2012 Iditarod- Part two- The Start to Skwentna

March 4 – Willow Lake. Perfect weather for spectators which means a bit warm for sled dogs, but not too bad at all.  The scuttlebutt was there was a giant area of deep overflow at the end of the starting chute.  Should we put booties on the dogs or not?  A serious question because wet booties can freeze into solid chunks on the dogs’ feet, and changing booties to dry ones on an amped up dog team is not a good idea, but booties also protect the feet from abrasive snow and this is the start of 1000 miles, not a good time to trash feet!  The powers-that-be ended up relocating the starting chute,  we left with booties on and they stayed dry.

The run from Willow Lake to the Susitna River was completely lined by cheering people.  This is several miles!  Great parties, bonfires, bar-b-ques, lots of kids, lots of snowmachines! Just crazy!  Along the Susitna and then the Yentna River, the groups spread out and airplanes were added to the mix.  It is amazing how much firewood people bring out to the middle of the river for the bonfires.  Huge bonfires! So much fun to see so many people having so much fun!  My guys were rolling right along, although I was standing on the drag mat instead of the runners, we just kept passing teams.  We passed Lance Mackey back on the lakes and everyone afterwards kept asking me where he was – he has a major following!! We pulled into Yentna still in daylight and I could see Aily Zirkle about a mile ahead. I signed in and out of the checkpoint, signed the vet book with the veterinarian, signed the posters and was on our way.  The sun was going down behind the trees and it was cooling off, so the dogs just pulled stronger and wanted to run faster. For some reason they forget we are going to be running around the clock for the next 10 days or so…. It had snowed three feet in this area the weekend before, and the concern was the trail would be soft, bottomless and just hard sloggy pulling for the dogs.  Thanks to all the snowmachine traffic on the river during the past week, the trail ended up being just a little soft but next to perfect.

We got into Skwentna almost exactly 7 hours from leaving the starting line, just after DeeDee Jonrowe.  The dogs ate like champs and bedded down and rested just like they are supposed to do.  I went up to Delia’s cabin and had a great dinner and a good nap.  The volunteers at Skwentna are fantastic.  The checkpoint runs smoothly. They have a great big propane fueled boiler for hot water, and they even have hot lemon-water face cloths when you come into the cabin! Refreshing and sure makes you feel special!  I got to chat with Michelle, Aliy, DeeDee, Jodi, and Colleen during dinner.  This is the last time I saw Aliy for the rest of the race.  She went out and set the pace for this year’s race!

Next – Skwentna to Rainy Pass

Iditarod Recap – Part 1- The Banquet & Ceremonial Start

It really was all Spike’s fault ( AK Discovery RV Tours).  He bought the wig.  For me it was the perfect solution as I didn’t have a spare half hour to get my hair cut.  I said, “You bet I’ll wear it to the banquet! ” He said, “No, no, it is for the Finish Banquet in Nome – don’t wear it here in Anchorage, there will be witnesses!” –Not only were there  witnesses, but pictures  in the Anchorage Daily News the next day and of course, on FaceBook.  But hey, if you can’t have fun, what is the point??

As is our custom , Michelle Phillips, Jodi Bailey, and I went shopping during the two hours after the last mandatory musher meeting of the day and the beginning of the banquet for our fancy gowns. A quick dash into the Salvation Army Thrift Store, a couple minutes in the fitting rooms, and $12 apiece later, we were transformed!

This year, I was up first to draw my bib number, I drew bib 20 — the same as last year.  Not a bad pick, really.  I spent nearly the  rest of the time signing posters, books, place mats, shirts, napkins, whatever people had to be signed.  That was Thursday night.  Friday is a “free” day, as in no Iditarod obligations, just a day to regroup and make sure everything is ready for Saturday’s Ceremonial Start and Sunday’s restart.  The Ceremonial Start is dedicated to the IdidaRiders.  It is quite the party atmosphere in downtown Anchorage, the city has hauled IN snow to put down ON the streets and folks are out in their best parkas and furriest hats. Thousands of people come out to see the dogs! My IdidaRider was a wonderful woman from Washington. Her best friend won two sled rides and gave her the ride in my sled while she took a ride in Kirk Barnum’s.  These gals went on to fly out to a couple checkpoints – I saw them in Nikolai and it looked like they were having a great time.

Back to the Ceremonial Start.  We are limited to 12 dog teams and we are required to bring another person with us to help control the dogs. Usually, teams use a “tag sled” pulled behind the main sled.  So our 12-dog teams are pulling two sleds and three people for the 11 miles from downtown across town and the bike trails and the sled dog trails to the BLM campus.  BTW, if anyone has any footage of Ed on the tag sled going around the corner at 4th and Cordova, please let me know!

Next episode: The Start & Skwentna

February 19, 2012  Count down to Iditarod.  Training is intense right now, and throw in food drop (putting the entire race into poly bags weighing no more than 60 pounds each) EKG’s for the dogs and, soon, vet checks for the dogs, the mandatory meetings, meeting the IditaRiders, Draw Banquet, Ceremonial Start and finally pulling the hook for the real start on March 4th. It’s Crunch Time!

We have had another close encounter of the moose kind, but taking a lesson learned from the last go-around, I decided to not stop the team, but to keep chasing the moose down the trail so he wouldn’t stop and turn and stomp.  It worked – this time -  the moose kept running and eventually peeled off into the woods.  An adrenaline rush for sure, and hard work to keep the dogs from actually catching up and getting too close to the flying hooves.

A little about Food Drop.  There are 23 checkpoints in the race and 19 are Food Drop checkpoints.  Basically the entire race plan/strategy/ is in those bags.  We send out dog food (kibble, meat, fish, fat, oils, supplements) dog snacks, (more meat, fish, fat) dog booties, massage oils and ointments, runner plastic, musher food and drink and spare clothes, and anything else that we will need to resupply with during the race.  1575 pounds for 9 to 10 days at $.59 a pound to have shipped to the various checkpoints. Then the next two weeks wondering what was forgotten……..

Two days later the dogs got their EKGs and blood work.  The mushers don’t get anything, BTW.  The dogs have to lay perfectly still to get a reading. Yes, it is a challenge!  Getting them to sit still for the blood draw is a challenge!  A big thanks to Providence Hospital for providing this service!

January 30, 2012 – STOMPED!  By a moose.  This story begins in 1996 with the Miller’s Reach Fire.  That fire came to about a mile of my newly under-construction house.  When I evacuated the dogs, horses, chickens, cat,  pigs, and myself, I thought I’d never see it again. Over the years the burned area has turned into awesome moose habitat.  My trail goes right through that wonderful moose habitat.  The first (and last) 8 miles of my training runs goes right through what we call Moose Alley. I have counted as many as 30 moose in there and never see less than three.

Coming home from a hundred miler the other night in Moose Alley, my headlamp quit, so I was putting my spare on my head, when I felt the “moose surge” from the dogs.  With the spare headlamp still in my hand and hanging on to the sled and smashing down on the brake, I could see that the dogs were right on the heels of a moose running down the trail. When I got the dogs to stop, the moose stopped, turned around, thought for a second or two, then charged.  She stomped her way up the gangline towards the sled, rearing and striking at the dogs.  Then she came along-side the sled and reared and struck at the sled and got tangled in the snow hook line.  She flailed around for what seemed like forever, while I screamed like a banshee and punched her neck.  She finally got the snow hook up out of the holster and got free of it and headed on out the trail. I called the dogs up for a good 1/4 mile before stopping to check them in case the moose decided to come back and finish the job.  The dogs were unscathed, and I only lost my voice. Considering the snow load we have this year and the number of moose using the nice packed trails to move around a little easier, I can say we have been quite lucky to not have this happen sooner or more often.  I think if my headlamp was working, the moose would have not been so surprised and we may not have even seen her at all.

Those crazy dogs sure like to chase moose.  Our runs are just hunting trips for them, I think.

January 23, 2012  So much for New Year Resolutions!  (one of mine was to keep the web page updated)  We are doing long training runs and camping trips with the dogs, so when I get home I sleep.  The trails are still in fantastic condition and we even got the opportunity for “wind training”.  Ed got a weather station for Christmas – Thanks Santa!- so now we know really how hard the wind is blowing.  Running in a good strong wind, say 40 mph or so is really good experience for the dogs and for the musher.  It is important to find the dogs that excel in the wind, if any, before the big race. Some of the dogs you least expect to really come through when the going gets tough!  With wind comes snow drifts and erased trails.  Showing the team that they really can bust through drifts and find trails adds a whole new dimension and depth to the team.  So when the weather gets crappy we get running! Another aspect to challenging weather is testing gear while in the comfort area and safety net of home trails.  With the wind you find all the holes that need repair or modification!  The wind also teaches the musher to not be sloppy or messy as everything blows away if you are.

Happy New Year!  And I am already behind…..  Let’s see, latest news: We withdrew from the K200. We just felt the dogs were not ready for it.  I really love that race and the format, so I am especially bummed about it, but we have bigger plans.  Our focus is Iditarod.

Zapper is now working for the same junior musher as Angie, and she is even turning  him into a leader! We are so glad to find him such a great home.  We are trying trim down the kennel to 24 race dogs for two main reasons: economics and focus.  Economics is obvious, at over $1.00 a pound for dog food, not to mention entry fees, dog booties, and veterinary expenses, etc. — and focus, Ed and I can only run so many dogs at the level  they need to be running. So we are making some hard decisions.  All of our dogs are special to us, so parting with any of them is difficult. It is especially rewarding when we can place them with someone who benefits from the dog and someone who the dog is happy with.

The trails have never been better.  Below zero, but not too much below, lots of snow, and now – a full moon. Beautiful!  All the dogs are now in contention for the Iditarod team. It is exciting to see the youngsters blossom and mature into real sled dogs. Stay tuned!

12/21/11  We are back from the Sheep Mountain 150 with a 10th place to show for it.  The dogs did great: Scout, Poncho and Geri taking turns in lead, with Flounder, Bluto, Ajax, Pledge, Swiffer, Hornet, Scorpion finishing all three heats.  Steve and Omar were dropped from the last leg, but are totally fine.  It has taken a couple of days for me to recover and get caught up, but the dogs never acted like they just climbed what seemed like a hundred mountains.

Eureka Lodge layover #2.  Blowing, drifting snow made it interesting for the front-runners to find the trail. Kudos to Jeff King (the winner) and Aily Zirkle (2nd) for fielding fantastic teams and busting through a challenging trail!

** Having problems with the other pics — I’ll try again later!

12/13/11  -  Wayne and Maude are stinky pups.  Wayne and Maude are two of the new to us dogs that we got last spring.  They both are running lead, and Maude actually is learning Gee & Haw, but both dogs were quite a bit smaller than the rest of our team and they were basically out-dogged, so I decided to find them a place where they can shine and help bring another team up to its potential.  Enter Stinky Pup kennels in Fairbanks.  Although Stinky Pup is a rescue kennel, please note that Wayne & Maude were definitely NOT in need of rescue!

Training news: The weather has been a wild roller-coaster ride!  The temperature has been freezing or above into the 40′s. First rain, then glare ice, then lots of beautiful snow, then rain again, then snow and so on….  Last Sunday it began to rain while I was on a 50 mile run, and by the time I got home, the dogs looked like drowned rats and my mitts and parka weighed about 50 pounds extra from all the water. Then it snowed overnight and all is right with the trail again, at least right now, who knows in the next hour……

Our first race of the season is the Sheep Mountain Lodge 150 on  Dec 17 & 18.  The 12 dogs in training for the SML 150 are not the fastest dogs but they are powerful.  The race is in the mountains and I have focused training on hill climbing. The dogs look good and I am tempted to tell you who the team is, but that will jinx them so you’ll just have to wait until after the race. Ed has the speed team.  I got to run them the other day – what fun!  They are deceptively fast, they make speed look easy.

The Jersey Tomatoes have bought Unalakleet!  With this sponsorship, look for us to enter another team in the Knik 200 by the end of December. We do have a lot more checkpoints available – Check them out by hitting the Donate button – Think Christmas!

12/4/11 – RAIN IS A FOUR LETTER WORD!

47 F and pouring rain.  Unfortunately the forecast was right.  The dogs won’t even come out of their houses, heck, I don’t want to come out of my house either!  We are hoping that there is enough snow to absorb this water, and that it will cool off tomorrow like the forecast says.  Then we just break through the crust and our trails will be OK.  Although  the traveled areas the slop/slush/standing water will turn to rough ice.  A crust on the snow makes it difficult for the moose – which in turn makes it more dangerous for us as the moose are more reluctant to move off of the trail into the deep, crusted snow.

Kennel News:  We have officially entered a team into the Knik 200 . At this point we don’t know if it a qualifier for Ed, or a race for me.  Thanks to the folks that bought some Christmas presents!  Speaking of, if you are stuck for inspiration or are looking for something unique, the DONATE button will take you to our “Store”. Your gift is a win/win, as it is sure to please and it really helps us!

12/1/11   Chinook – In the summer Chinook means King salmon.  In the winter it means warm wind. Our temps have risen to the freezing mark, and the forecast is for even warmer days through the next week.  ARG! Hopefully we’ll get enough snow along with the warm temps to keep our fantastic trails from rotting or glazing over.

Ed and I have had several close calls with moose along the trail lately.  The first several miles from the kennel run through a portion of the area burned during the Miller’s Reach fire of 1996.  This area has been prime moose habitat ever since, and now there are upwards of 30 moose that we see frequently ( every day).  Moose are quite a bit larger that your average saddle horse, and a whole lot crankier and protective of their young – who are also pretty good-sized at this time of year.  They see a pack of wolves when they see the dog team and either take flight or fight.  So far, they are running, but they aren’t the brightest critter sometimes and they are  likely to run into you while trying to escape.  Now add in the sled dogs that think they are wolves, and the chase is on!  It actually becomes a form of interval training!

Kennel news:  Angie has found a home with a Junior musher.  She just worked too hard, and didn’t understand to pace herself.  So, with her sweet disposition and work ethic, she made a perfect match for a 13 year old girl that is putting together a small team.

Flo will be heading to Fairbanks to lead a small recreational team. She was in charge of training the younger dogs, and as expected, the younger dogs began to out run her.  She will fit right in with the other dogs and should enjoy herself a lot more with less stress.

11/19/11  Below zero! Not like Fairbanks’ below zero (-40F). But in the minus 10F range at the kennel and probably -20 out on the trail.  Our snow came before the creeks and lakes were frozen, so we have been hoping for and waiting for this cold snap to freeze up the lakes especially, so they are safe to travel on.  The A team is running 40 miles now, and without crossing Porkchop Lake and 3 Mile Lake, we have only been able to do boring (for the dogs) loops.  By crossing the lakes, our loops have expanded to 80+ miles.  The next step is for the major rivers to freeze.  Then anywhere in Alaska is accessible!

Ed’s young guns are still training with the goal of the Knik 200 in early January.  They now out run Flo, the patient leader/trainer, which is exactly what we want them to do!

Gary & Steve are now pictured on the Dogs page.  Also a picture of the 2007 Yukon Quest poster is in the “Store”. The back-story of that poster is that it a picture of me and the team in 2006. Extra credit if you can tell if we are heading away from or toward the camera!

Looking for something unique for that special dog-crazy someone for Christmas?

I have it!  My top pick is Doggone Addiction – the award winning film that features three women mushers (including me) in the 2004 Yukon Quest.  This DVD has beautiful scenery, great music, and shows how three very different women came to and competed in the Yukon Quest.

If Doggone Addiction isn’t the right gift, check out our other offerings!  We have a wide selection of sponsor-type offerings as well as posters. You can find all these items buy hitting the Donate button or the Putting It All Together page.

11/12/11 

13 dogs, a foot of snow, and away we go!

Still a challenge to stop and hook down (park in regular people lingo) so we are using two sleds and two mushers to control these guys.  We are breaking trail nearly every run as it snows a few inches a couple of times a day. Yay Snow!

11/10/11  IT”S A WINTER WONDERLAND!!

Snow, snow and more snow!  We are now on sleds!  Now this is what dog mushing is all about!  There is just enough snow to run small teams of 7 and 8 dogs – I did run 10 dog  teams today – Yahoo!  But seriously there is not really enough snow and enough of a base to run larger teams safely.  Labor intensive for the musher to run small teams 20 or more miles a day.  For me that is 60+ miles.  I don’t care – we are on sleds!  The camera has decided it does not like the cold, so we’ll have to try to sneak in a shot or two before it freezes up of the snow and the dogs and the dogs in the snow.  Stay Tuned!

Other news is Gary and Steve have returned to the A Team.  Their gig in the Bush did not pan out.  I am glad it didn’t! They are the geezers of the A team at 9 years old, but they are doing just great and are definitely assets.  I’ll post their pics soon.

11/1/11

The beginning of November brings exciting news!! 

First of all, what our visitors from last summer are waiting for: THE WINNER OF FIVE YEARS OF IDITAROD ON DVD!!   And the winner is Harry S. of Mt Vernon, Washington! Ed and I gathered up the Iditarod videos from 2007 to 2011 and held a drawing from all the summer visitors that entered.  What made it even more fun for us was all the money folks put in with the entries – Quite a surprise! And Congratulations Harry!

Next is we made the cut for a mushing reality show in development!  (See July news about the audition) Not a done deal, apparently still shopping the show to the networks, but exciting for us anyway! If there is a way for you to show support for the show, I’ll let you know!

I have also been interviewed by ESPN Magazine and I am slated to be interviewed on lifeimprovementradio.com on a segment called “Working Out on the Edge” on November 4th at 1 pm or so (Alaska time)   The host of the show, Jeb Downing – a former Alaskan – is a real fitness advocate and a personal trainer.  Hmmmmmm, I wonder if he wants to visit Alaska this winter……..

Kennel news:  I am training the dogs with a very early season race as a goal: The Sheep Mountain Lodge 150, which starts December 17, 2011 ( I am currently number 24 on the sign-up list). Next up is the Knik 200 – a two hundred mile race that is popular with mushers qualifying for Iditarod and serious racers as well.  Ed and his “puppy team” are training for the K200 – as a qualifier, and I intend to race.  This is where you come in!  We need two people to buy a Checkpoint.  Hit the DONATE button – that takes you to the STORE, then go shopping!  The sale of two checkpoints allows us to enter two teams in the Knik 200.  Or buy some posters, movies, or even booties!  Every purchase goes a long way with us and you know are a valued member of our team!

The dogs are doing great.  Both of my 10 dog teams are able to pull my Polaris 425 Xpedition four-wheeler at a steady 10 mph, for 14 miles – with no help from me on the throttle.  Scary strong!  Ed’s younger dogs are having great fun and he is training almost every one of the 14 of them as leaders.  Still waiting for enough snow to a) protect their feet, and b) break out the sleds!!!!!

10/20/11  Wow, time flies!  It has been a while since my last update.  I am still trying to get into the once a week habit…..

Ed and I have mapped out a race schedule now that the season’s races are opening to entrants.  I have signed up for the Sheep Mountain Lodge 150.  The SML150 is a very challenging early season 150 mile race.  The terrain is rugged and mountainous and the competition is fierce.  The race is broken up into three 50 mile legs with 5 hour layovers between each leg.  Click here to see more about the race: http://www.sheepmountain.com/SheepMtn150.php

The next race on our schedule is the Knik 200  http://www.knik200sleddograce.com  This race is Ed’s first 200 miler and it will be the first race for his bunch of young dogs!  I will field a team too, but only half my team will be rookies to racing.  If all goes well, I am looking at the Copper Basin 300 and Ed and I would also like to run the Tustemena 200.

As far as training updates: we are still using the four-wheelers,  still focusing on building muscle and training “gray matter”.  The mornings are nice and cool now, but we are still running on dirt and gravel and so we have to be careful not to over-run the dog’s feet.  We got our cooler weather, now we need snow!

9/30/11 We are now distributors of Distance Dog Food!  Sled dogs require a highly digestible and calorie dense diet with quality protein.  Distance Dog Food is a fish meal and chicken meal based kibble delivering 32% protein and 25% fat.  We fed Distance Dog Food last season and had great results with it and we are excited to be able to provide this excellent dog food to all kinds of working dogs in Alaska. This food has fueled top ten dog teams in the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest.  One of the things I like about the formula is that there is NO CORN!  $42 per bag, $41 per bag with a 10 bag minimum, or $40 per bag with a minimum purchase of a ton. Go to  www.distancedogfood.com for more information, and/or contact us if you are interested in trying this great food at a great price!

Training update:  This fall is still pretty warm.  We had our first garden killing frost just three days ago.  Usually the garden is toast the first week of September. This means that we still have to be very careful of the dogs overheating while running.  We are lucky to have a lake to dip into about 2 miles into the run, and the dogs have taken to jumping in and actually swimming to cool off!  Kelley is training two teams of 10 and Ed is training a team of 8 and a team of 9.  We are focusing on conditioning their muscles and developing new leaders. We are also battling the expanding personality quirks of Kelley’s 4 wheeler.  Ed spent two days figuring out why the accessories ( headlights, tail light, brake light, neutral and reverse indicator lights, speedometer and odometer and hand grip warmers) quit working.  The good news is that the starter still works because Ed bypassed that switch a month ago.   Turns out it seems to be maybe the rest of the switch, the “pod” has given up.  It is always something!

9/19/11  Yesterday was our last sled dog demonstration of the season at Settlers Bay Lodge.  Every Sunday from May 23rd we had the opportunity to meet visitors from all over the world and share a little about our kennel and the Iditarod and Yukon Quest sled dog races.

The length of a  full sixteen dog team impressed quite a few people.

We tried to answer many of the most common questions with information boards.

Of course, this led to many more questions.  The most common question besides “Why do you do this”? (run dogs, that is)  was “What is a Red Lantern”?

Maybe the most unique souvenirs around! You can purchase many of these items by shopping on our Donate page.

It is all about the Dogs!  Missing their pets at home, lots of people were able to get their “dog fix”.  The puppies grew up, and Scorpion & Ray took their turn.

Answering questions. Telling stories. Until next year…….. Happy Trails!

9/17/11  OK, the rest of the dog pictures are finally up.  We have an exciting crew this year!  Ed is complaining that he has too many leaders, not enough team and wheel dogs.  Poor guy!  I might be having the same problem.  So far, every dog I’ve tried in front has taken right to it!  Anyway, check out the Dogs page, and while you’re at it, hit the Donate button and check out the ways you can be a part of our team!

9/8/11  A huge thanks to Spike and his entourage!!  It was another movie night at Alaskan Discovery RV Tours!!   www.rvalaskatours.com You folks set a record for the most Dog Gone Addiction DVDs bought from us at any one speaking engagement!  Thanks again and I hope you all enjoy the video for years to come.  I really enjoy sharing my love of the dogs and the sport, and I hope I am able to make it even a little bit real and exciting for people encountering the sport of dog mushing for the first time.  Alaskan huskies are incredible athletes and I am honored to play a part in what they do.

9/6/11

Growing up, every year, I was sure there would be a pony tied to the porch on my birthday (June), or 6 months later, at Christmas. I finally got my pony when I was 35.  Munchkin came to live with me in 1995, and he had quite a story.  The man who gave him to me – he really meant to give him to the dogs – told me that he was the victim of a Polish horse thief since he awoke one morning to find six extra ponies in his pasture, he  guessed from a pony wheel operation.  Over the years he had managed to find homes for five of them, but Munchkin remained due to his being a “pain in the ass”.  He told me he had him for 10 years and he wasn’t a young pony when he found him out in his pasture.  I really enjoyed his strong personality, and he wasn’t mean, so I kept him.  Munchkin pretty much ruled the dog lot and the neighborhood for the next 16 years.  Sadly, he passed away last week.  We guessed he was nearly 40.  He stayed vibrant and healthy to the end, although he was deaf and toothless.  He was all of  ten hands but his presence was ten times that.  We miss him.

9/1/11

It is September, it is still pretty warm, (by sled dog standards) and the boys are back from their summer job.  Half of our dogs, all male and tourist appropriate, have been working with one of Danny Seavey’s ventures on Punchbowl Glacier out of Girdwood, Alaska www.ididaride.com/tours/girdwood-summer-tours  .  It is a great way for us to keep the dogs in shape over the summer, and real sled dog rides on snow is a treat for folks that visit in the summer!  The reason that only the boys had a job is that Danny will only hire males or spayed females, and none of the girls are spayed – yet.

So, we are welcoming back Steve, Stanley, and Gary, who are going to live out in a bush village with a third-grade teacher and her daughter.  They will be part of their 5 dog recreational team. Next we have Lyle, Muir, and Toklat returning who are going to join the team at Northern Lights Adventures  www.northernlightsadventures.com .  They are like rock stars hanging at a 5 star hotel!

The dogs returning for the “A” team are Bounty, Pledge, Flounder, Bluto, Hornet, Scorpion, Zapper, Wayne, Omar, Poncho, Tim, and Lefty.  The “B” team has Linus and Ty coming back in great shape.

Now all we need is cooler weather!

We are very busy these days getting ready for freeze-up, running dogs and getting the freezers stocked.  When we get a chance we’ll get some pictures up.  Thanks for checking in!

8/22/11  We are off and running!  Early mornings have been a cool 50F — our upper limit for running dogs.  We hook up and hit the trail with the teams pulling our four-wheelers, even before we do any of the farm chores.  Besides building muscle, right now our focus is developing new leaders.   Ed is running the younger dogs in the kennel, and Kelley is training the Iditarod team.  The talent in this group of dogs is amazing!

8/9/11  Rain, rain, rain. It is spring break-up all over again in the dog lot.  Digging out canals to drain the “moats” which are promptly filled back in again by the dogs, in the pouring rain, is not a lot of fun…….      The good news for me (Kelley) is that Ed has finished my race sled.  Has a seat – Sweet!       Not long in search of another summer project, while summer lasts, Ed has lined up a couple of dog box repairs.

We’ll be hitting the trails with the dogs by the weekend, if the rain lets up a bit!

Many, many thanks to everyone who have purchased posters, DVDs and sponsorships!!! Every little bit goes a long way with us! Plus, it makes it more fun for us knowing we have folks that care how we do!  Thanks again!

7/31/11   Kelley was invited  to submit an audition video for a possible new reality TV show about what it takes to train for,  prepare for and race  a 1000 mile race  such as the Iditarod or Yukon Quest.  Ed & Kelley  became videographers for a day, and tried to show who we are and what we do, in 5 minutes or less.  Kind of have somewhat of an appreciation for the information conveyed in a 30 second TV commercial now…….. Wish us and the project luck!

7/24/11 A big, huge thanks to Spike and his entourage for the support and for buying so many DVDs of Dog Gone Addiction.  It’s movie night at Alaskan Discovery RV Tours!

7/17/2011 Ed’s finished his summer project in time to start another project before summer is over. Like revamping my sled!

Ed built the box in sections that can easily be handled by one person. It can haul 32 dogs plus the snowmachine or 4- wheelers, and there is plenty of storage space for everything else, too.

By the way, the dog truck is for sale. 1997 Ford F350 Lariat, Crew cab, 4X4, AT, power everything, 7.5L engine.  Can haul up to 40 dogs.   SOLD!

7/10/2011 Spike Fortier, Wagon Master for Alaskan Discovery RV Tours, has added Kelley as, “Alaska Pioneer and Dog Musher”  to his itinerary for each of his three tours this summer.  Spike and Lindy are top-notch people and strong supporters of Kelley. Their caravans are always a lot of fun to visit with!

Kelley won a free entry to Iditarod XL! (2012)

6/25/2011 Signing up for Iditarod in person at the Volunteer Picnic on the first day of sign-ups paid off big! Kelley won the drawing for a free entry to Iditarod. This makes it an especially exciting year for us at Silverbelle.  We’ve added some incredible depth to the kennel and our focus is Iditarod.

5/23/2011 We are giving sled dog presentations at Settlers Bay Lodge throughout the summer. Many thanks to the visitors from all over the world that take the time to talk to us and learn about both the 1000 miles races that we take part in!

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