Spring is in the air

Caribou herd in Denali National Park 

After a long cold winter spring has finally sprung, or at least what we Alaskans call spring anyway. It is no longer getting below freezing at night and the after noon highs are reaching as high as +60f, most of the snow has melted, and the resulting mud is drying up. The grass on south facing slopes is threatening to turn green and the geese are back.
This time of year the dogs are all enjoying a much deserved break basking in the sun, chewing on bones, and playing in the mud. I am taking advantage of this nice weather to do a little traveling and also some cleaning around the house as more and more snow melts I keep finding more and more straw to rake and items that were lost in the snow to pick up. Last weekend Robert and I headed south to Denali National Park to drive the 30 miles of park road that is currently open to public traffic. It was a magnificently gorgeous day, we saw a ton of beautiful scenery and even some caribou.
Robert's parents are currently in town visiting us, it is great to have them here and we are really enjoying their company, this is the first time since we've been married that they have been able to come see us. Today we visited the large animal research station at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and got to see some brand new baby reindeer, one was still learning how to stand up and walk. It was so much fun to watch the little baby on its wobbly legs.

Last Long Run Of The Season

The team hanging out after a snack during a 20 minute break
a few miles past the half way point.

I really enjoy traveling through tall spruce trees.

Seven dogs and I took advantage of this beautiful day to go on a 48 mile run, sadly it will most likely be our last rally long run of the season. With spring quickly taking over and a lot of things to do over the next month before packing up the dogs and heading south, it's finally time to think about putting the sleds away until next winter.

The weather was absolutely beautiful with sunny skies, a very light breeze, and temperatures hanging out around +30F. The team handled the warm weather just fine and I really enjoyed it, the run took 5 1/2 hours and I never had to put anything more than a hoodie on to stay warm. I stopped the team a couple times for a quick snack of meat or a little kibble and we stopped several times very shortly to let the dogs bite or roll in the snow. We took a 20 minute break just over half way through the run, and the dogs seemed to appreciate the snack, but then were impatient about having to wait to keep moving down the trail.

Pip after he successfully turned the team
around by himself at the half way point.

Pip really got a chance to show me how much he has learned this winter. He is still a young dog, not quite two years old yet, but all winter he has been proving himself a valuable member of the team and a bright up and coming lead dog. I have been running pip in swing or double lead (next to another lead dog) all winter and finally today decided to see what Pip can do on his own, and wow am I impressed. I moved Pip up from swing (right behind the lead dog) to single lead just to see what would happen. Well Pip took off down the trail just like an old pro, he proceeded to lead the team for the next 37 miles all by himself. He flawlessly led us over multiple long glare ice patches, down new trails, and past snow machiners stopped on the trail taking a break and chatting. If Pip keeps up the good work he could very well be one of my main race leaders next winter.

In spite of not doing any more long runs this season, it is still far from over. The team and I and a few friends and their teams will be heading to the White Mountains this weekend for a final white mountains run this winter, probably only covering about 20 miles. The weather forecast is saying temperatures over the next few days and through the weekend are supposed to be around +40 to +50f so we should probably wave good buy to the snow. If the trails keep holding up I am going to try and get a few more short runs in with the puppies in addition to the white mountains weekend trip. Also the Kobuk 440 sled dog race will be starting on April 12th in Kotzebue Alaska. We will not be participating in this race, but for more info on it and to follow it please click here .

In early May the dogs and I will be heading to Skagway to work on the Denver glacier for the summer for  a company called Alaska Icefield Expeditions giving dog sledding tours. We will be living on the glacier for the summer with no internet access except on my days off which will hopefully be once a week. I will try to update my blog as much as possible about life on the glacier and I will also try to get a few more blog posts up before we leave. To learn more about Alaska Icefield Expeditions please click here .

Last Sunday Robert and I headed up to the whites for an eighteen mile run with our friends Martin and his daughter Hollie. Martin and I each drove a team of dogs, Robert drove the snow machine and Hollie took turns riding with each of us. We had a lot of fun and it was good experience for the puppies. I took advantage of us trucking the dogs some where for a short run to bring along a few of the pups to give them the experience. I brought Gus one of the yearlings who is behind the other yearlings in his training and Charley and Tramp two of the ten month old pups that were born at our kennel last spring. All the young dogs did terrific just like they'd seen it and done it all before. Below are some pictures from last Sunday.

Hollie demonstrating snow depth.

My team.

Martins team, and Robert on the Snow machine.

The view from the trail.

Valley Funale 2012

My team not far from the starting line with Adidas and Rapid in lead,
Pip and Chupa in swing, and Chaos and Summit in wheel.
Photo Credit: Jan DeNapoli

The dogs and I had a very fun day Saturday running our final race of the season. We headed our to Two Rivers with our friend Martin to run the Valley Funale. Every spring the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association Host the "Fun"ale, it is a community event with dog races, Easter egg hunts, a barbecue / pot luck, and a Hungry dog eating contest.
The dog races are  the main events with one and two dog races for the kids and then a 6 dog ten mile race and a ten dog twenty mile race for the adults. We competed in the 6 dog ten mile race this year, and came in third place with a total run time of 37 minutes and 51 seconds, we finished 48 seconds behind first place, and had a blast. The last 3-5 miles of the race were the most fun, that is where we caught up with the other teams and got to pass three teams and then work really really hard to stay in front of them. Abby west and I were helping the dogs as much as we could kicking and yelling encouragement for the last few miles, it sure is a lot of fun to come into the finish line with a team right on your heals, especially a talented one like Abby's.
The Funale is just a fun race, there are no prizes or anything. It is just a fun event for the community, a really positive way to end a race season.
I would like to take a quick minute to thank all the volunteers who made this race season a success in the Two Rivers community.


Here are the race results for the 6 and 10 dog races:

6 Dog Race
Bib # Place Name Time out Time in Total time 10 1 Roger Chamagne 11:46:00 12:23:03 0:37:03 1 2 Beth Manning 11:28:00 12:05:30 0:37:30 11 3 Amanda Gecas 11:48:00 12:25:51 0:37:51 8 4 Steve DeMolen 11:42:00 12:20:14 0:38:14 14 5 Nathaniel Stitt 11:54:00 12:32:44 0:38:44 13 6 Charlie Jagow 11:52:00 12:32:12 0:40:12 2 7 Lia Amundsen 11:30:00 12:12:05 0:42:05 9 8 Abbie West 11:44:00 12:26:11 0:42:11 12 9 Joanna Jagow 11:50:00 12:32:22 0:42:22 3 10 Robert Ramires 11:32:00 12:15:00 0:43:00 7 11 Erik Milan 11:40:00 12:24:34 0:44:34 6 12 AJ Sutton 11:38:00 12:25:03 0:47:03 5 13 Greg Newby 11:36:00 12:28:03 0:52:03 4 14 Ilana Kinsley 11:34:00 12:27:14 0:53:14




10 Dog Race


Bib # Place Name Time out Time in Total time 14 1 Skeeter Stitt 11:20:00 12:42:41 1:22:41 2 2 Jason Weitzel 11:02:00 12:27:55 1:25:55 16 3 Bill Cotter 11:24:00 12:53:30 1:29:30 9 4 Laura Allway 11:16:00 12:47:18 1:31:18 15 5 Rick Tarpey 11:22:00 12:56:46 1:34:46 11 6 Cali Gavora 11:18:00 12:52:56 1:34:56 3 7 Mandy Nauman 11:04:00 12:43:53 1:39:53 6 8 Suzan Amundsen 11:10:00 12:50:20 1:40:20 5 9 Wes Brightman 11:08:00 12:48:27 1:40:27 1 10 Tamara Rose 11:00:00 12:40:58 1:40:58 7 11 Eric Cosmutto 11:12:00 12:59:43 1:47:43 17 12 Tony Angelo 11:26:00 13:15:14 1:49:14 4 13 Bob Hauer 11:06:00 12:57:10 1:51:10 8 14 Donna Patrick 11:14:00 13:23:15 2:09:15

Adidas and Rapid showing there enthusiasm at the starting
line.  Photo Credit: Mariska Wright

Rapid doing the "happy dance"
at the starting line. Isn't she cute?
Photo Credit: Mariska Wright

The team leaving the starting chute.
Photo Credit: Mariska Wright

Sunday Afternoon Jaunt

On Sunday afternoon our friend Jana and her dog Sawyer came over and we all went on a short and fun 12 mile adventure. I ran a team of 9 dogs, Robert ran a team of 8, we switched teams about 8 miles into the run so Robert could see how the pups that were running in my team are coming along. Puppy training has primarily been my project this year. Jana skijored behind with her dog Sawyer and our dog Molly. We swapped Sawyer out With Pip a few miles from the house to give Jana some extra pulling power to get up the hills closer to the kennel.
It was a beautiful sunny March day, and the puppies got to experience  different trail conditions and obstacles such as glare ice, skiers, and loose dogs, they handled every challenge with ease like they'd been doing this kind of thing their whole life. The glare ice didn't even faze them. Matrix one of the 9.5 month old pups even got to try her paw at lead for a few miles towards the end of the run. I put her upfront next to her Mother Adidas in the chase (or second) team. She did really well, so well in fact that I forgot she was upfront at one point. I am looking forward to watching her mature and grow into the fantastic sled dog I know she is going to be.

Team #2
Chupa Adidas
Matrix Jana
Swamper Drummer
Pip Summit 

Team #1
Rapid BP
Sparta
Tramp Charley
Drift Chaos
Gus Rogue

Jana Skijoring with Molly and her dog Sawyer.

Two Rivers 100 & 200

I ended up handling for a friend of mine, Sarah Love for the Two Rivers 100 instead of running it this year like I had previously planned. I was a little bummed not to be running the race my self, but I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about check point routines by watching the racers at two of the three check points in the 200 mile race and at the only checkpoint in the 100 mile race. I look forward to next years race and feel confident I can take what I learned and be more competitive next year than I could have this year.
Below are a few pictures I took of Sarah's team and also a picture taken by photographer Jana DeNapoli who takes really nice pictures.

Some of Sarah's dogs waiting for their booties
before the race start. 

Sarah's team checking into the check point at the
50 mile half way point, where they took a 4 hour mandatory
rest before completing the last 50 miles of the race.

Sarah snacking her team before bedding
them down during their 4 hour mandatory
layover at the halfway checkpoint.

Sarah's team not long after starting the race with Duke and Velma in lead.
Photo Credit: Jan DeNapoli

Sarah ran this years race with a group of yearlings to give them some race experience, she had 4 veteran racers on her team and 8 yearlings. Her team did amazing for being so young and inexperienced. They finished the race in second place a mere 6 minutes behind first place slamming their harnesses and barking to go. I think  given a little more experience and time to mature this team has the potential to go far in the racing world.

Sarah and her husband Clint Warnke own and operate Ridge Line Kennel out side of Fairbanks, Ak. Clint is a 5 time Iditarod finisher and he and Sarah both have competed in multiple Mid distance races. You'd be hard pressed to find nicer people who take better care of their dogs.

You may have noticed that the harnesses on Sarah's dogs look different than the regular X-Back Harnesses you most commonly see and that is because they are. They are Known as  G-Cel Harness and were designed by Mike Santos to allow the dogs to move more freely while running like they do when free running with no harness on at all. Also the tug lines attach to these harness on the side eliminating down ward pressure on the dogs hips and back. You can learn more about these harnesses and Mike Santos and his kennel by visiting his website at www.wolfsdenkennel.com
It is my hope that in the near future I will be able to out fit my team with this style of harness.

Below are the race results for the 2012 Two Rivers 200 & 100;

~200~
1. Judy Currier
2. Heidi Sutter
3. Sue Ellis
4. Greg Stoddard
5. Cody Strathe
6. Leila Javadi-Babreh
7. Jimmy Lebling
Scratched-Tony Angelo

~100~
1. Jason Weitzel
2. Sarah Love
3. Joel Switzer
4. Jody Potts
5. Ilana Kingsley

For more information on the Two Rivers 200 & 100 please visit www.trdma.org

Dog Yard Visitors

Bull and Cow moose in the clearing below the dogs on a late
summers day.

   Last night I heard one of the young dogs sound the "alarm bark" so I grabbed a bright light and headed outside to see what was up. I found it a little odd that only two or three dogs were actually barking and the rest were either hiding in their houses or quietly watching. A quick glance around the dog yard with the light quickly revealed this young dogs cause for concern, a young bull moose was munching on some willows barely 15 feet away.
   Pirate the young dog quickly quitted down, my presence was all that was needed to calm down this nervous young dog who had never seen one of these giant animals up close before. The young moose didn't seem at all bothered by my presence or the dogs, he was standing a mere five feet from two dog houses who's occupants were hiding quietly inside. Not  liking this young moose being so close to my dogs I went inside to get my husband for back up, I wanted to run this moose off.
  We yelled and he trotted about 50 yards away through the clearing below the dog yard and stopped, we went back inside hoping he would just move on. Shortly after we went back in we heard Pirate and a few other dogs resound the alarm. The moose had come back, but not quite as close this time, he was in the willows and wooded area below the dog yard about 25 yards from the closest dog. The moose seemed to just be browsing and making his way away from the dogs so we let him be, quieted the dogs  and went back inside.
  We really didn't hear to much more from the dogs until about 8 hours later, I got out of bed to see what was happening, the moose was on the other side of the dog yard now and standing in our driveway. I watched him for a moment while he looked around and then headed down the road and away from the house.
   I wasn't able to get pictures of him due to poor lighting so I am adding some pictures of some other moose and a few cranes who have visited or yard. From time to time we get some wild life visitors usually moose who we alway keep an eye on and if they get too close we'll encourage them to move on   as they can be dangerous to the dogs and us if we aren't careful. We did have a close call last winter when a cow moose got angry after her calf wandered to close to a barking dog and she charged the dog who quickly ran in her house and hid. After the moose moved on I had to pry the poor scared dog out of her house to check on her, that dog has never barked at another visiting moose. Usually moose visits go about like last night, the moose come they eat, they leave. Other wild life visitors such as fox, rabbits, cranes, and other birds don't pose a big threat to the dogs and are fun to watch.

Two cranes below the dog yard last spring,

Chupa and a Cow moose who visited last August.

Focussing On The Puppies

Lead: Rapid & BP
Swing: Pirate & Matrix
Wheel: Tramp & Charley

I have decided not to do any more big races this season in order to spend some extra time with the puppies, they are the future of our kennel after all. I have been getting the puppies out on frequent 4-6 mile runs in the team, usually consisting of 4 pups and 2 adult lead dogs. I have also been free running small groups of 2-3 puppies 4-14 miles behind the snowmachine, they seem to really enjoy this. The puppies are excelling in their training and are maturing into an awesome team of driven athletes.

We also recently added a new dog to the kennel, her name is Sparta. She comes from the Jake Berkowitz's Apex kennel in Big Lake, Alaska. Her name was Sparky when she lived with Jake, we changed her name to Sparta because we have a good friend nicknamed "sparky" and it was causing some confusion. Sparta is an Adidas X Panther puppy and will be three in early may. Adidas is the mother to our current pups, and Panther is currently leading Trent Herbst's team in the Iditarod. I'll post pictures of her soon.

Drummer and Jana  playing in the deep snow during a break
at mile 8 of a 14 mile free run.

Drummer, Jana, and Tramp taking a quick break during a free run.