December 29th - What I Learned Today

    Today wasn't a busy day, kind of relaxed, but I learned a lot of "tricks of the trade" from Aaron.
    This morning he told me about his breeding program, which is based on bloodlines he's been developing for over a decade. Before that time he did a lot of outcrosses to sprint lines, but he discovered it wasn't worth it for the number of pups he'd have to raise to get some to make the team. So, he went back to the older, distance husky lines that he had at the beginning.
    We also talked about my team. Tyler is going to be running with Leila in the Knik 200. I hope he does well for her, I guess Bill came this morning to take Tyler to his kennel so they can work him into training. The more I find out about Coldfoot, the more I like him. His mom, Lucy, was actually on Lance Mackey's winning Iditarod team (in 07 I believe). Kanuti is, I guess, a lot like Lucy but I've been spending extra time with her and I think she'll come around eventually. And then Trig has started leading for me also, so that gives me another dog up front to give Tyler a break. Aaron told me the yearlings probably won't learn direction commands this year - usually dogs don't "remember" them until they are two or three years old.
    This afternoon we got his race sled out and went through gear. And we did an experiment with two cookers. The Burmeister's old handler had insisted that the cooker he used, with a raised burner, melted snow faster. So, Aaron showed me how to light them and I practiced melting snow like I might do camping. Aaron was glad to know that his cooker, with the lower burner, melted the snow much better! We took out the extra height in the second cooker, which is the one I'll be using, so it should work well for me now.
    One thing no one ever told me about a cooker is that there needs to be a wick in them. Aaron showed me how to make one out of a rag, and it should last all season. It's a good thing I never needed mine that I've carried at home - everyone had told me just to drop a match in the Heet to start it up.
    Aaron's sled is pretty cool, it's one of Hans Gatt's sleds and is very lightweight. It's a sit-down sled, your seat being the cooler. Aaron is using an actual cooler, but he said a five-gallon bucket with foam duck-taped around it and the bucket lids (you can order them from a place like Adanac Sleds) work just as well. When it's cold, the food is GOING to freeze eventually.
    Something I'd never thought about before is how well snow insulates. Aaron said you always want to camp in fluffy, soft snow - just packing it down by walking through it before setting the straw out for the dogs - because it insulates the dogs so well. If you want your dog food to sit out for an hour or two while you get some sleep, put the cooler in deep snow - don't leave it by the sled - because it will stay warm.
    Also, for your own comfort and warmth, you want to dig yourself a trench in the snow (you can be efficient by using this snow in the cooker) to sleep in. Aaron usually uses two flakes for straw for himself and then puts down his sleeping bag. On top of himself he puts a survival tarp - which reflects the heat and traps it in your trench.
    He told a story about one Iditarod when it was -60F and he stopped outside of the Cripple checkpoint (only a mile and a half away!) because he couldn't go any farther. He made himself a trench and slept, toasty warm, for about five hours. Rick Swenson came up on him and thought he was dead, frozen, and had to shake Aaron to wake him up. The generator at the checkpoint was running and they could hear it at his camp spot!
    Since you may camp on the side of the trail, it's also beneficial to teach the dogs to all lay down on one side of the gangline. This is a trick Aaron learned from John Baker. This makes it easier for you to work on packed down snow, while the dogs are being insulated.
    Aaron doesn't use coats for camping - they compress the dogs fur thus making them colder. He will use them in wind or extreme cold if they have a belly guard to keep the dogs from freezing. However, foxtails work just as well - or actually, better! (Mandy, her mom and I made about a dozen of them yesterday)
    I've always carried a knife with me on the sled, but Aaron gave me a serrated knife for my sled for Christmas. The best way to carry it is by duck-taping the sheath to the back stanchion of the sled (easy to reach) and then putting a string through the handle with a clip to clip to a spare neckline in case it comes out of the sheath. You always take a serrated knife, he told me, because it is sharper and will actually cut through cable.
    Another fun fact: Cordura booties didn't start being made until the mid-1990's! All they used was fleece and fleece booties last for about 30miles. Compare that to Cordura which lasts several runs - probably average of 100miles depending on the type of snow; I guess that's why I was told earlier this season that if you're fast at booting dogs you have a future in racing!