SnowPack Siberians

Gold Rush Mail Run: Part 1

I am still battling with this infernal keyboard (due to the coffee-on-computer mishap) so I have been avoiding long messages. I want to tell everyone about our Mail Run adventure so I will forge ahead with much frustration. Ha Ha.

We were very pleasantly surprised with the whole Mail Run experience. Jeff & Margaret Dinsdale and their dedicated group of volunteers were ever so helpful and gracious. Not once were we looking for help….people would just walk up to us and offer their services. We didn’t feel like we, being ‘newbies’, were in anyone’s way or a burden. Even though the staging areas were tight for vehicles and teams, the mushers were handled & helped to the chute and all took off smoothly. Smiling, cheery faces were all around….even when putting up with my lacking dog truck back-up skills! We were quite impressed and very grateful!

Wednesday saw the arrival of our dog handlers: Dave & Wendy. Their SnowPack Sibe, Polar was quite excited about the snow, cold weather and the excitement that was to ensue….not sure of Wendy’s thoughts on the matter though! We had a nice evening spent talking dog and trying to not get too stressed over what was about to encompass our weekend…the Mail Run!

Of course our adventure started with goodbyes to Tammy & Tabitha who were staying at our cabin while minding the ‘Home Team’: Blue, Tundra, Trina (aka Schwee), Dottie, Misty & Annie. We had made a last minute decision to take Chilly with us because Peaches had missed her puppy so much while we were at the Gawthorn race. Tammy brought her three SnowPack Sibes (Aurora, Akela & Avalanche) with her which is a tale to be told all on it’s own! In a rush and determined to leave something behind, we hit the road, heading to Jane, Rainer, Steve & Max’s SnoSibe Husky Ranch:

http://www.snosibehuskyranch.com/index.html

Our trek north was fairly uneventful. We arrived in good time with sunlight to spare. A quick tour of the Peter’s palatial home and a wonderful bowl soup (thanks Wendy & Dave) and we were all ready to head for the bunks. Morning arrived really abruptly. Apparently Rainer tried to rouse us around 5:15am but when it was obvious that no one, not even our dogs, heard his knocks….he tried again at 5:45am. This time we heard him and it’s a good thing we did…6:00am was our scheduled time to leave for the Mail Run! As soon as we were up & cognisant, it was ascertained that we needed to head out ASAP as a fuel stop was in order. We dropped dogs onto the outriggers and hoped they would do their morning business. They were loaded back into the Mini Winnie and off we went….they all promptly went back to sleep!

 

We arrived in Williams Lake, meeting up with Jane & Rainer in the Wal Mart parking lot. Our Sibes were coaxed out of their slumber in the Mini Winnie by the promise of food and baited water. It was a perfect spot to park since we were lacking a few supplies, but it was hard to convince the dogs to pee & poop on the bare pavement! Dave & Wendy took turns leashing them up and walking them around so business could get done. Back on the road again….destination Quesnel. Soon enough we drop the Mini Winnie at a truck stop and head up to Umiti Pit where the first stage of the Mail Run (40 km trail) begins. We are all quite excited albeit somewhat nervous!

 Gold Rush Mail Run: Part 2

Umiti Pit is not really a pit, it’s more like a road intersection. When we pulled up in the dog truck we were doubtful that there would be any room for us! We worried needlessly as the Mail Run volunteers easily found a spot for us. Dave & Wendy helped with the dropping of our dogs onto the outriggers. Chilly was quickly snatched up by Lisa (Steve’s girlfriend) and taken around to meet the crowds….but not before staring down a Canadian Inuit Dog who was part of the team parked next to us. Silly boy! We were to leave right after Rainer’s team so had to scurry to get the dogs onto the gangline. Wendy was given a crash course in putting on a dog harness and how to hop dogs to their spot on the gangline. Once again, the Mail Run volunteers came to help without asking and guided our ten dog team to the start chute. CoCo, as you all know, can be shy at times so we placed Dave near him to keep him calm. I ran to the front of the team to snap a quick picture and then they were off…..whizzing by me and almost knocking me off my feet The start chute trail conditions were soft, deep and full of ruts. Many an unlucky participant landed, waist deep into ditches after trying to navigate the fast choppy start. Mike flew through it so fast that he didn’t have the chance to worry about it! 

With Mike safely on his way down the 40 km trail, I backed up the truck (yes, with the help of the volunteers) and headed back into Quesnel with Dave, Wendy, Polar & Chilly.  We grabbed the Mini Winnie and Dave’s truck & tent trailer and drove up to Cottonwood to set up for Mike & Team SnowPack’s arrival. Once again we were cheerfully directed by the ’Yellow Vests’ to a perfect parking spot…even somewhat level for the Mini and the tent trailer.  Dave & Wendy put up their now window-less tent trailer and Lisa came over to take care of Chilly while I got to work setting up the SnowPack doggy-camp. Just as I was finishing, Jane & her son Max pulled up on their snowmobile with a passenger sandwiched between them. Lava was making rather cozy all cuddled up in Jane’s lap! I ran to them thinking she had somehow gotten hurt. I scooped her up as Jane set my worries to rest…no she wasn’t hurt, yes she was OK. I guess she found the fast pace a little overwhelming and decided that hitching a ride with Max & Jane was more her style. She soon cuddled up on her bed of pine chips and scored herself a nice snack. Mike & the team did really well and I have to say that this was the first time that the dogs were too tired to eat! A snack of pepperoni-baited water and they were soon fast asleep. The potluck dinner, that evening was divine and guess what….the coffee was WAY worse then mine! We made the executive decision to drop Lava & Reba (our two trained lead dogs) from the race team. Lava obviously enjoys leisurely sled trips around the Tunkwa country side much better than this racing business and Reba was favouring her front right leg and did not look happy whenever we tried to coax her out of the Mini. We were now down to an eight dog team.

I have to say that the next day spent at Troll Ski Resort was the best time ever! We really enjoyed interacting with the general public and bragging about our ‘house huskies’. On more than one occasion we had to explain that our red dogs were indeed purebred Siberian Huskies….especially since we were parked next to Jane & Rainer’s matched black & white, blue-eyed Sibes! When the announcers called out for participants for the weight pull demonstration, we were surprised to see Polar and Dave showing everyone how its done. Way to go guys. For fun we decided that little(?) Chilly would give it a try. Chilly’s name was announced and the crowd chanted “Chilly! Chilly!”…..and would you believe that he pulled one log on a skid using just his collar and leash?! It was utterly hilarious to see this puppy in the weight pull! Next on the agenda was the Musher’s Olympics…lots of fun stuff like setting a trap, doing a moose call, chopping a log into kindling, lighting a fire on the snow, making bannock & tea.  We didn’t win but Max was very close to leaving some fingers in the trap and I think my moose call left some lasting impressions on the crowd! There was more schmoozing of the spectators and, of course, more photo op’s for Chilly.The banquet that evening was unbelievable but everyone knows what a long day combined with a full belly of food does to a person……makes one very cranky and/or very sleepy.

 Gold Rush Mail Run: Part 3

The last day of the Mail Run events found us rested and raring to go. Our RV-pampered Sibes had finally figured out the routine so my dog walking skills were only required on a few occasions. One particular event was interesting….a big, burly & loose dog came to check out everyone’s rig…ours in particular…just at the precise moment I had CoCo convinced that he really needed to do his business! I whispered “shoo-shoo” so as not to wake everyone, which alerted CoCo to the night time visitor. They both stood staring at each other…almost nose to nose for what seemed like an eternity. I thought to myself what were the chances of me, out walking in the dead of night, with an intact male and then running into another big male?! Just my luck, I suppose! Someone, somewhere coughed which spooked the loose rouge enough that I was able to drag CoCo back inside the Mini Winnie (now affectionately called Winnie the Pooh…thanks Dad!). Overnight we were ‘blessed’ with a fresh dumping of snow. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t even noticed the snow or at least I paid it no mind. The dogs were watered and fed and seemed rather excited about the day. I was especially excited as well because our friends had figured out a way for me to run the team. Jane had generously offered her position on their snowmobile so I would ride with Max. We would be able to follow the team and then Mike & I could trade as dog drivers whenever we so wished.  Perfect! I was smiling as we loaded the team and drove from Troll to the Stanley starting area. We followed Team SnoSibe up to where we were to drop dogs and get the sled ready to go. The lack of space was, once again, of no real concern thanks to everyone’s calm directions. Just as we were almost ready to head to the start chute, the Mavericks (a group of fun-loving, ever helpful snowmobile aficionados) took off UP the trail to help groom some of the 22 inches of fluffy stuff into a trail. We decided that a better course of action would be to let the snowmobilers and some of the larger teams take off before us (thanks Rainer!)….maybe/hopefully packing the trail for us. Besides, some of the volunteers were heading our way….those yellow vests can be intimidating you know….they wanted to know where Chilly was hiding! I had to laugh and point out that he was sleeping comfortably in the cab of the dog truck….and NO, there was absolutely no way they would be able to steal him away from us! Ha Ha!

After getting Mike up to the starting line, we were able to get a good look at the beginning of our 900m ascent. Stairway to heaven comes to mind. Max and I took off so as to help pack down the trail for the team. WOW. To look back at Mike and the team WAY down below us, working their way up is a memory I will never forget. The team was strong for the first 14 kms, I was very proud of them to say the least. It was decided fairly early on that I would drive the team as often as I could because the soft-packed trail was asking too much out of our sprint, basket sled. I kicked along the straight stretches and got off the runners and ran beside sled on all of the hills. I have to say that I was amazed that my lungs could handle the work load but I am proactive when it comes to dealing with my asthma so I made sure I took my medications well before the start time. Good thing! Even though running in the soft snow was akin to running down a beach with cement boots on, I was smiling the whole way along the trail. The scenery was breath taking (pardon the pun).

Once again the volunteers were wonderful.The Mavericks would show up behind us every now & then but would always wait for my signal before passing the team. Keeping with the friendly camaraderie of the Mail Run, we stopped to help a stuck snowmobiler who was completely entrenched in a deep snow ditch. When we were the hold-up, putting booties on Big Bear & Kelly, the skijorers who had to wait cheerfully told us to take our time. Sometimes we had to wait for teams ahead of us and sometimes teams had to wait behind us. No one was in a panic or too willing to try to pass when, if not done properly, it could mean a musher &/or team ending up stuck in waist-deep snow!   Yes,the trail was tight but that didn’t stop our wily, lead-dog-in-training, Disco, from taking advantage of it any chance she got. Whenever we stopped she would just lean over and lay, almost standing up, into the snow banks. I should have taken a picture of her antics but I was just as thankful for a rest as she was!

It looked like we were having so much fun that Max took a turn driving our team. He is such a natural with a dog sled team that our sibes took his commands like he was family. While watching him drive our team, it came to me that he looked just like Iron Will of the like-named Disney film.  I couldn’t resist, anyone who has seen the movie will understand, I just had to whistle ‘Will’s Tune’. I think it actually worked….the team picked up speed! I’m actually smiling right now just thinking of it! After a stint on the snowmobile I soon realized that I preferred to run the team. One wrong turn or tilt can spell disaster for snowmoilers in such a soft, heavy and deep trail. I took the team up more hills and down around the tight turns enjoying every wonderful minute of it BUT it was time for Mike to take over again.

With Mike & team SnowPack heading downhill (finally) towards Barkerville, I had Max zoom us on ahead so he could drop me in Barkerville. I wanted to be apart of the celebration when the teams drive through the famous ghost town. Maybe get a few good pictures as well. Much to my chagrin, Barkerville WAS a literal ghost town…no one was there! Everyone was gathered at the start to the Barkerville Dash which would see the teams off, heading to Wells. It was rather eerie walking up the streets of Barkerville alone….even the TV crew had packed up and passed me in the street. No worries, at least I would be there to welcome them in. There Mike was standing tall on the runners looking proud of his team. I got one good picture before the team spied me and forgot their On-By’s. I seized the moment, just as they slowed down, and jumped on the runners behind Mike for a ride through Barkerville…..together! Perfect!

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