Mindy Rose and her husband get things set UP and ready for the running of CopperDog 2026 on Friday night, at the beginning of the Cliff Drive in the Ahmeek area. They have been manning this spot for over four years and she commented that this is her favorite Friday night of the year. Volunteers like Mindy and her husband are essential to the smooth running of this Dog-Sled race here in the Keweenaw. I love the colored lights they fashioned out of empty jugs and remote control LED lights glued to the cap of the jug, which they set to cycle through all the colors throughout the evening. What a fun way to mark the curve for the dogs and mushers to help keep them on the trail. Mindy said the lights made their night a little more exciting, too... you can tell these folks enjoy their role in the event.

In the video that Mindy recorded, you can hear several of the mushers comment on the lights, so they really appreciated the effort in the darkness of the woods and trails. You can also hear the mushers command the dogs for a right turn by shouting “Gee”, which is the musher command for right. Left turn is “Haw”.

We have a bonus video for you to watch, compiled from Day One of the festivities, by brockit, the official media team for the CopperDog. It gives you a great look at the entire day in 176 seconds... click here to watch it: CopperDog 2026 Day One

Hi
I enjoyed the video, and it did sound like the mushers
appreciated the lights. I saw that they had headlamps
and that in some cases the lead dogs had glow-in-the-
dark collars.

Way too cool...I love the dogs smiling...you see
that in the longer video...the colored lights in
the middle of the dark...FABULOUS!! This is so
awesome.

What a great idea! My hubby is a crossing guard in
the Ahmeek area also. No colored lights but he
loves watching the sleds come by. What a great
event! Loved the video.