Cosmic Canines: Racing, tours and , modeling?

The other day I was in the middle of the interpretive part of my tour when Matt came over and pulled me to the side.
“Abbie, we drew straws and I can’t explain everything right now, but you won.”
I looked at him puzzled waiting for him to tell me that I had to take some important Cruise Line people or a famous person for a tour next.
“I want you to get your 4 best dogs. The best looking, and it wouldn’t hurt if they were well socialized. You and handler Matt are going to take them up to the glacier for a photo shoot.”
“What? Are you kidding?” I asked trying to piece together all what was going on.
“I can’t explain, Sarah will tell you about it later. Just finish this part of your tour, and when you go to take the guest to the puppies I will take over. You have to hurry because you have to follow the bus down the hill.”
So I finished with my tour and walked over to my dog yard.
“Don’t tell me….Telesto, Comet, Quarky, and…and …..” Matt called out smiling with his arms spread.
“Close, “I smirked; he is really starting to know me as well as my dogs, ‘Telesto, Comet, Vega, and Leo.”
“Leo! Of course.”
In the rush of everything, getting changed into warm clothes to be on a glacier and loading up the dogs into Matt and Sarah’s truck I fell and cut my hand pretty bad on the rocks. But I was too excited to really feel any pain, I was excited to go for another helicopter ride and be on the glacier again.
I had assumed that we were to be doing a photo shoot for AIE, our company, but I couldn’t figure out why it would be with my dogs on the glacier. Why would they want a picture of “dirt dogs:” as we are called for a brochure for the glacier operation? Or why would they want a picture of dogs on a glacier for the ground operation?
As we drove down the hill, Sarah explained how we would be flying with Coastal Helicopters up to the Taku Glacier to do a photo shoot for Rolex. All of the glacier operations were shut down due to weather, so they had to take our dogs up to the Taku because it was the only accessible glacier right now, and even that was getting worse. They were running out of time both because of the weather and the budgeted time of the film crew. So we were to rush to catch the window up to the glacier.
How exciting!
We got to the Coastal Airport and it was immediately clear that this was a somewhat unorganized endeavor. But we packed into the helicopter anyways. The dogs loaded into a wooden kennel in the back seat and Matt and I in the seat next to it. With the production manager Adam in the front with the pilot.
I was nervous taking off, there are rumors that Coastal is the least safe heli-company in town and I kept hearing how the weather was going sour. But soon the scenery and the stories of our pilot’s exciting life took over. We flew over Juneau south bound over the Gastineau Channel then we turned east up the Taku Inlet. This is over the other side from the mountains that cup our dog camp in their green hands. I had long looked at the area in my Alaska Gazetteer Atlas and now I was flying over it in a helicopter. We cut up one of the valleys there were lakes and creeks. We approached a summit and flew only 20 feet over it. When we got over the other side the bottom dropped out quickly. It was amazing! Finally we reached the Taku Glacier. It curved down between the stony peaks in blue, grey, and white striations. Then we were over the white vastness of the ice field. Over to the left in a valley there was Linwood’s Camp. I pretended to throw a grenade over to it. Matt laughed.
We approached camp. It was tiny within the huge ice field. We could see one huge yellow base camp style dome tent. And then a smaller dome. There were many people wandering around.
When we landed we were greeted by Jason Harriman who is the manager of the 3rd glacier operation in town. He remembered me as the girl who would hitch-hike 4o miles to mush dogs at Jack Berry’s. I guess we had met before; he lives down near Jack’s in Homer. I apologized that I did not remember ever meeting him. After we unloaded the dogs and put them on a picket line. I was introduced to various French People who were working with the filming crew, and then to the outfitters, Beyond Alaska, who are from Juneau. I was shown around the tiny camp, including the food which was laid over 4 tables, with 2 chefs’s preparing everything from Crab to Salmon, Ceviche, oysters, fruits, and desserts, and all kind of other gourmet food. Matt’s eyes lit up.
“Help yourself to everything, “ Edjuard, our interpreter said.
So in about an hour we went from our daily routine to eating a gourmet meal prepared for us by personal chef on a glacier in the middle of no where with a bunch of Europeans, most of whom did not speak English, while my dogs were being models for Rolex. How surreal!
Jason explained to me what the photographer, who was a famous in the photo world, was trying to capture
They wanted the snow in front of a sled that was set up just in front of the camera completely undisturbed but somehow they wanted to the dogs to magically be set up in front of the sled, which was of course impossible. The hand model would be lifting his hand just above the handlebar of the sled and in the near foreground would be the dogs, and in the distance would be mountains. So basically it was as if the hand model had just stopped his dog team to check the time on his Rolex. Like any dog musher could ever or would ever afford a Rolex!
I tried to disturb the snow as little as possible as I set 2 dogs in harness in front in the camera’s view. The photographer waves his hands for me to move over one way, then the other. He had about 5 assistants that adjusted the camera at his commands, loaded the film, and various other tasks. Basically all the photographer did was call the shot and press the shutter. He kept explaining to the interpreter for what I should do who would call out in a think French accent.
“AH bee, de photographer vants you to make your dogs you know, bottoms turn laike dis!” He motioned an angle with his hands.
So I tried as best I could to arrange the dogs, who thought they were going for a run so they were jumping and barking excitedly.
The photographer looked in his camera for awhile and then called to the interpreter who called to me, “AH bee, de photographer sayz it iz too hard to take peecture when de dogs are jumping around so.”
So I told the dogs to quiet down. I got the other 2 dogs on the line. Then came a series of commands to move the dogs to the left, to the right, make them quiet, make them howl, turn that dog’s butt this way, turn this butt that way, make them look back, make them look forward, all called out first to the interpreter, then called out by him, “AH bee, do dis, do dat!”
I have to admit I have no idea if anyone else was impressed because no one spoke English, but I was pretty darn impressed by my dogs. They follow my command pretty well for a bunch of wild sled dogs. We shot picture for at least an hour; Matt was busy making his way around the buffet table, huge smile on his face.
Then the light went bad for the photo shoot. Suddenly everyone was like we have to pack up to go. Everyone had to be off the glacier by 8:45 or else they would have to stay for the night. Also the weather was getting bad so we had to catch a window out.
I helped myself to all the food, and then helped the outfitters pack. The first helicopter arrived, and of course the film crew left first. Then another, they were wondering who would be the next group to leave. I looked at my dogs on the picket line and then to the looming clouds.
I turned to the interpreter, “I’ve seen 8 Below. I don’t leave this glacier with out my dogs!”
Matt and Jason laughed but the interpreter looked at me like I was crazy. I had to explain to him about the movie.
We did actually get off the glacier, dogs and all. On the way home we flew over our Sheep Creek Dog Camp. The pilot wouldn’t drop us off even though it would be easier, and darn cool! If we landed by helicopter home after finished our international photo shoot.
It was worth it to fly into Juneau to see the sun breaking through the clouds over the Lynn Canal. I have to say I love this place! This summer keeps getting better and better. Live your dreams and everything will fall into place. The world will unfold a beautiful, wonderful, and exciting path.
By the way the Rolex Campaign is to be released in December in magazines worldwide.