Happy Trails Kennel is happy with the decision made by the Iditarod Trail Committee to restart the race in Willow. We know there was intense deliberation and we have faith in the folks on the ground who know more than anyone having been eye witnesses to the trail condition in the last few days. It's a hard race, mother nature constantly throws curve balls. The Dalzelle is always a challenge. 500 miles on the Yukon River could have been worse. If teams had to go 500 miles on the Yukon in the condition it was in last year, with rain and bottomless snow, the Dalzelle would look like just a short roller coaster. Now we concentrate on the final preparations.
Martin and Rohn led the Denali Doubles Race from nearly start to finish. The 265 mile trail follows the road bed of the Denali Hihgway, a gravel road open for cars only in summer, from Cantwell to Paxson. The views of some of the major mountains in the Alaska Range are spectacular. With a full moon glowing the boys saw hundreds of caribou and even had a close encounter with a wolf chasing 2 caribou right toward them. The race was quite a work out but a terrific training run for the team. They left Pharoah in Paxson, only for precation sake as he is a new dog to our kennel and they wanted to make sure he had a good time on his first big outing with the big boys. I promted them to talk about the best dogs, but they just couldn't narrow it down. They all were great. From these 19 will surely come Martin's Iditarod team.
Looks like the 2 Buser boys are having fun on the Denali Doubles Race. Donna Quante from Willow took this fun photo at the start. I was surprised to see them both on one sled. In the 24 hours before leaving, they were going back and forth about the merits of one sled or two, with consideration to friction, comfort and maneuverability. Martin was lobbying for one sled and I guess that's what they decided on. As you might be able to tell from the sled bag, this is a very old sled. Eagle Dog Food in it's early days sported blue and yellow as logo colors. I'm thinking they are having a cozy ride - maybe taking turns in the front part since it looks like the more comfortable spot. Will be interesting to hear the stories about how that worked out.
Happy Valentine's Day - I'll be spending mine with my two little valentine dogs.
Early morning at Happy Trails today. Martin and Rohn were up at 4:30am. Kennel crew helped feed and load 20 dogs and they were off to Cantwell by 5:30 am. The Denali Doubles is the brainchild of Jeff King. Two mushers/one dog team!!! The race follows the Denali Highway, which is open to vehicles in the summer. Cold temps are in store for the racers and we can all follow along as mushers will carry Spot trackers.
Being involved in this race was a last minute decision. We were contacted about an opening and the guys decided this might just fit perfectly into the training program since the conditions around here have been doable but quite bumpy and icy. Plus, the fun factor ranked high. The crew here worked together to make sure all the bases were covered and so we're all off to a new experience. Our friend Perk is once again, filling in as the 12th man and will help out when the Buser boys are out on the trail - together, 2 sleds and 20 dogs. Follow along at Denali Doubles Invitational Sled Dog Race.
