I planned on taking the team out today for a short and simple run but I just cant help but have an adventure so we took a side route, putting in a few extra miles, and tackled the bluff for the first time this year.I had forgotten what a fun trip that is! What a blast!
The video shows the highlights of our trip from the flat trail to tackling all 522 vertical feet of the bluff for two miles straight. I wish I could have shown some of the downhills but that's a bit difficult to manage when I'm trying to drive the sled. As you can see the branches on the simple sections provide their own unique challenge!
And if its not clear in the video I'm trying to explain Juno's reluctance to being kicked out of lead and put in swing so Hermes can learn leadership without being pressured by her. Juno handles the change of command pretty well until we get going then is content to bark orders from the back seat!
It was soooo nice to have them all back together again. I saw some lingering doubts from some of the guys as a result of our last run, especially on the open stretch back to the truck where they lost power, but over all they did amazingly well. At one point I had 12 dogs on the line since Gaea was being such a pest that she really needed to be hooked in the team.
She did really well but started to falter a tiny bit so I pulled her out for the last few miles. Her gait is still so awkward and there is the potential for injuries with her being so young so I'm not pushing her to stay hooked in the team at all. When she slows or starts to mess up I pull her right out.When she does finally grow into her legs she will be AMAZING and so graceful! She might just put Remus to shame! : )
And Laya came with us again. She had a great time and continues to be so adorable and fun! Shes learning slowly to calm down when we come to a stop but shes still got a little of that anxious sprint team mentality. She isn't a line chewer so she really doesn't have any bad habits. The only thing that bothers me is her protest whining when we are stopped but even then shes pretty quiet.
At the start I noticed she wasn't too great on her speed at first. She seems comfortable at 15mph but cant keep up enough to pull. At that speed shes able to stay right with us but cant put in any work until we slow a little bit then shes all business. This may change with time though since I'm not sure how much she has worked before she was brought to the shelter.She is also very content to stay with the team and right by my side. So not only will this little lady make a perfect mushing or skijor dog but she would be a great dog to loose walk on hikes!
My 'new' GPS is still out getting fixed so I brought the antique with me today. I forgot to turn it on until we were almost two miles into our run so I might have missed an accurate reading of our max speed.
It was so fantastic to get out today and I am really looking forward to more exploration trips so we can break out more of that new trail we've been working on. I have to be careful though since the dogs are still working on getting back up to speed and strength and my schedule is full. Its trying to snow today too so that will make the trail much harder to work with.
Total Miles: 10
Max speed: 18.0
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