Daybreak was just bursting over the horizon in wide arcs of bronze, and the sky was painted a vibrant shade of fuchsia. There were misty vapors of low slung fog filtering through the trees, and heavy dew clung to the landscape in the early morning hours as Paul prepared to head out on his daily training run.  The dogs were eager to be on the trail, and their howls and barks came in tiny puffs of white against the cool air. The cacophony of their chorus drowned the sound of the four wheeler being lined up, as harnesses came out and dogs began taking their places on the gangline.  First the lead dogs, then the swing dogs next in line just behind the leaders, followed by team dogs and finally the two dogs immediately in position in front of the four-wheeler, in the "wheel dog" position.  Some of them were all business, patiently waiting for the rest of their teammates to get hooked up. These wizened veterans of the team who have learned the value of saving their energy for the trail, were mostly tolerant of the antics of the new up and comers in the ranks.  Occasionally a terse growl would emit as one of the youngsters, in their reckless abandon of jumping and twirling in the traces would irritate the older dog next to them.  It is actually a great benefit to the development of the team to have the pairing of a veteran and yearling in this capacity, and with their differences resolved, they are all one team when Paul started the four wheeler and they shot down the trail in a blur. 

It is the daily routine here at the kennel.  With Iditarod 2008 just 6 months away now, we are into the mushing season full swing. Even though summer has turned the corner and we are now seeing the turning of leaves and days of brisk autumn weather, the afternoon sunshine has still been a factor in terms of our training. To take advantage of the cool temperatures in the early morning, Paul is delegating these daily training runs to the hours before he heads off for a full day of work at his construction business. The evenings are still busy for us, with chores and preparation for the next day still keeping us out in the yard late into the night.  Soon the weather will allow for evening runs as well.  Today for example, with this being a weekend and there being a steady autumn rain pouring down from the low gray clouds, you can bet that Paul will be back out on the trail when he gets home from work tonight. While we make sure the dogs get fresh, cool water to drink immediately when they return from a run, the rainy weather is actually helpful to keep their body temperatures cooler this time of year.  It surely is not too much fun for us humans though.  I often chuckle when people comment on how exciting and fun mushing is.  Believe me, when it is pouring rain, and you are covered in mud and wet dog hair and your next chore for the evening involves a shovel and a bucket….. well, lets just say that I would probably not  consider mushing too glamorous or exciting!

One the questions that visitors to the kennel, or fans that write to us often inquire about is the diet our dogs have.  Living in the heart of the commercial fishing industry here on the Kenai Peninsula, and having a positive relationship with a number of fishing guides as well, we benefit from the abundance of salmon we are able to get for the dogs.  We buy some salmon for racing, including king, or "chinook" salmon.  A local retailer/ processor, Snug Harbor Seafoods, has been fantastic in working with us to save the fish heads off the salmon processing line during the commercial fleet season, and the guides also save the heads from fish their clients catch as well. Our dogs absolutely love frozen fish heads, and we spend many hours bagging and freezing raw heads all summer long as they are available to us.  As we head into winter now, we will use a meat saw to cut small pieces of salmon for use as snacks and in the dogs main meals.  Paul is a huge fan of Wild Alaskan Salmon and having so many people contributing towards maximizing all the elements of the fish when they are caught, is a great use of the resource.

Of course, we have what Paul refers to as the real "meat and potatoes" of their diet (and believe me… Paul is himself a real meat and potatoes guy) is the commercial, or regular dry dog food.  This season, we are trying a different brand of commercial food, called Momentum.  We are working with Dr. Tim Hunt from Michigan on this and are finding success thus far in our season.  The type of dry food a competitive dog team requires is considerable different than what a normal canine would require.  (Much like the professional athlete's ability to consume and burn more calories than the typical adult).  The food our dogs eat has a high fat-to-protein ratio.  We feed this mixed with warm water, and the dogs just love the stuff.  One of the attributes that our dogs are noted for is having a great appetite.  From the time they start sampling solid food, the puppies are aggressive eaters.  This is vitally important, as a dog that eats more and eats faster, is a dog that will have more "fuel in the tank" when it comes to racing, and more importantly, will have more time to rest rather than wasting time picking at their food.  We had one litter of pups this summer that was particularly humorous to watch when they ate.  They literally would go round and round their food dish as they ate, looking much like the spokes of a wheel as their bodies lined up.  In addition to the other time we spend with them, we make a point to pet each one of them while they are eating, so that they are comfortable with Paul working around them under the same circumstances when he is racing.  I have some footage of this, and if I can figure out how to do so, will put it on the site.

Although Paul has not officially submitted his entry fee and paperwork, he WILL be entering the 2008 Iditarod.  He has until the end of November to do so.   But make no mistake, just because he may be entering later, doesn't mean Paul's approach to this year's race is anything less than 110%.  He is very confident in the dogs from his core team last year, who are just now entering their prime.  He has a number of new, young dogs in training, and has commented that they will have to demonstrate some pretty good reasons as to why they should make his team over the solid veterans that took third, then second place in the Iditarod.   Paul's success on the trail is definitely turning heads.  This month's edition of Mushing Magazine (http://www.mushing.com/ ) has a feature on Paul.  You can view this by going to the website - the front cover of the magazine is on the right, if you click on this and then go to page 7, you can read the article.  It was written by Joe Runyan, a former Iditarod champion, who for years provided coverage for Cabelas and is now well known for the commentary he provides on the Iditarod Insider and the popular Iditarod films many of you have seen on TV.  Last week, we had a visit to the kennel from a photographer/ journalist from Italy.  I see this as indicative of the attention Paul will be realizing the closer we get to the racing season.  To paraphrase Joe Runyan's comments, he noted that Paul would be considered a likely candidate to win the 2008 Iditarod.  To paraphrase Paul's comments… he will win.

They say that successful people rely on visualization.  They mentally walk themselves through the steps it will take to achieve their goal.  For Paul the walk is mental and physical.  He is focused on his goal, and with a dedication that I feel is uncommon, he maintains the commitment towards the dogs and is a true-blue "working man" musher to boot.   We sure hear from a lot of folks that if for nothing else, rally behind Paul for that reason alone.  I think that Paul has earned the right to be called a champion, and in a few short months from now, I think the world is going to know it.  In the meantime, you can find us in the mud, in the rain, in the dark or greeting daybreak with harnesses in hand and a dog team that is ready to fill them.
Until later…. Life is a journey, enjoy the ride - Evy