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.