is on the glacier...and then ride a real dog sled. It was a fantastic excursion.

[KikisDad]

I don't know the difference, but if I can spend your money, you will have a far better, realistic experience if you do the helicopter to the dog camp that is on the glacier...and then ride a real dog sled. It was a fantastic excursion.

 

I agree, but that is not an option for us :(

[didicruiser]

I don't know the difference, but if I can spend your money, you will have a far better, realistic experience if you do the helicopter to the dog camp that is on the glacier...and then ride a real dog sled. It was a fantastic excursion.

 

My family and I did this; outstanding!!!!

[warmwinds]

I think we did JU54 because there was a lot of Iditarod-related information. It turned out to be a great excursion, but it was a little different from what we were expecting...first of all, I thought I "knew" what a husky was, but these turned out to be much smaller dogs. Not that that was bad, just different. They were a little mangy but quite enthusiastic, and you got a nice ride with them. The Iditarod information was cool...they showed the gear and outfits that are worn. And holding the puppies was fun...but it wasn't really any husky puppies, I'm not sure of the breed, but I guess they have to have whatever puppies happen to be on hand, and let me tell you the mother was not too pleased, but once they separated her the puppies were very fun to hold.

 

I blanched when I saw the price of that glacier one...this one was truly fun and I'm not sorry we did it at all. If the other is not in your budget (and it would also not have been in ours) do not even think twice about it.

 

I can't speak to the other "on land" one because we only did this one, have no idea if it is better or not, but we were very happy with the Iditarod-focused one.

[Onessa]

I don't know the difference, but if I can spend your money, you will have a far better, realistic experience if you do the helicopter to the dog camp that is on the glacier...and then ride a real dog sled. It was a fantastic excursion.

 

I agree, but that is not an option for us :(

Just for consideration -- my DH's neice and her husband worked up on the glacier in Juneau for two summers. The company that they were with allowed family on the excursion for free. DD (then 8YO), DH and I got special treatment:

• We got picked up at the pier.
  
• DD got to ride the co-pilot's seat up and back.
  
• We got a private tour of the camp and extra puppy time.
  
• Our "musher" was one of the grandson's of the founder of the Iditerod and nearly all his dogs were veterans of the race
  

DH was in a different helo and on the way back the pilot apologized to the pax for the delay saying that there were "VIPs" on the tour (the only time in my lifetime I'll be described as a VIP).

 

They would not accept any money - so we tried to give someone on the ground crew a couple of hundred dollars to buy the crew some treats -- and they gave it all back -- we finally talked them into accepting $75.

 

It was an unbelieveable experience, but at that time (almost a decade ago) it would have been $1800 for the three of us -- could not have afforded that! You just need to get a close family member to take a job up on the glacier!