Friday, February 10, 2006

New View and More Miles



Today we took our six dog team on a twenty five mile run in prep for their 30 mile race a week from Saturday. Julia starts them on a fast uphill and then a fast downhill and out the gate to the railroad grade. We weren't quite sure how far into Michigan we'd go but actually went to the village of Pentoga for our turnaround. We calculated a ten mph average for the first leg, which would be a competitive speed for the type of race we'll run (not a sprint race).

It was a beautiful day, the trails were nearly perfect and even though the sun was bright the dogs did not get too warm. They all seemed to really enjoy the new views and especially the deer on the trails, deer always make them pick it up. There are several views of the river as we run and Julia said she was noticeably cooler as we skirted the river. Liller, the leader, knew exactly where she was and headed for the route to the river cabin. Dogs are uncanny in their ability to remember trails.

We did see more machines today than usual. One group wanted a photo so we stopped for a quick visit, good socializing for the pups. Another couple was stopped on machines and also took photos. Most people we meet on machines are happily surprised to see sled dogs running.

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