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Training is just around the corner, and we are frantically making last minute repairs and preparations. Once we start running, we just don't have time for any extras. It has been tough going this summer because Varan has been out working in the bush and is rarely home. Ideally, we would have 24 dogs to work with this year, because you must assume about 1/3 will have injuries or other reasons they don't make the team. So far we have 19 dogs who will start training, but we don't yet know if Gringo or Aberdeen will be able to make the team. Gringo recently lost a toe (see below) and the rest of his foot will have to work harder to support him. Aberdeen had a cancerous growth removed from his hock (rear leg joint) last spring - so far the cancer has not reappeared, but his joint may be compromised. We also have two dogs on loan that will arrive in October.
Pups are now about 8 weeks old and getting very obnoxious! (Just like dad)
Here's another of my periodic updates about a few things that are going on: SNOW today!!! Not at our house, but up on the local peaks. We usually see this 'termination dust' in September, not July. So far this has been a cool and rainy summer, and it looks like maybe it is over before it ever really began. If the temperatures stay low maybe we will get an early start to fall training! Pecking Order - Flip is a wonderful, sweet, responsive dog who is very cooperative. He really enjoyed his week as a house pet earlier this month and learned his 'inside manners' quickly. But apparently he is still working out his place in the hierarchy with the rest of the dogs. We don't allow fighting. Actually, we don’t even allow trash talking, posturing, or dominance games. But Flip has been mixing it up while we are at work, which leads us to our next topic... Vet bills - So far we have had three separate dogs in to the vet for surgery in the last few weeks. Scooby went in for a planned surgery to remove some frostbite damage on his sheath. Flip managed to crush one of Gringo's toes, and unfortunately the toe had to be removed. We are hoping that the missing digit won’t prevent this talented young dog from running with us, but only time will tell. For now he is recuperating inside, and getting a lot of mileage out of holding up his bandaged paw and looking pathetic. And that brings us to surgery #3 - Flip is now neutered. We hate to lose the chance to breed to this dog, but we have to do everything we can to ensure peace and safety in the dog lot. Preparations - We've been working steadily on summer projects, which includes repair and painting on the dog trailer, constructing additional dog boxes, repairing and resealing the sled, washing and repairing dog coats and sewing strips of fur on the belly bands to provide wind protection for the boys, washing and repairing harnesses, replacing the bearings and CV joints on the four-wheeler ($$$ for parts!), changing oil and adjusting the brakes on the four-wheeler, adjusting the brakes on the trailer, repairing (again) the trailer lights, replacing the tie out chains on the trailer with a new swivel system, digging another drainage ditch to try to prevent the dog lot glacier next spring, straightening a very tricky section of trail, and always always - feeding, cleaning, and taking care of the dogs. No, we haven't made much progress on the house remodel. Puppies - Well, let's not forget a puppy update. They are doing great, and getting cuter and more curious every day. I'll get a new picture up soon.
The puppies are growing (as puppies tend to do). Their eyes opened up a week ago, and this last weekend they tried solid food for the first time. They are also discovering their voices, and starting to toddle around just outside their doghouse.
I just received a very nice certificate of recognition from San Bernardino County, in which the Board of Supervisors commend me for my athletic achievements with sled dogs. I've gone from the largest county in the US, to the largest state and the biggest race. It is nice to be recognized. Thanks to Holly Wood for working with the County Board on this.
We just returned from the annual Iditarod summer picnic and race sign-up. It was fun to see everybody, and we are now signed up for Iditarod 2009!
This summer, just like the last 2 summers, we are splitting a litter with Ryan Redington. Tuesday evening we had 7 beautiful pups born - all boys. The mother is Amelia, one of Ryan's dogs, and the father is our own obnoxious Fly.
Last weekend was the annual Pancake Breakfast in Mt Baldy. Missy Poore, mom, and a whole bunch of other folks put together an Iditarod booth for our kennel. They sold pens (with the kennel name and website), t-shirts, homemade doggy treats, and other goodies to help raise funds. Sounds like it was a great success! Thank you to everyone who contributed and helped out!
T-shirts are still available - click here.
Barb Redington sent us a bunch of great photos she took this winter. It may take a while to load them all, but I thought it would be fun to share her photos and others that we took last season. Click here for 2007-2008 photos.
Today I feel like a jet-setting rock star. I just returned from an 18 hour trip to Southern California. Family and friends in Mt Baldy threw a party/fundraiser to kick off our next season (it starts already!) It was really fun to see everyone and get a chance to share stories about our wonderful dogs and what it is like to race in Alaska. Thanks to everyone who attended - it was great to see you! And thanks to Mom, Aunt Carol, and MANY others who helped host the dinner and party.
Told you I'd get it posted, it just took me awhile to get everything down! The Taiga Spring Break 300 - what a fun race! Very low key and relaxed, but very well organized. When I called the Wolverene Lodge, where the race starts, they said they didn't have any rooms available, but I was welcome to sleep on the barroom floor. My kind of place! I started the race with only 11 dogs. 8 of ours; Scooby, Chase, Shotgun, Luna, Trouble, Kroto, Fly, Skeeter, and 3 dogs that Ryan loaned us; Hurley, Flip, and Stovepipe. I had concerns about several of these dogs, making things a bit more interesting. Scooby had injured his wrist the week before. After some days off, I hoped he was back to normal, but had no way to know until we ran. Shotgun was showing some swelling on a rear tendon. Although it did not seem to bother him or cause him pain, 300 miles of racing could damage him. Trouble had spent so much time off recuperating from minor problems, that I didn't know if he was fit enough to handle this race. His longest run up until that point was 50 miles. Hurley appeared to be coming into heat, which could really cause havoc out on the trail (the reason that I had to leave both Maggot and Alis home, as well as a good leader that Ryan loaned us). Luna actually did come into heat during the first day of the race, but it was early enough in her cycle that she wasn't too much of a distraction. I was also a bit short on leaders. Scooby and Hurley were the only adult leaders I had in the team, and I worried about having to drop Scooby due to his wrist. While several of the yearlings are becoming good leaders, they don't have the experience or stamina yet to pilot us over such a distance without a solid partner. So I started the race with some misgivings. The race leaves from Wolverene and makes a 62 mile loop through the hills and forests, returning to the starting point for an 8 hour break. My crazy team and I made a great start, tearing off in the wrong direction, and dragging on my face across the lake until I could get squared away and take off down the trail. After a rocky start, we made great time, gradually passing all but one team in front of us. The trail was barren and rough in several places, and much of it traversed through bushy willow whips which slapped the dogs as they negotiated through the thick brush. I enjoyed the trail, and didn't find it too challenging, although some of the mushers I passed seemed a bit shocked to be running over bare dirt and tundra. That brush took a toll on the team. Two of the most solid dogs, Stovepipe and Fly, came up with injuries after this run. I was really disappointed to lose these two energetic, reliable dogs. But the next leg was 111 miles, and there was no way I was going to chance taking them on that long of a run. The rest of the race is located in remote areas, with no potential to make a 'food drop'. This meant that I had to load the sled with all of the food and equipment we would need for the next 250 miles. That was quite a load! At 3 in the morning, we took off down the trail, which proceeded down the lake system, then followed the Tyone River, on to the Susitna River, and finally up the McClaren River for another mandatory 8 hour break. The 9 remaining dogs were screaming to go, and we made good time across the lakes and through the winding meanders of the rivers. About 1/2 way we stopped for a 2 hour break. I melted snow and made the dogs a nice meaty soup. While they slept, I changed the runner plastic on my sled, which had taken a beating on the snowless trail of the first loop. The next leg was sunny and hot, with a slow, sticky trail. The team really slowed down, but kept on chugging. The trail was flat river running for the most part, and not particularly exciting. There was one brief interesting section. I came around a corner to see trail markers planted in an X near an ice bridge. The X can mean either 'caution, dangerous trail', or 'do not proceed, the trail goes a different direction'. I noticed that the ice bridge over the open water looked a little sketchy, so I assumed the X was simply a caution sign. As I came around the corner, I realized they actually blocked the river crossing, and we were meant to hug the bank instead, traversing a narrow ice ledge suspended above the collapsed river ice. While the team made a last minute direction change, I couldn't quite get the sled lined up to hop up the ice curb and onto the ledge. Instead I scraped along below the ledge until the sled got wedged under it. The dogs courteously stopped for me to drag the heavy sled out from under the ledge. But due to the angle, the team could not pull it up the increasing lip onto the trail. I shoved and pushed with all my might, and the dogs tugged and pulled, but we only succeeded in scraping farther along below the ledge, as the slanted bank below me got steeper and narrower. Just as I was about to unload all my gear so I could lift the sled up, Eric Rogers came along and lent a hand, sending me off down the trail with no more struggle. With all the various teams on the trail, and each person choosing to stop at different locations and for different lengths of time, it can be hard to determine your place in the pack. I knew I was near the front, but was quite surprised to find that I pulled into the McClaren River Lodge in second place. I was very impressed with our team, since I wasn't really racing, just hoping to have a good experience and finish an Iditarod qualifier. Trouble had been doing a great job, but I decided to drop him at McClaren to make sure he didn't get overwhelmed during his first race. I certainly didn't want to chance having to haul him in the sled bag. The team was now down to only 8 dogs. After an 8 hour rest, we pulled out for a short 30 mile loop through the towering peaks. Even in the darkness, I could tell that the scenery was spectacular. I was quite jealous of the slower teams, who would get to run the loop during day time, but not jealous enough to stop and wait! It was a particularly dark run for me, as my headlight batteries began to fade. I quickly switched batteries, and they were no better. I went through each of my 3 spare sets of batteries and tried my spare headlamp, but apparently I had a bad set of batteries along. I was forced to complete the run using the tiny headlamp that I use for close up work. I could see well enough to know if any of the dogs was having a problem, but not well enough to see the trail ahead of us. Luckily it was a really nice, easy trail! When I got back to the McClaren River Lodge, I was luckily able to buy a set of D cell batteries to get me home. After another 4 hour rest, we left in cool morning light back down the 111 mile river trail to the finish line. An hour or so down the trail, I saw a fox doing its unique leaping-pounce on a mouse hole. The fox was intent on its hunt and didn't see us. The dogs were focused on the trail, and didn't see the fox, who eventually faded into the bushes and watched us as we went by. Suddenly, the wind caught the fox scent, and gave the dogs a little turbo charge! We were making good time, but after a few hours the day began to warm up and our pace really slowed. I took frequent breaks to let the dogs cool off and have a snack. My goal was to plug away during the heat of the day and see if they picked up the pace in the evening. But by the time things cooled down, the team was really needing a rest. After a 4 hour rest and some more food, off we went. Only to find that my 'new' batteries were already duds, and I was running in the dark again. As we crossed the river back and forth, and negotiated overflow, ice bridges, and multiple trails, I kept thanking the stars for my Scooby dog - what a leader! He unerringly chose the correct trail, and kept the team going through slush, water, and glare ice. I had enough confidence in him to hope he would stop if faced with open water or an end to the trail. Kroto was really exhausted, and never quite bounced back. He ended up riding in the sled, which slowed us even further. But the team was motoring along, and the night was beautiful - stars and northern lights. Luna, whom I had always thought to be a bit of a sissy, really showed her mettle during this race. For much of the course, her wrists were swollen and stiff. She proved to be incredibly tough, and kept pulling hard despite her injury. So I vowed that the minute she quit pulling, she was going into the sled to take a break. About 20 miles from the finish line, she had finally had enough. With Kroto already in the bag, I now had a heavy load and only 6 dogs still in harness. We could have plugged away to the finish line just fine, but at this point I made a bit of a rookie mistake. The rules require that you finish with at least 7 dogs in harness. I could have stopped a mile out and put either dog back in the line, and finished up just fine. But somehow in my fatigue, I decided that I had to stop and rest some more until Luna could continue. I took another 4 hour break that the team really didn't need, but luckily no one else passed me during this break. We finished at 10 a.m. on Friday, claiming 4th place! I was really surprised, since I thought that many teams passed us during our extra rest time. The team felt fine, but were ready for another meal and a nap in the sun! We spent almost 3 straight days on the trail. During this time, the dogs got 30 hours of rest (including the extra 4), and I got almost 6 whole hours of sleep! During most of the breaks, I was busy bedding the dogs, making food, repacking the sled, making repairs, etc. I offered food to the dogs every couple of hours during the rests, so that kept me up and moving. Incredibly, I didn't feel any fatigue at the end. I had tons of energy, and spent the rest of the day caring for dogs, watching other teams come in, chatting with mushers, and eating a big breakfast at the lodge. After all my struggles this year, I finally got my head in the right place and just enjoyed being out with the dogs. I learned more during this race than the rest of the year combined, both from the dogs and from John and Zoya, the wonderful people who put on this race. I learned that a 300 mile race is very different from a 200 - not just a bit longer, but with much different qualities and requirements. I learned about pushing a team a little too hard, and I think I needed to know what that looks like. I also learned that they bounce back really quickly with rest and care. I also learned that a dog can spend some time riding in the sled, and go back in the line (duh). In the Tustamena when I had several limping dogs, I thought scratching was the best choice for the dogs. In this race, I learned that they can recover on the trail and keep on going - if I had rested and treated the dogs, I actually could have finished the Tustamena, I just didn't know it. I learned how to keep myself hydrated, and I have never felt better at the end of a race! I learned a lot about changes I'd like to make to my gear that I never would have found during a shorter race. Most importantly, I learned that when I take each run one at a time, quit thinking about how much is left, and stop fretting about how far we still need to go, that I enjoy my time out on the trail. Some notes on the dogs: Scooby, as always, was worth his weight in gold. He is a fabulous, strong, driven leader. Other mushers were commenting on how great he looked, and how hard he worked. Skeeter was his usually reliable, easy-going hard-working self. I used him to lead during some sections to give the other leaders a break. He finished very strong and looked like he could go forever. Shotgun is a tough, beautiful, motivated dog. He has run every race this year, and I never have any doubts that he will do his part and work hard. Chase is our rising star. He never seems to tire, and always shrieks to keep going. Even though he is just a yearling he has become one of our best leaders, guiding the team over at least 2/3 of this race. I have never seen a youngster with so much talent! Trouble made a great debut and came away with a smile. He shows a desire to lead and lots of promise for next year. Screamy little Luna may well be the toughest dog we have. I would have never guessed she would be so determined to keep going. After a day of rest, massage, and liniment, her wrists look fine, and she is just as happy as can be. Kroto did his best, and worked until he dropped. I've been watching him carefully this year, aware that he cannot carry the speed the rest of our dogs can. He's a tough, hard working guy, but may need to run with a team that is a little less competitive (wow, my dogs are good!) I'm looking forward to visiting Baldy next weekend - I'll see many of you there!
What a great way to end the season! We ran the Taiga 300 this week, and it was a truly wonderful experience. I learned many, many lessons, and had such a good time with the dogs. Despite my intention to take it slow and just work on having fun out on the trail, our dogs are just too good. We ended up taking 4th place out of 18 teams. I will work on a description of the race tomorrow - today was for goofing off, relaxing, sleeping, and just enjoying a break after a long hard season. Trying to train and race a distance team is very, very hard. There are so many stresses, including perpetual lack of time and money, never having enough quality dogs, and just sheer physical exhaustion. We have been really mulling over the idea of whether or not we can, or even want to, attempt Iditarod. After this race, I can report that we are definitely heading for Nome in 2009. Don't quite know yet how we will accomplish it, but here we go.... More
Pulling the team back together for one more race has not been easy. Trails have been marginal and many of our dogs are out with minor injuries after the long winter. Ryan Redington lent us 4 nice dogs from his Iditarod team, but the dogs have not quite gelled into a single functioning team yet. The primary problem is that we have run out of reliable leaders. But after Friday's run, I think we can manage a few days out on the trail, so it is full steam ahead towards the April 1 race. Even with the icy trails, we have been able to take some friends out for dog sled rides during our training runs. Last week during a conference, I met Barbara - a girl from Italy who works in American Samoa who is currently visiting Alaska. She has an adventurous spirit, loves dogs, and has been following the Iditarod by internet way down in the tropics. Here we are during a difficult, icy run where we encountered all sorts of problems including uncooperative leaders and moose.
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This weekend we will be packing up the sled and getting ready. Monday I will drive the team to Lake Louise, and Tuesday we will set off on our last big run of the season!
Weather has been warm, but the trails are still somewhat runnable, so we are carrying on with training. After several weeks of running only 10-15 miles, we are ramping the dogs back up to longer miles. Assuming we can get the miles in, our final event of the season will be the Taiga 300, on April 1. Again, we are struggling with limited numbers of dogs. Angel came back from Iditarod with a sore shoulder. She will be fine with time, but won't make the Taiga race. Maggot and Voodoo have had continuing nagging problems. Alis just came in to heat, which could really cause problems if I take her. Aberdeen's swollen hock turns out to be the worst news of all. The swelling on his leg is a malignant growth, which means his career as a sled dog is over. It is a shame to see all his talent and drive go to waste, but my main concern right now is his long-term prognosis. While the growth isn't likely to spread to other areas, the tumor that we had removed is likely to return and interfere with the joint. When that happens, the leg will have to be amputated. We are heartbroken for Aberdeen, who truly loves running with the team.
We had a busy, action packed weekend. On Saturday, the ceremonial start of the Iditarod took off from downtown Anchorage. Jessica Klejka, the Jr. Iditarod Champion, led the pack driving our dogs! Her family is from Bethel (bush town), and her dogs were already home after her win in the Junior. It was lots of fun to take our own dogs to the start, even if they aren't running the race. The Anchorage start is a complete zoo. The entire downtown shuts down, and the teams run right down the main roads. There are television cameras, helicopters, thousands of spectators, flags waving, politicians making speeches, and almost 2,000 dogs screaming at the top of their lungs.
Sunday is when things start to get serious, because that's when the racing starts. Varan and I worked in staging, responsible for making sure that teams got to the starting line on time. This is a huge logistical effort, with teams traversing the huge parking area, over to a holding chute, and then to the start line. The dogs don't want to wait their turn, you can't hear a thing over the cheering crowds, helicopters, barking dogs, and snowmobile engines. We were on our feet from 8:30 in the morning until about 6:30 that evening. Skeeter, Fly, and Angel have traveled with Ryan over the Alaska Range and should be close to the Rohn checkpoint by now. We are starting to work our remaining dogs back into training, after taking a few weeks of rest where we ran only 10-15 miles at a time.
Check out the new Anchorage Chrysler
Dodge ad. It features our dog lot and team, and a cameo appearance by Scooby.
Varan and team had a successful race, finishing the Goose Bay 120 in 8th place! The toughest part of the race was making the dogs rest for 8 hours after running only 60 miles. The trail was very windy and the blowing snow shut some teams down, but not our guys. On the return the wind had obliterated the trail, making navigation difficult. It was a fairly tough 120 miles, but the team finished in fine form, happy, and not particularly tired. We received many compliments on our dog team, especially considering how young they are. The Redingtons assure us that next year we are going to have something special. People seem surprised that we bred and raised such quality racers ourselves. Usually mushers who are just starting out collect older, experienced dogs and gradually build their own team over time. Fly, Skeeter, and Angel are up at Ryan Redington's - he is going to see if they fit in his Iditarod team. These three are adults who have had absolutely no physical problems all season and have a good chance of helping Ryan in his race. The dogs have had a big season so far. They could use a couple of weeks off to really heal up. Good timing, since we will be helping at Junior Iditarod next weekend, then Iditarod rolls around - very busy time of year even if you are not entered in the race! There is one more race we might consider, but it isn't until April. That is a long time to keep the dogs conditioned and at race fitness. But for the next little while, we'll just play, train pups, and have some fun!
On Sunday I ran the team in the "Nome Sign 40". This is a quick, fun, 40 mile race. It follows the Iditarod Trail from Knik Lake, 20 miles out to the Nome Sign, which is posted in the middle of an open area.
I ran the main 13 dogs, with no weight in the sled. We were really cooking!! I thought we might have a good chance to place well, but had some major problems at about 11 miles and a tangle with another team that cost me at least 10-15 minutes. By the time I got back on the runners, I figured there was no way we could beat the field. I kept the team rolling along just to see. After the race, they announced the 6th place winner, then the 5th, and I knew we were out of the money. Until they got to 2nd place, and it was us! Even with our unscheduled break, we still completed the 40 miles in 3 hours, 9 minutes. That is lightning fast for a distance team! Ray Redington beat us by 8 1/2 minutes. It sure would have been fun to beat him, even in a little race!
At the finish line. Still loping, after 40 miles.
More on Dawson... He is 6 years old, loves people, and is great with other dogs. He was a good leader, and has done Iditarod and many other races. Once he heals up, he would be great for skijoring or recreational mushing, just can't handle the long distances anymore. He would also make a super pet dog. He spent his first week hanging out in our house, and was very quiet and cooperative. His injury makes it hard for him to straighten his back legs right now, but in a few months he should be just fine. All he needs is time to recuperate. I have started teaching him to walk on a leash, and he is very attentive to the biscuit I carry in my hand! If anybody out there can help us find a loving home for Dawson, please let us know. And pass the word!
Meet Dawson, the newest member of our kennel - hopefully his stay is a short one!
Dawson is Angel's brother - a hardworking, enthusiastic, friendly boy. He has been a very strong sled dog for several mushers, and lately has been running with a musher up in Willow. During a recent race, he tore the tendons in his back legs. This injury pretty much ends his career as a racing sled dog, and instead of giving him a chance to heal and finding him a home, his owner was going to have him put down. We don't feel that a dog deserves to die just because he can not work anymore, so we will take over where his owner would not. It will just take time for him to heal, and little effort to leash train and house break him. This is a wonderful dog, and he deserves a happy, healthy, and long life.
The Tustumena 200 is one tough dog race. There are long sections in the high country where the wind blows hard and obliterates the trail. I don't think there is more than 5 or 6 flat miles anywhere on the entire course. For the rest, you are either climbing up a steep hill or sliding down one. The musher works almost as hard as the dogs on this race, running or pedaling up the hills, even helping to push the sled in really steep areas. But I had done this race in 2005 with Diana Moroney's dogs, and I started the race with a lot of confidence. We took off with 13 strong dogs - the same team I ran in the Klondike (every healthy dog we have). We ran 100 miles straight, stopping only to snack and take a quick breather every couple of hours. I questioned whether my young dogs could go that far over such tough terrain. But at 70 miles, they were still barking and jumping to go. So we went. At the halfway checkpoint (100 miles) they were still barking and goofing around. They were definitely tired, but not wiped out by any means. After an 8 hour rest, we headed back over the same trail. By the time we reached Caribou Lake with 50 hard and steep miles still to go, I was starting to see problems. All the dogs were tired, but that is easy to handle. First of all, the younger dogs really can go farther than they think they can. And a little bit of rest can work wonders. But I had bigger problems. Of the ten dogs I had left in the team, five were limping. Minor injuries, but I didn't want to make them worse. Also, in this terrain it would be hard to carry dogs in the sled if someone couldn't continue. Even worse, it was snowing hard and starting to build up. I decided it would be best not to push it, and scratched out of the race. Although most of the race runs through remote mountains, it was only 8 miles from Caribou Lake out to a road where Varan was able to pick us up. It is frustrating to keep on quitting out of races. I wonder if I had held back and made them rest on the first half if we could have finished up. Or if I should have just taken my time at Caribou Lake and then completed the race. But the dogs are always first in my mind, and I just don't want to push them too hard. Since they canceled the Serum Run this year, I am hoping to find one more race this spring for me to do. I would like to finish the season on a good note! Up next, Varan will run the GooseBay 120. His first race should be fun and easy for the dogs after what they have already accomplished this year.
I meant to list who ran the Klondike. Since the weather was so warm, I decided to take Scooby, watch his frostbite carefully, and send him home if it started to get colder. He did fine and was happy to go! (As always). I also took Cerveza. Even with all the time off she has had, she is one tough little girl. She worked hard the whole trip and never slacked off. The only thing she needed to learn was to lay down to sleep. For some reason, she spent most of each layover trying to sleep on her feet. Her head would droop, she would sway on her feet, but she just wouldn't lay down. Eventually I came out to find her curled up and resting, so I bet she knows better now! The rest of the team included Maggot, Angel, Alis, Luna, Skeeter, Gringo, Fly, Kroto, Shotgun, Chase, and Aberdeen. Everyone looked great and I have no doubt would have finished the race in fine shape. Even after 150 hard miles, everyone looked great and some even gained weight!
The Klondike 300 race is broken into 4 legs. The first leg is about 80 miles, from Knik through Deshka Landing to Yentna, where you are required to take at least a 6 hour break. The second leg is about 65 miles, from Yentna up to the Forks Roadhouse in Petersville for another 6 hour break. The return trip follows the same trail. These are fairly long runs for my young dogs, but I decided to push them a bit and planned to make each leg in one run. The first leg went very well and the dogs came in strong. Although parts of the trail were punchy and tough sledding, we got to Yentna in about 9 hours. I decided to rest them 8 hours before making the next run. I got the dogs settled in and cared for, and had time to eat and take a 1 1/2 hour nap. Ray Redington was the front runner, and was parked directly in front of my team. I got up around 2:00 a.m. to make sure my team didn't try to leave when he did. I also gave them another feeding. I had another hour and a half before I needed to start hooking up, but I just couldn't get back to sleep. Laying down felt good anyway. After an 8 hour the rest, the dogs were clearly ready to go. As I bootied dogs and hooked up tuglines, Chase, Shotgun, and Fly acted like complete lunatics, screaming and leaping and chewing on everything in sight - very bad manners! We took off like a freight train at 5:15 in the morning. Running up the river in the dark was fast and smooth. At one point, the dogs started scenting and picked up speed. I figured there was a moose nearby, but the team kept really rolling for at least a mile. I noticed they were paying attention to our left, and I saw a shadow pacing us about 50 feet away. It turned and looked at me, eyes reflecting dark yellow, before fading back into the darkness. I don't think a fox would pace a team like that, so it must have been a wolf. After a few hours on the river, we turned up into the rolling hills and swamps. Crossing one open area, I watched ravens playing on the air currents. One bird was really an acrobat. It would soar up, tuck its wings, and casually flip through a barrel roll. It did this over and over, flying just above the team. Real Jonathan Livingstone Seagull stuff, just flying for the joy and skill of it. I anticipated a 7 to 7 1/2 hour run up to the Forks Roadhouse, but once off the river, the trail was deep and slow. The 65 mile run ended up taking almost 9 hours, harder than I wanted to push the dogs after their hard run the day before. Throughout the last half of the run, our pace was slow but very strong. I had a tough time getting the dogs to stop - they didn't want to go fast, but they sure wanted to go. The last few hours we had heavy snowfall, which didn't help trail conditions. I intended to rest another 8 hours, leaving at 10 p.m. to run back to Yentna. But the snow kept falling and building up. When I went out to feed again around 7 p.m. there was almost a foot of snow on top of my sled. The sleeping dogs were completely covered with snow! And the forecast was calling for continued heavy snow. I started calculating how long it would take me to get to Yentna. The trail was basically non-existent. In the deep snow, I figured we would make 5 miles an hour at best, which would make it a 12-13 hour run. I wasn't going to ask the dogs to do that much in one go, so I would need to camp for several hours halfway there. And the last leg back to the finish line would be similar. I had packed some extra food, but not enough for four more long runs. I didn't want my young dogs to have a bad trip, and as the snow continued to build up, I decided to scratch out of the race. I could mush the team 5 miles out to the end of the road, where Varan could meet me with the dog trailer. After I had made the decision to scratch and gotten Varan on the road to meet me (a 4-5 hour drive in the blizzard conditions), a snowmachine volunteer decided he would run to Yentna in front of the remaining teams, helping to pack the trail. But by this point Varan was on his way, and my mind was no longer in the race. I know that the dogs could have finished the race, and so could I. But given my concerns about time on the trail, food, and not pushing the puppies too hard, I would probably make the same decision again. The dogs had a good trip and learned a lot. In the Knik they were pretty exhausted after a 10 hour run, but they learned that they could run that far. In this race, they learned that they could run long, rest, and then run long again. Now we are ready to really race. I am looking forward to the Tustamena 200 next weekend.
We haven't been running much lately, just some short fun runs to let the dogs loosen up. I want everyone as healthy as possible before the big Klondike 300. At this point, they aren't going to get any more fit from running, but they might get more healthy from resting and doing easy runs. I've already discovered the reason why no one works full time and tries to train and compete - it is simply exhausting. And I know for sure why mushers are always broke - there is an unending list of equipment, supplies, vet costs, feed bills, etc. I'm starting to discover the reason why no one tries to compete with such a small kennel. Although we started the season with 18 potential racers, we can now barely field a team. Minor injuries and sprains are common. Although the dog might only need a few weeks off to recover, those few weeks mean a lot, particularly in early season. In a bigger kennel, I would be running more than one team per day. Recuperating dogs could run a shorter run, while the rest of the team got the miles they needed. Instead, recuperating dogs just don't get out, and they loose more and more condition. Deja, Trouble, and Highway all had early season injuries. They are healthy now, but I just haven't been able to bring them back up to speed. Voodoo has some sort of on-again off-again limp, and has been getting time off. Cricket has made it clear that she loves being a sled dog, but is not interested in racing. Cerveza was accidentally cut by a passing team. Although the injury was only skin deep, she required several stitches and some time off. I hope she is still in good enough condition for long runs, but she has a 6" bald patch near the stitch site that is a real concern for frostbite. I am trying to add a flap of fur to her harness to cover the area. We'll see how that works. The worst news is that Scooby got a bad case of frostbite on his sheath during the Knik. He had a dog coat on the whole time and no one else had any problems, so I think he may have been frostbitten in the past. I wasn't aware he needed extra care, but I am upset with myself for not noticing and protecting him better. Until he heals, he can't run during cold weather (below zero). I'm having a hard time thinking about the Klondike without him, because Scooby has the special ability to get the whole team happy to go, even if they are tired. I have really come to rely on him. Are you counting? That leaves me with only 11 dogs for the Klondike, which has a 16 dog limit. I may see how far Cerveza can go; I can always drop her and send her home if she gets tired.
Today the dogs and I are relaxing, sleeping, eating, and drinking lots of water as we recover from the Knik 200 Sled Dog Race. The Knik is 200 mile race that follows the Iditarod Trail from Knik Lake up to Skwentna, where you take a 6 hour layover before returning.
The first few miles of the trail had very thin snow, lots of ruts, stumps, and other obstacles. You really had to be on top of your game to keep the runner side down through some of the twists and turns! I made it through unscathed, although I had one sketchy moment going down a hill and around a corner on 9 Mile Hill. My boot tip caught under the tooth brake, and I flipped right at the bottom of the corner. I hung on tight, and the dogs kindly stopped before going up the next hill. The dogs were happy to be on the trail and excited by all the other teams out there. I tried to keep them moving more slowly since we were going to be traveling for a long time, but it wasn't easy. After about 40 miles over swamps, lakes, and hills, the trail drops over a steep bank onto the ice of the Skwentna River. Generally the river is a wide, smooth highway. Our warm weather this year caused the ice to freeze, then break up, then re-freeze numerous times. As a result, there were stretches where slabs and chunks of ice are piled up in rubble heaps. In one patch, the trail wound tightly through the jumble ice for about a quarter of a mile - very tricky driving! The sled would skid and bounce on polished ice, and then slam into frozen blocks. As the dogs navigated the tight turns, the wheel dogs and sled were often pulled right over the insides of the corners, tipping up on the chunks. The brake only pulls the sled tighter into the corners, so I had to juggle when to use the brake and when to just let it slide, when to ride over the obstacles, and when to hop off or stick a foot out for balance. There were others struggling through the ice right in front of me, and it was basically impossible to stop and wait for them to clear the trail. Passing in this tight and twisty area was tricky, but the dogs handled it very well. I only flipped once in the jumble ice, but I went down pretty hard on my hip. I saw plenty of evidence of others having trouble in this area - several people lost items from their sled, but I was concentrating too hard on negotiating this section of the trail to try to pick anything up. Other than the jumble ice, the rest of the river was smooth sailing. We went all the way to Yentna Station, about 55 miles, arriving just as it was turning dark. The mushers who were competing to win ran all the way to the 1/2 way point at Skwentna, but I did not want to push my young dogs that far. Our longest run to date was just over 40 miles, but the dogs were not ready to settle down in Yentna. I had a tough time getting them stopped and tied down in the soft snow. Finally I got the dogs bedded on straw, fed and watered, and taken care of. It felt like it was getting cold, so I put dog coats on all the dogs before going inside the roadhouse for some food and to relax for a couple of hours. It takes me about 45 minutes to get my gear sorted, the dogs booted up, clipped back into the gangline, and ready to go. So all too soon, it was time to head back outside and get ready. By now the thermometer was reading 20 below. I knew it would be 5 to 10 degrees colder down on the river, plus it would get colder as night settled in. So I pulled on all my gear and fur ruff in preparation for a cold run. I don't know for sure how cold it was during that next section, but another musher says his thermometer read 36 below. Leaving Yentna was the hardest time I had out on the trail. I had to take a sharp turn back towards to the river and drop down a short, steep bank. In the soft snow I couldn't stop or slow the team, and they cut the corner tightly, slamming me and the sled into a tree. My head made a bit of a dent on the trunk, and I lost hold of the sled. This is the most terrifying moment a musher can have. The dogs want to run, and they won't stop. This puts them in grave danger. With no musher to control them, any dog that gets tangled up or falls is likely to be dragged to death. I ran down the bank shouting for them to stop, knowing they might go for miles without me. I was about to run back to the roadhouse and see if they had a snow machine to help me get the team, when I realized that Scooby had somehow brought the team to a halt. With my heart pounding, hoping he could hold the frantic team, I ran up to the sled and got a good snow hook in. I was exhausted by those thirty seconds of fear, but the dogs weren't going to give me time to relax. Off we went. My main concern at that point was the fact that I was drenched in sweat from running in all my heavy gear, but I thank god for wicking fabrics - I dried off remarkably quickly and stayed warm for the whole run. It was only 35 miles to Skwentna, and the trip up the river went quickly. Although I was physically tired, it wasn't late enough yet for the bleary sleepiness that you often encounter in the wee hours of the first night on the trail. I did see some really spectacular northern lights. They started out as green streaks across the sky, but gradually started moving and shifting in waving ribbons and splashes of green and red. I pulled into Skwentna Roadhouse just after midnight and went through the dog care routine; hook down the sled, tie off the leaders, give straw to each dog so that they will know it is time to rest, throw a snack (1/4 pound piece of frozen meat) to each dog, then fire up the cooker to boil water for their dinner. While the water is heating, remove all the booties, massage Algyval liniment into each foot and inspect each dog for injuries or swelling that needs treatment, clip all the collars into the longer tuglines to give them more room to move about. By now the water should be hot, and it is time to pour it over some frozen meat and commercial dog food (kibble). While the water thaws the meat, I put out pans, give each dog some extra commercial food, and then give each dog as much wet food as they will take. It is very important to keep the dogs hydrated, but at this point most are more interested in sleeping than eating. As usual, Fly was full of himself. I know he must have been tired, but he was still up goofing around. His son, Chase, appears to be just like him - pulls like a maniac, and never seems to get weary. Mitch Seavey walked by and commented that they looked pretty chipper. I said that I had never seen Fly get tired, and Mitch asked if he worked. When I said his tug was always tight, Mitch said he sounded like a dog I ought to hang on to. Pretty nice compliment from an Iditarod champ. As I was working on the dogs, I noticed Skeeter pouncing around in his straw. He had found a mouse! He kept nosing and pawing at it until Fly and Chase got in the game. A few other mushers came over to see what was happening. The dogs got a real kick out of finding such a treat in their beds! Once the dogs are fed and cared for, I want them to sleep as much as possible, so I left them alone to rest. I went inside and drank as much water as I could get down. It was too cold to keep any liquid around to drink, and I know my hydration is just as important as the dogs'. I also haven't been eating much. The cold makes it harder to snack as I run - I just don't want to pull my face mask down, or take off gloves to get out the jerky, nuts, and other snacks I have in ziplocks. Also, when fatigue hits, nausea is a common side effect. All in all, I guess I need to take better care of myself if I expect to stay out on the trail more than a few hundred miles. I did get some sleep - I lay down for a couple of hours inside the Roadhouse. I was sleeping hard when the alarm went off, and it took me a bit longer than I expected to get my butt in gear and get outside so I could feed the dogs again. I usually boil up an extra bucket of water when I am settling the dogs in. That way it is ready to feed about an hour before I go. But with temperatures so cold, I wasn't able to make the meal ahead of time and had to get up early to make them a nice wet meal. Again most of the dogs were more interested in sleeping, but as I started to get them ready to run, they shook off the sleep and started to bark. I pulled out of Skwentna at 7:15 in the morning, about 6 1/2 hours after arriving. It was dark for the first couple of hours, but at least we got to go through the jumble ice in the daylight! The trip down the river was slow. The dogs were happy to go, but just not too fast. Bruce and Diana flew over in their Cessna 185, then landed on the river for a quick chat. Kind of fun to have a fly-in visitor. Once we hauled up over the bank, my little thermometer showed the temperature up off the river was zero. It felt like a heat wave! I had to stop and take the blankets off the dogs and take off my parka. I had planned on resting the dogs for 4 hours or so once we got up off the river. But the dogs looked so good, and I was not looking forward to any extra time out on the trail. I decided to let them run for 2 more hours and see where we were and how the dogs were doing. By 3:00 p.m. we had been running for 8 hours. But the dogs were still looking good, and we were at the Nome Sign, a landmark that is only 20 miles from the finish. The dogs recognized the trail and gradually grew faster the closer we got to home. I decided to let the dogs keep going, and stop only if anyone looked sore or quit pulling. Ten miles out, the dogs were really cranking and I knew we were going all the way in. So I threw all my excess food overboard to lighten the load, and we boogied for Knik Lake. We ran almost 100 miles in just over 10 hours. We finished the race in 23rd place out of 33 and were back in time for the awards banquet, where our friend Ryan picked up the check for first place. He ran a very fast race with no extra rest, and beat out a number of top mushers. There were a lot of really good teams at this race and their speeds were much faster than ours - I really don't know how they do it. We could have rested less, but we sure couldn't have hit the speeds that they maintained for the entire trail. Still, I am very impressed with our team and how tough they are. Today they are a bit sore and tired. There are a few puffy wrists, but no major injuries. I put them in the puppy pens to let them move around and stretch and they were bouncing around and playing, full of energy. All the dogs who ran the race have proved their toughness, desire to run, and athleticism. The team for this race included Scooby and Angel (leaders), Skeeter, Alis, Fly, Chase, Luna, Aberdeen, Kroto, Gringo, Shotgun and Chief (a dog of Ryan's that we were trying out).
Although we still don't have enough snow near our house to run sleds, the Iditarod Trail to the north has just enough snow to run a team if you are careful. Saturday we decided to really push the dogs; to see who can really handle the distance; to spotlight any minor injuries that we aren't aware of yet; to teach the young dogs about camping out on the trail; and to finally have a run on sleds - most of these dogs have only run with sleds a handful of times! So we hooked up 2 teams of 8, and went for a long run. From Knik Lake we went about 35 miles down the Iditarod trail. After stopping to rest the dogs for 4 hours, we turned around and headed back, arriving at the truck about 3:00 a.m. By the time we got the dogs home, fed, and cared for, it was 4:30, and we slept in on Sunday! Varan did a really amazing job of handling the rough trail even with some equipment problems. A broken stanchion on his sled made the handling very difficult and meant that he had to be very careful over the rough parts of the trail. Midway through our return, his drag was ripped off by a stump in the trail. The drag is very important to controlling, slowing, and steering the sled. Without it he had to rely on the big tooth brake, with a real danger of tearing it off on the dirt, ruts, and obstacles. That would have made things really difficult!! To make matters worse, one of our headlamp bulbs blew out. I was in the lead, and used the remaining good light to spot obstacles and find trail. Varan was operating with the very marginal light of a small, spare light we usually use for camp chores and close up work. It was a tough trip back for him, and he did a great job, bringing everybody home safe and sound. The dogs are truly incredible. Some of the dogs have had time off to recuperate from injuries, and are not as conditioned as the rest. A few have had only a handful of 20 mile runs all season. We assumed that they would tire, quit pulling, and maybe even need to ride in the sled for some of the run. Instead, they pulled and were in great spirits for the entire trip. Everyone (dogs and mushers) was tired and a little stiff after the long trip, but the only dog who showed up with problems was little Maggot. Even though she never showed a sign during the trip and lead the entire way in great form, she had some swelling and stiffness in her wrist afterwards. We've been treating it with liniment, wrist wraps, and rest. She probably will not run in the Knik 200 next weekend, but I am confident she will back at the sharp end soon after.
The cold has frosted all the trees, every limb and branch and twig dressed in crystal. Early morning moonlight outlines everything in silver, a ghostly luminescence. The sun begins to pour over the peaks, streaming through the silvered birches, gilding them with pinks and palest gold. Almost before the dawn fades out, the lowering sun washes the trees with rose and deep gold, growing redder and more golden until the light fades away. The day is short, and I have spent all of it outside with the dogs and the light.
I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, the Sheep Mountain 150, our first race, was cancelled due to lack of snow. Actually, I'm not sure how bad it really is since I can't hang on to a sled with my splinted finger. The good news is, it finally snowed here in Chugiak. Just a couple of inches, but it was nice, wet, sticky snow that stuck down to the ice. So now we have good traction and nice footing. We'll keep training hard, getting ready for the Knik 200 on the first weekend of January.
I spend a lot of time talking about the long hours and hard work of trying to train dogs and work full time. To give you a better idea of what I mean, let me describe a typical day. This is a lot of detail and maybe not that interesting but I've had a few people ask questions, so here it is in gory detail.
We just finished up a fun weekend at another small race in Trapper Creek. This time it was a 20/20. That is, 20 miles on Saturday, and 20 miles on Sunday. It is a long drive (3 hours one way), and makes for very early mornings (up at 5 to feed). But worth it to run on snow!!! And there were some pretty good teams there, and great people.
Varan ran the team, since I can't exactly hang on to a sled with my first two fingers strapped together and point straight out. The first day they finished in 3rd place, right behind Ryan Redington and Cim Smyth, and in front of Matt Hyashida, a Jeff King puppy team, and a few other teams. The second day several teams did not show up (scared off by the competition?), and Varan finished out the race in 3rd place overall. We got some great comments about our team and how well they were running. It makes us very excited for the upcoming season!!!
Couple of things I should have posted already.
One - We got the results of our 34 mile race. Even given all the problems, we still averaged about 10 mph, finishing in 3 1/2 hours. This included LOTS of stopping due to the harness troubles I describe below, a 20 minute break waiting for the trail to clear from a mulit-team tangle, and some time spent catching Alis, who slipped out of her harness. We came in sixth place, behind Dee Dee Jonrowe, Mike Jonrowe, Vern Halter, Kelly Griffin, and Jim Lanier - all competitive Iditarod teams. I'm pretty happy with our finish, considering all our troubles.
Two - A few weeks ago, Varan saw a wolf while out training very near our house. He said it was enormous, silver grey, and completely unphased by the team. It loped down the trail about 20 yards in front of the team for a 1/4 mile, and then turned right at the crossroads. while Varan and the team went straight. The wolf pretty much ignored the dogs, although the dogs tried to speed up in pursuit. There are several packs in this area, and I've seen tracks several times (you know they are wolf tracks because they are the size of dinner plates), but I've never seen one up close like that!
Three - Guess I haven't really been updating our training progress, so for those of you who are curious, we are up to 40 mile runs now. We don't run that far every day, but alternate between quick, fast, fun runs, moderate workouts, and longer runs, followed by days off. We are still on the four-wheeler, and that's a lot of slamming, bouncing, growling, and grinding over ruts, potholes, tussocks, and glare ice. Lots of fun!!! We will keep slowly increasing miles, and start doing back-to-back longer runs.
Well, training continues to limp along. The Army base is still not open. The short loops we do have available are glare ice. Conditions are so dangerous that we took most of the week off. But by Saturday, with no change in the weather forecast, we decided to risk it and do some running. So far, so good. At least we are getting miles run, and nobody has gotten hurt. Praying for snow.....
Training this season has been really difficult. The local Army base where we do the majority of our training, got into an argument with the local mushing club, and prohibited use of their trails. The rest of the trails really can't be used until there is enough snow to run sleds. So we have been limited to one 5 mile loop to train on. By now, we are running 25 and 30 miles. Asking the dogs to go in circles really sucks the motivation and desire to run out of all of us. I have been traveling to Knik to train on weekends, but the lack of trails has been a real challenge. The good news is, the Army and the club seem to have worked out their differences and we may be allowed back on the base trails soon.
Weather has also been uncooperative. Last year most of November was cold (10-20 below), this year most days have been 30-40 above. This makes for icy conditions; hard on the dogs' feet, and much more likely to cause slips and injuries. It's also much harder to control the four-wheeler and all the dogs. This is a problem across the state, and we've been looking for other places to take the dogs to run with almost no luck.
This Saturday we traveled up to Trapper Creek to do a 34 mile 'fun run' with some other teams. It was great to be on a sled and see some other teams and mushers. The new sled handles like a dream! The dogs did a great job, even though the trail was rough and they had to flounder and struggle through deep snow in many places.
We were trying out a new harness system, and the dogs ended up snarled in their tuglines frequently. Every time someone got tangled up, I had to stop the team, anchor them down with a snow hook, and go up to free the dog. The more you stop and get off the sled, the more chances there are for problems.
More times than not, the over-eager mutts would immediately yank the snow hook from the soft snow, and run me over as they charged down the trail. This is something you learn to handle, and I am pretty good at catching the sled as it goes by. Still, not every catch is perfect, and if you miss the runners you end up dragging on your face until you can either haul yourself up, or tip the sled over and get the team stopped. Letting go is NOT an option - the dogs won't stop to wait for you. While running loose, they can get hurt, lost, and sometimes dogs die this way. So you hang on and drag. And today I dragged more than all of last season combined.
My entire body hurts, my knee is purple, and at some point I broke my finger (don't know where or how, but it sure is ugly now!). Just another stumbling block in a difficult season so far.
OK - I guess I am a bit behind in my updates. My excuse is #1 - we're very busy training! We've been running one group or another every day without a break. And #2, there is not much new to report. Dogs look fantastic, we are gradually increasing miles, waiting for snow.
For the first part of the season, we were running 12 dogs at a time and running different groups each day. The dogs got to run 2 days then rest 1 day, but we were on the trail every day without a break. Now that all the pups know their jobs and are less likely to get tangled up or need help, we can run the whole group at once. This means the humans get some days off to rest (or take care of errands).
The main drawback to running 16-18 dogs is too much power!!! It takes some skill to keep everything running smoothly and prevent problems before they happen. Still, we sometimes need to stop to take a quick break or fix a minor problem. Stopping happens only with cooperation from the dogs. The 4-wheeler weighs about 650 pounds and has cleated chains. But even with the wheels locked up, the dogs can easily drag it faster than I can run. This means constant vigilance whenever I am off the vehicle, and sometimes quick feet to jump on the moving 4-wheeler.
Our trails are really limited until we can run sleds, so we have been doing a little traveling on weekends. Last Sunday we went to Knik, ran 20 miles, camped out for the night at Ryan and Erin Redington's, then ran again the next day. This is great training for the pups, who need to learn how to settle down and rest even in strange places. They stayed up screaming and barking until about 2:30 in the morning, but eventually settled down. I got to sleep indoors, where I could basically ignore the ruckus.
Tonight I went into the grocery store for 20 minutes , and came out into a blizzard. Complete whiteout, winds blowing the snow horizontally. There was already 2 inches on my car, and we got another 2 inches in the next hour. Then it cleared up and moved out. Kind of fun, but still not enough to run sleds....
Training continues to be wet, muddy, and not nearly cold enough. And we continue to be impressed by the talent and drive in our dogs. We already knew that our eight adults were great dogs - strong, motivated, well trained. But each one of our ten yearlings is also showing incredible potential. It is too much to expect that every single one will become a top-quality dog, but so far it seems they all have the ability, drive, and brains.
Each of Angel's pups started with an incredibly smooth, easy gait, which usually develops over time (OK, with the exception of Voodoo, who is coping with a huge growth spurt). They look like they are on wheels, with hardly any visible motion. This type of low impact movement will keep them healthy and injury free, and save energy for those long runs. The three 'Cinco' pups move very differently. Each of them has a lovely, loping, rocking horse motion, with promise of endless, effortless speed.
Every pup is pulling like a maniac, with enthusiasm and desire. They are hard-wired to run, and stopping to take a break is something that must be taught. They are still banging to go after our runs, asking to go farther. This kind of desire to move down the trail is innate. Just as a labrador will chase a ball as soon as it is old enough to see, a husky wants to run. Still, it is exciting to see that much desire in every single pup.
We've also put each one of the kids up in lead, along with an experienced leader like Scooby or Angel. So far they have all excelled, keeping the lines tight and staying focused down the trail. It is common for young dogs to be easily distracted or unsure what to do if there is no dog in front to follow. I didn't expect to do much more than introduce the idea of leading this year, but with this kind of response, we've had a youngster co-leading on every run. I imagine that we will start to see some stand-outs as the miles increase and it takes real motivation to stay out front. But at this point we are just amazed at how many potential leaders we see.
Barley approves of our new sled. It arrived Friday and we can't wait for snow to try it out! Carlile Transportation really helped out by shipping the sled up from Wisconsin for 1/2 price. Meanwhile, the dogs are looking great - fast and strong. We're up to 10 miles, and increasing steadily.
Up until now it's been too warm after work to take the dogs out running so we have only been training on weekends. But it's time to get serious and temperatures are a bit cooler now, so we have started running every day after work. The pups are really coming along and it looks like we have a real team. That's a good thing, because our first race is only 2 months away. We are signed up for the Sheep Mountain150! This race runs on December 15th and 16th, so we have a lot to do to get these dogs ready in just a few months.
This morning we woke up to termination dust on the nearby peaks. Termination dust - that white stuff that heralds the end of summer and cues the tourists to pack up their RVs and head south...
So, it's autumn in Alaska, and that means training has begun!! So far we are just taking short 2-mile runs with the four-wheeler, but it is a great learning experience for all our youngsters.
We have big plans for this year, with as much racing as we can afford. We plan to do either the Copper Basin 300 or the Klondike 300, and get ourselves qualified for Iditarod! We're also looking at the Sheep Mountain 150, the Knik 200, the Tustamena 200, the Goose Bay 120, plus a few other, shorter fun races.
We're considering finishing off our season by participating in the Serum Run expedition, an 800 mile journey between Nenana and Nome. This is a great way to give the young dogs more trail experience, preview the last part of the Iditarod trail, and help us get ready for the big race in 2009!!
As always, we could not do this without our wonderful sponsors. Many of you have made donations, and we would like to send out a big thank you! We have received donations from $10 all the way up, and every little bit helps keep us on the trail. We are really excited about the 2007-2008 season, and we hope you are too!
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With
so many yearlings there is a lot of pandemonium and hysteria. But once we get
moving they get down to work and look like a real team. Some of the pups are
still growing into their bodies, but many of them are already developing a
beautiful gait.