Before I get into the race stories, I figured I'd compile stories from training - since that was what the dogs and I experienced the most. It might seem like a waste, 1500 miles of training for 500 miles of racing, but I run dogs because I love to run dogs and I remember Scott telling me that it's not worth entering a race if you're not prepared...and I agree. When you run your dogs enough, you know if they're even a little bit "off" and being able to read your dogs just might prevent a serious injury in a race when you're exhausted and not thinking as intently as you usually do.
Moose used to be one of my biggest fears; when I was younger I was terrified of them...sure my team, sled and I would get trampled each time I saw one. Now I'm not terrified, but I'm often reminded that they aren't an animal to mess around with.
During fall training, with the 4-wheeler motor on, we really didn't need to worry about wildlife much. We have enough hunters in the area that the wildlife stays pretty low until snow hits. We did have some amazing run-ins with a herd of elk living in the mountains behind us. We came around a turn and basically had to stop and watch a herd jump across the road in front of us...amazing sight!
Closer to home, we saw a cougar - probably the same one I saw when I was jogging last summer - and fresh cougar tracks in the snow as winter began...but the dog / cat thing still seems to hold true.
The moose seemed to band together more this winter than I've seen before...probably because of the wolves moving in. Three bulls, two of whom I nicknamed Comedious and Macho because I saw them so often I could tell them apart, liked to hang out on the trail every morning - but they moved off when we came up...even when the cows moved in.
Cows and calves are the most dangerous, and one day when we came around the corner where a cow and her yearling calf had been hanging out, the cow went up the hill and the calf went down the road. The dilemma - you never want to get between the cow and her calf. And, of course, Razz was leading and he thinks moose are food...
Another time I was at the river and saw a cute calf laying down across the river. When I looked up the trail, there was momma! She moved away, fortunately, and got off the trail a short ways later.
Sometimes we chase them for a while - which worries me because you never know if they'll get tired of moving and turn around. But it is a beautiful sight - moose are such powerful, fluid animals. I can understand why they survive so well here!
In the dark in December, when we had so much snow that the moose were using any trail available, I saw two eyes shining ahead of us in my headlamp. The moose are so dark that sometimes all you can see is their eyes - but the smell is unmistakable. He moved up the trail for some time and went off the trail into the trees right at our turn around. You can be sure I didn't hang out at the turn around for him to see what we were up to!
On the same trail, we had a moose burst out of the bushes right in front of us and trot down the trail - which made me laugh because she obviously scared herself just as much as she surprised us...and the dogs just kept trotting like nothing happened! Just a few miles later we rounded a corner to find a big momma moose bedded down at the side of the trail. I thought she'd move off, but she stood there shaking herself and I was so thankful that I'd taught the dogs 'come-Haw' and that they took it - because it wasn't a situation I wanted to prolonge!
And then there was the big bull that we saw one the way up and down the same trail - he obviously didn't think we'd come back down the same way!
But the most exciting moose story from this season - and the scariest experience I've ever had with moose - was the day before I left for my first race. I had almost not let my mom come with me - because I'm used to training alone and wanted a short, fun run for the dogs - but now I know there was a reason for her insisting on coming - to help hold back the sled!
The dogs ran fast, even with the extra weight (which wasn't much extra because I always train with weight), but at the corner before the parking lot (about a stones throw from the trailhead...which makes it all the more annoying!) a young cow and two calves were standing contentedly in the trail. I yelled at them, the dogs barked...and nothing fazed them. I tried firing into the air, but she didn't even flinch.
At first I laughed, but when they continued to stand there - for about twenty minutes - my mom and I thought we might be able to get by...because the trail was wide and they weren't scared at all (I really think I could have gone up and pet her - she was so unconcerned)...my bad idea and now a lesson learned.
She but her head down and ears back and came within ten feet of my leader - who didn't care about her at all; he just wanted to get to the truck. Again, thanks to the 'come-Haw' command, we got turned around and gave her some space. Eventually (not in any hurry!), she moved off and we got by.
The other thing I learned during that encounter is not the "baa" like a goat - the moose actually seemed to like the sound...it does NOT scare them!
Well, that's all the moose stories. This ended up longer than I thought so I'll continue 'trail tales' tomorrow...
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