Speed Run!

Another trail run on Friday... I had work to do so we got out later than usual. Was getting dark by the time we came in from the trip. We were going to run the dogs over the bluff (a very hard hill to climb) but a bolt slipped out of my drag pad and I decided to cut the run short at 9 miles. Loosing a bolt like that is usually not a major deal but with our marginal snow conditions, and going down that huge hill, it would have been very tough to manage.

The dogs have also been feeling their oats STRONGLY this year and Ive been coming back with massive arm muscles from tweaking the sled constantly over frozen four wheeler ruts and trying to slow them down to 12 mph instead of 20! Even Hera is looking in tip top shape. I had my doubts about her last season since her performance was slacking off. This time out I don't think we could have gone fast enough for her!

Nita did very well on my other sled that hasnt been out in many years. We need to tweak the brakes though since she had so little control but she said it handled well. I felt better with her having a bigger sled to run that day since my little rec sled wouldnt stand a chance if she hit a tree with eight strong dogs.

In both of our teams every one was super strong and we didn't even attach everyone to their tug lines until we were well past the half way mark of our run. Both of us were running at about half power and I kept wondering when we should fully plug the others in. It was so much power and neither of us had nearly enough weight in our sleds. Both sleds are pretty heavy alone but a 44lb dog food bag was not enough to wear these guys out! I think we both need to carry at least 200 extra pounds.

Another sled run is scheduled on Monday. Hopefully we will have our gear all worked out and can bump up the miles again. We still have to be careful of where we go and how much we push our limits with gear and dog power. Everyone is doing very well but they are so strong that it constantly reminds me that I need to be on my toes more than usual. Hopefully after we get some more snow things will look a bit better. Snubbing off to trees is fine but not all of our trails have easy tree access.

Nita said Murphy Dome had gotten a dump of snow. As soon as we get our transportation up to speed I am anxious to get out there and put these boys to work. Something has got to slow them down cause we are obviously not giving them enough of a challenge!

No photos today, with the dark and my need to stay 100% focus there wasn't much opportunity. Maybe Monday we can get some good trail shots...

Breaking Trail

Got the dogs out today on a tough, tough trail. Taking the slough is fun but our first passes of it can be quite challenging. Honestly, I really don't know how they do it. The leaders make the virgin path seem so effortless. When they need a hint on where to go I get off the sled and try to walk ahead of them... I emphasis the word try!!

Its really difficult to accurately describe but imagine if you will, walking through four foot tall grass, all of it covered in snow, trying to make sure the snow doesn't get on your mittens or anything else that it can melt into and chill the skin and keeping mittens dry is all the more challenging when you cant the see the ground and have to step blindly onto uneven patches never knowing where the holes are (and there are MANY!) that will at least challenge your balance and at worse dump you right on your butt.

Oh, did I mention all the dogs around you asking for direction, giving kisses and getting in the way? How about Griffin, who has the freedom to wander where ever he pleases but is insistent on staying right by my side or making a bed in the only place I am able to walk!

Needless to say my ankles are quite sore tonight but my hands have thankfully warmed back up nicely. When I get back to my sled I am stunned that the leaders take charge of the trail so easily. They bound through the terrain like fawns while I can barely stand up in the stuff! How do they do it?!?!

They did their job a bit too well today, we missed our turn off and they were going so well that we broke out the ENTIRE slough. That is a run that takes at least three passes to complete. Not anymore! :)

Nita did great with her team and we are all getting everyone up to proper speed and strength. It will soon be time to add the fosters in and stretch my team back to normal at 11 or 12 dogs. We have already prepared a heavier sled for Nita so her next run will have eight instead of the six she ran today.

We will do a trial run on Friday with those numbers and new equipment just to make sure we have everything together and safe then I will bump my team up on the next run and add two more dogs to our mix. It wont be long before all the working dogs are on the trail doing the same miles, speed and weight.

Now, to get creative about gear for the sled bag! Ive barely tapped into my winter survival gear that I always carry with me on the trail but with these babies being so strong I need to start adding weight ASAP! Once we get a good trail I will have Miriam come out with us again... that will help.

And our snow conditions should greatly improve after tonight. Its coming down heavy and more than a few inches of accumulation are expected...

When the musher is away...

...James and Gaea will play.

I regret to say that my time in the dog yard has been limited due to this weekends workload and now this weeks frantic catch up on work.

Ive already touched on the subject of working nights in the office again with James, who really doesn't like the idea. I kid him that I could never hold down a 'real job' since he has gotten so used to me working from home.

Being away so much this weekend at our business workshop class saw his mood slowly changing well towards the grumpy end by the time Sunday rolled around. It is wonderful to have such a loving committed relationship between us but it is a juggle making sure chores are done and that we are both happy and content within our time commitments.

And, as always, the dogs come first... which is one of the main reasons why I move ever forward to keep my work at home. Office settings that will welcome six dogs in the same space are incredibly rare! Heck, even marriages that offer the same benefits are equally as rare!

So as Juno and Gaea play with Ajax dancing around their feet, Griffin trying to find a comfortable place to relax and not be trampled, Buddy doing the same thing (old boys, gotta love em!) and Chronos taking possession of only bone in the room I am prepared to get back into desk work and knock off a bunch on my to do list so we can be free for a trail run tomorrow.

New Changes on the Wind

It will only be a matter of days now before our rental closes and we can start the final, and I do mean FINAL, leg of our property plans in Talkeetna!

There are soooo many changes on the wind, so many, many changes... and I know I say this often but, seriously, there have been more changes set up just this last week! It is all very, very exciting because even though these new things will mean more work and time for everyone here at the kennel it is all so very positive!

One of the work things that is going on this weekend is that Nita and I have been attending a information heavy seminar on the ins and outs of business, set up and all that fun stuff that one needs to know in these changing times. After owning my own business for a number of years I know many of these start up tips but a lot of these concepts are fairly new to me. The website set up, statistics, drawing in traffic, etc, I already know a lot of on the surface but the details of using that information to the fullest is priceless!

So be sure to keep your eyes open for many exciting thing to come not only benefits for us but for you our visitors!

We would like to personally thank you for all your visits to this blog, our websites and purchasing our products over the years. In the coming weeks and months we will be setting up free membership to receive even more goodies! There will also be paid membership options to take advantage of on-line training lessons, support our individual foster dogs and ways to gain points to earn a free sled ride!!

... oops, I may have said too much... don't want to spill all the beans just yet!

That is only a tiny glimpse into all the neat stuff we will be offering and so much more! We have so many irons in the fire at the moment that I am positively humming with energy and desire to get it underway! And the best part is that all of these new things are connected to the sport of dog mushing and helping our viewers become better mushers, dog owners and happier people through our fun giveaways!

This is so exciting... I cant wait to share more with you when the time draws near for the launch of these things... but for now, I have to hit the pillow... one last long day of instruction tomorrow and I will be a free musher once again!

With a little time to catch up on work with my clients we will be back on the trail doing what we do best, being the most loving doggy moms we can possibly be and living EVERY moment to its fullest!

See you on the trail!!

Thursday's Sled Run

No passenger for this trip but we did bring weight in both sleds to help with control. Sleds are often easier to handle with weight in them but we may have loaded Nita's down too much. The dogs all did well but some were very pooped by the time we came back in. Most of the youngsters took to the trail with flying colors and came back looking like they could go another round! :)

The trail we took was super tough on the dogs, lots of grass to break through, minimal snow and a very old trail to find. Hermes and Juno were in lead and did an amazing job of remembering our old route after only being on it for one season. The only trouble was when I asked them to bypass some of the trouble spots (avoiding certain trees) and even then they only needed minor direction to get them back on track.

We didn't get down the entire path but managed to make a pretty healthy dent and with the snow coming down right now it will look even better the next time out.

This weekend is super busy for me... I don't have time to go into too much more detail but I can share these wonderful photos that Nita took during our trip. Its amazing that she is so comfortable with the camera. There were so many times out there that I didn't even feel comfortable taking my hands off the sled handlebow!

Tipping the sled over is often the best way to secure it on trails like these. Snowhooks will hold on all the grassy vegetation but full friction from an overturned sled is much more reliable.

Had to do this a few times to deal with tangles and straighten out the leaders from time to time. You get a good idea of how rough a trail can be when you have to climb into your sled like a boat!

Boreas waits in Nita's team with Calypso beside him in the tall grass of the slough

Heading back to the parking area. Nita keeps her team held while I mush on ahead. Most dogs would rather chase than listen to their musher and their commands. This is crutial training for the dogs to learn to listen to Nita and trust in her commands and not follow my lead ahead.

Boreas takes these lessons very closely and listens intently to what Nita asks for.

Climbing the hill, headed for home as the sun sets on the horizon...

Dogs gone wild!!!

Our second sled run today was pretty eventful. We all handled the trail pretty well but this was our day of loose dogs. Before we had a chance to even load the dogs Nita's Sookii and Bella escaped the dog yard pen and were off. They came back shortly but they made us search a bit before they decided to fine their way back.

Once at the trail head Gaea took off for the second time (she is on restriction now until she learns how not to take the trail alone) and was promptly out of sight. We harnessed up dogs and she eventually showed back up again. Then, just as everything was looking to remain calm Sookii chewed completely through the collar of her harness and was off like a flash taking Bella on another romp to adventure without us!

I decided to take the same trail out thinking that Sookii wanted to show Bella the adventure she had on our last sled run and before long we caught up with them. Sookii was promptly put back in the team and Bella ran loose for a while until I got tired of her going from the front to back of my team. It wouldn't have been so bad if Bonnie wasn't so distracted by her. She didn't know whether to stop and play or chase and catch her.

And as if that wasn't enough, when we came home Nita's Skookum also was loose (we tied him out before we left) and waiting for us in the driveway. At least he didn't run off!!

Other than that our run was pretty fun and I delighted in yet another dose of patience generously given by the few troublesome dogs we had to work with today. It is amazing how far Ive come in dealing with difficult situations. Having patient people to run with like Miriam and Nita made it so much easier to laugh everything off and have a darn good time!

The trails were still rutted out from summer four wheelers in places and there were a few swamp dips that surprised us. The grass has grown tall on a lot of the field trails so it was tough to see our way. Juno did perfect though and remembered last seasons track easily.

Miriam had a great observation that a good lead dog is better than a GPS any day. I agree 100%! Watching Juno weave through the four foot tall grass finding our trail when I couldn't even see where the trail could be, even from my elevated view on the sled, made me grateful once again for our little white girl. What a jewel she has been to us and to the dogs she trains.

I expect Hermes to reach this level of confidence as well. Hes got it deep down and still looks longingly down new trails we have broken out last season remembering exactly where they are. It wont be long until his continued maturity shines through just as Juno's has.

Nita did great handling the sled today and I only dumped Miriam once but the team responded very well once again. We had a hard time stopping in some places that were bumpier than others but we all made it back in one piece and had a grand adventure!

Thani really surprised me today... what a lover he is! When we were over half finished with the trail I gave the dogs a quick break and let Miriam stand on the sled break while I checked on the dogs. Thani was really working hard and when I walked up to check on him in swing he buried his head in my chest and moaned (Boreas does this too) a big sigh. He was working so hard and glad to be out there as we both shared the wonderful feeling of joy at being tiring out, relaxed and enjoying the high that intense exercise can bring to athletic beings such as ourselves.

Total miles: 9.0
Main team: 8 dogs, Miriam in the sled bag
Second team: 6 dogs, a bit of added weight to Nita's sled bag

Sled Run Yesterday!!

Some may call us crazy (and they are probably right!) but we took out the sleds yesterday and had a BLAST!! The dogs are settling into their snow routine of being calm at hook up, on the trail and remembering their trail manners - going easy when I call for it and pulling up the hills, no more four wheeler engine assistance!

They did really good even with the trail conditions being very rugged. There were deep four wheeler tracks that the snow has yet to fill in but we did alright. Nita took four dogs with the small rec sled and I took eight with Miriam riding in my sled bag. This was WAY better than riding that noisy machine!!

One rut took Miriam and I by surprise... as the sled tipped over Miriam did a great job of holding tight and the dogs listened very well to my whoa command. Even when I got Miriam tipped back up in the right position they took the commands of easy/whoa very well and helped me inch the sled upright to a comfortable flat place where we both were able to get our footing.

I could tell they were being very well behaved when I gave the take off command and they high tailed it out of there! They could have easily put us in a tight spot if they wanted to but all those years of trust and training Ive put into each and every one of them shows more and more year after year.

Nita did a great job holding onto her team and handled even the toughest ruts very well! I was very surprised, she didn't let her guys get away... not once! As they say, a good musher is one who holds on no matter what! :)

The dog truck is still out of action but it looks like we will be closing on our rental very, very soon. That will help the dog truck fund expand a bit so we can get it back on the road for the rest of the season. In the meantime we plan on using Nita's trailer to take the short trip down to the trail head. There are many more plans for that little trailer that we have been hatching in our brains! Lots of work ahead and its all going to be fun, fun, FUN!