Anchorage Daily News, article

This is a link to ADN's latest article by Craig Medred. http://www.adn.com/iditarod/race_2007/features/story/8665193p-8557322c.html

This is a good link to keep during the race as many good updates and many photos in ADN.

Iditarod Restart again in Willow

For the past five years the Iditarod Restart (Real Start) has been moved to Willow because of lack of safe conditions for dogs and mushers in Wasilla. It will be once again in Willow for 2007.

This photo is of the Start line being set up on the lake at the Restart, 2006. Musher trucks park behind the fence on left.

Not all mushers park on the lake, this is for the later bib numbers. The earlier numbers park up on the hill and "enjoy" holding back their 16 dogs in a downhill approach to the Start line.

We leave for Anchorage on Tuesday, February 27th .

The best connections for following the race are always: www.iditarod.com.

On that site you will be able to connect to Cabela's or sign up for Cabela's updates. Also Aliy's blog posted earlier on this site will give updates from her sister, Kaz. www.dogsled.com
will have updates and various musher families (see musher listing on Iditarod site) for their personal websites/blogs.

If the Internet allows me, we will be updating as well, as best we can.

As we head off, thoughts of Susan Butcher

As we all head off to Iditarod, most of us will be thinking of Susan Butcher. I see on her Trailbreaker site that her daughter, Tekla, has started a wonderful journal site, with many great photos of happy times for their family.
http://www.susanbutcher.com/iditarod.html

And her book, GRANITE, should be coming out soon, written by Susan, illustrated by her assistant, Sarah.

Photo: September, 2005 at their kennel

Sharing Iditarod

A New Jersey teacher (thank you, Kathy Kent) shares her Iditarod experience at this link:

http://web.mac.com/kathykent1/iWeb/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html

Jon Little (Cabelas) on tough village dogs

http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/coverage_2007/cov07_feb12_01.html

This is a very good article on Aliy's dogs and other well known musher's dogs, with descriptions of 'village tough' dogs. We are fortunate enough to have some of these great tough village dog retirees as a base for our dogs , as well.

In my view, Skinny, Martin, Liller and Frita come from village tough lines. Sulatna has some great village breeding as well, with some of the sprinty speed built in. She is from Emmitt Peters /Susan Butcher lines (Yukon and Poppers).

As docile as Skinny looks in his easy chair in this photo, he is a magnificent dog (out of the Attla lineage, thanks to Aliy). He has some health problems at this age after a great running/racing life in Alaska, but he never quits, is always ready. What a guy!

Chena free running

15 year old Chena has so much fun running with her pals. She has some health problems but you can't see it in this happy photo.

UP Michigan races

The UP 200 has the results posted for the UP200, the Midnight Run and the Jackpine 30.
http://www.up200.org/ Sounds like it was a good weekend but some challenging trails on the JP 30 and M. Run. We are still waiting to see results on www.sleddogcentral.com of the Kinross sprint races this weekend.

The giant Pine Mtn Continental Cup ski jumps finally could go on on Sunday afternoon as well. Winds had hampered them earlier. Julia's son , Daniel, did very well again this year. Longest jump I heard was 464 feet by a European competitor.

Since we couldn't race/train, we spent the weekend free running every kennel dog on the trails.
This is a photo of 11 year old Victor. He is such a dignified giant... likes to do his own thing without too much intervention. He enjoyed visiting all of the girls, from pen to pen, and then took a long stroll way out on the groomed trails. Each dog has a different approach to free running... some take off flying, others just saunter around, but each one enjoys it. Not one ran off.

Our aged Amaroq was the last to come out and while his hips are failing, he let everyone know he is still King and proud of it. He did what seemed to be some victory laps.

Aliy Zirkle's blog updates

This is the link to Aliy Zirkle's blog updates by her sister, KAZ. Really great to have this!

http://spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com/

UP 200, Midnight Run and Jackpine 30; Winner of trip to Iditarod

The three big local sled dog races are this weekend, the UP 200 and Midnight Run start tonight and the Jackpine 30 starts on Saturday AM. Midnight Run had 28! mushers withdraw. Must be the lack of good training conditions. Some of the UP 200 withdrawals are surprises as well as they are from the good snow UP. We will miss this year's race, but have several offers to drive our team for next year.

Still no new snow, pretty incredible, but we had a break in the bitter cold yesterday and the dogs were sunbathing.

On another topic, Icehouse Beer in Milwaukee had a challenge that allowed the winner to choose his/her ultimate sports trip. The winner chose the Iditarod. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070215/aqth028.html?.v=3
(Thanks, Donna, Karen, Barb for the tip!)

A few years ago I flew to Yentna Station and at the end of the day my pilot was nowhere to be found. A Miller beer charter allowed me a seat back to Anchorage (same beer family as Icehouse), for which I was very grateful!

Happy Valentine's Day! Story of Anchorage polar bears

http://www.adn.com/front/story/8156686p-8049484c.html

This is the story of Ahpun of Anchorage and now, Louie, from Russia, two polar bears with an arranged 'marriage'. I hope to get some photos of Ahpun and Louie when I'm there. Have some of Ahpun and Oreo somewhere, before they separated.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Update on Quest

Lance Mackey is in the lead, no surprise there! This is the link, http://www.yukonquest.org/servlet/raceresult?null&resolution=1024&referer=
to current updates.
We know two women chasing the race with Frank Turner's Muktuk kennel dogs. Looks pretty frosty out there, as along the way minus 35 temps were reported. Currently minus 11 in Whitehorse but the racers are far along the trail at this point.

Global Warming

Will Steger has a great site regarding Global Warming:
http://www.globalwarming101.com/

I found it on Sled Dog Central (www.sleddogcentral.com)
where most every reader has some interest in this climate change.

Yukon Quest link

This is the link to the Yukon Quest site. http://www.yukonquest.com/servlet/viewnewslist

Aliy Zirkle is still the only woman to have won this race, winning in the year 2000.

We have Martin from her, from that 2000 team, and he is still going strong. I've run him quite a bit and one of my favorite traits of his is how he digs in going down steep hills, lots of practice from the Quest mountains. He's such an honest worker and a best buddy. He finished strong in the Jackpine 30 race last year.

Photo: Martin, on left, wheel, and his lookalike daughter, Yepa, right wheel. He has a lookalike son, named Yeti. These are Frita's pups as well, a little dynamo and great leader, herself, but she has a bad hip. Frita is also from Aliy. We love Aliy's dogs!

Yukon Quest

The Yukon Quest begins today. This is a link to an article from The Whitehorse Star,
http://www.whitehorsestar.com/auth.php?r=45944
The race begins in Whitehorse, Yukon this year and ends in Fairbanks, AK. Each year the start place reverses.

Winter and Winter

Winter (the season) is not yet back to normal. Still cold wind chills and dogs not running with sleds. Jennifer Winter is taking the dogs for walks as long as they are not running sleds (trails icy, rocky). I haven't kept count but she's walking in the range of ten to fifteen a day on leads.
The local paper published a photo of Jen on her first six dog run.


Photo: Jen with five dog friends on a windy, chilly walk

Banjo on My Knee, In Memoriam

Banjo on My Knee, daughter of Oh, Susannah, and granddaughter of Scuba,
died yesterday. She had a cancer that had spread to her lungs.

Born February 1, 1996.... Died February 6, 2007, Banjo was 11 years old.

Banjo was a delightful and beautiful dog. She was not ever interested in being a sled dog, but she was a happy, yet shy, dog. Her best buddy in past years has been King, her uncle.

We will miss her very much.

Continuing Bitter Cold; Lois Harter house fire

Yesterday minus 18 degrees at early a.m. feeding time, wind chills, minus 31. Today not yet outside but house dogs (Chena,Sulatna, Liller, Skinny) went out and came back in with haste. Predicting more minus 45 wind chills today. Lots of soup to dogs yesterday to keep them hydrated throughout the windy/cold day.

Lois Harter (volunteer coordinator for Iditarod) lost her whole home (in Alaska) to fire yesterday. She was, fortunately, able to get her house dogs out. She needs everything, first a place to live and then clothing, medications, etc. There will be an account set up to assist her.

Bitterly cold with winds

Currently it is minus sixteen degrees with winds at 7MPH from the NW... translating to minus 31 degrees wind chill. Winds of up to 20MPH are predicted for today... not good.

Yesterday was partially spent hauling straw to all dogs, in their houses and on the ground surrounding .
Some choose the outdoor nesting straw over the houses, especially Yo. He has a full bale in his pen and likes to burrow in it. They are not accustomed to coats, but some will tolerate them.
Ruby ate two of them off of Martin yesterday. They are cordura lined with fleece.

This is not going to quit until Monday, according to the forecast. Last night they had fatty sausage soup to keep their fluids up. This morning they will have fatty chicken soup.

Of course, the humans have to protect themselves out there too... neck warmers, goggles , hand warmers, etc.

Nice run

Lillen is leading with Ruthie, two solid leaders. Rosie and Matilda are in swing, Herman and Quattro are in wheel.

Good handling, Julia.

Photo: The sled flipped on a turnaround, not sure how, probably a rut in trail/snow. Photo by Jen.

Cold Temps

Photo: Martin, left, and daughter, Yepa, in wheel, on an eight mile run into Michigan on Thursday. Photo by Jen.

The temperatures are a bit colder this weekend. Per weather report it is minus 14 and no wind for now. Colder wind chills predicted for today and tonight.... looks like cold snap will end around Tuesday. We bought 18 new bales of straw. Total for the winter, to date, 42 bales. Sled dogs like new straw as humans like chocolate.
In the Spring we sometimes bemoan the amount of straw we've used, as every bit has to be hauled out of the houses and pens.

We're giving flavored warm water at noon (only a few will drink plain water on a cold winter day) and meaty fattier soup at night. Last night I was out in the dark with the dogs; the moon was full, the dogs were happy . I put coats on some, but Lillen took offense to having a coat. Perhaps in her experience that has meant she is finished running. I took it off of her and she danced around happily. As always, I wish they could talk.