Non-Stop

We had a dog sled ride booked for today and we had another run follow right after that we weren't expecting. We made it back to the house after the first one but fortunately the dogs were still resting in their boxes when we got the second call so we didn't have to do too much extra work to get them back out there. After popping in a few snacks to the humans and dogs we were headed back down the road.

Our first trip was a ten miler and they came in looking great but tired. Josh arrived yesterday so we really wanted him to get out on the trails and see how he liked running the dogs. So while Nita was dropping our clients back off at their place in Fairbanks Josh and I took the younger less tired pups and put in a few more miles while switching driving and riding along the way. They came in looking tired again but were holding up very well. But if we had known we had another ride coming we would have saved all of our energy! :)

When we got the call for the next ride I was uncertain about going out again. Since it was a mother and son we planned on taking a large single team out and doing their five mile trip in one shot but when they arrived the 'son' wasn't quite as young as we thought! It was a full load but the two of them preferred to ride together and they fit well in the sled bag.

All of our riders today were a tremendous joy. The last pair was especially fun. Most of our visitors are from out of town and many speak english only as a second language but even though I may not know their native tongue they giggled and laughed so much that it almost felt like I knew what they were saying. They were all so much fun!

Boreas, Thani and Remus really surprised me (as they always do!). Those three boys are sooooo strong! I know we would never be able to do half as many miles and pulling the heavy loads if it weren't for those boys. The rest break between rides really did them good...

And since we have had a break in the weather its nice to take advantage and get in some good trail time. We aren't sure when the next cold snap will come but its due at any time. We have plans to head out to the White Mountains to do some more rides and make some more great connections so I'm hoping the weather will hold for a while. I really want to get out there and I know the pups would LOVE the adventure!

But for now, we are all resting hard and getting ready for another trip on the trail tomorrow. We have a very important client to take out for a short trip and I am anxious to show her the ropes. It will be her first dog sled ride and her siberian's first real time in harness. Its going to be a fun trip!

Lots of photos to come later. Nita got a few shots today and I'm sure there will be many more tomorrow but it will be a little while before I can get them on the computer. I'm pretty spent and ready to hit the pillow...