London's 1903 masterpiece, The Call of the Wild, follows the journey of a previously domesticated canine that becomes a strong sled dog amid the madness of the nineteenth-century Yukon Gold Rush. You don't have to travel all the way to Alaska to answer your own call of the wild. Just journey to Squaw Valley, where Wilderness Adventures Dog Sled Tours offers one- and two-hour excursions on sleds pulled by twelve Siberian and Alaskan huskies. The dogs have been bred for this, and their pre-run excitement is a big part of the fun: they "rev their engines" by howling, barking, and leaping; then they speed off, hit their stride, and pull you along with pure canine power. Owner Brian Maas, who builds each sled by hand, is training with the dogs to run the famed Iditarod in Alaska this winter. With forecasters calling for an early snow season (many North Tahoe resorts are opening in mid-November), this is a great way to mush into winter. Sleighs away!

Weekend rates: $110 per person (over 60 pounds); $55 per person (under 60 pounds). For more information, click here. You can even use the dogsleds to access one of our favorite Tahoe destinations, The Lost Trail Lodge, which is otherwise reached only by skiing or snowshoeing.