tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8185194311023498882023-11-16T08:00:52.821-08:00Gwenn's Mush PuppiesFollow me with up-to-date training/race notes, photos and race results on the journey towards qualifying for and competing in the Iditarod 2015.
Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-48433288195161984612014-04-13T08:15:00.001-07:002014-04-13T08:41:02.993-07:00The Copper Basin 300 continued<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">The Copper Basin 300</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">continued from previous post.....</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"> </span>When <i>The Hump </i>was in the rearview mirror, so to speak, I felt anxious to get to the next checkpoint. It was approximately 10 - 15 miles to Meiers Lake and I knew I had to talk to myself in order to cool my jets as there is just no fast way to get there. I was feeling incredibly inpatient and antsy.</div>
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Soon, we were traveling along the Alaskan Pipeline. I marveled at the sight of it. I imagined all the men, so many years ago, who toiled day and night, clearing the wild land and to fabricate such a massive project. At first it was nice to be on the broad white band of trail. But, it wasn't long when the flat trail turned into big steep rolling hills. Over and over again we would rise to the top of a hill only to see another and another. It was demoralizing. The dogs picked up on my mood and my leaders, Learjet and Banjo decided to stop mid hill, look around at me, throw back their heads and howl. </div>
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Banjo</div>
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This was not good, but I could not help but chuckle. I felt the same way. I wanted to howl as well, as I was feeling the same way. Just like the dogs, I had had enough of this wicked roller coaster for one day. But, this attitude was getting us nowhere fast. It took more time than usual to reach the checkpoint as my dear leaders stopped and howled on every single hill we had to climb from that point forward. When the team does this it is not good. As a musher you have to be able to read the dogs and figure out, are they just pulling one over on me or are they really finding difficulty going on. When this happens, the musher has to get off the runners and push the sled and run along still keeping a hand on the handlebar to the top of the hill. When you are dressed in many layers of arctic gear, running is not a good thing. Sweat is a major factor. When you no longer have to push the sled, the sweat cools and pulling the heat from your body. As I cooled down a chill set in. I had to move to stay warm but this activity was expending precious energy I needed just to endure the distance.</div>
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Getting to the checkpoint just seemed to take forever and it was dark again by the time I finally arrived. Dave and Patrick greeted me and helped park the team.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Gwenn Bogart and Patrick Mackey training in </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Willow, Alaska just prior to The Copper Basin 300.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Once the team was feed and bedded down for a good rest, I went inside the lodge to dry out and get something to eat. Since I had not been able to rest at the Chistochina checkpoint and had an only a couple of hours of rest on the 70 mile run, I was tired. Food and rest were in order. After eating a wonderful burger, I spread out my sleeping bag to get some well deserved rest. As with many checkpoints, Meiers Lake Lodge was noisy. The bar folks were happy and getting happier by the minute and there was no getting away from them. I lay on the floor in my sleeping bag and was grateful just to be resting even if the noise kept we awake. At least I was horizontal for a little while.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> There is more to the story....stay tuned for more posts....</span></div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-11577454629609639832014-04-02T08:22:00.000-07:002014-04-02T08:22:28.549-07:00The Copper Basin 300 ~ Alaska's Toughest 300 Mile Dog Sled Race<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b> The Copper Basin 300 </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b> Alaska's Toughest 300 Mile Dog Sled Race</b></span></div>
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Gwenn during the first leg of The Copper Basin</div>
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with her team of 12 Alaskan Huskies. A deep, punchy trail made </div>
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the first 50 miles hard going.</div>
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The Copper Basin was my first 300 mile dog sled race and it was a huge learning experience for sure ! The previous winter, my goal to complete my two 300 mile races evaporated because for various reasons I ended up between kennels and missed some racing opportunities. I needed 750 qualifying miles. I got 200 miles with Jim Lanier's Northern Whites and gained valuable insights. </div>
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The Copper, as it is fondly referred to, has a reputation of being a very tough race. Many Iditarod mushers said, when they asked me what races I had entered, if you can complete The Copper, then you can do the Iditarod. Over and over, I heard these words. I wondered what was in store for me ! </div>
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My team of 12 dogs was ready. Training had gone well for the month prior and I knew we were as ready as we could be. Unfortunately, my main leader, Doc, had to stay home because of a mild shoulder injury. We would miss him, but I felt the team was still strong with some additional good leaders to call on when needed. Zema and Learjet would be my main leaders. Picsus and Banjo ran in swing and could be put into lead if needed. Rex and Osprey would be in wheel. Team dogs were Saint and Charlie, Colt and Cancun, Mac and Blackfoot. </div>
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The race start is held in Glennallen, Alaska. Glennallen is known for some of the states most extreme cold weather, which is one of the elements that gives The Copper it's reputation. The weather forecast for the race was showing moderate temperatures that would hold during the whole race, for which I was grateful. </div>
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My husband, David Bogart, offered to be my dog handler and I will tell you he was the BEST handler a musher could have. He was there at every checkpoint to catch my leaders with his happy face and the most encouraging comments. After being alone all through the long hours as day blended into night and night blended into day, it makes such a difference to have someone there who can give you some heartfelt words of encouragement. Patrick Mackey was always there to giving morsels of golden advice for the trial ahead and saying the team looked awesome. Amen, brothah !</div>
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Gwenn and Dave at The Copper getting ready</div>
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for the start. </div>
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The start of any sled dog race is crazy. The energy in the air from lots of ragged nerves, canine and human, makes it difficult to stay calm. The dogs really need calm from their musher to help them hold <i>it</i> together. Knowing this, I found my demeanor change. The effort made on my part to remain calm not only worked well for the dogs but was great for me. Suddenly, there I was at the starting line and I felt calm and ready for the job at hand. Intellectually, I knew things would happen to us on the trail and I could handle it. I always had up to this point during training. This would be no different. Jason Mackey, who owns my team and was also running his Iditarod team, had given me lots of encouragement and his training preparation for me, I knew, was the best it could be. We were ready.</div>
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The trail of the first leg was punchy. The dogs struggled as the going was deep and it took a lot out of them. I could see it was going to take longer to reach the first checkpoint at Chistochina than originally planned. Our starting position was near the end of the pack but there were still fast teams behind me. I was looking over my shoulder a lot to see faster teams coming up and needing to pass. At one point as I tried to pull over to let yet another team by, my sled got off the packed trail and ended up in the deep snow. The dogs floundered around, straining to get some sort of solid foot hold as I did too. I remember Jim Lanier coming along and upon recognizing me, butt up and head down, in the deep snow, he asked<i> do you need help? </i>All I could do is laugh at myself and the situation and he gave a chuckle too. We got out, but lots of time had been wasted. </div>
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Zema (left) and Learjet lead the team during</div>
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The Copper Basin 300</div>
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The team was ready for a break when we pulled into the Chistochina checkpoint as I did too. I set about my checkpoint routine while the vets checked my dogs. Saint had pulled a pectoral muscle and needed to be dropped. The cabin at the checkpoint was a busy place with many people passing through and many loud conversations going on. Not a good place to get some shut eye. I had not hit the level of fatigue that would allow me to just pass out. </div>
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The second leg of the race was 70 miles long. I heard the trail was hard and fast which was good news after having traveled 50 miles of soft stuff. Stories of the hump, a benign term for a mountain we had to climb, had been circulating as well as stories of the water crossing. The water crossing did not worry me much as we had been through lots of water training and the dogs handled it in training just great. But this water crossing was epic. At the mushers meeting the night before the start, we had been told there was open water but not to worry as it was just inches deep. By the time I got there, the water had risen. The ice shelf was more than a foot thick. Upon our approach my team acted as if they were going to plunge right in but when the leaders saw the water moving they did a very fast exit stage left move. As quickly as possible, I set the ice hook and ran up to pull the leaders into the water but in order to do that I had to release the hook. Back to the hook I went, released it and ran back to the leaders, who in a moment had knitted a complicated snarl into and through the lines of rest of the team. I knew there was no pretty way to get across so I just grabbed onto a line and pulled with all my might. </div>
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The water was much deeper than the inches we had been told. It was up to my thighs and the dogs tried to swim. Because they were all in such a tangle, they could not swim. They thrashed and their panic was palpable. I have to admit, I had some panic very close under my skin about to come out. I pulled like I had never pulled before. I knew I had to get this crossing done fast, our lives depended upon it. The sled floated like a cork and swung downstream as the current caught it. UGH !</div>
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The exiting ice shelf was slippery as slippery can get. I made it up and over by literally clinging with my fingernails onto the surface sheen, belly crawl. Once I got my feet planted I could pull and haul the dogs and sled up over the ice shelf. The dogs were as relieved as I was at getting up on the other side. I could see it in their faces. The dogs were soaked. I was not as I had been wearing a wader of sorts that kept me dry. I was prepared, a god send indeed. The dogs needed my full attention immediately as the temperature was hovering near -10 below zero. As they stood shivering and shaking, I pulled off their booties and got them moving again as quickly as possible so they could warm up. Hypothermia was in the forefront of my mind.</div>
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We still had another 35-40 miles to travel to the next checkpoint, Meiers Lake, while the hump, somewhere out there, still loomed. From the stories, I knew it was something of a concern. The beauty of the trail that spread between the water crossing to the hump was spectacular. I was overjoyed to be traveling through this area in the daylight hours and am so happy that I was able to witness the grandeur of the landscape with my own eyes. So far off any road, this beauty would only be witnessed from dog team or snow machine, seen only by few.</div>
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The trail went through hemlock groves, over frozen swamps and lakes. I kept looking around at the peaks wondering if that was the hump only to experience the trail go by and was left to wonder in trepidation about the upcoming obstacle. My first view of the hump was spectacular. We came to a hilltop over looking a huge- broad expanse of land, a wide valley that looked like it went on forever. That was the moment when I got my first glimpse of <i>The Hump.</i> There, way up high, on the treeless summit, if I squinted my eyes just right, I could make out the tiny image of a team, making their way to the summit. </div>
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It was quite a climb from the floor of the valley to the summit but I have to say it was a surprise how well it went. The dogs did a great job and before we knew it we were on the other side, which was not a huge horrible descent, but an fairly easy ride. I could imagine this could be a horrible place, if traveling through a storm or dreadfully cold temperatures. I considered myself lucky, again.</div>
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There are other side bar stories I could tell now, but I think I will end this for now and write more later as this post is just getting way to loooonnnnggggg…… stay tuned for the rest of the story !</div>
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Thank you for reading and visiting my blog !!!</div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-26810711470295579052014-04-02T08:19:00.004-07:002014-04-02T08:19:58.148-07:00Winner of the Raffle for a Trip to Alaska for Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;"><i>We have a Winner</i> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">Carol Lincoln of East Dorset, Vermont</span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">Winner of the Alaska Trip for Two</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclBl2NAYVLobV-Pxa9-JjdeW9i-Uk78pp-aFNxs_q7Aq6-EQN-jsFNsZYTb33T_krC51oH4Yn1L75y7Rk55EUpmJVX1QrDhDvLH5n-t47T-4lTtgUAQ3YAg6SfVTuKcpdjwE_CY71QqU/s1600/1897854_10203499590349840_873943394_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclBl2NAYVLobV-Pxa9-JjdeW9i-Uk78pp-aFNxs_q7Aq6-EQN-jsFNsZYTb33T_krC51oH4Yn1L75y7Rk55EUpmJVX1QrDhDvLH5n-t47T-4lTtgUAQ3YAg6SfVTuKcpdjwE_CY71QqU/s1600/1897854_10203499590349840_873943394_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Carol says "Winner winner, chicken dinner"</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Congratulations !!</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> Good job Hannah Perkins for being the seller of the winning ticket.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;"> We could not be happier for Carol and her big win. She will be off to Alaska on June 30th. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7;">Thank you for everyone who purchased raffle tickets. I wish everyone could have won because you all deserve it. It will be a trip of a lifetime.</span></div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-9167277415112072442014-04-01T10:20:00.002-07:002014-04-01T10:20:30.182-07:00<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">Training and Racing</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"> Qualifying year for Iditarod 2015</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hello from Wasilla, Alaska ! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This year, I am training/racing a Mackey team. Yes, that’s right a Mackey team ! I have secured a fantastic team of 14 dogs from Jason Mackey and they are proving themselves each day we spend together clicking up the miles on our team odometer. I also have three additional dogs to add to the 14 Mackey dogs. Jim Lanier, 15 time Iditarod musher, who I worked with last winter, asked if I would take on his three yearlings to train for the winter, while he concentrates on his Iditarod team. Our goal is to peak the fitness at the third week of January in time for our first race, the Northern Lights 300 which starts January 24th at Martin Buser’s Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake, Alaska.The next qualifier is the Yukon Quest 300 which starts February 2 in Fairbanks, Alaska.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">October is the month dry land training begins in earnest here in Alaska. The temperatures In the Wasilla/Willow area the temperatures have been hovering in the high 30‘s, low 40’s, making it much to warm for healthy training. Jason and his 24 year old mushing son Patrick, who wants to qualify for the Iditarod this year invited me to join them for a week training at Lance’s Comeback Kennel outside of Fairbanks. Lance had called Jason and said there was a thin layer of snow and the temperatures were in the 20’s. We loaded the trucks and headed north. It was a treat to see Lances kennel and rub elbows with him for a few days.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To take advantage of our training time we decided to train our teams twice a day. We started with six miles two times a day with a minimum of six hours in between sessions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To start the training, the speeds are slow 7-9 mph. As the fitness improved we increased the speeds to 10 mph before increasing the distances. In the beginning the fitness training of the long distance Alaskan Sled Dog is a cycle that looks like this:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 1; 6 miles at 7-9 mph (twice a day)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 2; same</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 3; same</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 4; day off</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 5; 6 miles at 7-9 mph (occasionally increasing to 10 mph to test how they are handling the fitness) twice a day</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 6; 6 miles 9-10 mph (always go slow 7-9 downhills) twice a day</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 7; Bump up the distance to 7-8 miles but slow the speeds to 7-9 mph..</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 8: 7-8 miles at 7-9 mph (twice a day)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 9; 7-8 miles at 7-9 mph (twice a day) occasionally increasing speed to 10 mph.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 10; 7-8 miles at 10 mph (7-9 mph downhills)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 11; Day off</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 12; 10 miles at 7-9 mph (twice a day)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 13; 6-8 miles at 8-10 mph (twice a day)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 14; 8-9 miles at 8-10 mph (twice a day)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Day 15; Day off</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Gradually, as the distances are increased, around 12 miles the training sessions can be once a day. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">General notes:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">* For long distance training, generally keep speeds around 10 mph.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">* Occasional short wind sprints are fun and good for the dogs.</span></div>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Keep the team slow 7-8 mph downhill to help mitigate shoulder injuries.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">A conservative training schedule is best. If you question your dogs fitness, keep it shorter and slower.</span></li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Eventually, my team will be training 3 days in a row with 40-75 miles a day at 8-10 mph 3 days in a row. Sometimes we will travel 6 hours, camp for 6 hours and then run another 6 hours. Generally, we train 3 days with a day off. Camping with the dogs is a key component to training as that is what races are all about.</span></div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-34756579817257829712013-08-08T17:09:00.000-07:002013-08-08T17:09:01.107-07:00Win a Trip to Alaska for Two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Win a Trip to Alaska for Two</b></div>
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$20.00 each or 5 for $90.00</div>
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June 30 - July 7, 2014</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEc3bvOe0wfNeSKbF8PoNE3KT8MtbUndl6UGKg8jMdErhJ6dDZqzbxGXQ1bOc0RG2tEDHoedZE92IU-_b9Y_ABWxm6CVJ3h6iPme3Y29mTbLfQuLanAKZ1Cdm1no7cx00itH9tsfK_mzg/s1600/P1010579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEc3bvOe0wfNeSKbF8PoNE3KT8MtbUndl6UGKg8jMdErhJ6dDZqzbxGXQ1bOc0RG2tEDHoedZE92IU-_b9Y_ABWxm6CVJ3h6iPme3Y29mTbLfQuLanAKZ1Cdm1no7cx00itH9tsfK_mzg/s320/P1010579.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Raffle Tickets on Sale in Vermont at these locations;</div>
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The Wayside Country Store: </div>
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Chem Clean: Arlington</div>
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The Reel Angler: Manchester</div>
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The Northshire Bookstore: Manchester</div>
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The Eagles Club: Manchester</div>
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HN Williams: Dorset</div>
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Machs Store : Pawlet</div>
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The Wells Store: Wells</div>
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If you want to pay by credit card go to my website, click here <a href="http://gwennsmushpuppies.com/" target="_blank">gwennsmushpuppies.com</a> </div>
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On the shopping page you will see Journey to Iditarod 2015 <b>wristbands</b>. Purchase wristbands in lieu of raffle tickets. You will receive a ticket with each wristband you purchase.</div>
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<b> PayPal does not allow the sale of raffle tickets as they consider it a form of gambling. </b></div>
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Please call Gwenn at 907-232-4166 or write gwennwbogart@gmail.com if you have questions. </div>
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<br />Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-23714236325359126612013-04-01T12:29:00.000-07:002013-04-09T21:03:02.166-07:00The Sheep Mountain 200/300 Sled Dog Race: First Iditarod Qualifier !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lunch Time at Lake Louise Lodge</div>
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Checkpoint #1</div>
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French Fry is licking her chops in anticipation !</div>
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<b>4th Place ~ Sheep Mountain 200/300 Sled Dog Race</b></div>
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The Sheep Mountain 200/300 Sled Dog Race was held over a three day period of time, starting on Tuesday, March 26th at 6 a.m. My team of Northern Whites ran the 200 mile portion, completing the race in the afternoon of Wednesday March 27. This was my very first Iditarod qualifying race.</div>
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The day before the race, all the mushers arrived to put their "drop bags" into a truck that would deliver them to the first checkpoint at Lake Louise Lodge. A hearty meal was provided, followed by a mushers meeting. This meeting provided opportunity for the organizers to review rules and regulations and information about the trail. It was a short meeting as the race was to start at 6 am the following morning. Jim Lanier, who is allowing me to run his dogs, arrived to give me lots of support and to help Dave with his dog handler responsibilities.</div>
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The start of any dog race is a scene of total chaos. The dogs, all amped up, bark and leap, lunging in their harnesses.The cacophony is loud, very loud and as a rookie musher the "all of it" worked on undoing me, as nerves were already on edge. But, I kept my head clear and did not let it undo me and stayed calm within myself. It is still dark here in Alaska at 6 am. Getting the team ready in the dark possess its own challenges but it is no different than working throughout the long dark winter days we have already been through. All the training in the dark pays off as races are no different.</div>
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Here we are at the start. Alpha is psyched, lunging and bouncing in his harness, while Verona is quietly </div>
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My headlamp (LED Lenser) is an necessary piece of equipment. This headlamp is powerful and cast's a long beam of light so that I can keep an eye on the front of the team and the trail in front of them. Verona and Alpha are in lead in this picture and they would continue to be my leaders for most of the race. They were awesome leaders.</div>
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From Sheep Mountain Lodge to Lake Louise Lodge, our first checkpoint was 60 miles, where we had our first mandatory 4 hour layover. This is to allow the dogs to have a rest and a well deserved meal. At 10 mph or less a team may make the 60 miles in 6+ hours. This is a very simple answer to how long it takes to travel 60 miles. There are variables to consider when trying to calculate running time, such as terrain, wind, and temperatures. Mushers may not have any help while they take care of their teams. In order to feed the team, we heat water to melt the frozen meat(s) we have provided to ourselves in our drop sacks. (The race organizers transported our bags the previous day from Sheep Mountain Lodge to Lake Louise Lodge). By the time the meat has thawed and the team has been bedded down on straw, they are fed. Booties are removed and any lameness issues are attended to. Once the team has been completely taken care of it is time for a short rest for the musher. In this case the rest was about an hour. It was just enough time to eat a meal and put my feet up for a bit. Getting the team ready to leave the checkpoint takes time, about an hour of time. That cuts into the musher rest time. When a non-musher type hears there are 4 hour mandatory rest stops they might think that this mushing thing is no big deal as there are so many rest stops. The fact of the matter is, the dogs get the rest, the mushers don't, not really.</div>
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Veteran Iditarod Musher, Jim Lanier giving me some sage advice</div>
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We departed out of Lake Louise Lodge checkpoint around 4 p.m. in second place. This leg of the race from Lake Louise Lodge to Tolsana Lodge would be 55 miles figuring I would pull into Tolsana around 10. But I knew, realistically, it would be more like 11:00-1130 p.m. I pulled into Tolsana at 11:30. I had not had a very good run because of many tangles when the team got all balled up into big tangles requiring several stops to sort out lines. I had changed leaders mid-run which proved to be a big, huge mistake. I wanted to give my tried and true leaders a break as they were showing signs that needed a change. One of the dogs I put in lead was a poor choice as he would just suddenly stop running and look around at those behind him. After the fourth time of Sorbet pulling this action, I replaced him with the original leader and all finally was going smoothly. This slowed me so much that by the time I got to Tolsana I had dropped into seventh place.</div>
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It was about twenty below zero at Tolsana at midnight. Dave and Jim were there to greet me and help get the team parked. Handlers may help you park your team and communicate where the water and drop sacks are located. It certainly is nice to see familiar faces waiting for you when you have been out in the dark, cold wilderness for so many long hours. I was able to get through my checkpoint routine quickly which allowed me to get inside and rest for a longer period of time. I lay on the camping pad on the floor and Jim, very kindly put his coat over me so that I could rest better. So very kind, indeed and rest I did for about an hour and a half. </div>
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Jim woke me up and thrust a cup of coffee in my hand. In my mind, I did not know how in the world I would be able to get going. The thoughts of getting the team ready and standing on the runners of the sled did not appeal to me at all. I really did not know how I was going to do it. It all seemed so overwhelming. But, Jim said, it will take a bit of time to get your motor going again. And he was absolutely right. The coffee kicked in and I was ready to get going. </div>
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It was about 3:30-4 a.m. when I pulled out of Tolsana checkpoint. This leg of the trip would now back-track trail we had come in on. Our next stop would be at Eureka Lodge 65 miles away. Off into the night we ran crossing frozen lakes and sloughs, flat expanses and kicked up steep hills. It was a full moon without cloud cover. The northern lights danced a bit but the brightness of the full moon took away from the brightness of the lights. It is a really something to witness the wonder of these things from the runners of a sled being pulled by dog team. It harkens back to so much history and lifestyles led for centuries across this wild territory. </div>
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It felt like such a long, long run to Eureka. The temperature dropped to 30 below zero as dawn approached. As the dogs trotted along, the moon sunk and the sun came up, ever so slowly, spreading its rays, creating the pink alpine glow on the surrounding mountain peaks. As tired as I was, I felt I could feel my heart swell with a joyfulness at being so lucky as to be witness to all of this beauty. It was these feelings and the anticipation of a big piece of banana creme pie and a cuppa mud waiting for me at the final checkpoint, Eureka Lodge.</div>
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It was a bright, sunny day at I made my way across the Nelchina Valley and up to Eureka Lodge. The miles passed by slowly and I felt like I would never make it to Eureka Lodge. The team was giving me that feeling as well, but we finally made it there. Again, Dave and Jim met me there with smiles and positive greetings informing me I was in fourth place. This new really got me excited as I had never even given it a thought that I would possibly be competitive. I was only thinking about completing the race. The checkpoint stop was really great for the dogs. The sun was warm which gave the dogs a nice rest. Once they ate they could fall asleep on the clean straw nests in the sunshine. Once the team had a good meal in their belles, I watched them, stand and circle to make a nest in the straw. Once each dog was nodding off to sleep, I made my way to the lodge for a well earned meal.</div>
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The final run to the finish was only 18 miles long. I had a great feeling within me now that I knew I would complete the distance. I opted for a healthy turkey burger instead of the banana creme pie. I had not eaten much of anything during the race, just a few snacks here and there. Mostly I drank water from my insulated thermos all the while running the trail. The turkey burger was like turbo charge food. I felt great the last leg of the race. The three mountain climbs were not as bad as my imagination had made them out to be and I was able to complete the leg in less than two hours.</div>
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I completed the race around 5 pm on Wednesday March 27th in 4th place. As the finish line came into view I had that heart swelling feeling again and made a mental note again, of how lucky I am so be alive and able to do what I love to do. </div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-87391980888633515362013-02-10T19:09:00.003-08:002013-04-09T20:59:59.763-07:00Camping with the Northern Whites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Back on the runners and being careful for what I wish for....I have been re-reading Gary Paulsen's Winterdance, The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod. My memory of specific stories within are foggy. That is why I have started reading it again. I, also, thought I might be able to glean knowledge from it now, that I can read it with a new perspective. And a new perspective I have. No longer am I amazed at the pure chaos he encounters, now I can totally relate. He certainly has not over-stated the stories. They are spot on. Any way, I had said to my husband, Dave that I wanted to be mushing dogs, not reading about, it as I had not been on the runners in a week.....be careful what you wish for....</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Tuesday morning was met with temperatures in the 30's. Jim's plan had us running the teams four hours, then camp for four hours and then run again for four hours. We trucked the dogs to the Chugiak Mushers Club to run the wonderfully wide and groomed trails there. With lots of little delays, we finally pulled our snow hooks to start the run at 12:30, lunchtime for many. It was a wonderful run, all around the edges of the Cook Inlet, along through wooded groves and around frozen lakes at the base of the Chugach Mountains. The sun was shining, a glorious day to be running dogs. It was lots of fun as we coursed our way along our 4 hour run. I loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Camping with the dogs is quite involved. It is a practice of sorts for race activities, along with giving the dogs a well deserved break. We pulled into our camping spot at 4:30 in the afternoon. I planted one of my snow hooks, firmly into the hard pack snow of the trial, stomping it in firmly with several good hard kicks. Taking the second snow hook to the front of the team, I hooked the carabiniere into the front end of the gang line to secure the lead end in place. This keeps the gang line tight so the dogs stay put. On the way back to the sled, all the dog booties are removed, collected and put into a bag to save for laundering and regrouping for later runs, and tug lines are unhitched from the dogs harnesses. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Then it is time to feed the dogs with pre-mixed baited water (frozen ground chicken melted in warm water and put into a garbage bag lined, small cooler, placed inside the sled bag) One ladle full of water and a ladle full of high-octane kibble in a bowl for every dog. You can imagine the noise that comes from the team as they are frantic for water and calories. Once this is done, the dishes were collected and places off to the side to freeze, so they don't stick together once the are re-nested. With the dogs fed, it was time to spread out the straw for the dogs to nestle into for a good rest. They know exactly what the straw means and eagerly help spread it out, circling to make their nap-nest. For the veteran dogs, it takes very little time to settle. For the young rookie dogs, they think it is time to play with the straw or each other..more training...I yell at them....."knock it off".....</span></div>
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Nap Time</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">During the camping rest day turned to night. We donned our headlights to start packing up our sleds. At one point, we heard some noise nearby, in the dark woods. The dogs went nuts, barking wildly with eyes focused and ears pricked all in one direction. Suddenly, in the cone-lit beam of my headlamp, I spotted a moose, its eyes reflected back at me, an alien-like green, which spooked me. It was the first time I have had an "encounter" of sorts, with a moose. I had a pit of fear in my belly when we pulled our hooks to continue our evening run. I wondered where the giant animal had gone. Fortunately, the moose had moved on as we did not meet it again.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> At 7:45 pm, we started to re-bootie the team for a an on-time 8:30 pm departure for another 4 hour run. The night time running brings a whole new set of sensations and feelings. Jim runs his teams much faster than Ray and this makes it all very different for me. The trees go by much faster, the turns of the trail become sharper and the speed seems, at some points like a swirling surreal dream. When you don't know the trails, all your attentions are on managing sled riding skills, keeping the sled on the trail and managing the running speed, all awhile keeping your eyes on the dogs. Better than any amusement ride in the world !</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> Phew ! Finally12:30 am, we arrived back at the truck to end the run. After the days activities, it feels like no small feat (no pun intended) to remove the, 4 X 12 booties, remove harnesses and load each dog into its box on the truck. Six of the dogs in my team had to be loaded into the top, higher tier of the dog boxes. This required me to lift the dog up, over my head. The dogs had to crawl, claw and push off my shoulders and head with their feet, to get themselves into the high-up resting spot. After loading the equipment and sleds we drove the 15 minutes back to Jim's. We let the dogs spend the night on the truck and would unload them in the morning. I stayed at Jim's where I spent an utterly sleepless night, that is if you call 4 hours of "rest" a night. My body ached and every time I closed my eyes, I felt like I was riding on the runners, swishing through the curvy dark, snowy trails. I could not sleep. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> At 7 a.m. the scent of coffee met my nose so it was up and at em’. I felt like I had been on an all night drinking binge. I thought about my day and wondered how I would manage the tasks I would face. There was nothing of any danger, it is just I was so darn tired. I could not allow myself to think about being on the comfy sofa, resting, watching the evening news, as I felt like I had to take it all moment by moment to make it through the day.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> I will put an end to this saga now. Suffice it to say, I made it through the day of many physical chores which included cutting up six 50 pound flats of course ground chicken into small snack size pieces using the band saw. Cutting was very slow as the blade was so dull. I sure wish these "big-time" mushers would give us schleppers the proper tools to do the task. It seemed to go on FOREVER. I ended the task short of completion. To tired, I was making mistakes and was aware that I was in danger of cutting myself. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I made it home, feeling to exhausted and tired. My neck muscles decided to attack me. Thank goodness the prescription strength dosage of Advil made it all o.k. in the morning.</span></div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-88023685372007614462013-01-29T22:58:00.000-08:002013-01-29T22:58:03.160-08:00What Are We Waiting For, Lets Get Going !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Ready.....Let's Go !</b></i></div>
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<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>Mushing in the New Year has brought many new canine friends. Here you can see just how happy they are, so excited to go for a run. This short video clip will give you a little idea about how excited the team gets when it is time to run. Here, my team of 12 dogs are anxious to run the trail from Lake Louise Lodge back to Sheep Mountain Lodge, approximately a 60 mile run. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzIAsZuRqahsa8M58bbT0yZC7A0yijPP9BnhhktrK9NrPv5uFAw9GvwGWx9BZtoBWK6j7f_ey8rCVwNPlL8IQdX8l7HXb2gFxAtv0aqpQY9rMS2NzN15YcPvyA6RYs0nyLyo4xF9eOtM/s1600/photo+copy+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzIAsZuRqahsa8M58bbT0yZC7A0yijPP9BnhhktrK9NrPv5uFAw9GvwGWx9BZtoBWK6j7f_ey8rCVwNPlL8IQdX8l7HXb2gFxAtv0aqpQY9rMS2NzN15YcPvyA6RYs0nyLyo4xF9eOtM/s320/photo+copy+5.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Heading down the middle of Lake Louise with a spectacular skyline.</i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycj4YW2XaV6dXWMeM8PIkQ9yQx9dY08M144TtT6IixGE22M21x5LkSIQ8zJpcAhSL19RQZG_Bzk-s_khrPn9-ivZWRawCILJAwTyLMrxjxljndGrJf5oWnG5ur6UJQDoNXpqxLY5fnEE/s1600/photo+copy+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycj4YW2XaV6dXWMeM8PIkQ9yQx9dY08M144TtT6IixGE22M21x5LkSIQ8zJpcAhSL19RQZG_Bzk-s_khrPn9-ivZWRawCILJAwTyLMrxjxljndGrJf5oWnG5ur6UJQDoNXpqxLY5fnEE/s320/photo+copy+4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i>The trail leading off Lake Louise</i></b></div>
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The trail leading off the lake was soft and made it kind of slow going for the team. Once we got off the lake the trail was firm and fast. It was a wonderful, uneventful run, for the most part. We saw a herd of caribou in the Nelchina River Valley. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrltm7E98KmViFGXafp9TidiRJDd8aLeqIh73OsVr2g-nUyKQU_oV-5BYLG6GCJotORoZTo4vDiJhtvNhTkeljwz1ftf-5caLampik3yUudbV_IXW1XujtJr8F2RN5m7k3s95E6Oecug/s1600/photo+copy+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrltm7E98KmViFGXafp9TidiRJDd8aLeqIh73OsVr2g-nUyKQU_oV-5BYLG6GCJotORoZTo4vDiJhtvNhTkeljwz1ftf-5caLampik3yUudbV_IXW1XujtJr8F2RN5m7k3s95E6Oecug/s320/photo+copy+3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Adjustment Stop</i></b></div>
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We took a stop to make some minor equipment adjustments. The mid afternoon sun was getting low in the sky which made for an wonderful photo opportunity. The dogs are turning their heads wondering why we are stopping and looking to me for an answer. In a matter of moments they start their loud cacophony of protest, leaping and lunging into their harnesses.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzXMJnW2DSdO61r7Zzg1glvA5CXSXySc7xWJgG3keR9UIViX_9e_zyPbOEvbf8BWJl2hk81S_cVjWPo9EFHoY92LUO-5tWj9pDSNukY26dJAfWsBDH9QZ_fWC3IrEeoaLSYvd5AFJtHo/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzXMJnW2DSdO61r7Zzg1glvA5CXSXySc7xWJgG3keR9UIViX_9e_zyPbOEvbf8BWJl2hk81S_cVjWPo9EFHoY92LUO-5tWj9pDSNukY26dJAfWsBDH9QZ_fWC3IrEeoaLSYvd5AFJtHo/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><i>One in the Basket</i></b></div>
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About 20 miles into the run, May was showing signs of fatigue. I gave her a bit of time to work through her "wall" but she was just not up to it. For the first time, I put a dog in my sled bag. May was more than happy to go for a ride. She turned her head to look at me with her blue expressive eyes, as if to question, is this o.k. ? I patted her on the head, told her she was a good girl and she settled in for a rest. About fifteen miles later she was ready to get out of the sled bag and be back with the team. She had a great run and finished up the distance in great form.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVio-0rjoFclIRwbzC-HqHtr4YxFRykHBkEsc3Vtn8kI-OYI7xn1JNKzSI5CDdkQxgzVKH8RsMYQryztRL_Xpj9qUA9AiNcSHxLAb5UnkKUWe9AaT7hNMKsmViD-Gd2RRFb8bj6E15hw/s1600/photo+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVio-0rjoFclIRwbzC-HqHtr4YxFRykHBkEsc3Vtn8kI-OYI7xn1JNKzSI5CDdkQxgzVKH8RsMYQryztRL_Xpj9qUA9AiNcSHxLAb5UnkKUWe9AaT7hNMKsmViD-Gd2RRFb8bj6E15hw/s320/photo+copy.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Entering the Woods</b></i></div>
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I love this photo. We wove our way across frozen sloughs, over rivers, weaving our way along narrow wooded trails. The trees in this photo look like they are laden with a thick sugar coating of frosting. There is beauty everywhere. Between all the sights, keeping a watchful eye on the team and the trail, the miles seem to effortlessly slip by.</div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-42548803047590058162013-01-16T22:17:00.000-08:002013-01-18T16:39:04.592-08:00Happy New Year 2013<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="color: red;">Alaska; The Big Wild</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Another story, un-embellished !!!!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>New Years Day 2013</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The trail conditions in Knik had all but evaporated, making it necessary to travel elsewhere to train the dog teams. The decision had been made to travel north to Willow, to join Iditarod musher Karin Hendrickson and her handler Miriam Osredkar for a run on their snow covered training trails. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I got my team of 12 dogs harnessed up and at the ready in order to follow the other mushers out of the yard. For this run, I had two new leaders I had not run together before. These two female dogs, Patsy and Straight, had been run together as leaders plenty of times by others, but I had not had the opportunity to run them, until this day. My usual leaders Shred and Right Eye had been switched to another team. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Just before leaving the yard, Karin, very thoughtfully took the time to give me a brief description of the trail. She explained the trail immediately took a very sharp right hand turn after leaving the dog yard, followed by twisty, windy, narrow trail through the woods, then across a couple hundred feet of glassy ice, followed two road crossings. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I wasn’t worried, I had learned to navigate many sharp turns and was ready for this one. With Karin and her team leading the way, I was the third out of 4 teams to leave the yard. I handily maneuvered the sharp right turn by taking my foot off the break lever allowing the sled runners to skid, smearing the cold-dry snow around the turn and continued on down the trail. My team was fit, fresh, ready for a nice long run on new trails. They pulled hard, charging strongly, pulling into their harnesses with strength and determination, ready to conquer the world.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We moved along quickly, following the narrow serpentine-like trail through the piney forest, when suddenly my lack of sled skills came shining through when I hit a snow covered stump on the inside of a turn. In a split second, the sled turned over, as the left runner hit the stump, flipped, and came to an abrupt stop. The momentum, tossed me over the sled while my foot got caught up in the skinny rope used to raise and lower the stomp pad. It all happened so fast that one moment, I was on the sled and then next, I was on the snow. No big deal, this happens a lot. I sunk my hook in the hard packed snow of the trail, by stomping on it with my bulky arctic boot, to hold the team until I could get my sled upright, jump on the runners, pull the hook and off we went again in no time at all. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">By this time, Miriam had caught up with me, which I was very happy about as I was feeling uncertain about the trail. I had lost sight of the teams in front of me and I didn’t want to take a wrong turn. I let the team chose the pace, which was fast, in order to catch up to the leading teams. By the time we got to the ice section that was described to me earlier, we had caught up with the teams leading the way.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Things started to deteriorate, in earnest, with the run at this point. My leaders were proving to me they did not want, nor did they care, to show me any respect. My directional commands were being ignored, creating more difficult situations. If it were just me on the training run I would not have minded but when the other mushers had to wait for me to get sorted out, it made a tense and unpleasant situation. It was not fun any more. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Up ahead, I watched as Karin’s team made their way across the road and then turned right as the trail ran parallel to the road along the other side of the snow bank. The trail did not cut straight across the road, instead it crossed at an angle. My team made the way up and over the first snowbank and instead of staying on the trail and completely cross the road, ignoring my commands, they made a beeline down the pavement. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The other mushers, their voices, I could still hear yelling over the scraping sound of the hard tungsten steel brake tips, as they etched lines on the pavement. They were yelling, screaming in fact, “stop the team, stop the team”. I stood on the brake bar with both feet, and with both arms under that handle bar, I pulled up, with all the strength I could muster. This is a technique used by mushers in an attempt to make the brake points dig in deeper to the ground. It had no effect on stopping the team. Thinking, perhaps I could create more drag, I flipped the sled on its side and held the handlebar with my hands as tight as I could. The team kept going, dragging me, belly down, along the cold-black pavement. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Unbeknownst to me, while I was dragging face-down over the pavement, a compact pickup truck had come along. Recognizing the situation, thankfully this dog-smart driver knew what to do. She accelerated merging into the on-coming lane, inching ahead of the leaders and with percision driving veered her vehicle into my traveling lane, nearly hitting the leaders, but stopped them. With their long-glistening tongues lolling long dangling near their knees, they seemed to look around with question, while all I could do at that moment was lay on my belly, death grip on the sled handlebar and pant in an effort to regain myself. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I flipped my sled upright, I stood on the sled runners as my leaders were led to the the snowbank and encouraged to take the trail, following my fellow mushers. They did as encouraged and off we went, continuing on our 40 mile training run.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While running along, smart Karin made a call to her husband from her cell phone she had tucked away in an inside pocket, arranging to meet us on our return run to save me from the second, potentially hazardous, homeward bound road crossing. At the intersection of the road and trail, there he was, looking at me, imploringly. to get off the runners, saying “I’ll take it from here”. In hindsight, it was a smart and necessary decision to prematurely relieve me of my musher duties that day, but I felt like a failure and felt the downward spiral of grief and heartache in my soul and spirit of total and complete failure that was painful and humiliating.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The silver lining came when the teams came sluicing back into the the yard. I learned Karin’s husband, all 230 pounds of him, on the return road crossing, was also taken down the road. No one really wanted to say, but I was able to eventually draw it out that he had a challenging time as well. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2013 has came roaring into my life with more trials and tribulations, but, with it come welcome change and anticipation of the next stage of Iditarod training with my new musher/mentor, Jim Lanier</span><br />
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-44524620514080150112013-01-02T16:40:00.002-08:002013-01-17T10:32:20.602-08:00The Kink 200 and The Don Bowers 300 Cancelled !For many Alaskans the unseasonably warm, dry climate is a welcome relief, but for the sled dog mushing community it is nothing but bad news.<br />
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The Knik 200 and The Don Bowers 300 are both cancelled due to warm temperatures and bad and unsafe trial conditions. Open water on the rivers and frozen exposed ground are both dangerous and unsafe for obvious and not so obvious reasons. Sled dogs get serious shoulder injuries when running downhill on frozen ground. A nice layer of snow provides a cushion for the dogs but when that cushion is not there it becomes a question of safety for the animals and mushers alike.<br />
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Without these races, it has become much more challenging, if not impossible to reach the required 750 mile race requirement to qualify for Iditarod 2014. <br />
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The cancellations of the Knik 200 and The Don Bowers 300 follow along with the cancellation of the Sheep Mountain 150 which was scheduled for the weekend of December 15th.<br />
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<br />Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-28662065094165130302012-12-31T18:09:00.001-08:002012-12-31T18:09:53.383-08:00Race Week Countdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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New Year's Eve</div>
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Training in Knik</div>
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Photo by Julia Redington</div>
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The weather in Alaska has not exactly been the best for dog mushing. It was in the high 30's today and the sun was shining. Everyone but the mushers love this weather ! We are all holding our breath that the Knik 200 Race will not be cancelled. The race organizers are waiting to see what the weather is going to do before they make an official decision. </div>
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Early in the week, our team did a 72 mile run. We started at Deshka Landing on the Big Susitna River and headed north 36 miles to Yentna Station, on the Yentna River. This happens to be the first check point for the Iditarod and also the checkpoint for the Knik 200. It was great to be able to run part of the race trail to become somewhat familiar with it. I am guessing our average speed was 10 miles per hour as it took us about 7 hours to finish the entire run. When we got to Yentna we had a good long snack/rest break. But, the dogs got antsy and wanted to get moving. We left Yentna at 4 pm which made most of our run back to the Deshka in the dark. It was a great training run for this neophyte !<br />
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By the way, the dogs would really love to move faster than the 10 mph. If it were left up to the dogs we would be roaring around corners with the sled careening through the turns teetering on one runner. We keep them paced at this slowspeed in order to build strength and stamina. They pull into the harnesses hard and a musher has to work hard to hold them back by keeping pressure on the brake lever with their feet. The brake lever is a bar with two sharp tine type bars which drag and scratch, cut and dig into the snow and ice. The harder you push down, the deeper these dig in and hopefully the slower or more control you have. The power of a 12 dog team is staggering to experience. My first experience with 12 dogs was daunting as I could not stop them whatsoever....a humbling experience indeed. My thoughts immediately go to wondering what in the world will it be like to stand on the runners of a sled being pulled by 16 Iditarod dogs. </div>
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People often ask what breed are these dogs as they all look so different; different sizes, different colors, different coats and a variety of body types. The fact of the matter is, an Alaskan sled dog is a mutt, a pure full on mutt. Over the years, mushers have bred huskies with many other dog breeds in an effort to infuse more speed into the breed. Some of the other breeds introduced into the husky bloodlines have been a variety of pointers and hound type dogs. You can see by this short video taken a week ago that my team looks like a mixed bag of breeds. I suppose you would be right in making a statement like that. But the one thing the dogs all have in common is they LOVE to pull.<br />
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This video makes it all look so peaceful, relaxing and easy. But, I am here to tell that when it all looks smooth and easy it is because lots of successful training has taken place. During those training days chaos has ensued with crashing sleds, runaway teams, and perhaps even some dog fights. It is what one musher friend referred to it as "controlled chaos". Suffice it to say, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. </div>
Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-25321862272831858842012-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:002012-12-21T08:16:33.950-08:00Trials and Tribulations; Do Not Let Go !<div>
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<b>What ever you do, don't let go !</b></div>
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<b> </b>The learning curve continues to be steep for me in this new endeavor ! When I wake up in the morning I seem to have a pit in the bottom of my stomach. That feeling of nerves on edge, anticipating some level of impending doom of sorts, burns in the bottom of my belly. Here is a story of why .....</div>
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The 10 dogs were having a great run, pulling hard up the hills and surging across the wide open expanses of frozen lakes. I was having a wonderful time as we skimmed along, effortlessly smooth 40 mile trip on this cold, minus 20 degrees, but sunny afternoon.</div>
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About 10 miles from home, the trail makes a hard left turn, descends a short, but steep hill and then emerges out on what is known as 7 Mile Lake. It is not that the lake is 7 miles long, it is because the lake is 7 miles from the the beginning of the trail. The team surged with speed and power as they anticipated the turn. I stomped my foot on the brake bar which did not seem to have much of an effect on the speed. Round the turn we went, fast. I held my foot on the brake as the sled cracked up against the tree, rocked back and forth on the runners, then turned over on its side. I hung on to the handle for dear life as my body bounced along down the hill, plowing snow with my face the whole way. For those who do not know, when you fall off the sled or tip over, the team does not stop. They just keep on pulling and pulling. Doing exactly what they have been bred and trained to do. </div>
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At the bottom of the hill, the team stopped, no longer able to pull the sled, they turned their heads to look back as to inquire on what the problem was. I pulled myself up to my knees, ever so grateful to have been able hang on. One, and I underscore one, of my biggest fears, as there are so many fears, is that I would lose my team out on the trial. I have heard these stories and they make me feel such doom. </div>
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As I pulled the sled upright, I was ready to hop quickly on the runners, when the team jerked in their harnesses, a jerk and surge of monumental force, ripping the handle of the sled from my hands and there I stood as I watched my team run out onto 7 Mile Lake. They were charging with the exuberant freedom with the featherweight load trailing behind. The image of the team rapidly diminishing in size made my heart sink as I walked in their direction. In the cold air, I was sweating, my hair soaked with perspiration, which froze immediately as I pulled my hat off. As I unzipped my arctic one piece suit steam rose and froze on my eyelashes making them stick together as I blinked in an attempt to focus on my now distant focal point. As I trudged along the trail, all I could hope for was that there would be another team coming down the trial and the musher would grab my team seeing the riderless sled, or that one of my snow hooks would jostle off the sled, setting itself as it is designed to do, deep and securely in the snow, stopping the team for me.</div>
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After crossing two lakes and a vast open expanse of frozen slough, my walk brought me into a piney woods and there I found my team stopped, frolicking in the deep snow with the lines snarled into total chaos. You can imagine my relief. I nearly cried tears of joy to find them there, stopped, safe and happy.</div>
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After unhooking many tug lines and reattaching neck lines, the snarl of lines came to order. The dogs, sensing things were getting organized, started yelping and leaping to get going. Me too, I said to them. Standing firmly on the runners, my left hand gripping the sled handle tight, I reached down with my right hand to grasp the handle of the snow hook. With a strong yanking pull on the handle it came free and off we went. A gratefully giddy musher and her team coursing over Alaskan hill and dale, arriving in the dog yard finally to end another epic day.</div>
Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-54501347175526075262012-12-19T19:20:00.001-08:002012-12-20T07:16:15.536-08:00Sheep Mtn 150 Cancelled/ Alaska Excursions 120 instead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shred and Right Eye in Lead</div>
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The Sheep Mountain 150 which was scheduled for December 15, 2012 was cancelled due to lack of snow. It seems there are lots of other types of sled dog races going on, one of which seemed like a good idea to enter. The Alaska Excursion 120 was on Saturday 12/15 and Sunday 12/16. This was a sprint race with two heats of 40 miles each,. <br />
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The race took place at Happy Trails Kennel which is the home of Iditarod Champion Martin Buser. He and his wife, Cathy generously let the race take place there as the home of the Alaska Excursion 120 Race trail was not ready. <br />
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Thank you to Lori Egge for letting me use her dog box trailer. The team of 10 dogs rode in style and were toasty warm in the straw filled boxes on such cold mornings as the temperatures were well below zero. Also thank you to Nick Petit for helping me get my team safely to the starting line !<br />
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My first heat was not very successful as I missed a turn, and went about 15 miles out of my way. During the run, which went in the wrong direction, I nearly lost my team as I lost my balance going down a steep hill. I was on the "Big Lake Trail" at this point, which is wide snow machine trail, that looks like a super highway. I don't even want to think about what would happen if the team got away from me. They probably wouldn't have been seen again for a long time. Not a happy thought.<br />
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I got turned around, when I finally realized I was on the wrong trail and went all the way back to the start. The happy folks there said I could turn around, go the right direction and finish the heat, which I did. Needless to say, I was in last place.<br />
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Sunday was as cold as Saturday, maybe even more so. I did not get lost and passed by several teams to finish the 42 mile heat under 4 hours. The dogs were great and finished in excellent form. I couldn't have been more proud of them<br />
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My wonderful husband, Dave Bogart was my intrepid dog handler who had to sort out drop lines, harnesses, booties, unload the sled and keep order among the troops, not to mention scooping a few poops too !<br />
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Photo taken by Barb Redington</div>
Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-85241114852328361852012-11-25T18:30:00.005-08:002012-11-25T18:30:57.544-08:00Traveling Partners; Early Training Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Three Sleds and an ATV 20 miles into the Alaskan Wilderness</strong></div>
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As you can see from the photo's, there is not much snow yet here in Alaska. Last year at this time there was more than 36 inches. The trails are rough, icy and hard. Please keep your fingers crossed for snow !<br />
From left to right, Kevin, Ben, Ray and meGwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-7151738414359497912012-11-24T06:51:00.002-08:002012-11-24T06:51:46.785-08:00November Press Release<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Gwenn Bogart Sets Goal to Race the Legendary Iditarod:<u></u><u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Qualifying Races Start with the Sheep Mountain 150 Sled Dog Race<u></u><u></u></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Gwenn Bogart, of Wasilla, Alaska, is entered in the 2013 Sheep Mountain 150 Sled Dog Race, as she formally begins her quest to compete in the 2014 legendary Iditarod. The challenging race, which begins December 15, 2012, is considered the sled-dog race opener for the season and attracts Alaska’s top mushers to a remote area located between the Tahneta Pass and Matanuska Glacier. Bogart will also compete in a number of other sled dog races, including the 2013 Knik 200, the 2013 Copper Basin 300 and the 2013 Northern Lights 300, in order to qualify for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A well-known and accomplished outdoorswoman, Bogart will spend two years training, competing, and qualifying to achieve her long-standing goal of participating in the adventure known as <i>The Last Great Race on Earth. </i>The Iditarod</span><span> attracts the most famous names in dog mushing to contend in a race against time and extreme arctic winter conditions, on a trail of more than 1,000 miles over some of the most remote and severe wilderness terrain in the nation. Televised around the globe, the Iditarod is the most popular sporting event in Alaska; it is committed to traditional culture and the preservation of this historical race that traces its roots to the most famous event in Alaskan mushing. The “Great Race of Mercy”, was the 1925 dog-relay run from Seward to Nome, to deliver serum, when a diphtheria epidemic threatened this isolated town, located on the edge of the Bering Sea. Today, the race travels from Anchorage to Nome and attracts world-wide press and sponsorship from the world’s top brands.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Following professional careers in horsemanship and fly fishing, Bogart co-founded Casting for Recovery (CFR) a breast cancer support group headquartered in Manchester, Vermont, that uses fly fishing for mental and physical healing. Bogart will be raising awareness and support for CFR during her preliminary races as well as the Iditarod. Bogart also has a private pilot’s license; the Vermont-native recently flew a Cessna 150 from the Green Mountains to the Last Frontier, where she now makes her home, with her husband, David Bogart.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A fundraising event will be held for Bogart at the Manchester Rod and Gun Club, on February 2, 2013.</span><span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For further information and to make donations: Go to Gwenn’s Mush Puppies: <a href="http://gwennsmushpuppies.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">gwennsmushpuppies.blogspot.<wbr></wbr>com/</a>; Contributions to Casting for Recovery (CFR): </span><a href="http://www.castingforrecovery.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">www.castingforrecovery.org/</span></span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Media Manager: Sue Mead: </span><a href="mailto:suemead@aol.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">suemead@aol.com</span></span></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-80515363174548094502012-11-20T17:55:00.002-08:002012-11-22T07:32:36.235-08:00Trials and Tribulations: Chapter One and Two<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>General Raven</strong></div>
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We left the yard with our teams at 9:20 a.m. Ray (my mentor/coach) with his team of 16 dogs, Ben (my training partner) with his team of 12 and me, with my team of 12. I had General and Brother in lead. I was the last to roll down the drive (training with ATV's as we still don't have snow) and eventually came up behind Ben, who's team was traveling at a slower rate of speed. I decided to pass in an effort to catch up with Ray. Ray's team of 16 dogs was traveling much faster and I could not catch up with him and eventually lost sight of him. I was suppose to follow him but, at this point all I could do was guess where he had gone. I hung a left (haw) down Hazel Road, went to the very end at which point I got turned around and came all the way back to the Knik-Goosebay Road (KGB). Once at this intersection, I wanted to go left but General had his own idea. He wanted to go home and I did not. We had not gone enough miles yet for it to be a successful training run. <br />
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General did not want to go left. He momentarily glanced at me over his shoulder and then succinctly pulled the whole team around 180 degrees. I thought, "oh no, not this again". General had pulled this move on me during other training runs and at this point I had had enough of this trick of his. I walked to the front and pulled the two leaders with the rest of the team in tow back around in the direction we were originally facing. As soon as I got the team pulled around and turned to walk back to the get on the ATV, General did the same 180, the gangline hitting me behind the knees, knocking me down and dragging the whole team trampling over my back. I was not hurt, just really ticked off at defiant General ! Raymie (Rays dad) and Ryan (Rays brother) saw the whole thing happen as they happened to be driving up the road. They jumped out of the car to assist me and told me they had seen the whole thing. Raymie said "that General will screw you up every time". They helped pull the team around again, unsnarled the lines and I jumped back on the ATV. You will never guess what happened next....yup....you got it ! General did it again, he pulled the team around in a 180. Bad dog ! The leader days are OVER for my pal General. Shred was switched with General and lead the remainder of the training run. Never again, General !<br />
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Once I got Shred in lead, we went left along KGB, towards Wasilla. At about mile marker 11, I saw a woman next to the trail with a large black dog. As I got closer, I could see the dog, a black lab, was loose and did not have a collar. The woman was yelling, asking me if I knew who the dog belinged to. I shook my head and continued on. Suddenly, my dogs were turning their heads looking behind and there the lab was gallivanting along behind us. Literally, frolicking the miles away the lab seemed to think this was lots of fun. All I could think of was that the dog left alone would wander out into the busy road and most certainly be hit by a car. </div>
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I had to do something. I stopped the team and coaxed the lab up onto the back of the ATV. That silly dog rode with me all the way back to Rays on the back of the ATV which was a rough, bumpy ride to say the very least. Once back at the yard, I put the lab in a crate. Once my team was unharnessed I took the dog to the closest veterinary office to scan the dog for a chip. A chip was found and we discovered this labs name was Raven. The owners information was there as well, so the vet called and told her we had the dog. Ever grateful the owner said a profuse thank you and was very happy to have her dog back.</div>
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<strong>All in a Day</strong></div>
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<strong> </strong>Ray had taken his team out just a half hour before us. We usually pass him along the trail, smiling and waving as we pass each other. In preparation for our daily dog run, like I do most days, I back the ATV and park it behind Rays truck. Then, I attach the tie-down cable to the ball of his hitch and fasten it to the ATV. It is a jerry-rigged sort of affair but, has proven effective to hold the team in place. A team of 16 fresh dogs can pull the ATV all over the place even with the brakes locked. A tie down is a must.</div>
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While, I was waiting for Ben to get home from school, I did the usual pre-run preparations. I backed the ATV and attached it to Rays truck and attached the tie down cable. The gang-line attaches to a "bridle" afixed on the front end of the ATV is attached by a carabineer. With the gang-line attached, I stretched it out and straightened all the neck and tug lines. Getting this all set up saves time and also gets Ben to hurry up and finish his post-school snack faster. A 40 milerun is a long trip, especiallyat this late time of day, so I am always anxious to get rolling. </div>
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We had nearly finished harnessing up the team so the gang-line was nearly full with only one place open.Gso (pronounces "So") gets put on the line last these days as she is "in season". It saves lots of aggrevation this way. Ben was in the feed shed getting some salmon for snacking the dogs during the run and I was on my way there, walking by the ATV. It happened so quickly. Apparently, the tie-down cable slipped and was no longer attached to the ATV It started to roll, picking up speed exponentially, as the 16 dogs careened down the driveway. As fast as I could run, with my hand just inches away from the handlebar and brake handle, I stumbled and fell. Down the driveway, went the ATV, the team at full speed, with a riderless ATV in tow. The ATV didn't make the turn. At top speed, it skidded sideways, caught the edge of the tire and flipped up, high into the air, flipping and rolling and crashed, upside down over the embankment into the trees. That stopped the team and no dogs were hurt. </div>
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HOLY CRAP !</div>
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Ben reacted to the action like a pro. He got his ATV, attached a cable to the gang-line and then cut the bridle on the crashed ATV. We had detached all the tug lines so the dogs could not pull while we made this clever transfer. With lots of scrambling, I held the brakes on his ATV, as Ben made quick order of fetching our heavy coats, hats and gloves that were strewn all over the driveway as they were piled high on the back of the now crashed ATV and off we went.</div>
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The run was fairly uneventful with the exception of a rough engine sound coming from Bens ATV. I had visions of us, 20 miles out on the old Iditarod Trail in the darkness with a dead ATV. Oh well, I thought, worse comes to worse the dogs will pull us home. We met Ray and his team along the trail. He immediately asked why we were not on the red ATV. I told him I had wrecked it and quicky told what had happened. Ben and I were so worried he would be angry, but he just grinned his funny "ate the canary" grin and off he went down the road. I later learned he had done the same thing a year earlier. Takes one to know one, I suppose !<br />
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"Shred"</div>
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We were less than a mile from home when it happened. The trail at this point of our run, runs parallel to the road. There are many side road crossings along this section of the road. People who live in Knik seem very patient and courteous as they know dog teams are everywhere and they must keep a vigilant eye out on the crossings. I always wave and mouth the words, thank you, as we roll on by.<br />
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We were moving along the trail and came upon a car parked on the trail, with its lights on blocking the trail. The headlight on the ATV was on and Ben and I both had our powerful LED Lenser halagen head lamps on as well. These headlamps are so very bright that they can cast a bright cone of light on the trail in front of your 16 dog team. Ben stopped the team well before getting to the parked car. Moments of assessment passed and Ben made the decision to send the team on around the front to the car. At the moment the leaders were in front of the car it started moving. Ben and I screamed as the car wheel literally ran over Shred. Brother, the other leader was under the car as well. The car bumped up over Shreds body and continued to drive off into the darkness, never to be seen again.<br />
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I ran up to the front of the team. Brother and Shred were both standing and appeared to be o.k. Miraculously, they appeared to be fine. There we stood, Ben and I, in the darkness, in total shock. We just could not believe the car just drove off. We both agreed, there was no way they could not know they had run over something as we both saw the car "bump" as it went over the dog. About 5 minutes passed as we watched the dogs and decided we could make it the last mile home to the dog yard. <br />
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The dogs enjoyed their post-run snack of salmon steaks as we told Ray the story of what had happened. Shred got a week off so he could be closely monitored to be sure he was fit to continue work. A week later, Shred was in lead, as I had my first 40 mile run on a sled over marginal snow cover. That is a story for another day.<strong></strong></div>
Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-82771278269007389702012-11-20T17:08:00.000-08:002012-11-20T17:08:25.960-08:00Introducing some of the team !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are more than 50 dogs in the dog yard at the time of writing this post. Some have run to Nome in past Iditarod races. Some have not been to Nome, but have competed in other races and may be included in a future Iditarod team. Here are some of the unique dogs I am currently training. There are many more who I will introduce in later posts.</div>
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<em>A little education in sled dog position lingo</em></div>
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The pair of dogs who hold the position immediately in front of the sled are called <strong>wheel</strong> dogs. Wheel is a position for the bigger, most powerful dogs. <strong>Leaders</strong> are just that, leaders. They may not be a big, powerful dog, in fact they are often small. Desirable lead dogs show great confidence, listen well and follows verbal commands. <strong>Swing</strong> dogs are the pair placed immediately behind the leaders. Swing dogs also show strong leader characteristics and help the front pair lead the team. All the other positions are referred to as <strong>team</strong> positions.</div>
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An Iditarod team is made up of 16 dogs. Most all other races, a musher will have up to 12 dogs. The difference of power of a 16 dog team compared to a 12 dog team is remarkably different, which I will tell you about in the Trials and Tribulations posts. </div>
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"Cosmo"</div>
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Cosmo is a scrappy dog and he is Mr. Tough Guy. He is always excited to run and loves to play. When he is in his harness, hitched up to the gangline he growls like a "tough guy". He has never done anything aggressive other than growl like a "tough guy". He leaps, spins and barks whenever I come to see him. While Cosmo is not a big dog, he is strong and is great "team" dog. </div>
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"Socks"</div>
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As you can see from the photo, there is an obvious reason this guy is named Socks. Socks has been on several Iditarod teams. He has a sweet disposition and is always ready to get hitched up for a run. He is vocal when I call him by name and loves to nuzzle and play whenever given the opportunity. Socks best position is wheel, but he has been in lead as well.</div>
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"Felix"</div>
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Felix is a BIG dog. When I lead Felix from his house to the gangline I am always challenged as he is so very strong. If I do not get his front feet up, off the ground he can easily drag me wherever he wants to go. Felix is a happy dog and if he were a person, he would be the type of guy that would be everyones friend. Felix is a wheel dog and does a great job at it.</div>
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"Copper"</div>
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When I first met Copper he seemed quiet and reserved. But, now that we have gotten to know each other, he is any thing but that. He is such an affectionate guy and when I kneel down to give him a scratch, he acts as if he cannot get close enough. He puts his head on my shoulder and leans against me with all his weight. Then he changes shoulders and groans in sheer delight as I rub his back and shoulder muscles. Copper is usually the one who leads all 50 + dogs in a daily group howl. </div>
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"Stonewall Jackson"</div>
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Stonewall Jackson, aka, Stone is a quiet, reserved fellow but don't let that reserved personality trick you into thinking he is not a team player. Stone pulls like a truck and is all muscle, bone and sinew !</div>
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He loves one-on-one attention and will practically turn himself inside out when I talk to him and give him a good scratchin'. Stone and Felix are litter mates.</div>
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Others who may be introduced at a later time, in no particular order; Shred, Brother, Patsy, General, Rommell, Angus, Straight, Katara, Right Eye, Left Eye, Broker, Benny, Bullseye, Elmo and so many more...</div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-39137240385973918182012-10-25T10:47:00.001-07:002012-10-25T10:47:32.093-07:00October = Dry Land Training. Photos by Barb Redington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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October is the time of year that dry land training takes place. The dogs get "legged up" so to speak at this time. The four wheelers we use have 5 gears and the dogs literally pull the four wheeler along. We help them out by using a little throttle going up the steep hills and of course lots of brake going down. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is young Ben Harper, my training partner, taking the lead up one of the steep hills. Ben is training for the Jr Iditarod. Last year he placed third. This year he has his sights on the big WIN. Go Ben !!!!<br />
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I love this photo because of the Joe Redington Trail road sign. Joe Sr. started the Iditarod in 1972 to promote the lifestyle and sport of mushing. He felt the way of life of mushing was being lost with the introduction of snow mobiles. So he started the race as a way of keeping the sport alive. If he could see it all now, he would be so proud. I know his family certainly is !</div>
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This big puddle is a welcome sight for the dogs. It is a chance for them to cool off and get a drink during a long hard run. However, this darn puddle has posed many a mushing snarl for me as sometimes the dogs just want to set up camp in the water. Gangline, tug and necklines get tangled as the dogs twist and spin and make a huge snarl. It takes only seconds to create this mess and many minutes to untangle, make some semblance of order and head on back up the trail !<br />
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In these photos, Brother and General are leading, followed by Sioux, Left Eye, Benny, Cosmo, Patsy, Copper, Patton, Stonewall, Socks, and Felix are building muscles, getting ready for the long winter runs.<br />
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-4976087508305876032012-09-23T19:12:00.001-07:002012-09-23T19:12:18.771-07:00Meet Bernie Willis: Sled Maker for the Famous Iditarod Mushers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: red;">Meet Bernie Willis</span>. He makes dog sleds. Starting in October, Bernie will begin this years crop of sleds and will be performing minor repairs on others, made in years previous, in preparation for this winters mushing season. Bernie is a well known craftsman in the world of dog mushing. He has crafted sleds for many well known and successful Iditarod mushers, such as Lance Mackey, Dee Dee Jonrowe, Cym Smith and my mentor, Ray Redington Jr. just to name a few. Bernie's wife, Jeanette, makes the top quality sled bags and as I have found out first hand there are lots of choices when ordering one of Jeanette's hand made sled bags. Bernie and Jeanette raise and train Icelandic horses, have beautiful flower and vegetable gardens along with a fantastic jungle gym for their grandchildren to play on during their frequent visits. <br />
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Bernie is a retired captain from Alaska Airlines. He and Jeanette have done mission work on St. Lawrence Island. For those of you who may not know, St Lawrence Island is off the coast of the Alaska in the Bering Sea. It is actually closer to Siberia than Alaska. As Jeanette remarked "St Lawrence Island is where the weather is born". Well said, Jeanette !<br />
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In this photo Bernie is showing me various features on one of the sleds he made several years ago. This sled will under go some changes in order to make the sled 6 pounds lighter per the mushers request. <br />
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In this photo, we are looking at a sled, which belongs to a well known, very successful Iditarod musher. I am looking at the seat configuration on this sled as it looks like something I would like to have added to my sled. For a rookie musher, I learned it is not a good idea to have a full sit-down sled as it can be an ankle breaker if you have not had a lot of experience mushing. I will heed the advice.</div>
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Bernie is demonstrating, what I will refer to as the Yukon Squat. This is how you drop behind your sled to get out of the gusting winter winds that can howl for days.Getting low helps the dogs. Lowering the wind resistance, while traveling down such wind blown places like the long stretch of the Yukon River helps the dogs endure the many miles ahead.</div>
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In the background you see an airplane that Bernie is also building. He is a man of much knowledge, many talents and a very kind heart.</div>
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Thank you Bernie and Jeannette !</div>
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Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-59442429107066227472012-09-23T17:29:00.001-07:002012-09-25T14:16:32.334-07:00Buy a Zipper Pull. Help me along my journey to Nome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am making these zipper pulls to sell as one of my many fund raising endeavors. The musher charm and paw print beads are unique very unique ! Not only are they a very creative zipper pull but are also great for backpacks and keyrings. Christmas is coming and these make an easy and thoughtful stocking stuffer. <br />
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Zipper Pulls $22.95 ea. or $20.00 ea if you order 5 or more ! Shipping not included.<br />
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Send a message if you would like to order one or more. <br />
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Thank you for your support !<br />
<br />Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-53135704094441662242012-09-11T07:57:00.001-07:002012-09-11T07:57:55.048-07:00THANK YOU to my sponsors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-26042346886453110232012-09-10T23:53:00.002-07:002012-09-10T23:53:49.093-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The temperatures in Knik, Alaska have finally dropped below 40 degrees F, which marks the beginning of dry land training for the mush puppies. Here Ben Harper, co-musher and I run a team of 8 youngsters. This is how we teach the young dogs (1-2 years) to follow directional call commands, "gee"(right) and "haw"(left). We encourage them with praise and give rest breaks. The season begins with a 3 mile run and the distance will slowly increase over the following months. Young dogs learn to adopt the energy saving trot, instead of the energy burning loping stride. <br />Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-27031856434370685702012-09-10T23:41:00.001-07:002012-09-10T23:41:45.955-07:00Race ScheduleOur tentative race schedule for 2013 is as follows,<br />
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January 1, 2013: Knik 200<br />
January 12, 2013: Copper Basin 300<br />
January 25-27, 2013: Northern Lights 300<br />
*February 4, 2013 Paul Johnson Memorial 450<br />
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*I will enter this race only if the Copper Basin is cancelled.Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-818519431102349888.post-4279297657726730312012-09-10T23:34:00.000-07:002012-09-10T23:34:03.349-07:00Making Booties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dog Booties are an important item to have for mushing dogs. They provide protection by eliminating snowballs in between the dogs pads. They also protect paw pads against abrasion from some types of snow. In the Iditarod, a musher's team of 16 dogs will use approximately 2000 booties throughout the race. Booties must be replaced often due to the fact that they wear out quickly. Booties cost about $1.25 each if you buy them in big quantities. I am decided to make my own. Cinthia Coburn in North Carolina and Suzie Founier in Arkansas are helping me make the several thousand booties I will need for training and racing for 2013 and for 2014. Check up our FaceBook page Bootie Brigade.Gwenn's Mush Puppieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13228706548076017923noreply@blogger.com0