
In the top ten experiences of my life was this great dog sled camping trip with Aliy and Kaz.
In this photo we had just returned from what Aliy called a "bit chilly" night on the Chena River with our dogs. It was minus thirty degrees when we left the dogyard, in the dark ,under a wonderful full moon. (We would not know the temps until our return). We traveled on along the Chena Hot Springs road a bit, following Aliy, t then down over a river bank onto the Chena River. We headed up the river avoiding frozen stumps, etc. Finally Aliy said, "We're home!" While Aliy and Kaz set up Arctic Oven tents, they sent me into the spruce trees, up the river bank to cut boughs for the dogs. The Big Dipper was in full view.
I remember thinking, "Wow, pinch me." I made several trips into the woods, cutting boughs and sliding on my rump back down to the river with my 'load'. We bedded the dogs on the boughs, gave them soup and then,went into the tent for Kaz's gourmet meal, (moose stew) cooked over the tent heater stove.
Our dessert was Yellow Snow and hot tea. We had small spruce boughs to feed our small tent heater all night, which was my job. Eunice and I shared a tent as did Aliy and Kaz.
Next morning we had a quick breakfast (hot) and headed out back to the kennel. I remember Aliy saying I should take up the rear, but my dogs, being good racers, bounded off over the stumps and driftwood, to catch up with Aliy... brake, what brake?
This photo is just at our return, still very bundled up, still minus thirty or so, as I recall.
Stuff that dreams are made of. Aliy and Kaz offer expert tours at
www.naturalextremes.comand they are pro's. Both Eunice and I were age 60+ on this trip . On a different night of this same trip, we went up to Chena Hot Springs Resort to swim in their outdoor hot pool (at minus twenty degrees). We had planned to go by dog sled as I recall, but trails were too hard/dangerous/rutty.
It was at the end of this trip that we all trekked to Susan Butcher's kennel where I was again able to go out on a ride with Susan in predawn (frigid) hours (wearing David's clothes), to have a look at Liller as a leader for us. Liller would join our kennel following that run. Skinny was in the dog box , a gift from Aliy, the greatest gift, as he and Liller would then be the parents of our current racing dogs. Both Skinny and Liller still run loyally for us. At the moment I'm writing this, Skinny and Liller are sleeping near my feet in the house, happy in their semiretirement.