Embracing the Unexpected : February 2014

Thursday, February 27, 2014

3 More Days!

Well, the Iditarod start is only 2 days way! I can't believe it! We have packed sleds, drop bags, and finished up the training.

I am beyond excited to keep you all undated throughout the race on how Deedee is doing. I will also be following a few other mushers that I have met out here.

Below are links that you can use to meet other mushers and track them as well:

Here is Matt's website: http://17th-dog.com/

Martin Buser, his son, and one of the handlers there(who is also from Wisconsin!) here is the kennel site: http://buserdog.com/

Lisbet is running an all Siberian husky team excited to see how they do! http://lisbetnorris.blogspot.com/?m=1

Here is the official Iditarod site: http://iditarod.com/

Here are a few photos from the last week or so as we got ready. I got to ride a tag self with a 20 dog team with Deedee for training. That was awesome!

I also got to take out a 6 dog team of the race dogs that didn't make the cut this year. Love that I get to work with so many different dogs and all their fun and loving personalities.

Sorry for the lack of photos, my internet is down and I'm posting from my phone.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Hello all, hope you are doing well!

Moose count is up to 17 now all still while driving only one was a close call on the road (luckily Mike was driving).

Some of you have already heard, but for those that haven't I got to meet Sarah Palin. All views aside it was really neat to get to meet her and have dinner at her house! She filmed one of her episodes for her up coming show here at the kennel plus did an Insider Edition filming here as well. I may end up in a few shots with the dogs, but I know Lucy has made it into every filming that has happened at the kennel that girl is not camera shy. I will keep everyone posted on when this episode will happen.

Sarah and Deedee running dogs

I got to go for a quick run on the tag sled with Deedee to turn the team around

Filming at the kennel

The view from Sarah Palin's yard... amazing!

Her Fox News room where she does her broadcast

We were looking around at all the neat things she had in the studio and she had a bunch of Eskimo things her kids use to wear or things that were given to her. She was showing us these beaded hair pieces and looked at me and said i should have one. She picked this one out and signed it for me!

For the super bowl we were totally spoiled and went to a party at Martin's kennel. I will never be able to watch football the same again. Just can't beat football on a 16 foot screen!

Sunset at Happy Trails Kennel

Happy Trails Kennel dog lot :) Definitely like Martins Kennel

To top off all of that excitement we had to pack up all the drop bags for each check point for the Iditarod last week. This was a total team effort! I think there was 10 people in total that came out to help that day. The bags totaled 2,700lbs! I assuming 2,000 of that was just food and snacks for the dogs.... Here are the pictures from the two days of doing all that work. It was really neat to see it all come together and watch how it was strategically planned out for what goes where.

So many dog coats... have to be organized and packaged up for the sled

Hard at work laying everything out for each check point

Deedee has to eat too! So many amazing meals for her

Piles and piles of meat ground and snack size

I got to help by making some specail booties for the dogs 6 hours worth of sewing

2,700 lbs for the 1,000 mile race: 16 dogs and Deedee

The Iditarod starts March 1st still waiting to hear what trail they are going to take. Lots to still get done before then and lots of training to do still. the dogs have been through their first check up having blood work and ECG's done. The vet check is next week then the big race. Here are a few other pictures from the past few weeks, enjoy. :)

Mr. Dragon relaxing after some rehab :)

Dratini has decided Ophelia needs to share her house. They are definitely staying warm all snuggled up together.

Trig and I during the Palin filming day

Fudge and I on the way to the vet. (Don't worry this was taken before we left the gas station)

Heart test on the race dogs, so cool to see how it is all done

My loves :) Chase and Lucy


Most recent full moon with Jupiter above it (at least that is what my Google sky map app said it is), and yes Jupiter is that bright that my cell phone camera could see it in the sky... so cool)

That about sums up my last few weeks here. Can not wait to see what comes in the next few! So excited to see the start of the Iditarod, 17 years worth of waiting to see it!

Take care!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Busy, Busy, Busy

Hello everyone! I hope you have been doing well!

The past month has been very interesting. To start with it has been so warm here we hit 40 a few days! We are seriously hurting on snow and it is causing difficulties with training. All the trails are so iced over its like running the dogs on concrete. Two races this past month were cancelled which was a big bummer since now I'll be going into the Iditarod never seeing any other race start. Mike and Deedee and the other handler went up to the Denali Hwy for a few days to run dogs hoping the snow would be better there.... not so much. I stayed home and took care of all the sled dogs, house dogs and chickens :) It was fun to switch it up a bit. So now its a matter of training the dogs enough to get them ready for Iditarod, but not too much and injury them on these hard trails.

I am learning so much about rehab for sled dogs. I hate to see the dogs come back sore, but every time one does I learn about the injury and what we can do to get it better as fast as possible. Also, I have been learning about new medications for dogs and what is allowed for the Iditarod and what isn't.

Speaking of Iditarod, we have been working diligently to get check point bags done. 5,000 booties came in the mail and here is what we had to do to each of them:

1) They get mailed like this...

2) We have to open each one up


3) Re-roll each so they look like this

4) dip each tap in rubber coating so they are easier to take on and off

Once they are dry...

5) unroll each one

6) put 2 teaspoons of powder in it

7) Roll 4 up together.

Put 10 sets in bag...


so 40 bags of 10 sets of 4 booties..... we still haven't finsihed.

Thankfully we had some help for a few weekends with cutting meat, booties, personal items, all for drop bags at check points....

I still love it out here, and enjoy everyday I get to spend with these amazing athletes. Honestly stills seems unreal that I am actually here! I am so thankful for this opportunity everyday! I also want to say thank you to those who have been staying in touch, I definitely miss seeing friends and family but thankfully there is Skype! I still wouldn't give this up for anything though. :)

Here are some pictures enjoy!