The coldest I've ever been

Yesterday, Brett knocked on my door to show me his new dog sled. He has been working on building it for a few months now and finally got it finished. This sled has a lower center of gravity, so he is more willing to take passengers and not have to worry about tipping the sled. We also have three interns with us at the high school, so he had promised to take them out and the weather seemed to be clearing up this day, so he gave the green light. He asked me if I would come out and help him get the team set up and then I could go for a ride as well with one of the interns. He was only using six dogs, so he could take only two at a time in the sled.
It was pretty awesome learning how to hook the dogs up to the harnesses and keep them from fighting. Blue started in on Lupa almost right away and received a quick smack on the nose to get her straightened out. There is a big ice hook that is used to keep the front dogs from backing up or turning around and two ice hooks used behind the sled to keep the team from moving forward. Then a dog is hooked up in the first, second and third positions. Eventually the second dogs are hooked up next to their partners in the first, second, and third positions. Then two people climbed into the sled and hunkered down. When the first two left with Brett, the third intern and I went back into my house to get out of the wind and stay warm. After about 20 minutes, Brett came back and it was our turn.
The dogs just didn't want to go into the wind and it was starting to gust out of the north off and on. We let them take their own path for the most part, but eventually had to make them suck it up and go back straight into the wind to get home. That took forever. The dogs were not choosing the trail well at all and we almost flipped the sled on a little mound of ice. Well, eventually the north wind kicked up to about 40 miles an hour and kept at it for about an hour or two. We had a teacher intern with us also and once we got to within sight of another teacher's house, we just told her to get into that house quick. She had snow and ice all over her face. I continued with Brett to get the dog team back up to the kennel, but I didn't have goggles and my hands were freezing. Eventually, we made it back with Brett leading the dogs with the tether of the front two while I stood on the sled and held the brake so that the other dogs wouldn't get ahead of the two leaders and get all tangled up. After we stopped and got the dogs tied up, I headed back to check on our intern friend. When I got into the house, my hands began to swell and get sooooo painful that I became nauseated. I finally calmed down and was able to go back out. I think I got my first signs of frost nip (not bite) though. good experience, but I don't think I want to repeat it any time soon. Never leave home without your goggles, no matter how nice it seems outside.
Hope you are enjoying my adventures.
Dirk