Notes from the North: Training Update

So I promised a long post about what's been happening...here it goes!

Usually by the end of November we get snow (2012 I was on the sled on Thanksgiving day). This year was an exception - we got snow, but not enough for a sled. Then it rained and turned to ice. We also got a lot of wind, which knocked down trees across the road. Needless to say, with the the steep trails from the house I couldn't run. For a little while I could run the driveway, but that only lasted about a week.
About the same time, a few things happened. First, the Northwind Sled that I bought had to be taken to Montana to be repaired. Second, Mouse had 3 male puppies - Achilles, Nestor and Odysseus. Later, just before the snow/ice hit, Sweetwater had 4 puppies (3 girls, 1 boy) - Cinna (m), Katniss, Prim and Rue (f).
With Sweetwater off the team, that left me thirteen dogs to load up to take to the trail to run. It might sound like no big deal, to take the 4-wheeler and the dogs...but I haven't gotten a truck yet, so my dog box is on a trailer. This means that to take the 4-wheeler and plus the dogs I actually have to load them all in our Suburban and put the 4-wheeler on a trailer. It makes me smile to think of the fishermen and locals who see us down at the trail - it must be hilarious to see me pulling lots of dogs out of the car! But it's great learning for the dogs and they handle it well.
Another great thing that happened was that the first week in December we got really cold temperatures...and a little snow. I got to use my new Beaver mitts and gear up for below 0 temperatures (including windchill). It made me realize how much I actually miss the Alaska weather - the dogs could do without the wind but the cold was like a breath of fresh air for us all.
During this time of driving to train we got two night 4-wheeler runs and one of those was doing a 22 mile run, resting a few hours and doing it again.
Here's some pictures from December 3rd:

Still, before too long we did get on the sled. Since then, it's been a battle between starting at the trail head or braving 3.5 miles of icy hill...it's really just the first/last mile or so of the run that gets pretty icy (or down to dirt).

Since the middle of December we've gotten quite a few good runs on - including two 40's (the dogs impressed me with their consistency - 5h2m both times)...and made our 1,000 mile goal for Jan 1st! So now it's time for camping trips...

But before I finish up, there's more news!

The longer I run dogs, the more I realize how I underestimate them. During November I checked the dogs feet, since we'd been so long on rocks and frozen dirt. Most of the dogs had worn pads or nicks, but I was impressed by the stoical attitude of the yearlings. They had by far the worst wear and tear - still having soft feet - and yet they were still the ones on the team most enthusiastic to go! Even now, though I have seen them at some of their worst with the change to the sled (as I've probably noted before, it's completely different movement on the sled), I don't think I've found their limit yet...they still pull the hooks and don't want to stop for snacks.

Also, Sweetwater is back on the team after 4 weeks off with puppies! She was going crazy and I took her on a run with the puppies/Mouse and then had the idea of throwing her back into the main team (you know, just putting her into the bag if she got tired). She made it 32 miles with a tight tug...two days in a row! She led with Urchin on yesterday's run and is very proud of herself...gonna have to watch out for her puppies.

There's also been some challenges as we finished 2013. One of them was Razz. He's as amazing as ever, but the team dynamics are changing as the yearlings get older...and since he's taken a dislike to poor Urchin. This resulted in Mocha being seriously chewed up and having to take a week off to heal...and Urchin needing a few days off as well. Sad times...but everything should calm down the farther we go.

I also miscalculated mileage on our first three sled runs. It turned out the be a good thing in the end, because I didn't (and don't) want to be going 11 miles per hour. With the corrected mileage, we were at 7.9 - 8 mph - exactly where we needed to be and I didn't feel so bad about Brownie's sore shoulder because it wasn't from speed...probably from all the moose holes in the trail. (Speaking of moose holes, what is better than watching a trotting team place their feet well and go for miles without stepping in a hole? To me it's amazing - and why I don't have my dogs loping all the time.)

Even with the miscalculation, the dogs have been moving well. Maybe it's just running 12-14 dogs vs the 9 I had last year, but they are very consistent up and down hills...and usually faster on the second half of the run. Scott's training that I've been following really works! As more of the dogs start to trot rather than pace, they get more and more fluid. The focus this year has been on moving up hills, since last year I locked them down so much that 8mph was our top uphill speed. I have hope that we'll be moving better this year - whether it's just me or me and a second sled (basically doubling the weight) and whether I have 12 or 14 dogs, they move the same speed. Consistency is key!

Earlier I mentioned the ice. I had a moment earlier in December to praise God for his protection. My trailer slid off the driveway and onto it's side. I was thankful that none of the dogs or sleds were hurt or broken...but even more thankful to have a great family (dad and brother) who came and got it unstuck. Praise God, it's built like a tank and is still roadworthy...just has a new dent in the front. However, I really hope to get a truck next year - I'm a little terrified at the bottom of our driveway now!

Thus is the life of a dog musher...the ups and downs are all adventures along a most exciting path. I'm just glad the Author of it all gives me the strength and health to continue along the less traveled road - overall it's a lot of fun! Who knows what adventures God will bring my way this year...but I'll keep they'll be documented here!

And, finally, here's some pictures from December training. Getting excited for the races! Just 3 weeks away from Eagle Cap...

One of the great things about getting on the sled is that friends and family are more likely to want to come along! My friend Kate, who has my first Siberian, Nakota (red dog), brought her and her puppy Cosmo (black) to run with the puppies on our first sled run. Glad Nakota's still going strong at 11yrs old!

I was going to go to MT to train with some friends, but ended up staying home. The next day I got into the trailer/driveway accident. It was also the day that I was supposed to take Emily, a young girl interested in mushing, for a ride. Not daunted, we still ran dogs that afternoon.

The week before Christmas my family still didn't have a tree up...But aren't God's Christmas tree's out in creation even more beautiful? And, better yet, their there all winter - and always changing decorations!

Legolas, my beloved leader. What else can I say about him?

The snow gets good above snow line...

What???!!! How'd this picture get in here? Handsome sometimes feels forlorn and neglected when I spend so much time running dogs. So he spends his time as seen below (when he's not bossing around, I mean watching, dogs left at the kennel when I'm gone mushing):