little miss- Sebe, Super- Sadie and the Big- Bligh!

climbing a mountain

.......might be easier at this point.....than to hear...'you may not be safe to run Iditarod".......

.........a head injury? you've got to be kidding me??

Waiting is the hardest part. I have dr. appoinment #2: the imaging center
in Fairbanks next week (CAT scan) for the 5th of Feb.

This will take place 1 day prio to Iditarod vet check for the dog team.
They want to check for bruising, bleeding and or clotting. none of that sounds nice but the good news is, I feel okay and we'll be safe. things work out, god loves us, we're alright.

dr. visit # 1: the day before yesterday in Glennallen and it's true indeed that we suffered a head injury 2 weeks ago on paxson lake ice. cripes. symptoms include slight memory loss, physical weakness, dizzy spells, nausea and lack of appetite. these things will get back to normal soon, I am told. rest and recoup were the firm directions given. i am trying to follow his directions. we had no idea this was anything to worry about. I had a bump on my head and some unpleasant headaches but my plans and focus took over my aches and pains and on the road again we were for more racing and traveling with dogs.

i am frustrated. As long as I keep myself focused on the big picture and set day to day goals for myself, we'll be fine without going stir crazy off the trails with dogs. I am doing light work in the yard for now, strawing dog houses, walking loose dogs on lake, catching up on correspondence, replacing lines and snaps on sled, organizing gear room, spending a little more time inside working on summer business changes, home changes and going to bed a little earlier than normal:)

I haven't been on a dog team since we got off the T200 trail last Sunday, and it's been more hard on us mentally than anything else at all. the dogs are wound up wanting to go, their metabolism is running in high gear right now----they look at me in the yard as if they were saying.."what's up, let's get outtttta here ma".....I am supposed to take it easy for a bit, but how do I explain this to my team? john will get them out again tomorrow on a nice tough run breaking trail in the high country. he hasn't been on the team much this year--he'll enjoy them, they are a fun crew to run. I hope to be back on them very soon.

some of the young dogs who came off the Klondike 300 have changed a little since the finish.....they excude more confidence in the yard, on the line & display a little more attitude in general...i like to see this.
Motta has really come out of her shell & shows great big promise for future racing and leading. she seems to like racing better than this training at home on the same ol trails. She has come so far from being this shy dog who never really seemed excited to go to now barking and lunging ahead on the line at race start. On the trail, she is all business and ready to take responsibility when given the opportunity.

Bongo is a different dog now with this amazing big bounce in his spirit and attitude...he feels good about his big 300 mile journey, I can see it. he really pulled through on the 300 miles leading more than not through all the overflow and open water..miles of it.... and Up and Over each and every hill to forks and back, over and over again. Robin is more affectionate now compared to before this race and Bonnie, is just NUTS.......happy-nuts..She's far from shy now. Bonnie is a super cute comapct little dog with a tough body and tougher head...she is driven and super high energy with more to burn than ever. They are all in good shape.

Mambo and Probe both went from running the Klondike to running the Tustumena with 4 days off. Solid dogs with physical talent. Djembe did super leading with her Bro, Bongo on and off for about 150 miles. Zither, Cookie, Streak and Hunter were all rock solid and all about doing their job on the trail --more experienced, they were there to coach the young dogs when needed.

My kennel support crew at the home kennel ----these are dedicated hard working talented good people who take great pride and care in all that we do here at this kennel when it comes to a well rounded life with dogs, dog needs, people/musher needs, race demands, house and home care while we're away and when things don't go as we have planned, they are quick on their feet with smiles, pies and goodies...:) to make changes as needed and accomodate where they can. This makes the hurt of an upset schedule a little less...

Judy, Brianna and of course my wonderful good man, John--thank you, I appreciate you all very much. There's tons of good people behind us and this includes friends, family, kennel sponsors, and fans, tons of super fans .....thank you for supporting us with your love, time, money, cookies, booties, headlamp batteries, vet care costs, etc. We will keep you posted as we know more.

happy safe trails to all,
zd

no rest for the wired, not on coffee

on the road for home, pulled over for a little rest, it's been a long trip. haven't seen any moose or caribou tonight...more traffic than usual for the quiet little road home...
john is sleeping like an angel, the dogs are all quiet in the back of the truck all tucked in their boxes
happily, warm with straw and each other.
300lbs of meat in back, 10 sacks of dog food, racing gear, a sled..we're loaded to the gill. I shake my head when I look in our truck, "is this our truck?" we've been living in and out of the truck between races with dogs for over a week or so, it's kinda getting gross in here, full of stuff like dirty work mittens and smelly gloves, empty juice containers, granola wrappers, old magazines and newspapers, left overs in little plastic containers and all kinds of interesting things on the dashboard.... with bulbs and wires. crumpled up lists and pop bottles. time to clean the truck.


Storey and Bligh both think they are in love with Djembe....they drive each other nuts. The boys are in their teenager -like lives right now, it's comical. I heard from the girls back home that our Paxson trails blew in again and the temps. went up from -40 to 12 today. The old dogs don't like that kind of cold. When you're working outside all day every day this feels pretty darn nice. Lots of water on the lake right now in front of the house, seems to be a going thing on most trails around Alaska due to all the new snow. Tomorrow, before we head into town, john will run out and plug a trail in and get things operational again.


the sky tonight is dark, no stars to be seen, cloudy and trying hard to snow..lightly coming down in dust like sizes.

gd night,

zd

on the road

sitting in the truck, in Anchorage right now outside Borders Books, post Tustumena 200. on our way home, my heart hurts today joining the things that ache list ....my legs, check, arms, check, feet, check, head, check.....the hilliest of miles I've ever run...some of the best looking terrain, too. 40 miles from the finish line, my race ended on a sad note. I'm tired of sad notes! We are happy people with lots of things to be happy about. I had a hard fall on my head 2 weeks ago and ever since then haven't been up to par experiencing symptoms of a mild concussion. I was feeling OKAY but around Rocky's coming back inbound I got raging ill...then 40 miles from the finish line things went from bad to worse. Head down in the snow bank, I was sick. worried, yes. I worked hard and things caught up with me out there. My team would come in with John, loping into four corners. the dogs had a real good run moving quite fast with enthusiasm and speed. The team is talented and full of life. It's a shame I couldn't do them justice in this race. I had a tough time keeping up with them as my health got worse. So now what? I look ahead into my life with dog racing relations making no life changing decisions today but taking a good hard look at the times ahead. For this week, I rest and head to a Dr. tomorrow to see what's going on with my head/health. The dogs at home are on a running schedule with Brianna. Galen did super up in team front leading us most of the way with Sadie. The dogs came through strong in some iffy situations....we went through a wind storm on top of a pass in the high country coming out to Caribou Lakes..it was ice covered and windblown on top with no trail and no cover but the markers were quite visible..i walked in front of my team until they figured it out and grabbed the sled as it flew by....my sled flipped and we rolled down the icy hill....i got it back up finally and off we went, passing 2 more teams as mushers were sorting through their tangled dog teams and coaching their leaders ahead. Moments later, we were out of the blasting wind and back in the woods.

The course was a lot of fun and quite challenging--we were either climbing up or coming down. I don't think anyone finished that race without getting a major workout ...the mushers & teams all deserve a great big applause.

Paul Gebhart and family plus ALL the volunteers for the T200 deserve a great big THANK YOU for all the work they put into making this a great race event. Thank You.

There's lots happening here, much to think about and the road is calling....thanks for checking in and we'll be in touch.

zd

Tustumena 200 midpoint

Hey--- I'm at the Clamshell----midway on the T-200. Zoya rolled in at 10:39--- 8th team in. She will be 4th out. All 12 dogs look great; happy and bouncy. She said the trail was hilly but easier than the Klondike trail. She led Galen and Sadie in. Likely out with the same lead set. The team stayed very even in speed the entire way---not falling off at all. This will be an interesting race on the return leg.......only 30 minutes separate the top five . time to check on the dogs. later----john

Tustumena 200 Weekend

Zoya is off on the 200 and I am the Handler Dude. Not sure everyone thinks is so tough about handling....though I do need to figure out what sort of coffee to drink. And..... I may have to clean up straw here---that sure seems like 12 hours of work! Nice to have cell-internet so I can work on some stuff though. Taxes seem like the thing.
Zoya is off to a good start in the 200---she was thru the first checkpoint at the gravel pad with the leaders. We should hear soon from the next checkpoint. She started with 12 dogs; two of them repeats from the Klondike. That team finished with all dogs at 100%---no feet issues or anything at all.
She lead out with the little spook-dog; Galen and then of course, Sebe. Sebe is so cool, she stands completely turned around at the start, paying no attention to the hub-bub around her. She can't hear Zoya yell to go, but Galen pulls forward until Sebe finally gets the signal from Zoya and takes off. They stayed right side up across the road. (not everybody did).
Fastest thru the Gravel Pad at mile 27 was Jerry Sousa at 1:58, Steyer @ 2:00, then 4 or 5 more from 2:08-2:11; Zoya was in that group @ 2:10. Off for now; more later, john

A Quick Note....

The Klondike 300 sled dog race has come and gone in a flash....what a trip! This was an awesome journey for me and my team. We had fun with many up's and down's & with no race pressure. I had an opportunity to train dogs while qualifying for the Iditarod 08. These were dogs who will race in the future and a few of these guys are super young so it was very important to me to get them ALL to the finish line in good order--and that's what we did.
I went into the Klondike with 2 and a half leaders and came home with 4 and a half leaders. Maybe 5, we're working on it. I'm working on writing about my trip now and over the last few days in increments as we travel back home to unload and reload, now tonight we head out again for the Tustumena 200 sled dog race with my main race team. cheers, Zoya

good times are now

be thankful, listen to your heart, work harder, reflect

and teach.... these words ring in my ears

again and over and over.

rock out to whatever you love doing...

mushing...

dancing.... making beauitful things....

writing...traveling....biking....sleeping....walking the dog.....playing with the cat, hanging with your pallies,

fishing......mountain climbing.....dogsledding.

life is ....

beautiful with change & challenge.

zd

10 inches of fresh snow, pictures from this morning.

drifts and snow, snow, snow..

KLONDIKE 300 sled dog race JAN. 19th, Big Lake, AK

back to work baby.

we're packed and ready to head out tomorrow morning by 6am with 12 dogs. 5 hr drive.
Vet check for the team is noon in Big lake, food drops and musher meeting all happen tomorrow night at the Lions Den. When you have 50 some dogs and serious race plans, there is Zero time to be sick and hurting. We don't have that luxury around here. i don't have the patience either. I am feeling clear headed & back to my normal happy self (which is probably the most important thing right now) attitude is everything..... just sore and achy...we can deal with sore! My handlers are truly the best people..you guys are so upbeat, clever smart, super positive and supportive...and John....you are amazing.....I can't say thanks enough to my rockin crew.

The dog team is antsy, mom is antsy and it's snowing very hard (with an accumulation of 10 inches already!) .....my head is sore but healing, my heart is racing to get back on the runners and work with this team...Bongo was always happy, Mambo got better the further she went and displayed some fun playful behavior at the checkpoints making us all laugh a little, Motta and Robin really stepped up the pace as needed in lead position this last weekend and Zither, Streak and Probe are all a constant force on the trail and Hunter worked 150 percent. This team isn't the fastest team going but they are steady and when cared for and fed right, they are always going to be right there, steady......we weren't able to see final results with this team in the cb300 race, we can only guess what would have been...for now. They are a nice bunch of dogs and I'm really looking forward to getting going here soon.

I am leaving bridle, storey and north at home this weekend and saving those 3 dogs for the next weekend's Tustumena 200 race team. My hot rod race team is hot this year and the core of that team is racing the Gin Gin/Tustumena/Iditarod.... (sadie, bridle, naked, peak, storey, bligh, trapper, sebe, galen, north, diesel) minus Diesel for Iditarod. This team has speed and can run the hills...the Klondike is mostly flat and the T200 is hilly.....

Dude, Bonnie and Cookie will replace those 3 dogs this weekend for the 300. Bonnie is just over a year old, this will be a camp run for her as we aren't going there to race hard rather, qualify for Iditarod. I hope to give her positive/longer trail experience while encouraging her to do the best she can without asking too much. she's a young dog but tough and seems to enjoy the pressure. If this wasn't the case, she wouldn't' still be running with this crew. We'll drop her is she needs more rest. (dropped dogs are cared for by vets/handlers until the end of the race and or rode back by snow machine back to the start of race where my handler will pick the dog back up).... Cookie has been in training all season with the big dogs but hasn't raced since last years Taiga 300, placing 3rd......Cookie is 7 years old, and still loves to go. "Grrrrr"..she's my little tiger with attitude. The girl's got sass. We love our little Cookie-monster--who originally came from the fairbanks animal shelter 4 years ago.

John will have the cell on him if you need to reach us this weekend, or email works too.....the race starts at 2pm on Saturday. WISH US WELL with health, force, and speed.

zd

Perspectives...

cb300

After leaving Paxson Lodge checkpoint yesterday morning my dogs took a haw where they needed to take a gee on windblown Paxson Lake, leaving me to hand lead them over to the marked trail which was marked only by a few markers about 300 yards away, I could see it but the dogs couldn't. I led them over twice before we got going good again. My sled slid sideways after we crossed the first section of glare ice before flipping up on it's side. My head hit the ice and I blacked out. I lost time for the first time in my life. I remember getting back on my sled and looking up at my lead dogs. They stood there looking at me. Disorientated, I got up and we kept going down the lake. My arm felt sore and that was about all I can recall. the dogs moved fine right past our kennel with the wind to our back. We turned the corner at the point right beyond our kennel and I lost time again. You smack you noggen on hard ice, you suffer some time loss, you're driving a healthy team of 12 dogs for another...170 miles.....what are you going to do? this was a problem for me.
It is still unclear to me what happened right then in there. I remember slipping off, losing my feet and turning the sled on it's side to stop the dogs so I could get back on. When I got back on the sled, I was dizzy and unable to hold on with a strong grip. I needed to take a long break on the beach. But now we're sitting in wind gusts up to 45 mph.
Instead, I turned my healthy team around for home. My handlers were confused as to why their musher was coming back home with a nice string of dogs.

3rd strike from the basin race, not a good feeling for me. Can't sit and beat myself up. Can't worry what others might be saying.
Must get on with my racing this season, there's better times ahead for me and my team.

I sit here now with a large lump on the back of my head while I revisit the first 130 miles & how things seemed to be going pretty well; the trail was very good, the mountain was pretty awesome with more snow than expected and the water crossings...good!...for the first time I didn't have dogs balling up in a tangled mess--they listened and we got through some of the toughest sections gracefully. This team isn't the strongest on the hills but can move steady on the flats and they listen, and they trust. Mambo was the most impressive young dog in the team coming into her own on this race, and eating everything in sight, and Robin/Motta in lead got stronger the further we traveled. The dogs stayed steady, eating and sleeping right on schedule. that was beautiful. My leaders shot down the trail out of Paxson, without assistance. We were one of the very few teams that didn't need assistance. It upsets me now to think how we train on this ice day in and day out...why this happened now rather than later or prior and how my decisions in the cb300 effect my attitude in future racing.

.................ahhhhhhh screeeeam! this wasn't supposed to happen!!

I'm the first to admit there's much for me to learn in this sport of dog racing....I wasn't born into this lifestyle and the kind of "tough" one needs to get through some pretty bad stuff....my lifestyle before Alaska was something totally different and the mechanics of this sport are new to me... some of the most crucial skills in this sport are some of my greatest challenges to learn and understand. Not the tough trails, living outside in the cold, or working and living and breathing dogs day in and day out...those are the rewards......it's learning to fix things on the run, deal with serious hurt when need be and staying strong when the body feels weak....yes, I am only human. Now you know. But human with drive and desire.

It's obvious to the world that the Cb300 race and I haven't got along real too well. Yet.
And that when you start traveling with dogs 150 mile or more under race expectations, things change out there and it's not all roses, all the time. My accomplishments in dog racing have been super small with little 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishes in 150 mile to 300 mile races over a 3 year period. This is a small step in my racing goals. I'm disappointed but not even close to calling it quits. I'm too damn stubborn and we'll keep at it. why? Traveling and living with dogs on the run, love of racing and I know we have what it takes, it's in there.
I have to work harder at accessing it. The blessings and opportunity are all right here open to me and I've got to get better and saying Yes, we can do this... and giving myself permission to be successful when things fall apart..out there. Isn't this all about learning and working to become a better musher? I've got very good dogs, a passion that won't quit, some of the best training under my belt, more knowledge than the year before, a super team of people working for me (you girls, rock!) and the best husband, best friend & team player a girl could ask for. We're healthy and thankful.

Thank you to my handlers, my friends, family, fans and sponsors for all your love and blessings.
we're running south for the Klondike 300 next weekend.

zd

update

Since the Gin Gin 200 race, things haven't slowed down one bit! I look at the calendar and can hardly believe it's already the 10th today of Jan. Holy Cow!

I've been training and modifying team #2 for the Copper Basin 300 race next weekend. Making decisons as I go and it hasn't been that easy. My Gin Gin team was so much fun to run--those dogs love to race and thrive the further we get out-- is't tempting to take those dogs out again for the basin race but not if I plan to race the Tustumena 200----so....I've been running team 2 and making minor changes where I can afford to in order to save the core of that team for the T200. John is working on trails daily, staking trails for the cb race and sewing mitts and parka ruffs. Judy is staying busy powdering booties for my Iditarod drops and walking dogs and puppies. thank you, you rock! Brianna has been training retired and yearling dogs on the sled and chopping meat, steadily. She's awesome. I am so happy to have such a nice crew to work with and so grateful!

We've been training on parts of the Copper Basin 300 trail & John's old trap line trail this year showing the dogs everything from daily road crossings, long sections of glare ice, hundreds of yards of not-so-fun-but -doable-overflow, water crossings and tall mountain tops. These are trails I curse but love, can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em! They make us better for the running. Each time I go out with my team, we're learning something new. I trained in this area back in 2005, which was also the last year I did really well in my 2 mid distance races. (placing 5th in Sheep Mountain 150 and 1st in the Chatanika 200) ....the dogs build good muscle on these trails, learning to work together as a team, and they learn to trust their musher as we work together out there. These trails are fun for the dogs because they vary from steep hills to winding narrow trails through trees & then climbing mountains and crossing frozen river ways....lots of animals out and about and plenty of tracks to keep you on your toes. I love it and we're excited!

I trained mostly on the Denali Highway last year due to the fact that we wintered at our summer home at Maclaren River. I wouldn't do that again--train on the highway so much, that is. I think this can become a boring routine for the dogs if done too much. They go flat because of it. When I say flat, I mean mentally flat...the dogs loose that little spark or hunger....and then they look at you as if they were saying... "here we go again, same ol wide open trail, just running back and forth, up and down, out and back, nothing new. what's up with that mom?" The trail is wide open and fast with hard packed snow..fun for awhile but not enough stuff to keep it mixed up. Dogs can run this highway while napping if they wanted to. NO THANKS! I want my dogs thinking, learning and having a good time of it. The up side to the Denali is you can run bigger teams early because the snow is usually pretty good, the scenery is wicked, our cozy cabins are out there waiting for us and the friendly Maclaren River Lodge is open all winter....and Susie makes a mean breakfast!

I just ran a great 74 mile run a few days back and part of that was over the Copper Basin mountain trail..Mambo led me for 4o miles that day until we started up the mountain...she's starting to gain more confidence in lead as time goes on. she's not a true leader at this point but seems to like going in lead with Djembe for awhile but when things get tough, she looks back for hunter or Bridle or North to fill in. Robin, is my cheerleader..she is a go getter and SO much fun to run. Robin is a dog who enjoys the race scene very much and keeps me inspired! As I write this post, it's snowing lightly and the wind is Zinging outside at 45mph..I can't see anything past the trees--it's all white if you're looking to the north. Food drops for the race are packed (YAY)and ready to go. The team is hanging out in their houses trying to stay out of the wind for the most part but by 3, we'll be going out for a quick fun little run. Tomorrow is CB300 race registraton, food drops, and bib draw. wish us the best...we're going to have fun!

cb team: (L): leaders
hunter (l)
dejembe (l)
bongo (l)
robin (l)
north (l)
bridle (l)
Probe
Mambo
Motta (l)
Zither
Storey
Streak
Zd

Gin Gin 200 Race Report

The Night Before

The night before the race (Thursday) we had a full house and excitement was in the air. Everyone was here from good friends visiting, to race staff busy with their preparations. After we gobbled down John's famous-around-here homemade pizza, we all met at the round table to talk about the race in regards to the rules, organization and logistics, trail reports, and the roles of each volunteer. 9 p.m. came around and I was off like shot to change my sled runners and pack the truck. It's nice to visit but I had big plans and I wanted to be ready to roll the next morning by 5 a.m.

I had done my homework preparing all my race food and gear on Tuesday and Wednesday in hopes to have some time to visit with everyone without having to run around like a chicken trying to get everything ready at the last minute. I actually went as far as to pack my sled with everything I took on the 200 mile race (food, gear, etc) to see just how I would pack it all in race morning and to know exactly how it would feel driving a LOAD....well, it felt like a load! My Gin Gin team ran 16 miles on Wednesday with "the load" and I didn't see any difference in our speed. North didn't seem to mind as we slid across the lake ice and over frozen sloughs. My main race sled is 4 feet and 3 inches and I've been tweaking it for awhile so it would drive easier with more flexibility. It walks over tough trails which makes the trip so much better for the team.

By 9:40 p.m. that night, all mandatory gear was loaded; snow bibs, parka, personal bag, dog food, shovel for truck and poo bags, extra harnesses, extra lines and the many checklists were now all in the truck stowed in their special place. All I needed to do now was hit the sack and get some restful sleep. Easier said then done. By 10:00 p.m. the house was pretty quiet, just about everyone went to bed. John and Chris, our friend and handler from last year worked on the snowmachine till 2. Joanne was snoring well past 10 and Jan, layed awake reading while trying to ignore all the dogs barking from outside. My friends Rebecca and Franchesca were here with their three dogs, and the yard had a little something to say about it. I laid down about 10:30 and got up about a half a dozen times for water or juice. I think it must have been about 1 a.m. before I finally fell asleep. Laying in bed my head was spinning and all I could do was think about tomorrow-----> race day--->the start.

Do I have everything ??
Galen and North were to lead us out for the first 50...my thoughts were buzzing so loud.... "Galen has never led me out of the chute and is very shy, what if he holds us back? North is inexperienced with races and can be a little gun shy too, what if he freaks out? How will this play out? I can always count on Sadie, Bridle or Sebe.. BUT we're going to stop that right now Zoya and visualize positive thoughts.... North and Galen running the show out of the chute because that is what I had planned and I believe they are the two gentlemen for the job, they can do it! They are good together up there."

Deep breath in Zoya.....then......long exhale. That's better!

Ahhh.....then come details... "Sebe needs her harness off right away at the 1st layover, she'll chew it up if I don't...give yourself 45 minutes to get team ready to go before departing checkpoint, Naked needs to eat 15 minutes prior to running due to low blood sugar, Bligh needs to be hooked in last at start because he will go nuts on my line if he's hooked in any sooner....remember to tell our start help to bring Bligh up last.....team list on clip board....get food soaking asap once at Maclaren. , make sure snow hook is secure in river ice before leaving team for lodge/water, make sure to sign out of Maclaren for both 109 mile run and last 42, then the list of items in my vet kit bag ...I must have went through this mentally 4-5 times.......wraps, pink ointment, Zalox, vitamins....I get obsessed with these things, they just kind of take over mt thought process. I look ahead and I play it out in my mind to get organized. This works for me and helps me fine tune the details.

And I even got some good sleep that night. The alarm went off at 5 a.m... it's time to roll. John was up making coffee, everyone in the house now up and moving around slowly... looking for coffee. John busy in the kitchen working out last minute race details about the time I was out loading dogs into the truck. Judy and I were loaded and on our way to Paxson Lodge by 7 a.m.

The Race

The first 30 miles ran west on the Denali Highway. This route is very scenic taking the teams above timberline through rolling hills, hard packed trail and gorgeous terrain. The mountain scenery is spectacular! There's been a great deal of snow machine traffic and wind on the Denali this past week and the snow is marginal in some spots making it almost impossible to hook down with a fresh team. We were 2nd out that morning at 11:02 a.m. Galen & North led me out of the chute beautifully. Just like the picture in my mind and just like it's been going in training. Why do I second guess myself? Nerves, I guess. The rest of my team was hooked in one by one...Bligh in last...all dogs biting at the chomp, lunging forward and pawing at the ground. The sky was clear and temperatures cooling down to -17 that morning. I held the dogs back for the first 50 miles --trying to keep them slow. They want to run that first 50 like mad dogs but I ask them to trot out slow instead because I know we have another 150 miles to go..they don't know this but I do and so we do what is best for the dogs.

We turned right off the Denali Highway at milepost 30 for a nice 17 mile jog through the mountain loop (Glacier gap)....this trail was just put in and is good fun, very soft in spots with narrow sharp turns and a few little ice bridges...the dogs move good through this stuff, and I still have to make an effort to keep them slow. It's punchy and the snow id deep if you venture off into the snow. I dumped the sled twice on sharp corners.....Yes, the load got the best of me and I was just slightly off the trail in snow up to my nose in the banks. The sled feels really heavy now sitting there on it's side in snow waist deep...I'm trying to get it up, breaking a total sweat, feeling like an idiot for nose diving in the first place......the dogs look back at me as if they were saying "c'mon mom! what are you doing back there....Get up and get pushing!..Well, that's what I did and we got going again. I looked over my shoulder hoping no one was coming, didn't want anyone to see me face first in the snow! Judy Currier passed me right before the first fall, thank goodness!

We got in about sunset, the light was very dim and flat. 2nd team in, Maclaren dog lot area was empty and quiet. Judy was doing her chores as I pulled in next to her.

I got into Maclaren with sugar snow still down my parka and up my sleeves. Brrrrr! The dogs seemed happy enough to be there all though I could see a little confusion in their eyes as we blew through our summer kennel to park on the river ice facing the lodge. Check routine: leaders secured, straw down, booties off, snack for dogs and off for hot water. This was a nice bonus. The dogs settled right in and we were in our groove part 1. Sebe managed to get that harness within seconds..and I mean at least 5 seconds and no more than 15. ....little rascal. I knew better! I took it off her little body as I shook my head at her and replaced it with an extra Sebe harness right before we left Maclaren that evening. After dog chores were done and dogs were fed, I got away from the team so that they could rest. I went into the lodge, had dinner and then laid down for an hour in the mushers sleeping cabin. I rested, not slept that one hour down. By the time I got up and came out, I had 50 minutes to get the dogs ready to roll before departing Maclaren. It was snowing lightly out, seemed pretty warm, maybe 1F above zero. I was wide awake and ready to get going. I refilled my thermos, had a few sausage snacks from Delta Meat & Sausage before heading out.

All the dogs were standing up looking my way as I walked to them... if they could talk they may have been saying... "where did ya go Ma?" I gave them all a little petting, kissed Peak on the nose and gave a piece of fish to each dog and then got the booties out. By the time I had booties on 6 dogs, the rest of my team was feeling very impatient. Bligh of course was pawing at the ground getting the team all hot, Robin in wheel with Trapper was barking and lunging and jumping over the top of Trapper. I had given myself too much time to get this team ready to go. About one minute prior to departure, the team pulled my hook and I grabbed the sled and whoa'd them to a stop near the water shed. Finally, the checker said GO! I pulled the hook and away we went... hike and then a haw west on the Denali. Sadie and Galen in lead. About 2 miles out, Galen declined the opportunity to run with Miss Sadie. I stopped and switched them out for Sebe and Bridle. Jodi came up behind me leaving Maclaren only 60 seconds later. Her team was moving good and we seemed to have similar speed. The run from Maclaren Lodge to the Su bridge seemed to fly on by, the road was hard packed and after we reached 62 mile, it was all down hill from there, literally. There's many sections on road where you could feel the rocks and gravel under your runners. I kept looking off in the distance for Judy's headlamp. We were hoping to find her and eventually we did. About 6 hrs into the run, we passed her camping on the trail near the firewood John had cut for mushers. I had thought about camping there with the team, too they needed it. The dogs looked great, tails wagging, smiling faces, all were eating like maniacs and I felt they could use this run for future racing experience. Jodi and I stopped about 200 yards from Judy's camping spot, tended our dogs and headed out back for Maclaren.

We traveled together for a long night that went by surprisingly fast...we had a good time with our teams on new trails, some ice, a little baby bit of overflow, soft areas, animal tracks and the night sky was lit by a sliver of a moon, dim through the clouds and snow. The last 10 miles seemed to kind of drag on by, dogs were trotting along nice but my stomach was growly--I was getting very hungry for Susie's HUGE pancakes and yummy hash browns. It was like I could almost smell them! We were ready to get there by the time we arrived as each bend in the river held our hopes high for sight of the lodge. The dogs trotted in smooth and happy--- we stopped to get checked in and they were pulling again on their tugs to get moving forward. We parked now on the river ice facing our kennel. Check routine: secure the leaders out, harness off Sebe, undo tugs, straw was already on ground, dog coats were already on, booties off, small snack for dogs, off to get hot water. The dogs laid down within minutes. I had a quick bite to eat, fed the dogs and laid down for nap too. This time I slept for about an hour and a half total. Not much sleep. But it felt so good! I think I ordered the biggest breakfast I could attempt to eat and then hit the sack for an hour. Maclaren was quiet when we rolled in-- it was just us. As I had my meal inside, Judy and Lance pulled in. I never did see Lance and only Judy in passing.

After our final rest, it was time to get going for that final stretch. I regretfully dropped North only because he seemed tired resting as much as he could not wasting one ounce of energy. North, tired? This wasn't the case however and it has taken me a long time to understand North and his unique personality. After I dropped him, he pulled the checker so hard he almost had them down on the ground. Then he barked and howled as his team left without him. So sad, I am sorry North. He is no doubt a force in my team and we missed him on that final 42 miles. Bridle and Seb in lead. The checker said GO! and the dogs took off and then drove us up to our cabin door and onto the porch through the out trail.....this was a very difficult moment!

I lost time here as the dogs didn't want to leave their kennel. This happened to me on the Taiga 300 last April, too. It's NOT easy asking the dogs to go through and pass their home over and over again! I was in a hurry and Jodi was going to be leaving shortly after me ...BUT the dogs were trying to tell me something else, they could care less if Jodi was coming or not. I convinced them to get moving and once again we were back on the highway headed toward Paxson. About 2 miles later, Harley had stomach cramps. Bad ones. Arrrggh. He couldn't run. His head wanted to go but his stomach was tight and cramping.

Jodi came up on me and passed me, leaving me in her dust. Arggh!! I loaded Harley at milepost 40 as fast as I could and secured him in the sled bag before chasing Jodi up the Maclaren Summit with 10 dogs on the line. She got away from me within minutes. I could see her headlamp in the distance and it seemed like we were closing in the further we traveled--around milepost 22, one of the race staff was heading back to Maclaren from Paxson on his snow machine. He slowed down to tell me something about the wind on 13 mile, I couldn't hear over the machine but I hollered.. "Where's my musher?' he said.. "about one mile ahead. " OH GOOD! I thought we could catch her.

My team was moving fast, looked real good and eager to run harder when I asked. We got to 17 mile on the Denali when the wind started to pick up. I could see Jodi's headlamp in the distance traveling up through the wind and over the summit. She was still close. I thought to myself that this didn't feel good. The wind was strong & steady as we climbed the summit. The dogs, my sled, and me started to get picked up off the road by this heavy wind, unforgiving and relentless. It felt like it was a fight to the top and a fight to stay on the road. Keeping dogs safe and moving was priority #1. The wind was blowing so hard, my team dogs were getting blown off the road and my sled flipped. I stopped the team and got my sled upright, Harley upright and re-secured and then went up into my team during a bad gust of wind, holding them for a moment, lining the team out into the middle of the road where there was little snow left and then back to my sled while my hero leader, Bridle waited patiently for my command. When I said "OK", she would drive us through that wind.

The wind was horrific as it blew so hard forcing my team to the ground over and over again. I had secured a little petzel headlamp to the sled handlebars in case we got separated. When the wind quieted down, we moved fast through it and kept moving until we were forced to stop and wait another 4-10 seconds. Finally at milepost 6, it was a little breezy but the strong winds were gone behind us. I stopped at milepost 4 and re-hooked the dogs into their tugs, snacked a piece of fish and petted their heads. OK, that killed another 5 minutes. But I needed to give a quick "thanks" to the team, they worked hard and did a good job. Seconds out there count and this is something I am fully aware of and learn from every time I'm out there with dogs on these races racing against the clock.

Paxson Lodge/Finish Line

The dogs rolled in nice, looking for their truck of course. Robin was still bouncy, Dude, still waggin his body all around, Bligh, Naked and Peak still waggin tails and giving kisses. Bridle, Sebe and Galen, all happy to be there and Trapper, just happy to be anywhere mom is...and Harley, glad to be getting out of the sled bag. When we got in I warned the checker that Harley had a poo accident in the sled bag just 2 mile prior to the finish....covering most of my mandatory items....she checked me in and gave a "ewww, stinky" ... yes, it smelled very bad but Harley on the other hand was feeling so much better now. When we got home about an hour later, the dogs all ate like mad and Harley was the first one with his paws up looking for his meal.

This team is a team I think I've been dreaming about since...my life in mushing began. These dogs are happy all the time, they recover fast on short rests, they eat just about anything and all the time and they like to go steady. They are a strong team with lots of personality and pizazz....I've bred and hand raised 8 of these dogs.

My CB300 team is a different operation. it's a mixed bag of dogs, some older, some younger. The 2nd team is Bongo, Djembe, Mambo, Hunter, Bonnie, Motta, Cookie, Zither, Probe, Streak, Storey, and Cliff. Storey belongs in the T200 team, since he missed the GG200, he may go instead of Cliff. We're going back to the CB300 to finish and qualify. My Gin team is the core of my Iditarod team and that team will head to the Tustumena 200, later in the month.

Take care & we'll try to update again soon, before the basin race.

zd and team

Happy New Year! from all of us here at Crazy Dog Kennels!