Mushing 101: Plant your snow hook and study The language of the trail

The Iditarod is a world many people will never know. Naturally, then, it would include a vocabulary that is almost like a foreign language to those not in the mushing circle.

While everyone probably knows what a "bootie" is and what a "husky" is, if you hear a musher shouting "line out!" or "gee" you may be left scratching your head. "Sit" and "rollover" may be commands your daschund may honor, but on the Iditarod Trail, dogs must know a whole lot more words.

Here is a quick overview of what you might here watching the Last Great Race, and what exactly those terms mean. Of course, every musher has a variation of these terms. The command with perhaps the most variations is the command to the team to start. Many would expect that command to be "mush," but often, mushers have their own terms, such as "hike," "all right" or "let's go."

For directional commands, mushers usually rely on these terms:

GEE

Command for a right turn

HAW

Command for a left turn

COME GEE! or COME HAW!

Commands for a 180-degree turn in either direction

LINE OUT

Command to the lead dog to pull the team out straight from the sled, which is used mostly while hooking dogs into the team or unhooking them.

WHOA

Obviously, this command is used to slow the team down to a stop.

When it comes to equipment and race terminology, there are even more words that most people won't use in their daily vocabulary.

For example, a musher with a "double lead" will have two dogs in the lead, side-by-side, rather than a single leader. To give their team an extra leg on the race, many mushers "pedal," which means they push their sled with one foot while the other is on their sled.

Mushers have to not only contend with their dogs, but also a wide variety of equipment that keeps the dogs in the team. A few of the things mushers have to deal with include:

RIGGING

Rigging is the entire collection of lines which the dogs are attached to, including the tow line and necklines.

NECK LINE

The neckline is the line that connects the dog's collar to the main tow line.

RUNNERS

The runners are the two bottom pieces of of the sled that come in contact with the snow. As technology improves, so does the materials used for runners. Special plastics and teflons are used. Runners are changed periodically throughout the race as conditions change.

SNOW HOOK or ICE HOOK

One of the most important pieces of a musher's equipment is the snow hook, which is a large piece of metal that the musher slams into the snow or ice, to make sure the team can't move forward suddenly. It serves as the only brake a musher has -- and it's only used once a team is stopped. They aren't used to slow down a team while it's running.

SNUB LINE

The snub line is used to tie the sled to a tree or other stable object when the musher is stopped, so the dogs can't jump into action and head down the trail without the musher.

LEAD DOGS

Lead dogs are unique animals. Often, they form a bond with the musher and serve as the musher's eyes and ears in front of the sled. They must be very intelligent and serve as natural leaders.

SWING DOGS

The swing dogs are the dogs that run behind the leaders. Their job is to help swing the team into the turns or curves.

WHEEL DOGS

Wheel dogs are closest to the sled. Their jobs are to help get the sled around sharp turns.

BOOTIES

Everyone probably knows what a bootie is, but did you know that mushers go through hundreds and hundreds of booties every race? Typically, they are made out of a lightweight material with Velcro closures, so mushers can get them on and off rather quickly. Booties are popular souvenirs for race fans.

Much of this information came from the Iditarod Trail Committee's 2004 Media Guide.