Both SP Kennel Teams had clean, on-time starts of the Denali Doubles. The sun had set, it was rapidly getting colder and the wind was really picking up. Not that the dogs cared! With so many dogs per team, the scene was a riot!
A bit of an ominous sign at the starting line… Dogs can go where vehicles don’t dare to tread!
Allen has a quick look back as he and Bridgett start down the trail.
The internet is good enough here in Cantwell that I’m going to make the first adjustment to my race plan. I think I have pretty good video of the starts, so I will process it and post it from here. I’ll do it as fast as I can… Maybe an hour? Stay tuned!
Macgellan, you are so dedicated and totally awesome! Loved your race start photos! What chaos there must be with so many dogs.
Did they need more handlers than usual?
Was Happy really that calm, cool, and collected?
The start was actually pretty well handled… Keep in mind that Jeff King limited the field to 20 very experienced mushers, all of whom have "top" finishes, credentials, etc… It's kind of a "Pro Bowl" feeling…
There were hardly any "handlers" around… A couple of experienced people like Doc Mike helped out, along with a few snow machiners… By and large, the teams are all veterans and handled it great….
Including Happy!… She is really a phenom… Calm, cool, collected… It's hard to believe she's the same idiot that she is at the Kennel!
Yes, Mac – if the Cantwell internet connectivity let's you adjust your race plan to make room for some sleep in between all that driving seize the opportunity. Buck the "it's never easy" trend.
We fans can seem to be an impatient lot with our constant questions and high enthusiasm, but honestly we can wait a little while so you can catch some ZZZs.
Lovin' what you've posted for us so far – thank you!
Go Dogs – go Mushers – go Mac!