Sled-dogs make for mushing in Colorado backcountry.

• Author: Taylor, Mike
• Position: Attitude/Altitude - Brief Article

JEFF MARTIN USED TO BE A COMputer software programmer. Now he spends his time in the Colorado backcountry tending to 51 Siberian and Alaska huskies that literally run his business.

Martin and his wife, Tracie, own and operate Dog Sled Rides of Winter Park, which offers 10-mile, two hour treks through the forests of Fraser Valley. Passengers behind the eight-dog teams are treated not only to an exhilarating ride at 20 miles per hour, but to a bit of local lore. Sled drivers stop and point out moose and wild animal tracks, offer some history of the Fraser Valley, and identify landmarks like the Continental Divide and surrounding peaks.

The Martins met and fell in love with dogs, mushing and presumably with each other while working for 2 1/2 years for one of the original sled-dog tour operations in Colorado, Krabloonik Restaurant & Kennel, which still does a brisk business in Snowmass with about 250 dogs.

The pair married, and after a two-year stint in Greeley, where Tracie completed her degree in therapeutic recreation, the Martins bought Dog Sled Rides of Winter Park from some Fraser locals a year ago. Last winter they enjoyed the best year in the operation's 13 years, with revenues of $100,000.

"It's been really good for us," says Tracie, 28, who has a keen interest in animal-facilitated therapy and puts it to good use by providing rides to wheelchair-bound customers. "We're probably never going to get extremely wealthy doing this, but it's doing something we like to do...