It's been a long time...

    Wow! Has it really been so long since my last post? I confess that I've been putting it off...I'm going through serious post-season withdrawal and knew writing about the good times would make me restless when I couldn't be running! But today I ran our first spring run on the 4-wheeler and decided I'd better get the stories written down while everything is fresh in my mind.

    Throughout the season, we logged over 2,000 miles - my nine dogs and I. Nothing went quite as planned or expected (but, hey, that's mushing!) and we were able to complete both races we started - which means we just need one more Iditarod qualifier!
    I've been thrilled to watch Scott's training philosophy work and we'll be training the same way again next year. Dogs I've run for a few years grew leaps and bounds; Legolas in particular who led all but 2 miles of the 500 miles of racing we did this year - 50 miles in single lead.
    The more I run dogs, the more I enjoy it and realize I could never go back to sprint racing...there's something particularly awe-inspiring about watching your dogs work. You realize you're the weak link and if anything goes wrong; it's your fault.

    The highlight of the season, in my mind, was a mile from the finish of the Race to the Sky. It was afternoon, snowing softly and the Peter Pan soundtrack was playing on my MP3 player. Mambo was in the sled and I'd put Razz (the youngest on the team) up with Legolas. They had just climbed a seven-mile pass without stopping - through drifts and wind with the extra weight of my biggest dog in the bag - and then down the other side. When I stopped at the top of the pass, they were jumping to go!
    Nearing civilization, we crossed the road into a field of drifted trail. The markers weren't good and I wasn't quite sure where to go; but saw a lone marker and directed the dogs towards it.
    They lost the trail and floundered until they found it again, as I called them 'Gee' and 'Haw' - intent on finding the trail they snaked across the field in perfect order until we were back on track. It brought tears to my eyes - seeing them so comfortable and trusting when they were tired and the trail had been changed from the outbound route. It might seem a silly story, because I can't adequately explain the bond between a musher and team, but the moment will remain in my memory forever...