The Aurora 50/50 & Knik 100

Alright, so I wasn't quick enough to blog about the Aurora 50/50 before the Knik 100, so I'm going to roll them out in one post.

Both races were a great learning experience for me. More like training runs, really.

The start of the Aurora 50/50, day 1
Photo credit: Katherine Updegraff (Kristin's sister)

So here's a list of a few things I learned through each race:

1. Dogs will be dogs.

Training runs for my team and I had gone on almost hitch free. Sure we ran into a few snags here and there: a dog gets tangled in the lines; a dog tries to defecate while running without much success and stops the entire team. For the majority of the time though, my dogs run (and run forward at that).

The Aurora 50/50 though? Well, those runs were the exception.

Now if it were just isolated to the second day of the race I would chalk it up to them being tired and not as enthusiastic to run another 52 miles, but this happened both days.

Leaders didn’t want to lead causing major tangles and headaches. Dogs were more interested in smelling all the other dogs' urine … and of course we can’t just leave that smell there, we must cover it up with our own. A few dogs decided they wanted to just stop by throwing themselves to the side and laying down, causing more tangles and headaches.

It was a frustrating two days of running to say the least. What was most frustrating however is that the dogs who caused most of the problems were my experienced race veterans. Sigh.

I definitely learned to be patient though and to keep my cool. If I were to let it get to me and get all worked up about it, it would only made the situation worse.

2. The view is spectacular.

When I finally remind myself to peel my eyes away from my dogs’ wiggling butts and flopping ears and take a look at my surroundings, I’m always in awe. We saw some new trails and whether we were traveling through a winding birch forest, traversing a snowy swamp, or climbing up a hill; the sun shining, cloudy, sunrise/sunset, or snowing: God’s creation is absolutely breathtaking.

     3. Mushing in warm temperatures is not very fun for dogs and human alike.

It was WARM during both races, 28 to 32 degrees. Dogs can easily overheat (so we stopped often to let them cool off and eat snow), trail conditions become very soft and difficult to travel on, and things are slow going. Plus side is, I get lots of exercise by helping the dogs push the sled :)

-       4. How to pack a dog in a sled.

     

     Poor little Nuka. About 25 miles from the end of the Knik 100 Nuka stopped pulling. However, she

     was still running. I knew she was getting tired so I didn’t push her to pull, I just let her be and slowed

     the team down a bit. About 15 miles from the end she started neck lining (pulling on her neckline trying

     to stop). It was then I knew she was done. She was tired and did not want to keep going.

     I’ve never packed a dog in my sled before so I did sit and scratch my head for a bit figuring out how to

     get her in and secured. Thankfully, she’s one of my smallest dogs so a) I didn’t need to make as much

     room for her, and b) it didn’t add too much extra weight for the other dogs to pull.

     Nuka is a bit of a high-strung dog ... and a loud mouth. When I put her in the sled and she didn’t resist, I

     knew I had made the right decision. That didn’t keep her from telling me allllll about it the rest of the

     way to the finish line though. Barking, yelping, squealing … typical Nuka chatter.

     5. Dogs are entertaining.

     

     Okay, this isn't really something new I learned, just learned to appreciate more (especially when

     it's 7 in the morning, you've been up for over 24 hours, and you're tired and kind of cranky). As much

     as dogs can drive you crazy because let’s face it, dogs will be dogs; they are rather entertaining as well

     with all their differing personalities and quirks. 

     Something that consistently brought a smile to my face is how in sync Bluto and Flounder can be.

     Remember those two? My two big, twin brothers? I ran them in wheel together. Not only do they look

     exactly the same, but they also trot in sync! Too cute.

     I love watching Tucker (he’s the old man I introduced earlier this season) and Ajax run. They both have

     partly floppy ears that bounce up and down when they run. Sometimes their ears flop from side to side,

     while other times they flap up and down like wings and they're going to take off flying.

     Roosevelt (a dog of Kristin's I often run and who joined me on the Knik 100) always has a smile on his

     face. He is just such a happy dog who loves to run.

     6. Passing other teams is not always easy-peasy.

     In Unalakleet there weren't many other mushers around, so running dogs was much more solitary.

     Here in Big Lake, we come across quite a few teams on the training trails, but it's typically head

     on passing and my dogs are good at that.

     In the Aurora 50/50, I never came up from behind and passed a team, everyone else just passed me

     (yep, that happened) which my dogs are also good at.

     In the Knik 100 however, I ended up having to pass quite a few teams which proved a little more

     difficult for some of my dogs. Some teams my dogs were fine passing, while other teams

     they completely balked causing a huge mess. Sigh.

     At one point, we were on a more narrow trail and other teams had to sit and wait while I got my dogs

     untangled and moving forward again, eeek!

     

     So I learned how to untangle as quickly as possible; and I learned that I need to have Kristin help me

     practice with this new issue.

     7. The northern lights are spectacular.

Okay, so this one also isn’t new to me, but the intensity at which I saw them was. It was like nothing I have every seen before. 

Imagine a flash of lightening. It lights up the entire sky and for just a split second you can clearly see everything around you. Now imagine it as a burst of color.

It was quick. Just a few flashes, but for those brief moments it seemed the sky, the trees, the land, the entire world around me was lit up with an explosion of purples, greens and reds. Absolutely incredible. Words really cannot do it justice.

8. Bravo is an amazing dog.

Remember meeting Bravo? My leggy, inexperienced sled dog who was quite accident prone as a pup? Well let me tell you, he is surpassing all my expectations!

He was doing well enough that I decided to take him on the first day of the Aurora 50/50 and figured I'd leave him home the second day. He ended up doing so well I decided to give it a go and take him the next day of the race as well. He was tired by the end, but a few hours rest after getting home and he was bouncing around again.

I took him on the Knik 100 as well. We had practiced some camping here at the dog lot when we would come home from training runs (I'd throw out a little straw, give them meaty water, put ointment on their feet, and let them sit there for a while before putting them away - practice for the dogs and me). For the race, we had to camp at a checkpoint for 6 hours. I was a little unsure what Bravo would do with all the other dogs around, but he just curled up in his bed of straw and snuggled in for a nice long nap.

By the end of the Knik 100 he was pooped, but again, after a couple hour nap he was up and running around again.

I'm just so impressed with him and so incredibly proud of him! He's my super star :)

I learned a lot more than this short list during both races, but I figured I'd give you just a taste (plus I don't want this post to go on forever and ever).

Start of the Knik 100
Photo credit: Katherine Updegraff

I'm looking forward to my next race in Kasilof, the Tustumena 100, where I'll get to see some new trails, meet new mushers, and take on new challenges.

Happy Musher

I am one happy girl.

See? Happy :)

Went for a run in -15 to -20 temps today.

"Now how can you be happy about that??", you may be asking yourself.

Well, I'll tell you:

1. I received my new pair of Apocalypse Design bibs yesterday. Just in time for the temps to drop. I LOVE them! I did not get cold at all on my run today. In fact, I even got a little too warm at times! Imagine that, a girl from So Cal getting hot at -20 degrees??

And 2. This last weekend we got enough snow that we at Bacon's Acres' were finally able to switch to sleds!

Oh happy day!!

It's been a challenging fall/winter. Took a while until we actually got some snow. We enjoyed it for a little while, but then we were hit with freezing rain. A little snow here and there after that. Then back to freezing rain. 

Started to pour freezing rain on me while out on a run a few weeks back. Notice the crunchy ice layer on my coat? I know I look happy, but trust me I wasn't.

Frustrating to say the least.

We were training with 4-wheelers until December 13th! 

Until this last glorious weekend when the snow fell, and fell some more, and just kept on falling.

This coming weekend is our first race, the Aurora 50/50. 

Two days, 50 miles each day.

I'm excited to see how my dogs do!

Meet the Team: Flounder & Bluto

Introducing my two big boys, Flounder and Bluto

Okay I realize this is a picture of only one dog, but in all honesty you only need one picture to show what each of them look like.

Yep, we have twins my friends.

Pictured above is Flounder modeling our new dog coats that a friend of mine made who I worked with as handlers at DeeDee Jonrowe's kennel a few years back. Her and her husband now have a small business where they provide dog sled tours and sell handmade sled dog gear.

Anyway, here's a pic of them together and you'll see what I mean about looking alike

See what I mean??

Only a few minor physical differences:

1. Flounder has a scar on his muzzle

2. Bluto has about 5 white hairs on his chest

3. Bluto's fur is slightly lighter on the ends because he loves sunning himself (we got a lot of sun this past summer), this will disappear as the winter continues on

4. Flounder has a missing tooth (more on that later)

Now that I know them, these two couldn't look more different, but at first I couldn't tell them apart. Luckily, their names are on their collars so if I got confused I just referenced those.

Both these guys also came from Kelley Griffin (along with Ajax who you met earlier). 

They are 6 1/2 years old, have both finished multiple Iditarod and Yukon Quest 1,000 mile races, and are as lovable as dogs can be.

Despite looking the same, they couldn't be more different in personality.

Sure, they both soak in attention and absolutely adore getting loved on, but that's about it.

Shortly after I got all my dogs and started training, both of these guys had different incidences that secured a night or two inside with me in my little cabin.

Bluto broke a nail and injured his nail bed. He was brought inside to keep him dry and free of mud and contaminants so his nail bed would not get infected.

Flounder (here's where the missing tooth comes in) got in a fight with one of Kristin's dogs while out on run (I help train some of Kristin's dogs). Everything was hunky dory, Flounder and Yashinomi running side by side when suddenly all hell broke loose! I had a full fledged intense dog fight on my hands! After a lot of yelling, shoving my foot in between them, and doing whatever else I could to separate the two very large sled dogs, the fight finally subsided. I quickly moved Flounder, checked them both over for any major injuries (which there were none), and we moved on our way.

When we got home from our short run, I cleaned their wounds and checked them over again. It was then I discovered that Yashinomi had gotten a hold of Flounder's mouth where he broke one of his teeth and lacerated his gum.

Thus, my first emergency trip to the vet clinic. Puncture wounds I can handle. Loose broken teeth and open wounds in a dog's very dirty mouth? That's a bit beyond me.

So Flounder spent a night inside as he recovered from the drugs.

In my cabin, I have this mirror propped against the wall.

When Flounder came in for the night, he saw his reflection and started to growl/bark at it. He then attempted to get to that other dog to tell him who's boss.

When Bluto saw his reflection, he looked on with genuine excitement and began licking and snuggling the mirror.

So from that I can safely tell you that Flounder is a bit more aggressive and reactionary than Bluto. I make sure he gets along with a dog before I run them together, and he's not one I trust running around loose.

Bluto is just so darn happy-go-lucky, he gets along with everyone and everything ... and apparently he is also in love with himself.

Another big difference in personality?

Flounder is a leader (an awesome leader at that), and Bluto is not.

Flounder is like Ajax, follows my every command. His downfall though? It's not what you would think ... when passing other teams he doesn't try to get at the other dogs; no, he barks and nips at the musher! Not good. We're working on it, and he is getting better. We'll see what happens though when we are able to move to sleds and we lose the safety of a big 4-wheeler between him and the musher.

Bluto on the other hand does not lead, but once his cracked nail has fully grown out (his nail bed is all healed up now), he will be my go to wheel dog (the dogs right in front of the sled). Not all dogs can run in wheel. It's a demanding position. Wheel dogs bear the brunt of the load and they feel the effects of the sled more than any other position in the team. A wheel dog needs to be strong, sound, and steady.

The brothers both play an important role in my team. 

They are fantastic, hard working, sweet dogs and I couldn't be happier! 

Snow!!

After a loooong and extremely wet and muddy Fall here in Alaska, winter has finally decided to grace us with it's presence!

So how do we celebrate?

We go for a training run of course!

Starting in August we seemed to get non stop rain until two days ago when it finally turned to snow!

In just one day, Big Lake got almost 8 inches of the glorious white fluffy stuff.

Happy girl and happy dogs!

Ajax loves rolling his face around in the snow:

 

Bravo enjoys laying down in it to cool off:

Me: "Does Nuka like the snow?"

"Does she??"

"A lot?!"

Nuka: "For goodness sake! Yes mom, I like the snow!"

Meet the Team: Ajax

This is Ajax

Isn't he a cutie?!

Ajax is one of the five dogs I bought from Yukon Quest & Iditarod musher, Kelley Griffin.

Curious about his name? Well, when mushers have a litter of pups they often pick a theme when choosing names. Ajax and his siblings are the "cleaning" litter. His siblings have names like Pledge, Swiffer, and Dawn. Cute, huh?

Ajax has a bit of an odd personality. 

He's a gentle and sweet dog, however he strongly dislikes any kind of human physical contact. He doesn't enjoy being pet and loved on, which is difficult for me because I love giving my dogs that kind of attention.

He'll tolerate being touched because he knows he has to. 

For instance, if he wants to run then he has to let me put his harness on him, or if I need to look at his paws to make sure they are healthy.

Despite not wanting to be touched, Ajax is an AWESOME leader. He follows my every command. If I say "gee" (which is "right"), he goes gee. If I say "whoa", he stops. If I say "on by" (typically used when passing another team), he pulls the team forward and away from whatever distraction I want them to ignore.

Ajax has only one quirk as a leader. 

When I stop the team for a rest and water break, I typically get off my rig to check on each dog, untangle lines if need be, and tell my leaders how well they are doing. When I start to walk back to my rig to continue our training run, Ajax likes to follow me part way. 

Funny for a dog who usually avoids humans. 

Kelley said he used to follow her all the way back to the sled, taking the whole team with him! 

Luckily, he only walks back by the swing dogs now, but often times he gets himself tangled in the gangline or with the swing dogs. 

I am working with him on keeping lined out. He's not perfect, but it's a work in progress and he is getting better.

I am quite happy with Ajax! 

He's a dog I know I can depend on to get me and the team through just about any situation we find ourselves in.

One Pooped Pup

I increased the mileage my dogs have been running today.

We were running around 6 miles with some small, gradual hills.

Today we did our first 8 mile run. It was on a new trail with quite a few more hills.

For all my dogs who are well seasoned and have a number of years under their belts already, it was no big deal. They were maybe a smidge tired, but they could probably do it again and with the same enthusiasm.

Bravo on the other hand? Well, I'll let the picture speak for itself:

What a tuckered out little guy.

He did an awesome job today! He never quit pulling. He just doesn't have quite the stamina my other dogs do, so as soon as I put him back at his house, he climbed inside, curled up, and hasn't moved much since.

By our next training run he'll be raring to go again! :D

If not, I'll leave him home. 

For Bravo, this year is all about having fun. I don't want to push him beyond his limits, so if he's not excited to go or I don't think he's at the top of his game, he'll stay home for that day.

He'll continue to strengthen and toughen up so by next year or the year after that 8 miles, 20 miles, or even 50 miles will be child's play to him :)

Dog Trailer

I picked up this beauty yesterday and I'm pretty darn happy with it!

Kelley Griffin (Iditarod & Yukon Quest musher) and her partner Ed built it for me. After buying a mid-distance sled and 5 dogs from them (Silverbelle Kennel), they offered me a good deal on a dog trailer, custom made. Ed did a fantastic job! He definitely kept me and my needs in mind while building it. 

It's perfect for me because everything is my height :) There's even a space in between the boxes where the dogs go to put my sled, so I don't have to hoist it on top of the trailer (in fact, the sled is in there right now). It can hold up to 16 dogs. The two boxes towards the front on both sides of the trailer are big enough to hold two smaller dogs each, and the back four boxes on both sides are big enough for one dog each.

I'll be taking it out to practice backing up and parking it (don't have much experience driving with a trailer). So hopefully I'll be a pro come race season and I need to park amongst multiple dog trucks/trailers!