Eagle Cap Extreme 2016: Part 4

    So, like last year, we let Mark go out just a little bit too far ahead of us! We seem to have pretty evenly matched teams and move about the same speed...but I keep taking extra rest and he gets ahead of me...

    The dogs left Ollokot well, but I had to drop Frost with a sore shoulder. It was one of those times when I felt sure he would warm out of it, but with 65 miles to run I didn't want to risk bagging him...especially if the trail were as soft as the original run in to Ollokot.
    With Rowdy and Sweetwater in lead, the eight remaining dogs charged out of the checkpoint and made good time up the hill out of the river valley. I was impressed when all but one ate the snack and they had very little balking at the steep mountain loop which came 4 hours into the run. Coming down the mountain and over the bridge where we always crash (not this year - thanks to the more flexible Gatt sled from Kirk!), Jingle started barking and barking as we ran. Later, I really wanted him to shut up because I thought I heard wolves - but of course I couldn't tell with his noise!

    I thought the dogs would balk at doing a 9 mile look we had not run on the way out, but they loved it! In the wind and snow they really moved out and we caught sight of Mark a couple times. Off the loop, they knew where they were and they kept their momentum, but the last couple miles I could tell Saxon began to wonder if it would ever end...we stopped a couple times and he perked up.

    Coming down into the finish, seeing the lights below you, is almost sad - because you want to stay out there forever. You're suddenly not tired and the dogs even seem to say, "Yeah, we're almost there but we could go lots further." But then you get to the finish and to the truck and the dogs eat and are so happy - and I'm happy because I have a handler there to take us to the cabin for a nap!

    We finished 6th and I think the highlight of the race was getting three rookies - Jingle, Saxon and, most notably, Falcon, through the race. As for the four dropped dogs, they showed no signs of injury now and were happy and eating...another highlight. This race I had the pleasure of running a team who devoured their food - a blend of First Mate High Performance Puppy food and a meat mix from Scheffelmaier Meats. Even after the race, the dogs ate and drank well  - recovering to play loose in the parking lot where we went to loose drop them with Carlleen.

   And that was our Eagle Cap Extreme adventure of 2016!