So I was training my 4 dogs for short races and the ISSSC folks invited me to come to their December fun race which was 16 miles. I thought I would be terribly under trained, and perhaps I was, but the dogs did just fine. They let me borrow a dog named Moonbeam and Wonder's brother, Wise Guy.
I can honestly say I wouldn't have bumped up to 6 dog mid-distance if they hadn't pushed me to do it. I didn't think I could do it...or the dogs. Yet the 5 dogs (I bought Moonbeam that weekend) pulled my mom and I on 25 mile training runs - up and down mountains too.
We had to get special letters of recommendation for the races because I was so young but Elaine at Conconully was supportive and we got in! Even more exciting, much to my surprise, we came in 5th! I think the dogs were ecstatic just to be pulling me on a groomed trail...Our time was far from impressive, looking back, but we got a check which always helps for dog food.
Something funny about Conconully is that we stayed at a place called "Comfy Cabins" which is probably the worst place to stay in Conconully - it was cold and there were no showers or anything. Needless to say, next time we found a new hotel!
Conconully was an instant favorite race - the trails are most similar to what we run at home and the dogs and I had a blast. I was terrified I'd get lost or have trouble passing but everyone was super nice and we met the nicest folks. Also, the trail is marked so well you could do it blindfolded!
Priest Lake is the closest race to us and there we had a tough time. It was the beginning of purebred politics and I remember loving the dogs but not liking the race at the time. Still, it was exciting to beat a musher who had told us Siberians weren't real competitive racing dogs.
Oh, and something fun about Priest Lake is the switchbacks on the back side of the mountain. The race is an out and back and there are some serious switchbacks. The sled I'd bought was bolted together and so stiff you basically had to fall over to navigate around some turns. It's not nice to have a a snow hook bouncing inches from your face. However, every time I fell the dogs stopped and let me get back up.
Conconully 2007 - 5th place
Wonder Woman X Moonbeam in lead
Ella X Quest in Swing
Chase X Wise Guy in Wheel
Priest Lake 2007 - 9th place
(Same team lineup as Conconully)
I also wrote an article for the Continental Kennel Club about my experiences mushing thus far; it's a lot of the same information I've already written about, but including it here for "historical value!" CKC's support and sponsorship really made my early mushing career possible. I can't thank them enough for believing in a Jr Musher and giving me the opportunity to represent them...
DOGSLEDDI
DOGSLEDDING IN IDAHO
It all started with Nakota- a
nine-month-old copper and white, blue eyed Siberian husky! When we brought her
home I never dreamed we would ever dogsled, in fact we lived “in town” and it
was a huge step to get a second dog. But since I was 10 years old and had
demonstrated responsibility caring for
Sable, our German Shepard, my parents allowed me to get my first
dog. Later since my Mom wanted to
re-train our German Shepard and because Nakota needed training we enrolled in a
6 week training course with a reputable, local trainer. Our Instructor gave us
a lot of information and spent quite a lot of time on behavioral issues. When we were through the trainer recommended
a dog sledding friend of hers who might help me train Nakota to dogsled, if I
was interested.
It sounded neat so I gave the lady a
call. She was really friendly and
patiently answered my questions. She eventually invited me to join her on a
training run with her dogs and sled.
This invitation I could not refuse.
I took Nakota with me to the run, and even harnessed her up. Well, Nakota ran faster back to the truck
than down the trail! That was the day I got my first dogsled ride behind 6
malamutes.
After that we fitted Nakota with a harness
and my grandpa and brother built me a dog sled.
It was too narrow and we had painted it, not what you’re supposed to do,
although we still used it on our city street when it snowed. The following summer I had another bright
idea, running Nakota pulling me on roller blades! It worked, Nakota ran great
and she stopped sometimes if we were lucky. That summer I enrolled in a 4-H
club and did the dog sledding project during which time I read about training,
racing and the breeds of sled dogs. I read all the dog sledding and siberian
husky books in our local libraries.
That fall my Mom and I visited a “show
husky” kennel and compared Nakota to some champion dogs- we found out Nakota
was smaller and did not have enough coat for a winning show dog! But the kennel
owner told me that he thought Nakota might have sled dog lines instead of show
husky lines. I thought that was great but soon found that to be incorrect
observation!
A few months later (when Nakota was about
2 years old) My mom and I took Nakota to
get her eyes checked. As we were leaving
mom asked a customer waiting in the lobby what breed of dog her husky-looking
puppy was? She told us it was a Seppala
Siberian Husky and some of the history of the breed, How the Seppalas were
related to Leonard Seppala’s original champion sled dogs, from Siberia . Mary Jane, the lady we met at
the Veterinary office, also told me that Nakota did not have any breed lines
she recognized.
Later,
after another musher had told my mom “Siberian husky’s are too slow to be
competitive” I started researching that Siberian breed and told my mom I wanted
to find a siberian husky related to Leonard Seppala’s original dogs.
Mary
Jane, invited us to watch their seppala teams race in a local dog sledding race
and then to visit their kennels which we did. The seppala kennels, happened to be just 10 minutes drive from my
home this allowed me to help Mary Jane care for the dogs all summer during
which I learned a lot about Seppala Siberian Sled dogs. That fall I was invited
to help train the dogs and was told I could borrow some dogs to run a 3-dog
race that February! I got to train the dogs I used: good old Nakota, Trapper
(borrowed) and Cruiser- a dog given to me by a musher friend. Trapper was the
only seppala but we still did well.
At that race I bought a sled and a Seppala
named Ella. She was a lead dog and (I thought) would be great with Cruiser and
Nakota. She was way too fast! She has good lines and is a calm, “easy keeper”,
I brought Ella home just a week before getting another seppala: Quest and we
thought it was a big deal getting a second dog!
Well, before getting Ella my Dad’s job
moved us out into the country closer to some really good training trails. As I
started training this fall I realized Cruiser was just not quite what I needed
so I wrote to the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club to see if anyone
had a Seppala for sale. It just so happened that their annual summer meeting
was in a few weeks and they invited us to come.
What a learning experience! I met an
Iditarod musher and got to tour the kennels- it was cool to see dogs related to
Quest and Ella! When we got home I began training again and was able to buy
Chase- an 11 month old pup! Three weeks later I bought Wonder Woman- a 1\2 seppala
X 1\2 Alaskan lead dog. It is amazing
how fast you can get by adding a dog or two.
Now that I have 4 seppala’s I train every
day but for a while I was worried about not getting on snow in time for my
first (December) race! Well over Thanksgiving we suddenly got 6-8 inches of
snow and it is still snowing and inch here and there!
I’m 13 now and cannot believe how far
Nakota and I have come (with plenty of family support) as we train for this
season I hope that more people realize what they’re missing. Sure I don’t do a
lot of the things kids my age do (and dog sledding isn’t for everyone) but I do
get to do what I love doing- spending time with the dogs in the woods- you can
just slow down for an hour, think and have fun!
My favorite memory was running a training
run this season on the cart with “perfect” snow falling, it parallels the time
last season when I was running on a sled with the snow coming down and a great
trail!
Get out and do something with your dog
today!
DOGSLEDDING IN IDAHO
DOGSLEDDING IN IDAHO
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