Winter, 2014

We've had great running during winter, 2014.   The first part of the winter the snow came in deluges, but was not good packing snow, making it hard to put in trails.  Now , in late March, we have the best trails of the year.   We still have great snow depth.  (If you love spring and summer, you've had enough!)

March Madness, Alaska Style

Photo credit:   Photo of Aliy, 2014, leaving White Mountain;  we shared this from a media site but not sure if it's Jeff Schultz or a newspaper.
And, that is what this year's Iditarod seemed to be, a bit of madness.  The weather and conditions were highly challenging , maybe life threatening.   The top 3 wrestled for their positions, only to see Jeff King scratch just before Safety, a victim of howling, driving winds tossing his sled and dogs about like matchsticks.   Aliy charged forward only to discover that Jeff didn't beat her to Safety.   Snowmachiners gave her a report that their sleds (heavier) were being tossed and tipped, so she elected to stay in Safety for a bit.

Dallas Seavey , thinking he was running for 3rd, since he did not see Jeff or Aliy, hightailed it into Nome to actually win the race.  Aliy was in hot pursuit and the time differential of 2 minutes and 22 seconds, meant Aliy actually gained 17 minutes on him in that final run.

No one knows better than the mushers how well they did out there, to make it to Nome!  We, fans, are out here in awe and admiration, hearing story after story about the insanity that the weather brought.

Now just ten teams are out on the trail.  There will enough stories from this race to write a book about just this race, 2014, Iditarod.   It is a testament to the hard training and planning that the mushers have done for the past months, in conditioning their dogs and themselves, to take on what must be described as a beating.

Low to no snow, sheer ice, downhill through the Gorge bouncing off of rocks and stumps, etc, the challenges just never ended.  Aliy Zirkle said that one could hope each day would get better, but every day got worse... it was the worst ever.  Well, she ran a tremendous race, exercising good judgment and finishing in second.
I loved her answer when asked about the last three years in second... she said, "it's better than scratching!"
much to the delight of the crowd listening to her.  Well, it certainly is, wow, Aliy!  Second in Iditarod , any year, is fantastic.  This year it's mind boggling.   Go, Aliy and dogs!

Over the hill

We had fun taking photos of teams on the hills.

Running Today

Eos, tough gee haw command leader, gentle force

Eos will be 15 in May, 2014.   She's been ill for the past two weeks, with nausea and refusing to eat.
We took her in today to  determine what we can for her to keep her comfortable.  She has a mass in her throat which is too far down to see without using anesthesia.   We decided to just do what we can to keep her comfortable.  The doctor gave her an injection of antibiotics to last for 14 days, a Vitamin B injection to enhance her appetite and an injection for nausea.  She was not too happy about the injections, but she was glad to get back in the truck and to return to her small 'apartment' in the living room.

Eos has run Iditarod several times and it's fascinating to know her.  We wish she could talk.  In 2007 she was on the team that Susan Butcher's daughter, Honorary Musher that year, drove to Nome.   We have a great photo of her coming to the finish line in Nome.  She's a small dog with great feet.  Her brother was Zeus and her nephew is Navy.   She is also a cousin to Copper. She is out of  Huslia (Butcher) and Mike (Ellis.)

Mostly she is a very tough and completely focused gee haw command leader and a gentle force in our kennel.  She pulled my then five year old granddaughter last year and they appeared together on www.sleddogkennel.com.

All in all, tonight our nicest Valentine gift is to have Eos home and resting peacefully.

Photos:
Eos and Copper; Eos and Zeus; Eos and Navy;  Eos and Josefina;  Eos in lead on Linda's team, with Navy and Buffy.

Unusual winter

Because it has been a winter of unusual extremes and more snow than in recent years, we've added some comforts to each dog's pen.   It has mostly been cold and windy, low windchills, sometimes heavy snow,  fewer times, icy rain.   The trails that aren't groomed are deep and will grab a snowmachine and drag it in.

The extra comforts are :  straw bale blocking wind from house door; tarp overhead to protect dog and straw from icy rains; windscreen tarps on fences;  coats on dogs who won't eat them.  Fresh straw in houses each time the windchill takes a dive.

Photos of pens:
Kiddo's pen
Buffy's and Herman's pen
Yeti's pen

Dogs happy in television short

Abby Miller from CH 6, WLUC-TV, came to the kennel with new dog drivers, Christine Grabowski and Jenna Grabowski.   It was a bit chilly but the dogs were very excited to take multiple runs with Christine, Jenna and even Abby , the reporter.   You can view it at:  uppermichiganssource.com
you have to scroll through 'more stories' to find it.
uppermichiganssource.com

Leaders, Buffy and Ruthie, are sisters from the Skinny (Aliy Zirkle/Jerry Louden) and Liller (Susan Butcher ) breeding, born February 2, 2014.  We'll be celebrating their birthday on Sunday.

Yuki and Yeti, are pups of a breeding of Zirkle's dogs, Frita and Martin.

Navy , leader, recently joined us from Susan Butcher's kennel, joining his Auntie Eos.  Their lines are from Ellis and Butcher (Sven, Zeus).

It was fun to provide the opportunity for Abby to drive a sled.  Christine and Jenna are no longer beginners and are doing well.