Mushing Season is NOT Over

I really thought with Lucy surgery and the warm weather I would have to put that stupid harness on again this season. I was WRONG. Bryan switched back to ski joring and it got cold and even snowed. So last night we were off again down West Fork Road. The best thing about West Fork Road is the moose. Last night I got to see one right by the road. I really wanted to go visit with her and see what it is like to be a moose but Walla didn't even slow down. On the way out she wasn't there, I was very disappointed. So I guess I have to act like a sled dog for a while longer. But we all know I am NOT a sled dog.

The Iditarod is Over

Dr. Tim (that is what Lucy and Stratus call him, he is Nature Kennels vet) finished on Tuesday, March 24, at 4 am. It was really tough race this year because of the weather. Numerous mushers have frostbite. I personally am happy it's over so Kim will get off the computer and pay attention to ME!

The Iditarod is NOT Over

Kim is having a "moment" because one of the sports broadcasters on the local TV stations announced that the Iditarod was over because Lance Mackey won. Kim says that it is not over until the last musher is in Nome. It is not just about being the fastest and winning $69,000 and a new truck. The Iditarod is about having the guts to take a dog team across the wilderness of Alaska when it 20 below and the wind is blowing 40 miles an hour. It is about spending hundreds of hours preparing dogs and yourself for 1,100 plus mile/ multiple day trip. It is about always putting your team first. It is about setting a goal, making sacrifices, and enduring until the end. We need to celebrate the "Red Lantern" musher as much or more than the first guy.
With that being said, Kim is excited to see that Sebastian Schnuelle came in second. He is known for expectational dog care and willingness to help fellow mushers. If you get a chance also check-out Trent Herbst's sled. His fourth grade students built it out of hockey sticks.

Mushing Season Ends Short

My friend, Lucy (Bryan's princess), had emergency surgery on Monday. Lucy has gotten into the habit of eating things near her kennel when she is mad. She was MAD last week and ate part of a duffel bag that had been on top of the kennel. Dr. Mark thinks that it probably caused an irritation in her bowel. Then it twisted and cause her stomach to fill with gas. Her stomach was taking up most of her chest cavity when she got to the vet. If Bryan had not be really watching her, she would have died.
Bryan was at the vet all day, so the other dogs and I were very worried. Finally when he and Kim got home I could tell that they were still worried so I crawled right up on the couch and laid on Bryan to make him feel better. I wanted to reassure him that even if something happen to Lucy I was still here for him. I am not sure he appreciated me, he told me I had to get down, I was just trying to help.
Kim says Lucy is doing fine. She is still at the vet because she has to eat baby food (Yuck) for a few days.
Well the bright side of this whole things is that she is out for the rest of the mushing season, which really means I won't have to be a sled dog for another year. Yeah!

The Last Great Race on Earth

Even if you are not a sled dog or a musher, you might really enjoy tracking the Iditarod Sled Dog Race that is currently in progress. Kim and Bryan seem to be checking the standings quite often.

Our friend, Ed Stielstra from Nature's Kennel (NK), is running in about the middle of the pack. (He owns the kennel that Lucy and Stratus came from.) Jake Berkowitz use to work for NK. Lucy was one of his favorites. Last year Jake ran the "B" for NK and Lucy's litter mates were on his team. This year Lucy's sister, Hoover, is running on NK's "B" team. A 4th grade teacher from Sun Valley, ID, Trent Herbst, is running that team.

List of mushers Kim watches is too long to list, but here are a few you might want to check out: Rachael Scdoris (visually-imparied musher), DeeDee Jonrowe (breast cancer surivor and one of the all time top women), Melissa Owens (last year she was the youngest musher to ever complete the Iditarod), Sebastian Schnuelle (won the Yukon Quest a couple of weeks ago and has hair like Bryan's -if Bryan had hair).

Heaven or Hell? It depends on if you are a sled dog or NOT!

Bryan, Kim, the sled dogs and I went to Elkhorn Hot Springs near Polaris, MT for five "fun-filled" days of dog-sledding (if you like that kind of thing). I have to say it was a pretty cool place. We could leave right from the cabin because we were the only guest. (I am not sure that Bryan appreciated me telling everyone about how I felt about going.) The trail was very impressive. I was impressed and I am not a sled dog. The first day (Wednesday) the Pioneer Scenic By-way was freshly groomed for snowmobiling, which is perfect for dogs. My only complaint was that it is uphill for a long time. Kim skied up and hitched a ride back on the sled. We started/finished in this parking area that had quite a drop. Day Two started with Kim on the runners. That lasted about thrity seconds. I am not really sure if she has a clue. You are supposed to hang on to sled and lend the right way or you can fall off and chase us down the trail. Kim thought she would try the chasing technique numerous times. It was really quite humerous. The funniest time was when she had ahold of the snowhook and we were dragging her down the trail with ten inches of new snow going over her head. I think I heard her say some bad words. When we got back to the cabin a short hour later, I heard Kim mention she wasn't sure if she had fun.









Kim tried mushing the again on Day Three because if at first you don't succeed try, try again. Or when you get bucked off the horse you have to get right back on. But Bryan started the dogs out for her so she could have a positive experinece.

Finally, after days of running in team we finally tried out the "puppy".

Sled dogs and I were glad Bryan and Kim had to go back to work so we all could get some rest.