2015

The Galena Checkpoint: 24 Mandatory Layover

Sarah · March 13, 2015 ·

Baby it’s cold outside!

In the Iditarod Checkpoint of Galena right now is boasting a balmy temperature of -18 but with windchill and humidity it feels more like -29. He’s approximately 400 miles into the race with about another 550 miles to go. The team, should begin to start settling into a smooth run-rest routine and, if things go as planned, Travis will stay in the top 20.

His goal for this year is a strong top 20 finish, and, if possible, to get the “most improved” award. He wants to keep his expectations realistic, which is a good team. They are a strong group of dogs but three out of the mainteam had to sit this one out, getting replaced by two pups and an old timer. Still it’s one heck of a dog team!

So what is going on during this 24 hour layover? The first thing is taking care of the dogs. During the 24 hour layover, it’s important that the musher gets about 3-4 good meals into their teams. The cold temperatures here mean LOTS of fat. And fortunately for us, we packed for a cold race.

Travis and the dogs can choose from: Beef Fat, Pork Fat, Chicken Skins, and Chicken Fat. Fat provides a good one-two punch when it comes to staying warm and providing energy for the dogs. He also has plenty of Beef, which in itself is nice and fatty, and Fish, which will help the dogs maintain their hydration. Dogs, believe it or not, get a lot of the liquid they need from what they eat — and fish are a very “wet” meal. Hydration in these cold temperatures can be difficult to maintain but is crucial for success.

After the dogs eat, Travis will move into a routine of working and rubbing down the team. Massaging their legs, feet, shoulders and, of course, playing with them. After running for three days, it’s important that the dogs not sit for too long so many mushers use this time as a chance to take dogs on short walks, keeping a close eye on gaits and attitude. With an 82 mile run up ahead, Travis does not want to risk taking a dog that can’t make the trip and having to carry it.

For Travis, the Galena Checkpoint is also welcome break. It will be the first real sleep he has gotten in several days. All those short rests he’s taken on the trail haven’t proven to be quite long enough for him to get some decent shut eye so he should be catching quite a few Z’s here.

He’ll leave Galena with the most sleep he will get until he arrives in Nome.

So far, he’s broken up a lot of the longer runs so it will be interesting to see what he does for the run to HUSLIA which is 82 miles long. Although he will be coming off a long rest, the extremely cold temperatures (I’ve heard as low as -40!) can make the snow very gritty and greatly reduce traveling speed.

Fewer checkpoints this year does provide one difficulty for mushers and their dogs: only one bale of straw is provided at each checkpoint. Travis, and all the other mushers who choose to 24 in Galena, will have almost certainly have used his full bale in keeping the dogs warm in these cold temperatures. When he travels the 82 miles to Huslia, Travis then will be faced with a tough question if he does, in fact, want to break the run up. Does he camp the dogs at -30 without straw? Without extra straw to take for the run, mushers will have to cut spruce bows and lay them down for the team. It’s a good alternative to straw but ultimately means a lot more work for the musher and slightly less insulation for the dogs. Unfortunately, he’s probably had to do this several times as the runs during the first half of Iditarod 2015 have been so incredibly long.

Travis will depart for Huslia tonight around 4pm when the start differential is calculated and, unfortunately for him, that means the temperature will continue to plummet. I wouldn’t be surprised if he stopped and camped along the route to HUSLIA but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he ran straight through. Both strategies make sense, depending on how the team looks.

Fortunately, today and tomorrow should be the last of the cold front with temperatures expected to warm up on Sunday.

Travis Beals Leaves the Ruby Checkpoint

Sarah · March 12, 2015 ·

Travis checked out of Ruby at 8:12 this morning with 14 dogs in 21st place. He’s currently at race mile 364, with about 40 miles left to run into GALENA.

He’s traveling, once again, with Ray. Both he and Ray, it seems have a similar schedule in mind: be conservative, lurk just behind the front, then slowly pick off teams towards the second half of the race. It’s been the strategy that has propelled Dallas to the front so many times and it looks like, so far, so good.
Aaron Burmeister, who is currently leading the race, is resting between the checkpoints of GALENA and HUSLIA at race mile 426. Behind him is Dallas Seavey at race mile 419. A whole bunch of other mushers are in Galena or just leaving. Galena is at mile 404.

Several mushers will 24 in GALENA or, if they haven’t, take their 8 hour layover here. While Travis could certainly take a 24 hour layover I EXPECT to see him rest for about 4 hours before trying to make the 82 mile to run to HUSLIA.

There will be some leap frogging here as people stop and declare their 24 or their 8 and I expect Travis will jump up in the standings after leaving Galena.

Thank You Peking In Seward for Your Support

Sarah · February 11, 2015 ·

Peking in Seward is another local’s favorite here in town and one where we have spent many birthdays. When we go to Peking, we almost always get Mongolian Beef and Fried Rice — these have become our staples at our local Chinese restaurant and they really can’t be beat.

Peking in Seward generously donated their Mongolian Beef to our Iditarod Drop Bags — Peking in Seward generously donated their Mongolian Beef and Fried Rice to our 2015 Iditarod Drop Bags

Peking is always a fun place to go and the hospitality of owners Mimi and John never goes unnoticed. They are always quick to ask how our training is going and are very supportive of our local community.

peking-in-seward-mongolian-beef — Peking in Seward generously donated their Mongolian Beef and Fried Rice to our 2015 Iditarod Drop Bags

If you come to Seward, make sure to check out their appetizer special or their Mongolian Beef.

Thank you Peking for helping us with our 2015 Iditarod Food Drops!

Thanks to The Moon Muse for Yummy Trail Treats!

Sarah · February 10, 2015 ·

Not everyone has talented friends who make the best baked goods in Alaska, but we do — and we certainly feel pretty lucky. Monica Chase lives in Seward, Alaska and we have the distinct pleasure of getting to frequently try the excellent cakes, caramels, and other creative concoctions she cooks up. You can try them too, by ordering some of her mouthwatering caramels — trust us, they really are the best. Her business, The Moon Muse, specializes in custom cakes and caramels. Planning a special event? She can bake a cake and make it look like anything you want. She is incredibly creative in the kitchen and all her creations are absolutely mouthwatering.

This year, despite having a broken wrist, she has managed to cook us up some incredible Seven Layer Bars, Smores Bars, and Lemon Bars. We can’t believe how fortunate we are! In 2013, Monica was kind enough to cook up some of her Seven Layer Bars for Travis but only a few actually made it to the trail.

“They’re too good!” Travis would say sheepishly whenever I told him to save them. “I can’t help myself!”

And you really can’t! Monica really has perfected the art of baking.

Seven Layer Bars by the Moon Muse. www.themoonmuse.com — Seven Layer Bars by the Moon Muse.
www.themoonmuse.com

Dog Of The Week: Wrangler

Sarah · February 10, 2015 ·

There aren’t many dogs out there who eat and eat and eat some more. We’ve started getting a reputation for those sorts of dogs — dogs who are essentially bottomless pits. I jokingly tell Travis that, “Ya, they take after me” because I’m pretty sure I have one of the fastest metabolisms ever.

These are dogs like Wrangler. Dogs who see food and go absolutely nuts. In the world of long distance dog sled racing, having a good reputation for eating habits can’t really be topped. Good eating habits equates to more fuel in the furnace so the dogs can keep on running. “Attitude and Appetite,” Lance Mackey is famous for saying about the traits he looks for in his breeding program. Being a big Mackey fan, Travis has followed suit.

Wrangler, in our eyes, is the next big “it” dog in the world of mushing. In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about the breeding the best of the best. Zorro, is a famous Lance Mackey dog that hundreds of sled dogs now trace their lineage into. Solomon is another. But we think Wrangler may have them both topped — and he’s still pretty young. He was born in May of 2012 and ever since has played a big part in our kennel and made an even bigger impression on our hearts. He captured the eye of Albert Lewis when he came to our kennel looking for Iditarod Athletes for his book Born To Run: Athletes of the Iditarod. Wrangler and his siblings, Carhartt and Levi were only weeks old at the time. Now, they grace the inside cover of the book!

Wrangler helps us give the best dog sled tours in Alaska — Wrangler resting inside with Travis.

As a sled dog, Wrangler is the complete package: he is a big eager and hard-driving. He has endless energy and enthusiasm. Most importantly, he loves running in lead.

After an 85 mile run recently, Travis told me “watch this.” Every other dog in the team had been put away, but there was Wrangler, standing in lead holding the line out. As Travis approached Wrangler, his tail began to wag.

I thought that Travis was simply showing me how tight Wrangler kept the line. It looked like if you had the acrobatics and training, you could have walked across it — he kept it that tight.

“Ready, Wrangler?” He said.

Wrangler, sitting at the front of the team immediately began jumping and barking — to the point where he nearly popped a snowhook.

“Good job, Buddy” Travis told him and got more tail wags in return. He kept jumping and barking.

This isn’t something I’ve just seen once. In the following weeks, it’s become a habit. Wrangler will continue to bark and scream after every other dog in the team has been put away. It’s as if he is trying to tell Travis “don’t worry, Dad, no matter what happens to everyone else in the team, you still got me. We got this.”

Wrangler is a dog that Turns Heads. He is, generally speaking, the dog that everyone wants to take pictures of at races. At our summer dog sled tours everyone always asks “is he really a sled dog?” because he is big and brown instead of the traditional grey and white everyone thinks a husky should look like.

He is, perhaps, the friendliest dog in our yard. I can’t help but think he has a little popcorn in him as he is always jumping with excitement whether it is at races, over food, or just because he is so very happy because he is being loved on.

Wrangler is out of Fidget and Micah, who now runs in Scott Jansen‘s main team. We gave his brothers, Carhartt and Levi, to Nic Petit and they have been an integral part of Nic’s team, running in the 2014 Iditarod with him and are gearing up to be part of his 2015 team.

Wrangler, you are top dog and we are glad you are this week’s dog of the week!