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March 13, 2015 by

Both teams are currently in Galena! It will be nice for Aliy and Allen to see each other, even if it’s only briefly.

The Red Team has been resting in Galena since 5.54am so it is pretty safe to assume Aliy has declared her mandatory 24 hour stop there. We won’t know for sure until they pull out of the checkpoint and she gets an official green tick next to her name on the standings list but it has been over 16 hours already, so I’d probably put money on it.

During the 24 hour layover the routine will include at least three or maybe four meals for the dogs supplemented with meat and fat. Aliy will give each dog thorough body, leg and foot massages with Algyval and apply “pink ointment” foot salve on all 64 feet. Aliy will also walk each dog after their first long sleep to loosen them up, as keeping them immobile for the whole time will only serve to stiffen them up a bit just like it would with us. Of course, sleep is also a priority for the dogs and musher.

When we packed the drop bags for the checkpoints where a 24 hour stop was a possibility (we packed several to give both of them options), we put in all sorts of goodies for the humans also. Allen was on the Quest at the time we finished off his bags so he will have some surprises when he opens them up. We packed bags of his favorite popcorn, some breakfast burritos and special home-made meals frozen in seam-sealed packages, along with all the stuff he planned and is expecting. Aliy put in packets of dried plantains and some different snack mixes to give her a change from her regular trail food – freeze dried meals and nuts.

Inside all the drop bags along the trail are pounds and pounds of home made oatmeal/peanut butter bars.

They don’t freeze solid, even at -40F and both Aliy and Allen are so fond of them that they often steal them out of the freezer at home before we get a chance to put them in the drop bags.

They blame Bullet (one of the retired house dogs) but I know it’s not her – she doesn’t have opposable thumbs so would find using a knife difficult. She does have a long nose though so I could totally see her opening the freezer door! Oh poor Bullet, I’m just kidding.

The Black Team pulled in to Galena at 9.45pm after running the 55 miles from Ruby in 6 hours, 55 mins. They are moving at a good pace on the river – the tracker reports they have a moving average speed of 9.1 mph! He still has 15 team mates with him. We’re unsure whether he will 24 there, we will just have to wait and see.

Drop Dog Update

Today we took Olivia into Fairbanks to our vet T Rose Veterinary Service for some laser therapy.

Don’t ask my how it works, it’s like magic, but it has reportedly excellent results on her type of pectoral muscle issue as well as wounds and other soft tissue injuries.

Olivia enjoyed the ride and curled up and slept in the back seat of the car as we stopped for some groceries and ran some other errands.

She will have another session of laser treatment later in the week then she is on strict rest for a while as we assess how she’s healing.

Thanks T Rose!

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14 Responses

  • thanks for another great update. was watching tracker on Allen the last 2 hrs. Good luck keeping ms "O" on strict rest! she does love the attention tho. time to get some rest while I can.
    padee santa rosa CA

  • Olivia is such a good looking dog! When I show my class pictures of the Iditarod dogs, I typically show them a picture of Olivia I got two years ago that one of you took! Hope she feels better soon

  • What a wonderful job you are doing to keep us all up to date and informed as well as sharing a special recipe with us all. Good work SP Kennel Crew. Great job! We never tire of hearing the trail stories of our favorite mushing teams! 🙂

  • So glad Olivia was able to come back to the Kennel with you instead of going through the dog drop pick up process….getting her treatments as soon as possible was probably benificial!Must be nice for Allen and Aliy to open up a 24 hour rest bag to find hidden goodies! Yummy!

  • Thanks so much for this all-encompassing report!!!

    Beautiful picture of Olivia – thanks again!!!

    Woof, woof!!!

    –Margaret

  • Both SPK teams are doing super well!!! Great to see Big O happy and healing😍
    Thank you, Moira 😍

  • Thanks so much for the updates! Olivia is gorgeous and hope she is doing well. Keep up the awesome work and go SPK!

  • So glad to see and read some HAPPY news about Allan and Aily meeting up together. There has been too much sadness especially for Lance and now Wyatt suddenly dying, I will be glad to see Aily's beautiful smile being with her husband.

  • Very much enjoying your updates – we are rooting for Aliy to win this year! I'm wondering if you could share your oatmeal/peanut butter recipe? Do you just add oatmeal to the peanut butter or are there other ingredients? I think some raw cacao powder would be good. Make it more nutritious and add the chocolate flavor to it. I know that Aliy and Allen are big into health stuff – do they know about a new freeze dried company called Numanna that makes freeze dried meals that have no MSG, GMO's, soy, etc. in them? The foods used are also organic. You just add hot water if you have it and it's a meal.

  • I love this part of the race, when Aliy and Allen get to see each other one last time, until Allen's finish in Nome.
    Great insight about the drop bags!
    I know the Iditarod Vets do a great job (Chica's story); but, I'm betting Olivia is super happy she is with you, and seeing Doc T Rose team.
    Get well Ms. O.
    Enjoy your treats Allen.
    Go Red Team! 🙂

  • Olivia,

    It's good to see you look beautiful and relaxed. Think of it as "vacation"…we're sure that Moira and the Doc will have you back on the tug line very soon.
    Love from your sponsor,
    Tonia and Herb

  • Thanks, Moira for a fantastic report. The Big O is looking wonderful, heal fast. May the laser therapy work wonders. Allen & the Black team are really moving down the trail. Good that Aliy & Allen can share a bit of time in Galena. When you shared the recepie for the oatmeal peanutbutter bars earlier, I made some. They are very delicious. Go SPK.

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