Wolf Moon Dogsledding

Location: Finland, MN
Time - 12:08pm Central Standard Time
Temperature: 16 degrees F (-9 C)
Conditions: Clear, sunny
Forecast: Partly cloudy today, cloudy tomorrow. Lows in the negative single digits, highs in the 20s

Above photo by Don Deckert

Well, as some of you may know, I wore the mask pictured above at the start of the Beargrease 150. I got more comments on the thing from other racers and (especially) spectators, who were all very enthusiastic about it. I think I said a couple of times “Well, I was going to a masquerade but I ended up running a sled dog race.”

So I thought I’d give a little background. The mask doesn’t have any particularly *huge* significance. It was something my Aunt brought me years back when I was ten or twelve. I don’t remember where she got it but I had a blast running around with it on. Over the years, my friends and I had waaaay to much fun with the mask and there are pictures and videos of us wearing it. Then I put it under my mattress (in GA) and there it sat for the past few years.

Fast forward to last December when certain members of the MCK crew (myself included, of course) decided to look up as many versions of “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” as we could find. There was one version in particular - the “Phantom Of The Opera” version - that we got a kick out of (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7RgDMce840). We ended up ending anything that remotely resembled a list with “AND A MASK!!!!”

As you may remember, I went to Georgia-home for Christmas. While I was there, I remembered the Mask and went searching for it. I found it right where I had left it under the matress. So, when I flew back to Minnesota-home, I carefully packed it in my suitcase. At New Year I whipped it on and said “AND A MASK!” and then “Who thinks I should wear this at the Beargrease start?”

And the rest is history.

Photo by Kris Saari

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 7:45am Central Standard Time
Temperature: 16 degrees F (-9C)
Conditions: Heavy snow
Forecast: Snow today and tomorrow. Several inches expected. Highs in the 20s, lows in the negative single digits.

Above are pictures from the race start from http://f-go.smugmug.com/Sports/Dog-Sledding/John-Beargrease-Dog-Sled/11120447_nch65#779094221_QRbNm Go to the link to see better quality images.

Photos from left to right:

• Chime (with Inga in the background)
• Me unloading one of the flowers from the dog truck. They were a little reluctant to leave their boxes.
• Hjordis

I want to thank Blake and Jen once again for allowing me to do this race with their puppies. You have no idea how much I appreciate that opportunity.  

Blake finished 6th in the marathon. I was not at the finish but I hear his dogs were leaping and barking at the finish line and looked great! Unfortunately, Phil had to scratch but I am confident he made the right decision in the interest of his puppies. If you want to decipher the race results yourself, go to http://www.beargrease.com/mushers-results.php

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 8:15pm Central Standard Time
Temperature: 12 degrees F (-11 C)
Conditions: Cloudy
Forecast: Cloudy tonight and tomorrow. Highs in the 20s, lows around zero.

To aim at the best and remain essentially
ourselves is one and the same thing
- Fortune cookie I received the weekend before Beargrease

Above picture is of my team last Monday during the 2010 Beargrease 150. It was taken on the infamous third (and final) leg of the race between Finland and Tofte. “We’re on a bridge, huskies!”

I am happy to report that we had an absolute BLAST running the race and that, once again, all eight of the dogs on my team finished the race in fine form. I love this team. These dogs are so much fun to run with and it was great to see them learning as we went along the trail. Inga and Fiona were great, solid leaders, as they were in 2009 and Hjordis impresses me to no end. I also learned that Violet (Susan’s sister and Inga’s daughter, in case you don’t remember) is a natural in lead. Little Violet ran up in lead with Fiona for a good portion of the last leg of the race.

Since I was running a “puppy team” I was not competing as such but I wanted to improve my time over last year and to beat Dave Lundberg. Dave was one of my handlers in the Beargrease 150 last year but this time he was a fellow competitor. I am happy to report that my time improved but must also admit that Dave beat me - by 10 minutes (and I feel the need to point out that he was about half an hour ahead of me leaving the Finland checkpoint, so we were gaining. Sorry Dave, couldn’t resist putting that in there).

We had a gorgeous full moon to run by and temperatures were not as terribly cold as last year. I think I liked the race a lot more this year (and I loved it last year). However the hills between Finland and Tofte have not gotten any smaller or less steep!

I will write more on the Beargrease in the next few days but I want to end this particular entry by thanking my awesome handler team this year. You guys rock! Thank you for helping make this race a great experience for both me and the dogs.

From left to right: Erin, Kris, me and Don (and thanks Sarah for taking the picture!). This was taken in Tofte just after I finished and we had gotten the dogs settled. Yes, we are standing against my sled!

THANK YOU!

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 7:02am Central Standard Time
Temperature: Minus 18 degrees F (-28 C)
Conditions: Clear, cold
Forecast: Partly cloudy today and tomorrow. Highs in the teens, lows in the negative teens
Above: Susan in my room (aka “The Vortex”) checking out the Beargrease website. Unfortunately Susie will be sitting out this year’s race due to a sore shoulder. That really bums me out but I still have a good team:

Inga  Fiona
Lily   Violet
Bonnie    Rose
Hjordis  Chime

Follow the race online at:

http://www.beargrease.com/

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 7:07am Central Standard Time
Temperature: Minus 20 degrees F
Conditions: Clear, cold, windy
Forecast: Mostly cloudy today and tomorrow. Highs in the single digits to teens, lows around minus 20

Sarah Lynch from Tofte has been helping us out recently and she took these pictures the other day when she and I went on a trail-breaking run. Obviously, we had a dump of fresh snow, which is a good thing for the Beargrease. It was a tiring run and didn’t go as planned - we came upon a tree which was just the right height and length that we couldn’t go over it, under it or around it. Sarah and I tried to push the tree out of the way, but had no luck. Then my team pulled the hook and Inga and Fiona tried to go under the tree. But alls well that ends well and we managed to get both teams turned around. Above picture is just as I was getting my team straightened out after turning around and was making sure the lines weren’t tangled. Inga and Fiona are in lead.

Sarah’s team (with mine further ahead down the trail). Check out all the fresh snow!

My team further into the run (with Sarah now ahead of us). Check out that Susan is now in lead!

Thanks Sarah for these great pictures!

Stay tuned for more Beargrease info!

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 7:58pm Central Standard Time
Temperature: 32 degrees F (0 C)
Conditions: Driving snow, wind
Forecast: Snow/wintery mix tonight and snow tomorrow. Up to 7 inches of snow possible.  Highs in the 30s, lows in the teens.

Above is my 10-dog crew training earlier today on one of our favorite trails. The area we are going through is unusually open and hilly and usually has excellent views of the surrounding areas. However today it was FOGGY (which later turned to rain and ice and finally to snow this evening).

Today’s team was:

Capri   Susan
Inga    Lily
Mattie    Rose
Violet    Bonnie
Chime    Hjordis

I am so pleased with my team. They are awesome! Add Fiona and Remi to the group and there are 12 dogs that I’ve been running who are potentials for my Beargrease 150 team.

BONNIE (left) and VIOLET (right)
Two of the flower girls. Daughters of Inga and Scout, both are little powerhouses. Bonnie is actually Bluebonnet and has a mischevious streak, as do all the flowers. Violet is a real sweetie and grabbed my attention last year when we were running them as yearlings.

INGA (left) and LILY (right)
Inga ran lead for me most of the year last year. She is retired from the main race team but still runs extremely well on the yearling and two-year-old race teams. She shone in lead on my 2009 Beargrease 150 team. Inga ran on Blake’s team in the 2005 Yukon Quest. Lily is one of Inga’s daughters from the flower litter. She is the smallest flower but more than makes up for it. I’ve been calling her Silly Lily and she often literally bounds up and tries to leap into my arms.

HJORDIS (left) and CHIME (right)
Hjordis is a three-year-old who was a superstar on my two-year-old team last year. She ran both the 2009 Beargrease 150 and Wolftrack 60. At the end of the Beargrease 150, all of my dogs settled down to rest except for Hjordis who stood and bounced around as if to say why are we stopping? Chime is the daughter of Bodo and Trouble and looks just like her father. Like most Bodo babies, she is a wonderfully strong, steady puller and and equally strong attitude. When she has something to say, she says it and she says it loudly.

SUSAN (left) and CAPRI (right)
We all know who Susie is! MY little brat from Inga and Scout’s flower litter. She is an awesome little dog and my head is about fifty sizes too big over her. I am sooo proud and have to brag. I’ve had Susan up in lead a good bit this season and she has never balked. Today she ran lead the whole way. Capri is an experienced leader who lead Jen’s team most of the way in the 2008 Iditarod. She is a lot of fun and I have much enjoyed having her up front in my team this year.

MATILDA “Mattie” (left) and ROSE (right)
Mattie is the daughter of Fiona and very much resembles her older sister Avery who ran with me in my races last year. She fits in well with the flowers and runs brilliantly. Rose is another of Inga’s flower children and, like the rest of the litter, she is a fantastic little wonderdog.

Not pictured are FIONA and REMI. Fiona was my other main leader last year who ran the Beargrease 150 and Wolftrack 60 in 2009. She was also on Blake’s 2005 Yukon Quest team. Like Inga, she is retired from the main race teams. Remi is an Alaskan husky who was also on Jen’s 2008 Iditarod team.

Now I just have to decide which eight of these twelve dogs will run Beargrease 150 with me next weekend (oh wow, vet check and musher meeting is a week from today. The race itself is a week from tomorrow! How the heck did that happen?). I can’t think of any reason to leave anybody off, really.

Stay tuned for more updates and info on how to follow the Beargrease!

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 7:46pm Central Standard Time
Temperature: 28 degrees F (minus 2 C)
Conditions: Mostly clear, slight breeze
Forecast: Mostly cloudy tonight and tomorrow. Highs in the 30s, lows in the teens

The above picture is from a 40-mile run I did today. The team is, from front to back

Telly   Fiona
Violet   Susan
Bonnie     Hjordis
Mothra   Chime
Kyat     Elina

It’s been very warm. By warm, I mean it was 34 degrees ABOVE zero the other day. This is January too, not March or April. It’s not supposed to be this warm this time of year. To give you (esp. those of you in Georgia) an idea of how warm 30 degrees ABOVE feels after 30 degrees BELOW zero…It’s like going from 30 above to 90 above. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Or, just check out the photos below. 34 degrees and I was entirely comfortable dressed like that.

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 7:35am Central Standard Time
Temperature: 10 degrees F (minus 12 C)
Conditions: Partly cloudy, cool
Forecast: Partly cloudy today and tomorrow. Highs in the teens, lows in the single digits to negatvie single digits.

This is an old post I wrote but somehow never published. I decided to ressurect it after spending the weekend fighting the generator (constantly reminded of the “furnace fighting” in A Christmas Story) while Phil and Blake were racing the White Oak (more on this later).

Anyway, here is the old post:

Here at MCK we are “off the grid.” I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before but I haven’t taken the time to explain exactly what it is we mean when we say we are “off the grid.”

We mean that there are no power lines out this far. We don’t bring in the electricity that is so easy to take for granted elsewhere. Any electricity used at the kennel is generated right here. There are four solar panels out in a small clearing just down from the cabin. During the Winter we must brush any fresh snow off of them so that they will make use of the daylight hours, which become shorter and shorter.

There is also a windmill out in the yard. We are relatively high up at the kennel (especially for Minnesota) and it is often windy. It might be cold but when the wind is at its strongest we always have the thought of “we’re generating some good power today.”

And finally there is a generator, which we run in the morning and evening - especially during the Winter months. This is always interesting.

All of the power generated by the solar panels, windmill and generator goes into a battery bank in the basement and all of our electrical appliances pull their power from these batteries. We are always checking the readings by the battery bank to see how much power we have and how much is being used.

Coffee makers, hairdryers, microwaves, etc. One doesn’t usually give much thought to how much power they use…but we can’t use them here because they pull a LOT of power! And if you pull too much power…well, it’s not a good thing. For this reason, there has to be someone at the kennel every day (not to mention the 80 dogs in the yard that need care every day).

It’s a different world once you start looking at lights, camera chargers and computers in terms of how much power it will take to use them. And you start to realize just how much power you use and just how much you take for granted in the “on-grid” world.

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 5:15pm Central Standard Time
Temperature: 2 degrees F (minus 16 C)
Conditions: Clear
Forecast: Cloudy tonight and tomorrow with chance of snow showers. Lows in the negative teens, highs in the single digits.

Above picture is Phil heading out with a team this morning, training for the White Oak Classic Sled Dog Race this weekend. Jazz and Banjo are running wheel in his 12-dog team.

I’ll write more soon about my own training but I just wanted to fill everyone in on MCK’s first race of the Season. Check it out on http://www.whiteoakclassicsleddograce.com/ Blake and Phil are both entered in the 10-dog, 130-mile class. I will not be going to the race this year but will stay and help with the kennel. Kennel work doesn’t stop when some of the dogs and mushers are racing.

We’ve been getting the dog trailer ready, sleds, harnesses, lines, etc. together and, of course, going on runs.

Entrants In The 2010 White Oak Classic from: http://whiteoakclassicsleddograce.com/pages/mushers.html

10 Dog Pro Class

8-Dog Pro

6-Dog Trophy

6-Dog Recreational

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Location: Finland, MN
Time - 9:34am Central Standard Time
Temperature: -26 degrees F (-32 C)
Conditions: Clear, cold
Forecast: Partly cloudy today, sunny tomorrow. Lows in the minus 20s, highs in the negative single digits

Back in Minnesota again! As you can see from the above picture something crazy has happened at MCK. Last year we had a plastic, three-inch-tall tree. This year, while I was down in Georgia, Kim took it upon herself to go get a real tree.

And we have snow. LOTs of snow.

The moon was full on New Year’s Eve so we took a moonlit run. Headlamps were not needed as it was bright and the snow sparkled in the moonlight. Running on a bright night is running in a completely different world.

Yesterday I took the same team out on another run (during the day, except for the last few miles). The team is probably most of the dogs I will take on the Beargrease 150 this year. They are doing so well and it’s a lot of fun to run them. I am SO happy to be on sleds once again.

The team was as follows:

Inga    Fiona
Rose     Susan
Lily     Violet
Mattie    Bonnie

Inga and Fiona, of course, were my main leaders last year. Susan, Rose, Violet, Bonnie and Lilly are Inga’s puppies and Mattie is Fiona’s pup.

It was -27 in the dogyard this morning. Looks like it’s going to be another great day!

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