When I ten years ago, I dreamed of one clean run. A run where nothing went wrong鈥攖he sled didn鈥檛 break in half with 14 huskies attached to it, or a blizzard didn鈥檛 close in, or the dogs didn鈥檛 get stuck in a river, or we didn鈥檛 get tangled with a sheep, or any number of disasters that seemed to strike every single time I took the dogs out. I loved the sport, but I was always holding my breath for the next crisis. Because at its core, dogsledding鈥攖raveling through subzero wilderness by tying yourself to a team of very strong, very manic dogs鈥攊s a practice in chaos management. Once, when I told another musher that I didn鈥檛 like adrenaline, he laughed so hard that he almost fell off his sled.
One evening last winter, ten years after I first stepped on the runners, I realized that I couldn鈥檛 remember the last time my dog team had encountered a major crisis. Was it possible that I鈥檇 achieved that legendary clean run?
Except鈥攏ow that I thought of it鈥攚e had to cross thin ice just that morning. And two days before, a team of hunting dogs encircled us, hackles up, and as the only human, I had to avert a showdown between them and my terrified huskies. And last week, my headlamp froze, and I had to drive the sled for ten miles in moonless woods. (The dogs could see fine; I was the one who would crash into trees at 25 miles per hour.) And, and, and鈥
Basically, I had stopped seeing problems鈥攅ven dangerous ones鈥攁s disasters and started seeing them as a normal part of travel in deep wilderness. If you spend enough time outdoors, no matter how well you prepare, you鈥檙e going to encounter a crisis sooner or later. Trust your future self to handle what comes. And when the mud hits the fan, here are some lessons I鈥檝e learned for keeping a cool head.
#1. There鈥檚 Always a Solution
Say this aloud until you believe it, and when you feel discouraged, say it again. If you tell yourself that you鈥檙e trapped, then you will be. But you鈥檙e not trapped. There is a solution鈥攖here are probably many. It鈥檚 just a matter of figuring out the best one.
#2. If You Don鈥檛 Have Something, You Don鈥檛 Need It
You鈥檙e lost in the woods, it鈥檚 pouring rain, and you don鈥檛 have a tarp? Tell yourself, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need it.鈥 This is, of course, not strictly true, but it will help you to reframe your concept of the situation from wishful thinking into reality. Take stock of what you do have, whether it鈥檚 equipment or skills. That鈥檚 what actually matters in the moment. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 going to get you home.
#3. …But Always Carry the Basics.
The basics will depend on your climate, but for dogsledding I try to bring a minimum of something warm, something waterproof, snacks, matches, zip ties, and rope. I can鈥檛 count how many times I鈥檝e rigged some sort of pulley with the rope or (temporarily) fixed a broken sled with zip ties, and now I鈥檇 never dream of going into wilderness without them. Be willing to adapt your kit to the situation: When a wolf pack moved into my neck of the northwoods聽and I started seeing wolves on the trail, I started packing an air horn in case I needed to startle my dogs and the wolves out of a confrontation (or interspecies sex).
#4. Know Your Strength
I like to differentiate between slow-motion and high-speed problems: basically, how much time you have to stop and think. If you鈥檙e falling off a cliff, that鈥檚 a high-speed problem. You have seconds to react and will probably act instinctively. If you鈥檙e lost on a mountain, that鈥檚 a slow-motion problem. You can take time to reason, to think through different scenarios. Most people are naturally better at one of these or the other, and you can use that to your advantage. If you鈥檙e better at high-speed problems, you can trick yourself into acting quickly rather than becoming paralyzed with options. I鈥檓 better at slow-motion challenges, so my first goal in a crisis is to pause the problem long enough to breathe and think.
#5. Embrace Temporary Discomfort
The best solution isn鈥檛 always comfortable. But if you鈥檙e dangerously cold, it鈥檚 better to change into dry long underwear than to stay in your sleeping bag, no matter how much it hurts to expose your skin to the air. If the tide is coming in, it鈥檚 better to wade now than to swim鈥攐r drown鈥攍ater.
#6. Your Stuff Won鈥檛 Save You
The more money people spend on gear, the more they tend to rely on it, which is a huge mistake. Trust your senses first and your gear second. If you don鈥檛 have the skills to go winter camping with three wool sweaters and a lighter, you鈥檙e not going to be safer with a Canada Goose and a Jetboil. Think of fancy gear as a source of comfort or convenience, not insurance.
#7. Learn from What Didn鈥檛 Happen
After you鈥檙e home safe, think back on the experience. Ask yourself what you could have done to prevent problems and how you could have dealt with them more efficiently. Brainstorm solutions to parallel situations. What could you have done if it was raining? Or if you had lost your pack or broken your leg? The point isn鈥檛 to beat yourself up but to make things smoother next time.