Sled dog tours showcase traditional mode of transport
Winter 2017/2018
Written By: Kate Hull
| Images: Megan Peterson
Tucked away on Granite Creek Road, off the grid from the hustle and bustle of everyday Jackson life, eight-time Iditarod veteran Frank Teasley tends to his troupe of 187 dogs.
“I started out living out here in a wall tent with seven dogs in 1981,” he recalls. Now, his operation has grown to be one of the premier sled dog
adventure companies in the Lower 48. Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Tours takes visitors on a variety of unique excursions exploring the pristine winter wonderland near Granite Hot Springs, Cliff Creek, or the Gros Ventre area on trips led by Teasley's trusty dogs and expert mushers.
Teasley runs his business with a deep-seated passion for the traditional method of local transportation that played a key role in the early days of Jackson Hole and other frigid regions like Alaska.
“My goal is to share with the world a traditional activity and make it a professional activity,” he explains. “Your vacation is my job.”
But the 110-day season is just part of the job for Teasley. Each day, he and his small but passionate team care for and train the Alaskan husky mixed breeds, or “genetically engineered mutts,” as he likes to call them. He laughs as he points out a few of his beloved pups: Machine, Tulum, Tikal… the list goes on and on.
“I have some boneheads and some real sweethearts,” he says. “Sometimes it is like running an enormous nursery school. But I always keep in mind this is their world, not ours.”
mario beauregard©-adobestock.com
