Moved to our Winter Blog

Winter at Summer Place will be our winter blog this year: http://winterspk.blogspot.com
Join us there!

Blog Book and Moving On

THE CALL OF THE WILD, Robert Service (selection)

.... "Have you broken trail on snowshoes? mushed your huskies up the river,
Dared the unknown, led the way and clutched the prize?....

Have you suffered, starved and triumphed, groveled down, yet grasped at glory,
Grown bigger in the bigness of the whole?
"Done things" just for the doing, letting babblers tell the story,
Seeing through the nice veneer, the naked soul?

Have you seen God in His splendors, heard the text that nature renders?
(You'll never hear it in the family pew.)
The simple things, the true things, the silent men who do things ...
Then listen to the Wild, it's calling you.

They have cradled you in custom, they have primed you with their preaching,
They have soaked you in convention through and through,
They have put you in a showcase, you're a credit to their teaching...
But can't you hear the Wild? it's calling you.

Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us,
Let us journey to a lonely land I know.

There's a whisper on the night wind, there's a star agleam to guide us,
And the wild is calling, calling...let us go."

This blog is being printed as a slice of kennel life at Summer Place Kennel. it will feature three years out of the fifteen years that we have been here. As we let this blog rest to be printed,
we are moving to our summer blog, Summer at Summer Place, http://www.spksummer.blogspot.com/
Join us at the summer blog. We will return to this one in the fall.

"There's a Summer Place, where it's safe and warm and free from harm, from all cares...."

Summer Place Kennel, a home for retired sled dogs and some rescued dogs in need of a safe and warm forever home. We also provide a conservative oasis, a people free zone for the local wildlife.

"Two roads diverged in the wood and, I, took the one less traveled by, and it has made all the difference." Robert Frost

Wooded Land and Dry Conditions

The neighbors are cutting the acreage adjacent to ours pretty heavily. I noted yesterday, on our three dog run, that , even with the recent heavy snow and driving rain, the woods with downed branches are very dry again. Our open fields are crunchy, once again.

The swamp still has some good water in it from winter meltdown. Every run for the dogs is an adventure of smells . Our 'people free' zone is a haven for the spring wildlife with the adjacent lands being logged.

Hauling Boulders

The digging weather is at its best for these industrious huskies. Already they've excavated many summer dens, although some of them are just inside the gate for me to step into as I enter. Today's work is hauling boulders from the upper field. Thankfully many years ago a hard working farmer stacked them all as he cleared his fields.

The winds have downed quite a few dead trees in the wooded areas.

Photo: Tsunami in his 'digs' from last year.

And now it's 75 degrees, and tomorrow...? Schizoid weather.

We had ten or more inches of snow; then two days later, 75 degrees; thunder and lightning this morning and tomorrow to be forty degrees. The deer are hanging around closely as in this photo with Sierra or near the deck with Skinny.

'S no fun!

Sierra, below, before Ruthie tried to tear off her ear. Sierra is the self appointed herder/guardian and Ruthie tore through a chain and a bungee to run about, not in her turn.

Turkey on left, deer in center, waiting by the corn can.

Tanni (below) and Evalina, watching the morning unfold.
It was hard for the dogs to see out/see each other. This is Yo.

I shoveled the houses off to give them each a semidry perch.

While it was beautiful, there were branches falling off of the heavily laden trees. It snowed for 24 hours straight (or more). I don't know the actual accumulation, but the photos speak for themselves. The dog tempers flared today, too, leaving Sierra (in photo before the action) with a torn ear and wounded feelings. The deer and the turkeys came right up to the house to get their corn and carrots. Everyone was out of sorts , it seemed. And tomorrow we're headed for warm weather and back into the 60's again, so imagine the muddy mess about to present itself out here. Ah, Spring!

Nonfunctional Snow!

The worst kind... after all the pens are set up for Spring with tarps, etc and now about seven (at least) inches of this heavy wet concretelike snow. Arghh. And more to come tonight...stop the snow dances , it's late April! If we can't use it, don't snow, please!! The good side of this is that my granddaughter (age two) LOVES snow and this delighted her today. She wanted to spend her time with her little shovel.

Early a.m. photo

Wildlife Wandering

Just saw two big coyotes or small wolves wander through here down by the deer corn. Temps have been warm (74) so all the critters are out hunting. I took photos, but it was too dark. The dogs were all loud last night with noses all pointing toward the driveway, so I investigated and found nothing. Possibly these were their visitors. There are a lot of great smells for Skinny on his daily ATV runs and he pays very close attention. Maybe the field cameras got something, will check later.

The Black and White Look

Photos: Top, Scuba out of Butcher's Elan; Middle, Buddy, Redington lines (blue eyes); Bottom, leader,

Skinny (black/white), Zirkle/Louden/Attla/Swenson.

Spring Lists

This the list from last year's blog in late April. Seems like we're just a bit ahead this year, but this is a good 'to do' list for me to reference. (this year not headless rabbits, but headless birds lying about). And much of the same going on. Last year we had 17 inches of snow about this time, but we are DRY here. Of course, we can always get another snow storm. We have started the straw hauling, the slow slow process.

Last year's list:

Feeding dogs, of course. (hauled in multi pounds of food from the truck).Clean up food dumped by dogs who say they've had enough high fat content. (switch to lower fat mix).Scooping straw from ice, pitching into containers for hauling. (major part of the day)Hosing out concrete pens as straw pitched out.Washing mud off of my face/teeth (several times).Cleaning all pens, of course.Connecting/draining the hoses. Cleaning water pails, watering all dogs, twice.Hauling the waste on the snowy, icy, muddy trail on the ATV.Getting ATV unstuck.Putting up tarps in half the pens for shade (70 degrees, sunny). (dogs help by jumping, on me)Charging battery on 2nd ATV and moving to shed for hauling. (hook positive first!)Moving several dogs for different reasons. (full moon, dogs coming into heat, again; dog eating gate)Starting and moving lawn mower.Fixing broken chains for two dogs that need to be tied. (fence leaper, gate eater)Cleaning the cat's room, washing the boxes.Airing the house dogs' beds.Meds to dogs with allergies enhanced by Spring. (Balto may need surgery on ear)Hauling rocks from the upper field to fill newly dug holes. Ground very nice for dogs' digging.Cooling overheated ATV from hauling.Riding all the trails, to check for downed trees (none over trail, hooray! but numerous downed in woods from heavy snows)Getting ATV unstuck.Treats to dogs, late day. Answering their questioning looks about why they can't come out to run. (porcupines, skunks)Chasing Skinny into the woods when he returned to the house at night. Setting trail camera to look for predator leaving headless rabbits.Today, more of the same.
Posted by Julie at 5:58 AM 0 comments
Saturday, April 19, 2008

Easter

We had a beautiful Easter Day, starting with a wonderful sunrise, taking some longer runs with the house dogs, watching the dogs sunbathe as we started putting up shade tarps and ending the day with a great family dinner.

Photos: Skinny (above) and Easter sunrise. Low fifties , temperature, bright sun.

Muddy Run with seven dogs

We took seven dogs and three humans on a very iron ore muddy run yesterday. The temps were in the 40's and the sun was high so it was just about too warm to do that. The bridge over the river had some washout but our team was already committed to crossing, which we did safely and then did a turnaround (a bit of a test, luckily we had two guides and one driver).

All dogs were very excited to go for the run, but think they were happier to get home. The dogs and harnesses were iron red when we returned. With the dry weather and winds we've had I thought it would be dry and cool but it was not. We'll just hangout with free runs awhile longer here this Spring. Our kennel wooded trails are still deep with snow and ice.

Dogs who ran with great spirits, all, yesterday were: Buffy, Rosie (lead); Medio, Kiddo, Herman,

Quattro and Copper.

Photos: Upper, seven dog team enroute home. Lower, Ore encrusted harnesses in the 'dishwasher'.

More snow

Not lost here, just busy with Spring cleanup and then more snow. Trails change from day to day, but we are running ATV on them. Recent snow was wet , now icy. The pens were nice and dry and the huge wet snow made them into muddy ponds again. Today more sun. We give up, go away winter!!

Dogs all fared well through this long winter, even the oldies are bouncing around in the warm sun (when it shows up).

Photo: House pals take a run in the fresh snow. Sierra, Skinny and Buddy

March goes out like a Lion

Just as our trails were getting clear and we've started running with the quad, whoopee, it started snowing like mad at about 4PM, already accumulating two to three inches. More snow predicted for next few days. The dogs love snow but even they look a bit surprised after the main meltdowns/schedule changes we've had. The deer aren't too happy either. Good thing I left a snowmachine out for just this kind of happening. And the WIND is roaring. Not Spring yet, no matter what we thought.

Mt Redoubt and Mushers and Dogs

Heard from a friend that mushers had to scramble/ are scrambling to get their dogs out of Nome. Redingtons could take their dogs on the flight they took, haven't heard about Aliy's dogs... planes were rerouted through Fairbanks with dog trucks in Anchorage, so some were borrowing trucks or cars to transport dogs.

This photo was sent by a Fairbanks friend, Phillip Albert, who received it from a friend in the Kenai peninsula , I believe.

Iditarod Wrapup; Volcano delays flights out of Nome

While volcanic ash from Mt. Redoubt, AK, falls on Skwentna, all mushers are finishing the race ahead of that. But, flights are grounded out of Nome for now, so dogs and mushers get to spend a few more days there. Norma from Skwenta reports that it looks like a moon crater out there and she tastes ash even inside. That's something we don't have to worry about in Wisconsin!

Aliy Zirkle finished in 17th, Allen Moore in 33rd, Trent Herbst in 48th with the Most Inspirational Musher Award. Karin Hendrickson was the third rookie in and had a good race, too. Congratulations to all mushers and their great dogs.

Twenty minute trail in meltdown

Skinny's and my favorite 20 minute trail is all but disappearing in the warm weather today. We took our 7PM run just as the sun hit the 'lights out'.... the whole bottom trail was a river/pond, much more deterioration since yesterday. Hopefully, the solid ice base we've had will see some more snow before we say good bye to winter. The plus of this is that the ice is fast . These clips are from yesterday with Sierra and Buddy and Skinny. The deer were wading in the 'pond' at the bottom of one hill. The pens are starting to drain .

Sunrise

With the spring forward of time, comes breakfast before sunrise. We are starting to ease back on fats in their diets, but will have a cold spell this week. The dogs seek out the early morning sun in their pens.

Daily Kennel Life, The Howl

Herman takes his breakfast very seriously.

He is one of few dogs needing to be tethered for feeding, but he runs right to his chain , eats till finished, even though his kennel pals are already howling their 'let's start the day' howl. If not tethered, he runs , excitedly from dish to dish. His pen pals, Buffy, Medio and Rosie eat enthusiastically too.

Iditarod 2009

The main site is www.iditarod.com and Aliy's/Allen's blog is : www.spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com
(updated well! by Macgellan). The teams are off and running and at this time Aliy is at Mile 85, crossing Onestone Lake with 16 dogs at 7mph. The Iditarod Insider package for us includes GPS in each sled, very helpful when the standings at the main site are giving only checkpoint info. Macgellan has some great photos and commentaries as the events unfold. He'll be in Rainy Pass hoping to catch both Aliy and Allen and will have blog photos and updates.

Back at the Ranch

We have had mild temps the past few days and Skinny (retired gee haw Quest leader) has been bummed in the house. I took him for his morning sled run (which he ran fast and happy), then chained him in a pen with the other guys and gals, so he could feel a part of the daily action. Five minutes of that and he had broken his chain, ripped open the gate and, after stopping to 'holler' at a male at the fence, ran back to the house. So much for Skinny's unsupervised pen time.

Photo: Skinny's pen of two years ago. Since then he's not lived in a pen.

Iditarod Bib Numbers?

Aliy's/Allen's blog says that Aliy is Bib 24 and Allen is 6. Looking at the main Iditarod website I find different numbers, so for now we'll go with them as reported on Aliy's blog... theirs is a quick video clip, takes you right there. Thanks, Macgellan!

Anchorage Daily News, www.adn.com is a good source of race info but they don't have the bibs up yet. They do have bear info, one black and one brown wandering around.

Iditarod Trail: some waist deep snow

Around the Rainy Pass area there is some heavy, waist deep snow, as reported by Craig Medred in The Anchorage Daily News. This presents a huge task to the many volunteers who work at keeping the trail open. Mushers are required to carry snowshoes and may need to use them this year. Climbing a mountain pass with a sixteen dog team with the musher on snow shoes is a daunting task.

Photo: Rainy Pass terrain; red jacket on right is Gwen Rodman. Gwen's daughter, Karin

Hendrickson is running her rookie Iditarod this year.

Aliy Zirkle

Aliy Zirkle is a well known sled racing competitor. She won the Yukon Quest in 2000 and still remains the only woman to have won that race. This is her ninth Iditarod and she is heading out with a great team. Allen Moore, Aliy's husband, is heading out with a great B team. They have trained hard and we are eager to watch their progress.

We are fortunate to have some of Aliy's retirees, Martin, Skinny and Frita. Frita's daughter, Bullet, is a main leader for Aliy in the race again this year. We like Moonpie on Allen's team too, a young 'un. We like all of their dogs!

This photo (for which we owe a photo credit but not sure to whom) is of Aliy's champ team in Yukon Quest 2000. Martin is the hearty white dog in a team position. He is a bit less agile these days but going down hills you can still see his mountain experience, he digs in and keeps you safe.

This sport is, of course, so much more than about racing... the life with the dogs is so incredibly rewarding. We are not racing much here anymore, but we have the wonderful opportunity to live out the retirement days with these mighty dogs. I'm sure nothing is like their climbs over the Alaskan trails, but we try to make each day a good one for each of these grand dogs where they can run about free and sleep safely dreaming of their great running days.

Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

Remembering Susan Butcher as the Iditarod starts up, this is the clip from the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame.

SUSAN BUTCHER (Dec. 25, 1954 - Aug. 5, 2006)
Susan Butcher grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, began dog mushing in Colorado, and became a legend in Alaska with four victories in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race between 1986 and 1990. Tutored by race founder and good friend Joe Redington Sr., who announced to the world Butcher would become a champion, the hard-nosed competitor was renowned for her single-minded focus and checkpoint acumen.
Her record-setting three victories in a row between 1986 and 1988 have been equalled, but not surpassed. Twice Butcher set speed records in the 1,100-mile race between Anchorage and Nome and she won a variety of other middle-distance mushing races. Butcher made herIditarod debut in 1978 in 19th place. In addition to her Iditarod victories, Butcher placed second four times,third once, fourth once, and fifth twice before retiringafter the 1994 race.
In 1979, Butcher and Redington, accompanied by a photographer and aided by mountain guide Ray Genet, performed the seemingly impossible feat of driving dog teams to the summit of 20,320 - foot Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America.
In three of Butcher’s Iditarod triumphs, the key lead dog was Granite, perhaps the most famous canine leader in race history. One of her other special huskies was Tekla, whom she credited with once saving her life and for whom she named her first child.
Butcher’s record-setting mushing exploits earned her anational reputation. She was twice named the Women’s Sports Foundation Professional Athlete of the Year. In some quarters of the Lower 48, for a time the Iditarod was known as “The race that woman wins.”
– Lew Freedman
Highlights
Four-time Iditarod Champion, including three in a row
Two-time National Women’s Sports Foundation’s Professional Athlete of the Year
U.S. Victor Award for Female Athlete of the Year two years in a row
Named as one of the “100 Greatest Female Athletes” by Sports Illustrated
photo courtesy of The Anchorage Daily News
Alaska Sports Hall of Fame 14815 Echo Canyon Road Anchorage, AK 99516 alaska_shof@yahoo.com
Damion Design. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

Wildlife in Races

Yesterday the frontrunners in the Fur Rendezvous sprint races were challenged by the downtown wildlife, out near the Campbell strip as I understand it. Both Streeper and Erhart's teams were charged by a cow moose, injuring a number of dogs. Later in the day a trail helper searching for a lost camera met a grizzly bear standing tall in the trail.

Another reminder that Anchorage differs from being in a lower 48 city. Wishing safety next Saturday to all the Iditarod as they go out on those trails in the Iditarod Start.

It Takes a Team

Photo: Josie looking on from the pen, Jim, Dr. Pauline Schroeder, DVM, Michelle, IMAH technician and Buddy.

It takes a team to raise a village of dogs... not quite the saying, but the idea is there.

We did receive about 7 inches of new powder snow,light but deep. The morning was spent taming it and getting the usual work done. Dr. Pauline Schroeder and tech, Michelle, arrived about 2PM to do a round of vaccinations and wellness checks. All went smoothly and we are lucky to have a great team.

The storm left behind beautiful trails, which are all groomed and ready to go (not quite like magic, a few hours and manpower to do it, but they are great!)

Storm on horizon

Photo: Glory , age twelve, one of our original Scuba's pups... she's still running like a pup.
She raced at Nicolet when she was nine (in lead with Skinny).


Estimates of our snow to come vary, but minimum of six inches it seems. Add to that 28mph winds and today is a busy day (this week is a busy week).

We laid in more straw yesterday and will line all houses with a new fluff today. Temps in below zero area tonight although it has been mid thirties. The most wintery winter I can remember in recent years.

Friday, if she can get in our driveway, the vet comes for a house call (aged dogs checkup, cat's rabies shot, various items on agenda). And the food supplier had not received our shipment , so we're running for that , somewhere today. Just the usual busy of the kennel.

Iditarod starts on Saturday, March 7th. Stay tuned for info on a possible dog visitor. Meantime, I'll be shoveling my way into gates for a couple of days.

Two Teams, Iffy Trails

Two teams took off on a warmish day. The trails could have been worse, only one huge divot which the dogs skirted nicely and a few rocks kicked up, but it was a great run out there. Tim and Shanna were hardy and skillful drivers.

Returning home we took a six dog team on the internal trails which were fast and dicey (icey) and the drivers handled them well.

Dogs run: Buffy, Matilda , Sherpa (lead), Medio, Kiddo, Rosie, Zoom (team), Quattro, Copper, Herman (wheel). Ruthie ate her way out of her pen to be a leader, but it wasn't her day, sorry Ruthie.

Choosing dogs for teams

Tomorrow we have two adult drivers running dogs. Both have some experience. We think our first team out will be: Buffy, lead; either Ruthie or Matilda, lead;
Medio and Herman in team and who in wheel??

Copper (Iditarod, 06) is just chomping to be on any team out. He's great but his nipping would upset Herman so Copper might go on the 2nd team or Herman may be replaced, although he's earned a spot, for sure. ( a hard puller, no nonsense, let's go and go, dog).

Kiddo should go. She's an experienced racer, fit and ready. We've overlooked her a couple of times and her pen mates. If we run a 2nd team, they should all be on it.

Quattro is a wheel dog and runs well next to nipping Copper (she lives with him and rules the roost). Sherpa is a steady dog as well, a bit smaller, but no nonsense like Herman.

Lillen would love to run but it's to be a bit warm and eight miles might be too much for her shaky hips. She'll be mourning if we don't take her though, maybe on a 2nd team.

So my first guess right now is: Buffy, Matilda (she needs lead experience, would not put her here with a beginner); Medio, Kiddo, Herman (solo wheel), a five dog team. There's some strength for the 8 miles, some speed and good experience, on the whole. Sorry, Copper!!

Winter Sports Mecca

What is your favorite winter sport? You can probably find it here in NE Wisconsin/Upper Michigan. Because it is such a great winter spot, we sometimes have competing events, causing us to have to make choices between them.

Yesterday we chose to run dogs early and then to spend the day at Pine Mountain Ski Hill

watching the Continental Cup ski jumps. Some of our dog drivers are very involved in that competition. The Austrians had the longest jumps, one of which I saw at 431 feet. The hill record is 468 feet and I haven't heard if they broke it today or not. I've been watching these jumps for many years, but am always in awe of these jumpers, WOW!

Tomorrow we are planning to run teams on an eight mile run into Michigan, weather permitting.

The trails are hard packed and nice with just about two inches of new snow packed, but the railroad grade is icy from a Valentine's weekend of snowmobilers. We think we'll try it , though.

Skinny, Sierra, Buddy and I just came back from a dusk run... perfect and memorable!

Race Season

We are watching a lot of favorites, but not racing any teams from here this year.

Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore, http://www.iditarod.com/ and http://www.aliyzirkle.com/. Wishing them a great race. Their blog is really informative.

We have others to watch in Iditarod as well, including Karin Hendrickson, rookie, and Trent Herbst, veteran and Karen Ramstead, veteran.

Karen and Mark Ramstead are running the Yukon Quest 300 starting this weekend, http://www.yukonquest.com/ . Martin Buser is running his first Yukon Quest.

Beth Castaldi won the four dog class at Land O Lakes sprints last weekend, running the 2nd day with three dogs... yea, Beth! yea, Beth's dogs! http://www.sleddogcentral.com/

Race Results, Midwest sprints.

Photo: Beth and partners at LOL, 2008.

Ice, Rain, Slop

Ice, slippery+ rain, meltdown = SLOP. Wear Yaktrax!

Meltdown Continues

The temps have been up in the high 30's, low 40's and it is currently raining. The trails and pens are icy. Skinny and I did take our sled run yesterday , the icy trail making it easy for him to zip along. 29 dogs got their runs, skidding here and there. We have a scheduled long run for next Monday but not looking so great for trails so far.

Our winter sports friends are busy. This weekend the ski jumping tournament at Pine Mtn is scheduled to be a 'go', hopefully this meltdown won't wreck the snow packed scaffolding and inrun.

Iditarod heats up as only 25 days to go. We still holdout for someone to do dog care so I can go, but everyone is busy with their own winter stuff. If we don't go, we'll be watching via cyberspace.

Dog Return; Update on Redoubt Volcano

Tanni and Evalina returned for breakfast at about 7AM. Tanni slept the rest of the day, with no apparent ill effects of his morning adventures through deep snow.

Update on Mt. Redoubt: (from the site)
Comparing the time frame of pre-eruptive activity in 1989-90 (the only other eruption for which seismic data were available) with the current unrest, we would expect such an eruption to begin within the next few days or weeks. It is likely that the onset of an explosive eruption would be preceded by a further increase in seismicity. An explosive eruption would be accompanied by a sharp increase in seismicity. Should earthquake activity or other monitoring data suggest that an eruption is expected within hours, or is underway, AVO would move Redoubt from its current Aviation Color Code ORANGE to RED, and Alert Level WATCH to WARNING.

This is one of the scenarios that could occur, not necessarily what will occur.

Springlike Antics

It is 5:23 AM and thirty degrees. Tanni and Evalina dug out of their pen at 3:12 AM and are off running into the hills. Not my favorite way to be awakened. I imagine the nearly full moon has added to their eagerness to be out and about. Tanni is twelve and should not be running about like this. It's nearly impossible to find him at this hour.

This warm spell should last another few days... hope our trails can stay intact. Right now they are still hard packed and well groomed, with a deep base.

Volcano Activity Watch by Iditarod

The Seavey Iditarod racing kennel, which we visited last summer, is watching the heightened seismic activity of Mt Redoubt volcano. Ref: an article at http://www.cnn.com/, (thanks, Donna Quante for the link), the Seaveys are contemplating having to move their 100 dog kennel to the North to the grandfather's kennel. That's a huge undertaking at any time, but especially just prior to Iditarod when racing kennels already have a full schedule.

Current reports indicated heightened seismic activity and a Watch for Mt Redoubt. It is located

overland and across Cook Inlet from the Seavey kennel which is just out of Seward.

The photo is of foothills enroute to Seward, not of the volcano.

29 Dogs

29 dogs ran yesterday. Wind chill was minus seventeen, temps hovering around zero. Today we'll be into a warm up (twenties, thirties). Our original Butcher dog, Scuba (deceased, 1998), still has three running pups, Power, King and Glory . They took to the trails with great heart yesterday.

Skinny and I continue to take our one dog sled rides so he can check his route.

Skinny and Me

Skinny is the main man in the house these days, but he screams to go for a walk each day. Former Quest leader, mountain climbing dog, adventurer, etc. , it must be very hard for him to spend most of his day on a pillow, watching other teams! I hate it for him. Some times there are 'walkers' with strong backs (he can still pull very hard), but both Skinny and I have some touchy disc problems, so my walking him w/o an ATV is a bit dicier, although I do it, pleading with him , "Easy now".

Yesterday he was so eager to go, I did hook him to a sled. He usually wears a ManMat harness

(easier on the back) but he was SO excited I just grabbed an x back and off we went, Skinny and me. We stopped at every tree, went into snow banks in his hunt, etc, but he was thrilled to go . Today we will get some help from Lillen in our 'run'. We have tried him with teams but he wheezes and coughs... he just can't do the 'real' thing anymore. This was a half mile loop and I walked most of the way, the sled was just the go between .

Mt Redoubt Activity (Volcano, AK)

Mt Redoubt , an active volcano, has had some increased activity recently. Will try to copy the URL for checking or go to http://www.adn.com/ and check it out. Last August when my granddaughter and I visited AK, there had been some ash spewing from volcanic activity , shutting down the airports up there just prior to our trip (did not affect us). Redoubt is on Cook Inlet, southwest of Anchorage. The warning level is at Orange for now, with some increase in seismic activity in the last day. Hopefully, it will settle down before all of the Iditarod traffic.

When the volcanoes erupt, it causes air quality problems of all types, including for dogs outside.

www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt/php

Photo: Flying a bit north over Redoubt area, winter.

Cold Weather Gear, Here and in Alaska

At minus fifteen this morning and chatting with all going to Iditarod about warm gear, it's timely to review our favorite winter gear items. I will be wearing this hat as I go out to feed dogs this cold a.m. In 2000 I took a dog sled class/ camping trip with Aliy and Kaz Zirkle out of Two Rivers, AK. Temps reached minus thirty out there, but Aliy/Kaz had provided a great gear list for us and we were well dressed for our adventure. I am repeating some of this here, with credits to Aliy/Kaz, !

Natural Extremes. Take a trip with them! www.aliyzirkle.com, www.spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com

In the photo are three items I take to winter Alaska each time I go. The beaver hat has ear flaps that fold down and keep your cheeks warmer in bitter cold. This one I bought at the craft fair in Nome at Iditarod 03... that is a not to miss event, reasonable prices. Layer under it with a balaclava AND a neck gaiter (which you can turn as it frosts up).

The Outdoor Research overboots have a warm foam foot base and are surpisingly stable for walking. I wore them all day at the Finger Lake checkpoint and was very glad to have them. I purchased these on sale in a small gear store off Spenard Ave in Anchorage. Mushers sometimes carry these in their sleds, they are lightweight. Mine are size Large to fit over my mukluks or Sorels. (I wear a size 7.5 in boots).

The large mitts are useful for many outdoor outings. I have them strung together with leather shoestrings and put them through the sleeves of any jacket I'm wearing. They are large enough to not have to fumble when your fingers need a QUICK warmup. I put handwarmers in the thumb and hand parts. I also use them on the dog sled or on the snowmachine when going for long runs with the dogs. I will also be wearing this a.m., as a base layer, my expedition weight poly t-neck underwear tops and bottoms. My favorite outer pants are detachable bibs from Cabela's. They are out of them now or I would have a second pair. (I threw away the bib straps as I find bib straps a nuisance).

Hands: Gordini lava wool gloves with windproofing and leather/vinyl palms, REAL Ragg wool gloves or mittens (some Ragg mittens have leather palms), REI windproof fleece tightfitting gloves. I find I need all of the above for warmth, photo shooting, standing around AND the big mitts in the photo. You can layer the Ragg gloves with small tight fleece ones underneath as wool is not windproof. Nothing is perfect for hands but these are my favorites. Fingertips do still get cold in Gordini's but I put ToastiToes in the palms. (And I have tried expensive and inexpensive multiple types of mittens/gloves... lots of $$ in experimenting, these are my best, but not perfect, for hands.

Avoid COTTON in anything (sweatshirts, tee shirts, socks, etc.)

Socks: My new favorites (and I'm out every day in all weather, no matter what), are LLBean men's boot socks. I buy a Medium, wash and dry them and they shrink to a nice warm cushioned fit. (don't go by this suggestion, shrinking just works for me). I hardly, if ever, wear two pairs of socks (too tight, feet cold). I never wear sock liners and I never wear fleece socks or silk. But , we're all different so whatever works, it takes experimenting.

Not to be forgotten are the ThermaCare warmers sold in WalMart, etc. They are stick ons for neck, back, knees , wrist, etc. I carry a couple of them for checkpoints to add extra warmth , if needed (or if you have to sleep on a floor somewhere out there). Also , of course, handwarmers and ToastiToes for gloves, mittens and feet. They cool off quickly in below zero temps so a good supply is essential.

Another favorite item is the survival sheet that you can buy in camping sections. They are pocket sized folded up reflector sheets that give immediate protection from the wind. We have used them wrapped around us waiting for a plane on bitter cold lakes or airstrips. Also nice to have, easy to carry in an emergency ( or to sleep on a floor if stranded at a checkpoint).

Do you have our breakfast?

In a cold spell here, but not as bad as the last one. Minus seven right now with wind. The deer herd that yards up in the swamp over the ridge still counts sixteen, this year's fawns still looking good.

What it Takes

A sled dog kennel is a farm, 24/7/365 attention. We are never 'off duty'.

E.g. at 4:23 AM today, loud screaming came from the pens. I was already up, but I hurriedly grabbed my pants, boots, headlamp and went out the door with the three house dogs running ahead. Two dogs who never 'break out' were running in the valley. Luckily, ever vigilant Sierra, (Elkhound) was off and running, rounded them up and herded them back to their pen.

I would love to know what she 'says' to them to accomplish that. I could smell fox musk yesterday and again this a.m. so I'm guessing a fox came too close to the pen and they chased it.

Schedule, daily:

4AM I usually get up about this time and start the soup (cooked meat and rice).

5AM House chores, answer email, etc.

6AM Feed house dogs, finish soup, head out.

7 AM Feeding, checking health, pens, etc. Feed wildlife. Give the meds.

8AM If running teams, setting up, if not running teams, start the free runs. Clean the pens.

10AM Either still running teams, or doing catch up around the kennel, repairing gates, fences,

still free running dogs.

11AM Hauling more straw,grooming trails, cleaning out straw, hauling waste pails to pit, all the chores.

Noon If finished running teams, time for errands, loading up on supplies, hauling supplies.

Afternoon Sometimes running teams, hauling supplies (bags of dog food, meat, straw, fencing, etc.)

3PM Prep and soup or feed all the dogs, wildlife.

In below zero temps we go back out to pens about 7PM to check each dog. If very cold, we coat the dogs who will wear them.

And then there are the surprises, often daily, that require some kind of attention.

Well done

Enjoying salmon soup after a long run.

Snow Dogs

Each and every dog here loves snow. This week's great snow has them revved up to run.

Look at this six dog team all smiling. The two leaders are pen mates , Buffy and Rosie.

They race each other each a.m. in the free runs. Buffy has raced in Alaska. Rosie is fastest but Buffy is the leader.

Rosie runs lead well, as noted in this photo, but doesn't yet know her commands.

The two swing dogs are Sherpa and Kiddo. Kiddo is a veteran of numerous local races.

Sherpa is the youngest dog in our kennel and is Skinny's granddaughter.

The two hard pulling wheel dogs are Quattro, age seven and Copper, age four. Both dogs have racing experience, Copper in the Iditarod (06) and Quattro in sprint and 30 mile races.

Sixteen Miles, Granddaughter and Grandpa

No funny stories or shenanigans yesterday, just postcard perfect trails and sixteen miles of running with enthusiastic dogs. Katie ran four dogs (Ruthie, Buffy, Medio, Herman) and Jim ran six dogs ( Buffy, Rosie, Sherpa, Kiddo, Quattro and The Man, Copper). Three deer leaped from a high snow bank right out in front of Katie's team over by the Michigan turnaround, wish I had had my camera out, but the little pros didn't bat an eye at them, just kept barreling down the trail.

On the second run we met seven snowmachines but all was smooth. Most machine drivers are very courteous and like seeing the dogs. We always pull over and hold the dogs for a clean pass.

On blind curves our machine goes out in front.

Family Day

It was a great day for the dogs and the people; 20 month old Fina was being introduced to dog sledding by her Daddy as her Mama took to the trails. Fina and Skinny (aka Ninny) are friends of sorts.

The trails were perfect for running, fresh snow and hard packed base. The dogs were stomping to go. Temps were in the upper teens.

We ran two four dog teams and one six dog team. Ruthie ran lead on all three teams, sharing the spot with Buffy on the other two. Aging Lillen did a great job in lead, as always, on the 1st team. Matilda had a pulled muscle so she was sidelined. Kiddo, Sherpa, Ruthie and Buffy made the first team out; 2nd team was Buffy, Ruthie, Medio and Herman; 3rd team was Ruthie, Buffy, Medio, Herman, Copper (what a guy!) and Quattro. All were really into pulling today, not fence running. Thanks to Tim, our visual fence is working!

The dogs who were left behind did make it known they were not to be forgotten. Yepa scaled the fence into Buffy's pen, twice. Next time we'll take her , she's made her point.

Playtime; Coat Count

New snow and more running. Yuki ate another coat (red, recycled). Her laceration is not healing and she will not keep anything on it to protect it. Now that it's warming up , we'll try something different.

We had 27 dogs running yesterday. My son groomed the trails and it just kept snowing, 5/6 inches or more, snowed all day. Next will be the gate chopping, always after a big snow. It's a bit warmer today after those minus windchills. All coats will come off today. We'll run at 11AM, small teams, good trails.

Frita and Family

Frita and family (Yuki, Yepa, Swix) wait their turns to run. Frita is a great leader sidelined by a hip problem, but she is still all heart. Her other pups are Yo, Zoom, Yeti and Tsunami in other pen families.

Flying Low

Ruthie and Josie remind me of small airplanes when they get out to run/warm up. They take off 'flying' and all other dogs warm up as they cheer, waiting their own turns. They are not coat eaters, but the count is up to ten coats eaten now. Some dogs do appreciate them.

The cold is abating a bit and we have snow on my unloaded straw :( this morning. Caught me off guard.