Wolf Moon Dogsledding

Location: Finland, MN
Time - 1:25pm
Temperature: 16 degrees F
Conditions: Sunny with a few high clouds
Forecast: Few snow showers today and tomorrow. Highs in the teens, lows around zero

I think I need to start a new blog called ‘Music Reviews From The Back Of A Dogsled.’ I say this because that is a combination of two of my favorite things in the world - mushing and music. Music has always been hugely important to me. I love all kinds - I listen to rock, oldies, country, some pop, celtic, etc. One of my favorite artists is Enya. Her music really speaks to me and I think I have most, if not all of her albums. I was introduced to Enya’s music in late 2001 by my cousin who had the album A Day Without Rain (that included the hit ‘Only Time’) and the other albums have special meaning for me too. Every time I listen to Shepherd Moons I remember upstate New York in 2002, when I went on my first dogsledding adventure and Amarantine is one of the two albums that I listened to during the holiday season of 2005 when Calypso was a demanding terror of a husky pup (the other album, in case you are interested, was Comin’ To Your City by Big & Rich. Like I said, I listen to a wide variety of music).

The most recent Enya album is And Winter Came…, a Christmas-ish collection of songs. I was VERY excited when I saw it advertised in a flyer. How perfect for now, when Winter has come to MCK. We had a blizzard last weekend that left about 18 inches, snowing us (and some guests who were staying here) in for a few days. I must say, it was beautiful and now we can really sled. No more ATVs and trucks!

I am running 8-dog teams now and I ran a 12-dog team and a 14-dog team for a little ways with Jen in the sled basket. So far things are going well, although I am starting to feel rather nervous now that my big race is in just over a month. But so far so good.

But how exactly does the new Enya CD figure into this? Well, my Mom sent me a copy of it and it came yesterday afternoon. Of course I wanted to listen to it right away but we were getting ready to go on a night run. Blake sometimes listens to music or audio books on his iPod but, as I am one of the five people left on the planet who do not have an iPod (I just like the whole being able to hold an album thing) that wasn’t an option for me. So I figured out an alternative. I stuffed me CD player in two fleece hoods, and put it in the handlebar bag of my sled, leaving the headphones (that I got on the airplane on my first trip to Alaska) out. I hoped I would not destroy this CD player like I did the first one I had.

My eight-dog team, led by Inga and Fiona, was VERY revved up and ready to go. The run out of the yard was insane but I managed not to crash into anything or flip the sled. Once out on the forest road, it was straight and flat and I was able to relax a bit as we followed Jen’s team. So I put the earphones on and turned on the CD. I have to say, I am VERY impressed with my little player. It functioned well even as temps dipped in the single digits.

So that was how I ran last night, watching snow fall and sparkle in my headlamp as we glided past trees laden with snow, listening to And Winter Came…, turned up enough for me to hear it but still listen to the dogs (not that they make much noise).

It is a good album. I actually listened to it three times over during the run. I think my favorite track on the album is ‘Last Time By Moonlight’, which REALLY fit with what I was doing (the Winter sky above us/ was shining/ in moonlight / and everywhere around us / the silence of midnight/ and we gathered snowflakes). The most surprising track on the album is, in my opinion, ‘My! My! Time Flies!’ which I think is the only Enya song I know of that features an electric guitar. It could almost be a Mama Cass or Beatles song (the Beatles are actually referred to in it - four guys across Abbey Road / one forgot to wear shoes).

And so music merges with mushing…

We got back to the kennel just before midnight but it was a good run and my team was still charged up coming into the yard, still determined to catch Jen’s team. Every run is interesting.

Anyway, I’m off to do something productive now. As always, remember that you can follow this blog and view pictures on the Dog & Sled website - go to http://www.dx4solutions.com/dogandsled/default.htm and click on “Journal.”

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 8:05pm
Temperature: 18 degrees F
Conditions: Overcast
Forecast: Partly cloudy tonight and tomorrow. Highs in the teens, lows in the single digits

I’m still here! I’ve been meaning to write an update for quite some time now but everytime I had a little time to do so, I did something else instead.

We have snow now. Not as much as we might like but enough to use a sled with a small team. Jen and I took our first sled run about a week ago with a 5-dog team: Alex, Jackie, Joker, Calypso and Doc, one of this year’s puppies. It was fun but the trail was kind of rough with rocks since there wasn’t a good snow base. Still, I was happy to get back on a sled (first time since Northern Sky in Alaska last March).

It has snowed more since then and I took a 3-dog team out with the sled last night (Alex, Joker and Calypso). The trail was much nicer and there was better snow although there is still no base to hook down to, so no stopping to get off the sled.

Alex tested me just out of the yard where I was to take a trail off to the right. I told him “Gee!” but he tried to go straight instead. So I braked hard enough to stop the little team.

“Alex!” I called. “Gee!”

Still he tried to go straight and jerked the sled forward several inches. Calypso and Joker were loudly expressing their displeasure that we weren’t running that instant. And, of course, I couldn’t get off the sled.

“Gee!” I called again. “Alex, Gee!”

This went on for several minutes until Alex finally looked back at me and then at the trail to the right.

“That’s right,” I encouraged. “Yip! Yip!”

Finally realizing that when I said “Gee” I actually meant “Gee”, Alex lead the team down the correct trail. It was pretty rough, that stretch, but when we came to the forest road, where Blake was waiting to make sure we hadn’t wrapped ourselves around a tree on the trail out of the yard, things were much better.

The road was fun, since it is relatively wide and straight so I didn’t have to concentrate on steering the sled much at that point. The dogs were trotting right along, having a great time. We went out on what we call the Puppy Loop and there was pretty good snow there. MUCH less jarring on rocks than last time. I just had to avoid the brush at the side of the trail. It was snowing, as it had been all day and the little flakes were cold against my face.

I stayed warm helping the little team up hills, kicking and running along. I thought back to a year ago, back in snowless Armuchee, Georgia. Would I have believed then that I’d be up here sledding with Calypso now in the Minnesota Northwoods? It felt kind of surreal for a few minutes there.

The sun set during the run and I pulled out my headlamp for the run back down the road to the kennel. The snowflakes streaked past the beam like tiny shooting stars. The moon also rose, lighting everything up a bit even though it was cloudy and snowy.

We pulled into the yard tired but happy. I think the huskies are happiest when they are running along in harness, pulling a sled through the snow and I am happiest riding the runners of that sled (and kicking along, and running up the hills).

The race teams are coming along really well. We are still training them with the ATV and, on occasion, the truck. They are doing REALLY well and we are very excited about how they are progressing. Pretty soon, snow permitting, we will be running them with sleds too. I can’t wait!

It’s been nice and cold the past couple of days. Yesterday morning I hit a new personal low temperature, minus 22 degrees F, the coldest I’ve seen so far. I have a new anorak, which I love. Very warm. Warm clothes are always good when it gets cold and I’ve been layering with lots of warm things.

I will try to post again soon and keep you all updated! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

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