Day 6 - Descent

We stopped for a moment, took time to take a few photos, have a snack and drink. Sage, as usual, does not sit still, though at first nothing seems wrong. Laird gives the 'everything ok?' sign, tapping his head, each of us reply in turn, including me at the very back. He sets off down the slope, this one an epic stretch of about five hundred meters down the back of the mountain. One by one we follow, and still everything seems well. Then disaster strikes, and I notice Mickie's harness has been twisted around itself, thanks most likely to Sage's shananigans. In panic I slam on the brakes and stomp the snowhoook into the ground, cementing my team in place. I leap out of the sled and run to Micki, but this spooks big Harry and he takes off, ripping the snowhook out of the ground and sending the other four dogs into an excited frenzy, egging them to run, run, to the ends of the earth. And so they did. In a desperate attempt to stop the sprint I dive for the team line and grab hold of it with one hand, Harry's collar with the other. I struggle to calm my tractor dog, but he doesn't listen to words. He wrenches free, and the ground speeds past underneath my backside, my flailing legs on either side of the bow of the sled, one hand holding myself away from it. I chance to glance down the hill, at the bottom is a sharp, but wide, turn left, and beyond that nothing but forest and a nearly sheer drop to the valley floor. Without a helmsman the only way this sled would go is over the edge, dragging my dogs with it.
My grip failing I kick out ferociously at the sled, knocking it to one side and getting my legs together. Hooking my feet around the prow I am able to right myself and get my hands back on something solid. Climbing to my feet, with the wind rushing past my ears I am able to climb along the frame of the sled until I can get my hands on the handlebars, leaping I get one foot back on the runners and slam the other down on the brake. A fountain of snow spurts up behind the sled and we slow considerably, just in time for the dogs to take the turn, and the sled, luckily, to follow.