Back on the Trail

Its was so exciting yesterday to be back on the trail! We've had to stay home for sooooo long!

We split the team up into a five and seven dog teams. I took the seven to help compensate for my heavier sled and Kathy took the five. I decided at the very last minute to bring one of the pups and picked Calypso to try first. I wasn't sure if she would follow or stay at the truck but as soon as we were off she was right with us. I slowed the team down a bit to help her keep up but she didn't need much of that! She was up in the team, behind the team, finding a place to run in an empty spot beside Nyx. She was all over and having a BLAST!

Ive hesitated taking any of the pups out until this run. A lot of worries have been going through my head... will they run, will they be able to keep up, what if I have to load them in the sled, will they stay safe in the basket and can I control the team while keeping an eye on them if they are in the basket or running behind...

I had no need to worry about any of this, Cali was a star!

I checked out mileage when we got home... 8.3 according to the map... oops, went too far again especially after so much time off and with a pup with us as well. But watching the team work showed they were all up for it and didn't really need the extra stops I wanted to put in to make sure all were keeping up okay. They were much slower this time out but that is to be expected and they were at half power as well with the team divided.

Even Cali didn't need to rest much. I tried loading her in the sled multiple times but she wanted to go, go, go! And when we would stop the teams for rest, when I pulled the hooks, she was off like a shot until she realized she was getting too close to the front of the team and fell back.

Griffin was awesome today. I don't think it had anything to do with the weather but I know he was anxious to get out again today. I also think the reduced power in the team gave him an excuse to put more effort into his harness. He started his career when the team was only 6 to 8 dogs with maybe only 5 solid pullers. When we expanded the team and added more power I think he started taking more breaks. Im still not 100% on this but I will continue to watch him and see if I can tell whats going on in his head and what conditions he needs from me to help keep him comfortable.

Spock's ankle is worring me more. To be on the safe side Im going to start leaving him at home... its going to be a big blow to me not to have him there, and Im sure hes not going to like it either. It seems like so many of my loose runners have had to drop out of training this year... its so depressing... more so than words can say.

Its a blessing that I can start concentrating on the pups now. That will help my mind realize our future and not to dwell so much on the past and the reality that my kids are getting so old. If we have a core group staying home during the winter months Ive decided to let them have more time in the summer for free runs at the flood control fields chasing geese.

Our next run might be as soon as Monday so we can continue training for our White Mountains overnighter in two weeks. Hermes will come along for our next training trip and Calypso too. It may seem a long ways to run a pup but since they aren't working in harness there isn't much they can do to hurt themselves. The sled will always be open if they need to ride and I will evaluate them constantly. Id LOVE to have them come to the Whites with us but I wont plan on that until I'm absolutely sure they can keep up and have no trouble. Overnighting in a cabin with babies would be divine!

The Buffalo Brothers may have to wait a bit longer before they can follow. I worry about their massive size and how that may affect their speed and stamina. For now they are learning the art of being big boys on their own houses and last night they had their first overnighter out of the puppy pen!