Clayton Perry, a musher from Power, and his team, are currently training 34 Alaskan Huskies, all named after cities in Montana, in preparation for the upcoming sled dog season.
Perry and his team are going to complete seven races over six weeks, totaling over 2 thousand miles of racing in multiple states and Canada.
Perry began mushing in 1998. He says, “I started by running hound dogs, chasing lions, and started teaching them to pull sled in the backcountry, to check trap lines and chase lions. And I just moved on to race dogs. It's a labor of love. It gets to be full time, just full time dog care. Just something you do for love."
In 2022, Perry won the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown Trophy for being the highest place finisher across three races - the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race, the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, and Montana’s Race to the Sky.
Last year, Perry took first place in the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge stage race, and also won the Canadian Challenge Race in the main event. He is also competing in the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown again this year.
Perry also has two handlers that are part of his Kennel, called Teton Snow Army Kennels. Along with handling and caring for the dogs, they’re also training and mushing themselves, and will also be racing some events this season.
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Trace Drake, a musher and one of Perry’s handlers, says, “My goals are just to have lifelong experiences with these dogs. As far as these races go, they're a big accomplishment to even be a part of them. But really, it's all about the dogs, so I don't really want to take too much credit for anything."
Training begins in September with four wheelers, and then comes about 600 miles in total of sled conditioning. Today, the team is training in Neihart, and will take the dogs 60 miles.
Drake says, “We're just hooking dogs up on a sled, so you see from the outside. But there's a bunch that goes into it. I pretty much learn something new every day, or at least I try to."
Perry emphasizes that mushing is a sport that needs support. Many events require volunteers to help out, or even just to spectate.
