Le cani-kart, une balade très écologique
Early in the morning and sheltered from the crushing heat, I go to the pass of the Lodge, near La Chamba. Cani-kart in the summer and sled dogs in the winter, whatever the season, the dogs continue to roam the paths of the Col de la Loge.
I participate in the first walk of the day. And you can hear it. Like wolves, the dogs howl to death, eager to be harnessed to the kart.
group work
It is Christian who takes care of tying them up, but the closer you get to them the more excited they are. In total, there are twelve dogs that will pull us during this walk. I then take the time to get to know some of them. I admit that I did not remember all the first names. But they are all very beautiful Nordic dogs. Each one has its little particularity, some have very elongated heads, others have white and brown, or white and gray hair. Among this horde of canids, there is one who looks at me with big odd eyes and waits impatiently to be petted. This one is Lascar. And needless to say, it's my favourite.
Once the hitch is in place, the ride can begin. As soon as Christian releases the brake, we take off at dog speed. Strategic places are reserved for them. Obviously, the leaders are in first positions. They are dogs that have training, the older ones, the ones that are the most excited to go. In last position we find the youngest who has just been collected. Open is only 14 months old and he saw his first races. He seems a little more fearful and keeps turning around for us to watch. Maybe he wants to check that we are still here.
A big breath of fresh air
The ride lasts three kilometres, enough time to take a breath of fresh air, especially since I have the best seat. Behind, standing next to Christian, we take each jolt and he tells me the story of his dogs. There are also two seats in front, very comfortable. Finally, the race is smoother than I expected. Christian surely had to hold the brake to prevent us from taking off. Too bad, that could have been funny.
Nevertheless, it is very pleasant to be in the middle of nature in contact with Nordic dogs. First stop, the twelve canids throw themselves into a ditch filled with mud. “They do that all the time,” says Christian, with a smile on his face. A real passion for Christian who has been practicing this activity for twenty years. After several stops, just to stroke these balls of fur, we come back to square one in a more or less controlled bend. To my great surprise, I was amazed to see that this kind of activity was practiced in the Loire.
Lucile Brière for La Gazette de Thiers et d'Ambert.
