April Training...brings puppies to the team!

    So before I finally get to the race stories; a quick update on training:
    The puppies have now had 15 runs on them - the longest being yesterday's four mile run. All seven are getting stronger each run and all three of the boys have led and didn't have any problems up front. Next week we'll see how the girls do up front...
    One of my favorite things about mushing is watching the young dogs grow up. The puppies are changing every run and you can tell when things start to 'click'. I really enjoy watching them settle down and
   
    This spring I've been running a 14-dog team, which is kind of crazy going down the driveway but thanks to two bags of dog food and, sometimes, my 'litter handler' (my sister) we've navigated down safely. Those extra dogs really make a difference coming up - even though they're just pups. It's also caused me to realize I should really turn in my "racing style" 4-wheeler for a 4X4 model with a rack so I could carry extra weight and have better control when I try going up the back hill into the mountains.

    In other news, I'm super excited about two new dogs to be joining the team from Scott's kennel. Belle and Sweetwater were just puppies when I was up in Alaska, but they are yearlings now and Sweetwater raced a 200 mile race with Leila this year. Since they are Mouse daughters, they should be good!