We thought we’d see Sven from Frozen. Not quite!
The multipage liability waiver should have been a red flag. Our party of six hadn’t finished scrambling from the car when the reindeer ranch’s staff thrust papers in our hands. The waiver was peppered with phrases like “inherent risk” and “unpredictability of livestock’s reaction,” below an unmissable clause in highlighted, all-caps, bold letters: “I am ultimately responsible for my own health and safety.
When the great-aunt we were visiting in Alaska suggested an afternoon spent walking with reindeer, we exuberantly agreed. The plan conjured mental images of the cultural icons we’re all familiar with. “I wonder if any of them will have a red nose?” my daughter said. “Or will they beThat last bit was true. This particular reindeer ranch hosts weddings and concerts on its sprawling greens, flanked by lush gardens and boreal forest.
While they barked at one another, George bucked against his leash, yanking on the young employee leading him. The leash tangled around the employee’s neck and tightened as she fell to her knees. She clawed at it, eyes wide. For a horrible moment I wondered if we were about to witness murder by reindeer. But the employee managed to scramble to her feet and free herself, and in the process, she released George into the forest.
We were instructed to huddle closer together, as if under siege. Then, another voice: “Where’s New Jersey?” Murmurs of alarm sounded, and our protective cluster scanned our surroundings.We all seemed to spot our missing group member simultaneously through the brush and brambles, tottering downhill. She’d grown impatient and hiked back down the way we came. She stopped suddenly, and we collectively gasped as George emerged from the shadows, facing her, regal and menacing in a shaft of sunlight.
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