Flat Braden goes mushing

I have been bestowed a privilege of participating in a "Flat Stanley Project". Flat Stanley is a series of children's books about a young boy who is smushed flat by a bulletin board. In the series of books he gets to go on all sorts of adventures. School classrooms have taken on the project to send their students on adventures around the world as well. My friend Lisa's son back in Minnesota sent his "Flat Braden" to me. There was not a lot of requests with it but one was if he would get to see any sled dogs.

This weekend was the 12th Annual Mush for Kids in Fairbanks at Pioneer Park. Since the project wasn't ready in time to take to Nome with me, I felt he still needed a chance before spring to play with the sled dogs. I won't pass up a chance to play with the sled dogs on my own either so this morning I was off on a mushing adventure!

Mom's of other kids will do anything to help out someone else helping a kid with a school project. The puppy pen was very crowded but Flat Braden wasn't scar of a few puppy kisses!

This is how first time kid mushers learn to mush....on a kid size sled with a single dog. This particular musher knew right away what I had in my hand and was more than ready to take him for a ride!

This is more of a Junior musher's sled with a little more equipment to worry about. I tucked Braden safely in but he might get a little windburned without a ruff around his head. Might have to find some seal fur for that!

This friendly dog was taken a break from pulling but he was still all about loving! The kisses were much appreciated by ME too!
My friend Julia needed a new pair of hiking boots so I wasn't going to pass up a stop at one of my favorite stores in Fairbanks. The Prospector was having great sales so we stopped in. A prospector carved in ice had a little room in his pack to take Flat Braden for a bit of a trek. I managed to score a new pair of shoes. Gotta have good shoes so I can continue taking Flat Braden around Alaska!