SPK Dog Log

These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.

My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.

2020 Aliy Cam Episode 6 – “Roller Coaster Ride”

While on back of a dog sled, I find it the perfect time to whistle. Actually, if I’m being honest, I whistle a lot whenever I’m outdoors. I’ve actually been chastised by a halibut boat charter captain who told me that my whistling would bring bad winds. (Yikes! Maybe that’s what happened before the Safety Checkpoint during Iditarod 2014.) Anyhow, I like to whistle, stay upbeat and have some fun with my dogs. The line up of the team in this video is: Q.T. and Spark in lead, then Junior and Dutch, then Decaf by himself, then Five and Rodney, then Jefe and Chevie, then Kodiak and Cloud then Violet and Amber in the rear.

I originally turned on my video camera in this section because I thought the incredibly thick spruce tree forest was amazing. I also was enjoying the sunrise and thought you might like it as well. This section of trail has very large moguls. You’ll see my sled bounce hard up and down. Whenever we go over the moguls the mainline (the line to which all of the individual dog leashes are attached) is rapidly pulled upward, as the nose of the sled crests the mogul, and then immediately falls to the ground, when the sled nose dives. In the split second that the line is dragging along the ground, a dog could easily step on it or over it. That’s what happens to Five in the beginning of this clip. His right hind leg goes over the line just before it pops up again. That leaves him running with the line in between his legs instead of over his haunches. Can you say uncomfortable? You can see him hop around and try to fix his situation. Sometimes a dog can jump around or twist its leg so that they untangle themselves, even while trotting down the trail. In the video, I ask Five if he can fix it. He can’t. The solution is to stop the team and then the tangled dog can simply lift their leg and detangle them self. So that’s what we do. 

I immediately ask everyone “Ready?!” But, dogs are dogs. Everyone decides it’s a perfect time for a pee break. Immediately upon stopping, you’ll see Five, Jefe, Rodney and Dutch lift their legs. Soon after Violet, Decaf and QT follow suit. As any dog owner knows, sometimes a dog will pee simply because they “have to go”. Other times, dogs like to “mark their territory”. Whatever the case, I feel it is no use to get frustrated at a dog for doing his or her duty. I often think about one of the most legendary SPK “pee markers”: Biscuit. He raced the Iditarod eight times and nearly marked every bush in Alaska. In terms of “mark your territory”, Biscuit was the King Pee Man. 

The second part of the video is 20 miles farther down the trail and closer to the Ruby Checkpoint. The trail runs along the top of the mountain ridges here. It is often windblown. You can tell that the sun has climbed into the sky and it’s a beautiful afternoon.

Please Note: when I turn on my video camera it’s like bringing another person onto the team. I often talk like there is someone else present and will explain where we are or what’s happening. From a dog’s perspective this doesn’t make sense. They hear me talking to “someone” and often look back to see who’s there. I sometimes had to use my ‘cheerleader voice’ to keep them focused ahead instead of wondering what the heck I was doing behind them.

The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.

Here is a map so that you can follow along.

These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.

My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.

2020 Aliy Cam Episode 5 – “The Road to Ophir”

As you can see in the video, the dogs are moving along nicely. It’s just before noon on the fourth day of the race. In lead are Junior and Q.T., then Dutch and Spark, then Decaf and Kodiak, then Five and Rodney, then Jefe and Chevie, then Cloud by herself and in the rear of the team: Violet and Amber. You’ll hear a dog screech about 2 minutes into this clip. That’s Violet. She’ll often give a short screech when she pulls uphill. I always laugh because I think it’s similar to a huge 300-pound Olympian muscle man who grunts when he hurls the shot put.

The trail we are traveling follows an old mining road that was built in the 1920’s to connect Takotna and the Ophir area mining claims with a resupply spot called Sterling landing, on the Kuskokwim River. It crosses over many hills and creeks and winds along like a real road. You can see actual road signs in the video. The view off to the right of the team (which is east) is glorious.

Gold was first discovered around Ophir, Alaska in the late 1800’s. At its peak in 1907 to 1908, Ophir had a population of 1,000 people and who knows how many dogs. The dogs were critical for hauling supplies as well as gold. Today the permanent population of Ophir is zero but there are a few buildings, a gold dredge and a runway. Small mining operations exist in the summer months and the trail passes right next to the cabins and equipment. I joke on the video: “You might want to check your gold necklace and see if it’s from the Ophir area.”

The Iditarod checkpoint cabin at Ophir has lots of history. If you are interested in really learning the history of the Iditarod’s early years then you ought to find the book: “Iditarod: The First Ten Years” which is an amazing compilation of stories, photos and clippings by The Old Iditarod Gang. For the past 50 years, this Ophir cabin has been the part-time home of the Forsgren family. Dick Forsgren was the first mayor of McGrath and purchased the land and cabin in Ophir in the 70’s. He and his wife, Audra, loved the area and were involved with the Iditarod from the beginning. During the first race in 1973, they surprised all the mushers by having a warm and cozy spot ‘in the middle of nowhere’. After that, the cabin then became a regular checkpoint as it is today. In the early years, Dick helped break trail between McGrath and Poorman for the Iditarod and Audra cooked and housed any musher who stuck their head into their cabin’s door. Their son, Keith and and his family then kept the family’s involvement with the Iditarod going strong after his father’s passing in 2010. Last I knew, Audra was in her 90s and happily living in the Pioneer Home in Palmer. This year Dick’s grandson, Kyle and his great grandson traveled from their home in Hawaii in order to open the cabin for Iditarod mushers. It is a popular spot for mushers and others who travel the trail.

I had a great deal of fun with Dick’s great grandson who might be 12 years old – plus or minus. I’m sorry that I don’t remember his name. (Anyone know it?) Anyhow, he “helped” me with the dogs as much as the Iditarod rules allow – which means he petted many of the dogs while they were resting and asked me questions. He was, in fact, very helpful to the Vet Crew and Volunteers because he hauled them and their gear back and forth to the runway which is several miles away. It was easy to enjoy myself in Ophir and I smiled lots when I thought about the Forsgren family. Their family bond continues over generations and they all seem to share the family passion for their land and their history. It is very inspirational.

The IditarodTrail Invitational is an adventure race like no other. The biker that I was chatting with in Ophir is Graham Muir. I shared one of my awesome energy bars with him and his biking partner and made friends immediately. I learned later that this duo finished their race in Unalakleet. Congrats guys!

Please Note: when I turn on my video camera it’s like bringing another person onto the team. I often talk like there is someone else present and will explain where we are or what’s happening. From a dog’s perspective this doesn’t make sense. They hear me talking to “someone” and often look back to see who’s there. I sometimes had to use my ‘cheerleader voice’ to keep them focused ahead instead of wondering what the heck I was doing behind them.

The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.

Here is a map so that you can follow along.

These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.

My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.

2020 Aliy Cam Episode 3 – “The Flats before Nikolai”

It is about noon in this video on the third day of Iditarod 2020. The village of Nikolai is still a few hours away. Over the years, there are certain locations along the 1,000 mile trail where I am hit with an intense realization of my dog team’s power, determination and utter dedication to me. Looking back over my shoulder and seeing the Alaska Range Mountains along the horizon was one of these moments. It was like seeing a blue ribbon of triumph in my rear view mirror. 

We had spent the entire previous day in these mountains. We had started in the foothills and followed the terrain up and up and up. Near the tree line, we had been hit by sheer winds and a ground blizzard blowing directly towards us from the exact mountain pass we intended to summit. Regardless of the wind, we climbed that steep pass. Before summiting we found ourselves surrounded by gigantic overhanging snow cornices and avalanche sign in all directions. We arrived at the summit lake only to encounter even more intense wind coming from the pass ahead of us. We then descended the top and dropped down into the wind. We followed an extremely technical downhill route: zigzagging around cliff faces, over water holes and across ice ridges. As I gazed over my shoulder at the horizon, all of these memories now blossomed as a huge surge of pride in my chest. The Team: Chevie and QT in lead, Dutch and Cloud, Violet and Decaf, Rodney and Five, Jefe by him self, Junior and Kodiak, in the rear, Spark and Amber.

The night before this video was taken, we had camped off the side of the trail in a nice, densely forested spot. It had been -30ºF while we slept. The dogs and I snuggled into our beds while wearing warm puff jackets. We all got some much needed rest. The temperatures during the video, had not yet warmed up significantly, so the dogs are running in their puff jackets. As I mention, I had rotated dog’s positions in the team. This was in order to try and increase the team’s speed. I carry a GPS and had been monitoring their overall speeds from the start. Not only were we slower than I expected, but every other team on the race had passed us (while we were in motion) and simply left us behind. By this point, I knew that my team did not have the speed that was necessary to win Iditarod 2020.  

2020 Aliy Cam Episode 4 – “Sunset Near McGrath”

Pretty, eh? Obviously we are heading west. The Team: Dutch and QT in lead, Spark and Junior, Kodiak and Decaf, Rodney and Five, Jefe and Chevie, Cloud by her self, in the rear, Violet and Amber.

Please Note: when I turn on my video camera it’s like bringing another person onto the team. I often talk like there is someone else present and will explain where we are or what’s happening. From a dog’s perspective this doesn’t make sense. They hear me talking to “someone” and often look back to see who’s there. I sometimes had to use my ‘cheerleader voice’ to keep them focused ahead instead of wondering what the heck I was doing behind them.

The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.

Here is a map so that you can follow along.

These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.

My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.

2020 Aliy Cam Episode 1 – “First Morning”

It is about 8 in the morning on the day after the Restart of Iditarod 2020. You can see that a few of the dogs still have their HeadLite collars lite up. Often I run through the darkest hours with over half of the team lit up. I absolutely love these collars. As you can see we are mushing directly towards the Super Moon. We are in the foothills of the Alaska Range and still an hour or so from the Finger Lake Checkpoint. The Team is Junior and Dutch in lead, Spark and Amber, Violet and Kodiak, Rodney and Five, Jefe and Bruno, Chevie and QT, in the rear was Cloud and Decaf.

2020 Aliy Cam Episode2 – Rainy Pass Foothills

This video is from late evening on the second day of Iditarod 2020. The Alaska Range is out in front of the team. The view is spectacular. This is truly a breathtaking spot in the world – especially with a clear sky and a Super Moon. These are just the foothills before climbing high up into the mountain pass. I had put puff jackets on the dogs before leaving Rainy Pass Checkpoint. This turned out to be smart because there was a sudden ground blizzard with 40mph winds in the high plains before the pass. The Team: The Team is Spark and Dutch in lead, Junior and Amber, Violet and Kodiak, Rodney and Five, Jefe alone, Chevie and QT, in the rear was Cloud and Decaf. (Bruno showed signs of dehydration and cramping so I left him in the care of the Rainy Pass Veterinarians. He flew back to Anchorage before our dog team left the Checkpoint. Bruno was 100% in less than 24 hours and was home at the kennel days later.)

Please Note: when I turn on my video camera it’s like bringing another person onto the team. I often talk like there is someone else present and will explain where we are or what’s happening. From a dog’s perspective this doesn’t make sense. They hear me talking to “someone” and often look back to see who’s there. I sometimes had to use my ‘cheerleader voice’ to keep them focused ahead instead of wondering what the heck I was doing behind them.

The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.

Here is a map so that you can follow along.