Turning Heads Kennel

Alaska Dog Sledding Tours

Training Update

The Lovely Trail Work Adventure

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The weekend has, once again, kept us rather busy. Yesterday we went out to take a tree that had come down off the trail — it was supposed to be a half hour project at most but somehow we ended up out doing trail work for 5 or 6 hours. It was necessary. It needed to be done. It wasn’t exactly boring but… it definitely wasn’t what I had in mind. I was less that thrilled to be out there and, I’m quite sure, I made this clear to Travis several times. I was hungry. I hate being hungry. And anyone who knows me well can attest at just how lovely I can be when I am hungry.

Still, we got what we needed to get done, done (or at least mostly done.) We actually created one entirely new section of trail that we ended up running on today, which was exciting. It’s basically a shortcut to our main trail but it’s still nice because the dogs like to see new things. It will probably be better to run on in the winter than it is now, provided we get plenty of snow. As it is, there are a lot of rocks and we have to crawl through several sections so that the dogs can get good footing.

We also cut down limbs on our main trail and fixed areas that were lacking in dirt. On several sharp turns we had places were some of the dogs had the potential  of getting swung into small branches. This wasn’t really something we wanted to happen so we removed them just as a precaution. In more than one place, we may have gone slightly overboard but better to be overly cautious.

There were also several places where we hacked away at banks and added dirt. One section of the trail was particularly rutted because it’s essetially become a small creek. While this itself wouldn’t present a problem, the way it was rutted in particular made it difficult to drive the four-wheeler (for me, not Travis) so we fixed this section and made it Sarah-proof.

We also filled in one particullary deep hole on the trail so that dogs couldn’t fall in and get hurt. We were sitting looking at it trying to find a good solution (it was a mud hole, full of water, and at least knee deep if not more) when Travis came up with a brilliant solution: there was an old rotting log nearby and we took the rotted wood, broke it up into chunks and filled it in. It worked really really well.

Funny enough, the tree we set out to remove had, by the time we got out to it, had been taken care of by someone else who was probably looking for firewood. Sick of working, we embarked on an adventure up a trail that Travis couldn’t remember where it led to. We never did find out. The willows started growing in too thick and we kept getting hit as we tried to drive up the trail. We ended up turning back. I’m sure we will try to tackle it again soon.

Strangely, at the end of all this I felt rather unaccomplished. Although the changes were evident when we hit the trail today, it seemed to take longer than it should have (probably because I was working at a glacial pace.)

Today we took the dogs out on two long, back to back runs. We ran them this morning, came back to the house and let them eat and rest for awhile, and then we hit the trail again tonight. All-in-all we were really impressed with how the dogs did. It was there first real big test and they all passed with flying colors.

I wish there was something special to tell you about, something that jumped out in particular about the run itself, something exciting we saw or did, but the real exciting thing was just seeing how well the dogs performed and how excited they were even at the end of the second run. Even when we got back to the yard, the dogs were still barking and screaming because they wanted to go. You can’t ask for more.

Well, that’s all for now!

Fall Training Video Update

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Here’s a video to show off the team. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet mastered the art of recording so you’ll have to tilt your head to watch it. Travis shot this while out on a run. Loon and Hatchet are in lead.  We are hoping to get a gopro camera here soon so that we can take some stellar footage. Right now we are using my little Canon Power Shot point and shoot. It used to work really well but we went on a puppy walk this summer and I stupidly dropped it in the river…. Whoops!

Fall Training Update

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Running on dirt roads
Travis with the team

There is something soothing about the fall, the way the sun starts to trickle through the yellowing leaves. There’s something soothing too, about the routine of change that it brings: the tourists leave, children return to school, and, everything, even the Earth, seems to let out a great deep sigh. It’s over, it seems to say. It’s time to settle down. The heat slowly fades away and the dark returns and, sometime when you  aren’t looking for it, the mountain tops begin to get dusted with snow.  Most begin to prepare for the long hibernation that winter will bring, but not us.

The team
Weiser and Jack are in swing, followed by the rest of the team.

We shake off the heat and welcome the cold that has begun to linger in the morning air. We look forward to days when our windshields are frosted and we have to blow on our fingers to keep them warm as we run out to the car. We are dog mushers and, with the cold, we welcome back a way of life we’ve had to let go of over the summer.

Fall training starts well before the heat leaves, but it never truly begins until the first cool morning when the cold catches your breath so that you can see it when you exhale.

Hill training...
Heading up a pretty steep hill, you can see the steam coming up off the team.

This is the start of my favorite time of year. The beginning. For most, it comes later when the snow is on the ground and we are running on sleds but, I like it all. The fall brings a raw excitement to the dogs and to us: there are so many possibilities that are always present at the start of something new and it’s exciting to discover them.

To be perfectly honest, we do not know what this season will bring. So far, we’ve seen nothing but changes, both big and small. I’ve become a part of Turning Heads Kennel in a way that seems as if I was never not a part of it. Our routine here seems so familiar, so inherited.  We’ve seen many dogs come, perhaps too many, because in a few short months our kennel has grown to about thirty dogs and we’ve seen a few good dogs go too, who we’ve entrusted to friends for the season and who we will lovingly welcome back in the spring.

The team heading out to the Old Iditarod Trail in Seward

But so far, our days have been peaceful. The teams look good when we run them: they are always eager to go and do every thing we ask of them. We run them through rivers where they have to swim, up hills where they have to pull extremely hard, we make them pass side long and then head-to-head and all the while they simply never stop going. Their feet don’t tire, their heads never hang low — they are always ready, always wanting more.

Sled dogs are amazing animals. All they do, all they want to do, is run. And here it shows. In the morning they sing to us, wanting to run and in the evening they sing to us, joyous, after they’ve run.  And while they are running they smile. And if we stop running for a moment they’re anxious and eager and pulling and trying to run again.

Curly: I AM AN ALIGATOR
Curly really wants to get going!

When we finish, there are plenty of wagging tails. Everyone is let loose, one at a time, and we watch as they go back to their house, some go fast, anxious to get home and to get fed, others meander casually about, stopping to sniff and say hello to their neighbors. But they all get there, each in his own time, each ready to settle down. That is, until their evening meal is brought out. It’s devoured before it’s ever entirely in their dish — their heads get wet from plunging in so furiously.

At night, The dog yard smells of sweat and fish and, overhead, now that the summer has faded onward the stars have come out again and we are reminded once again that the days are not endless. Winter is still a long ways off but, in these moments under the electric lights of the dog yard, our breath and the dogs breath steaming out we can begin to feel its fingers wrapping around us. It will be upon us soon enough.

Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?
Naboo. One of our our new dogs. Extremely friendly.

So far this fall, Travis and I have stayed busy. He’s has been travelling again for work, but we managed to make it up to Willow recently for the Sled Dog Symposium and to see old friends. We spent the evening at Dallas Seavey’s house, drinking beers, feeding dogs, talking about dogs, and making mac and cheese. In the morning, we ran dogs with him and helped get him going on his fall training. It was a good time. After, we shot targets before heading to visit with Team Ollie, whom I used to work for when I lived in Massachusetts and who recently moved up here. We got to see the house they are building, visit with my old dogs and old friends.

This little girl is fast!
Bayou. Another one of our new dogs. She has a nice fast trot.

Then, we went to our friend and fellow musher, Wade Marr’s house to pick-up some of our dogs – Zema, Madori, Guiness and Mary. They spent the summer with him in Skagway and they finally came home. We got to run them up in Knik, where Wade lives and ended up coming home with two other dogs: Naboo and Bayou. All-in-all, it was a busy day but we enjoyed running dogs on other trails with other people

Bud (back). Loon (front)
Bud and Loon.

Well, that’s all for now. I will try to post more. My goal is to try to find time to post once a week. It’s been hard between work and running dogs and all the normal chores we have to take care of. Hopefully, we’ll find our groove and get to posting more.

Fall Training Has Begun

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Travis and I started fall training today by running two dog teams. The first run, we went five miles. We left the yard with Hope and Rally in lead and were off. It was good to get back on the four wheeler to train. I’d gone out two or three times prior to this, but inconsistently due to mechanical errors (flat tire, replacing parts, etc.) but now we have the four wheeler back (and Travis!) and are good to go.

The start of the season is always hard. You don’t go fast. The dogs look out of shape. They haven’t found any semblance of a rhythm and are just sort of moving.  But, hey, that’s something. Isn’t it? And these dogs look amazing. To say we’re excited about this season is an understatement.

We ran down to the river only to find it was completely flooded. Still, we gave it our best. We aren’t exactly the quitting type. Poor Hope was trying to swim not run, swim, upstream to get us to the trailhead. If she could have done it, she would have. We ended up giving her a “gee” command to turn her off course and follow down river because it was clear the current was just too strong. The whole team got sopping wet, including Travis. He’d gone into the river to try and lead them across and sunk up to his waist before we decided to take them a different way. Still, the dogs seemed a little disappointed that we’d been defeated. But it didn’t last long. We let the wet dogs stand for only a few minutes before they were back barking like mad, trying to get us going.

We’ll give it a day or two to quit raining before we try crossing the river again. Still, it was an impressive battle. Next time, once the river calms down, we’ll try and bring a camera. (Which may be a struggle because we haven’t got a functioning one at the moment). We’ve got some pretty intense lead dogs and would like to show you. After that, we ran through the sub-division. The dirt roads are good on their feet and there are enough puddles to keep them cool.

After five miles, we took the first team home, hand a quick drink of cocoa, then hooked up the second team. This time, with Jane and Hatchet in lead. We went four miles with these guys making loops around the neighborhood. Travis was impressive with Jane… when he left this summer she wasn’t a lead dog. I hooked her up front a couple times because I see some real potential — good attitude, great appetite.

We also hooked up Moe. This was only his second run and he blended right in with the team. That is, until we shut the lights off on the fourwheeler. Then he balked on his line and seemed to be seeing “Oh my god! I can’t see! What’s going on!” We turn the lights on and he’d start pulling again, we turn the lights off, and he’d get unsure of himself. Eventually, he seemed to learn that running in the dark wasn’t going to kill him.

Well, it was a good first run and a great way to open up the season. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and getting to take the teams out again!

 

 

 

Rookie Mistakes

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Siphoning thawed fish guts from the freezerIt all started because the freezer somehow got unplugged and everything in it rotted. It ended with a tube of toothpaste, some hilarious facial expressions, and a 50 gallon drum filled part way with fish guts. There was one thing we knew we had to work on during our time off: the freezer. The dog lot needed attention but the dog food freezer had started leaking and the smell was anything but pleasant.

We ventured over to the freezer after hemming and hawing about it all day. “I really don’t think we want to deal with this,” was the general consensus but what we wanted to do and what we needed to do were two completely different things. In the end, we wandered over to the freezer and cautiously pulled open the lid.

Instant gagging.

The freezer itself was filled with bloody water right up to the brim. The only exposed contents were part of a Red Paw dog food bag which had more fish in it. We sat and stared at it. How the heck were we going to deal with this? The freezer had been unplugged for a week a week and was full of nasty bloody fish water, not to mention rotting fish.

What to do, what to do. We couldn’t very well lift the freezer. It was far too heavy and, despite being unplugged for quite some time, the contents (fish) were still a completely solid block of ice. There was no getting that thing out. We sat around for awhile before we had the brilliant (or was it?) idea of siphoning the drained water out.

The only problem was this was definitely not water. A reddish brown color, the liquid stunk of decaying fish and rotting seaweed. It smelt like something a dog would roll in, not something it was supposed to eat. Still, the job needed to get done.

Travis was the less than enthusiastic “volunteer” for the job. We found a short stretch of hose and he got it going, getting some of the putrid water in his mouth. He started gagging and nearly vomited. I ran inside for the toothpaste and he promptly emptied half of the tube into his mouth.

That was when we realized that the siphoning had stopped. The fish guts had stopped draining. Travis looked like he was going to kill someone. But he sucked it up (quite literally) and got the thing going again. We were careful about how we held the hoses as the water got drained into an empty 55 gallon drum.

I sat there gagging at the smell trying to hold the tubes in place when we realized the hose had stopped. Susie then came on by and, on her very first try, got the whole thing going again. Then she nearly lost her lunch.

 

By the time we had drained the water we had exposed several dead fish at the bottom of the freezer — enough to turn anyone’s stomach. But we just took it all in stride. After we were done, we loaded the barrel in the truck and dumped the water out on the edge of town away from any people.

We’ve plugged the freezer back in. Hopefully, we can fill it up with a few new fish for the winter.