2007 Season - Dec/ Jan.

Pre-Mid Distance Racing Update

January 1, 2007

Even with a bright sunny sky, the thermometer barely crept above zero today, and will plummet well into the sub zero range under a nearly full moon tonight.  We have a nice blanket of snow covering the ground, and the dogs are really jazzed as we head full speed into the start of the 2007 race season.

The first mid distance race for the kennel is actually this coming weekend.  The KNIK 200 is a race that Paul competed in last year with some of the younger dogs.  As the name implies, this is a 200-mile event that begins and ends at the tiny hamlet of Knik near the edge of Cook Inlet.  The race trail is actually a portion of the initial miles of Iditarod Trail that the teams will be following in March, so Paul's choice to run this particular event serves two purposes.  Obviously, allowing the dogs to experience the segment of trail has it's benefits, but the main reason Paul selected the Knik 200 out of the various races that are on the calendar during the month of January is the topography of the event.  The initial miles of the Knik 200 wind through rolling stands of white paper birch and spruce, but other than a few hundred feet of altitude changes, the trail is essentially what Paul terms "river running". 

The Knik 200, followed later in January with the formidable Kusko 300 race that Paul will travel to western Alaska to compete in, are both raced along the course of rivers and frozen swamps.  Our home training trails offer as much hill-climbing as any team could want and then some. A large percentage of the Iditarod Trail is spent on the Yukon River and on flat, open runs that cannot be duplicated on our local trails very effectively. So to give the dogs as much experience in training as he can that will mimic what they will encounter on the Iditarod Trail in March is Paul's goal. 

Providing the team with the experiences they need is not just limited to entering them into the racing environment and introducing them to new trails.  Granted, the residual benefits to be had from a team that goes through the procedures of being hooked up with other race teams, going through the starting chute and the whole experience of actually racing against these other teams is something that Paul sees great value in for the dogs.  But he also is wise enough to seize other training opportunities as they present themselves. 

Take for example a week ago, when sheets of driving snow swirled about by winds over 40 mph were creating white-out blizzard conditions here.  Paul had taken the dogs out on a late afternoon run, and returned to the kennel just as daylight was fading.  Rather than putting the sled away and hunkering down for the night, Paul knew that the conditions on the trails were exactly what the team could encounter during the Iditarod.  So he brought the team home, and treated the experience similar to what a layover at a checkpoint would be like.  After feeding the dogs a warm meal and giving them a short rest, he hooked the team back up again and headed back out into the teeth of the raging storm. 

Or another example would be when he loads the sled up with supplies and takes the dogs out on long runs and camps with them out on the trail.  To "learn to camp" is a critical skill for a sled dog team, and by hauling straw and supplies out on the trail, Paul is simulating a rest between checkpoints just like they will have when they race.  The added benefit is the unspoken rapport that develops with Paul and the team during these many hours alone.  Already they have traveled over 1,500 miles just in training this season.  Paul knows their every habit.

On Christmas Day, Paul and I took the team out together into a fabulous, sun-filled afternoon.  There was a blanket of fresh snow covering the trees, and thick hoarfrost coated every twig and blade of dry grass hanging near the edge of the trail.  It was almost surreal as the team rounded a corner and broke into the open meadows just after passing through thick stands of spruce.  The dogs were back-lit by a halo of golden sunshine, which was accented by the misty cloud of ice crystals formed by their breathing and the snow they kicked up as they ran.  It was so still, that later in the run, Paul told me to look behind us - and it was amazing to see the foggy powder mist of snow left by our passing just suspended on the rays of late afternoon sun.  The dogs were truly gorgeous to watch as they loped around corners and through the rolling terrain.  I kicked myself for not bringing a camera on the run as we crested a ridge and the whole team was silhouetted with a backdrop dominated by a crystal clear view of the distance mountain peaks. 

Through the run, Paul and I discussed various athletes on the team, and noted which ones paired well together.  It reminded me of an orchestra performing, as the dogs moved gracefully down the trail, some of them seeming to do so almost effortlessly their motion was so fluid and precise.  As they ran, the humidity from their breath created an icy fog, which gradually frosted the tips of their thick fur and their eyelashes and whiskers were snow white as well. 

To illustrate how intimately Paul understands the dogs, he commented that he thought something was amiss with one of the younger females on the team named Madelline.  Even with the experience I have with the dogs, the hint of anything being off in her gait was barely perceptible. Yet Paul had noted this, and responded to it.  He thought it was just a sore muscle, so Miss Madelline is lounging around in the shop with our handler Tyler rather than hitting the trail again for a few days.  She lays at his feet and you would think she is an old couch potato rather than a fine tuned athlete that is one of the up and coming stars of the kennel.  She really has a delightful personality, and like the rest of the team, is very upbeat and jazzed right now. 

Paul feels that his leader, Houston, who is 6, is the best he has ever seen him.  His attitude is great, and he is in the best shape he has ever been in.  Complimented by the athleticism and professionalism that his other main leader, the young Governor, displays - Paul is very confident about the team. 

I will keep you posted on the results of the Knik 200.  Last year their website had a few hiccups during the race and it was hard to ascertain the musher's standings, but you are welcome to log onto www.members.tripod.com/knik200/ for updates.  This event has a maximum of 12 dogs per team, so Paul is sending a contingency of the rest of the team on the trail under the guidance of Jason Mackey.  Jason has trained with Paul in the past, and Paul feels he offers a comparable experience for the dogs.  (This past weekend, Jason handily won a local race with several of our dogs in the line-up, and he also has raced with Paul and our dogs in the Sheep Mountain 150 race.)  When Paul heads out to Western Alaska to Bethel for the Kusko 300, Jason will take the remaining dogs not racing and enter them into an alternative 300-mile event held under the same time frame as the Kusko, called the Klondike 300.  The experience will be good for the dogs.  As Paul is serving as the Race Marshall for the Tustumena 200 held here on the Kenai Peninsula the end of January, the timing of all these other races will provide the ideal resting down time for the dogs following the mid distance season.  From then on, it will be wholly Iditarod as the focus. 

For those of you in Alaska that are following Paul, keep an eye out for the start of various news coverage on the racing season and Iditarod.  Paul has been doing interviews, and there is another TV crew scheduled to visit the kennel next week for their race-related coverage.  With three top five finishes, and another handful of top twenty Iditarods to his name, Paul is being tagged as a contender to watch. 

 Until later…. LIfe is a journey, enjoy the ride! - Evy