SPK Dog Log

The Red Team left Pelly towards Stepping Stone at 2.35pm ready for their final leg. The mileage is 31 miles there then turn around and do the same 31 miles back so don’t be alarmed when you see the tracker show they have turned around – they are supposed to! They are currenty running in SECOND position with just over an hour in front to Michelle Phillips in first position and a couple of hours behind to Alex Serdjukov in third.

Red Team leaving Pelly (photo Wendy)

You will see in the standings that Aliy left with 9 dogs. She left Nelson with us as he developed a fairly minor rub on his neck, under his collar and at these cold temperatures there is a risk that raw skin can get frost-bitten. Where it was situated it would have been difficult to protect effectively and she didn’t want to risk turning it into something more serious. He’s perfectly happy hanging with Wedgy and Lydia waiting for the return of their team mates.

We got the Black Team out of Pelly safely and they headed down the trail with a sled full of food, straw and equipment for camping along the way. It is a gorgeous morning here, we surely are in a beautiful part of the world.

The Black Team leaves Pelly

After his sleep Allen was in great spirits, laughing and joking with reporters about the trail he’d just been on and the journey ahead. He was talking with us over bacon and egg breakfast, about packing his sled for the trail ahead. He is known for travelling lightly when possible and appropriate, but it is neither possible, nor appropriate to pack lightly for a 200 mile stretch. He joked when he stuffed a bag of mixed nuts in his bag that “it’s like an elephant when you put a million ants together”. Ahh the wisdom of a sleep deprived musher!

Not that long after the Black Team left we welcomed Aliy and the Red Team. All athletes, canine and human had frosty faces and wagging tails (or the equivalent of a wagging tail). They loped into the checkpoint and settled quickly into a comfy straw bed in the midday sunshine. This is the perfect time for the dogs to be resting, they are stretched out enjoying the relative warmth of the sun in their peaceful parking spot.

The Red Team comes into Pelly; Aliy is a little frosted

Dutch and Chipper sporting frosted beards

Beemer has been the rockstar of the team in the last couple of legs. He navigated the team out of McCabe and has shown great enthusiasm to be running with this young team. Aliy was pleased she rested the team at McCabe and they will rest here for a few hours before heading out to, and back from, Stepping Stone and finish the race.

Once they finish we pack everyone up and high-tail to Dawson so we can set up the dog camp ready for the Black team to arrive sometime tomorrow. I’ll post finish pics from Dawson.

Allen and the Black team pulled out of Carmacks after a little over five hours of rest, with Brent Sass right on his tail. The dogs were ready to get going again and they left out of the checkpoint with sisters Quito and Chica leading the way.

Allen had a great rest himself at Carmacks was refreshed after a good meal and some shut-eye. Just before he left he loaded up on chemical hand and toe warmers, bracing for a chilly night on the trail. He, again, refixed jackets and ticklers, replaced booties and saw to it that the dogs were rugged up ready also.

Once we had the Black Team out we set about sending Aliy and the Red Team on their way. Aliy was really disappointed to leave Wedgy and Lydia with us and was sorry she couldn’t get them all the way but it was certainly in their best interests to ride with us for the rest of the race. They both worked so hard for her for the first half of the race and they are doing just fine now – happily wrapped up in jackets, sleeping in the truck with full bellies after a warm, wet meal.

You may not be able to tell from the tracker yet but Aliy has stopped to rest the team at McCabe Creek Dog Drop. This is a big indication that she is running a much more conservative race plan than most would have expected. Remember, she has a lot of inexperienced youngsters on her team and she wants to make it a positive experience for them by not pushing too hard. By stopping at McCabe they get a few hours on straw and recharge for the run through to Pelly. They’ve been making great time and keeping a good pace but this race is a big deal for some of her team mates so an “easy does it” approach is warranted. You know Aliy will always run the race that suits her dogs so she will be making these plans very deliberately.

The Black Team arrived into Pelly at 4.10am and is now settled down to rest. The jumble ice Allen was anticipating was a “feature” of the run and he’s pleased to have that section completed. He purposely slowed the team down in over that area as it was very rugged and it would have been easy to break something – a sled runner, ski-pole, a bone… He said the dogs loved it though, picking their way through the big chunks and skipping over the jumble so he needed to restrain them. It was physically hard work for him to manoeuvre the sled so he said he never felt cold!

Allen just polished off some beef stew and spaghetti, is rehydrating himself and taking a nap. He has his clothes strewn out over a drying rack under a heating vent to ensure they are dry for the long leg ahead of them. The next leg to Dawson is over 200 miles which, obviously, cannot be done in one go so expect him to camp along the way. There is still a long way to go in this race – around 750 more miles!

Aliy has left Lydia and Wedgy with us in Carmacks. They both got a bit dehydrated and over exerted themselves a little so it is best they don’t carry on with the race. Once they are hydrated, have a good rest and a big hot meal, they should be just fine! They get to continue on to Dawson with us in the truck and will enjoy lots of TLC. 

Lydia and Wedgy

As I write this, both the Black and the Red teams are resting in Carmacks. I managed to sit down with Allen as he was having a bite to eat and ask him about the trail. He said it was mostly like a racetrack!

There were some sections of jumble ice – huge blocks of ice ‘jumbled’ together which can look something akin to a 30 car pile-up on the interstate. Jumble ice is caused when ice on top of a river fractures due to the different flow rates beneath the ice. Trail breakers do their best to cut a trail through these sections using chainsaws and brute force – it’s a big job!

The biggest problem for teams on the run was that is was -40 with a crisp wind blowing on the lakes so Allen took time to ensure all the dogs were well protected.

The dogs look great and they snacked well. It appeared to me that they ate everything he offered them before settling in for a peaceful rest. Allen also ate everything that was put in front of him – the lunch special at the checkpoint was lasagna OR shepherd’s pie with salad. Allen had lasagna AND shepherd’s pie!

Aliy and the Red team just pulled in to Carmacks and I will try to catch up with her when she comes inside.

Allen thanks Scout for a good run; the Red Team pulls into Carmacks

The trail from here to Pelly Crossing is around 70-ish miles. Allen said that most significant thing coming up on the trail is more jumble ice that was reported to be worse than the section they just travelled over. There is a dog drop / hospitality stop at McCabe about 50 miles in. Teams may choose to stop here but it is not an official checkpoint.

Once the teams pull out of here we will hit the road destined for Pelly Crossing where I will update you as soon as I can.

The Black team came into Braeburn lunging and yelling to keep going at 10.58pm. Coming into a checkpoint is where you get to see Chica really animated and, although I was a bit away from the team as they pulled in (Ray met them at the check-in spot to guide them to their park spot), I could hear Waylon’s frog-like croak-bark from where I was standing. The team looked great and we were very happy to see them.

Once parked Allen did his checkpoint arrival routine of snacking the dogs, giving them straw beds and then removing booties. He also took time to rub them down with Algyval, add extra jackets and throw blankets so they could sleep comfortably. It didn’t take long for the team to go from “lunging and yelling” to curled up and sleeping – such is the experience of this team. They have the checkpoint routine down and know what it means when they get on straw.

Ray and I alternated time outside watching over the team. We don’t have to do it, and at -40 degrees it’s not such an easy thing to do; standing outside watching a sleeping dog team, but it helps Allen rest easier in a busy checkpoint.

One reward for us was a spectacular Aurora light show – dancing across the sky. What a treat! Another reward was returning to either Braeburn Lodge for a plate-sized cinnamon bun or into the warm truck for a quick sleep.

Allen said the trail was great and the dogs all worked well. They kept a good pace and he was really pleased with their run time to Braeburn.

The team took their first mandatory six hour stop in Braeburn – plus the time differential. The differential is the extra time teams must make up to account for their starting positions, i.e. because Allen left in position #1, he had an extra 1.25 hours to wait for him to be square with Hugh Neff who left in position #26.

Allen’s checkpoint leaving routine included giving the team a big bowl of warm kibble and fat meal, more massages, packing the sled with all necessary equipment, food and clothing for the run to Carmacks, then finally, dressing and bootie-ing. Once the dogs were up off the straw, they shook themselves off, stretched, pee-ed and were ready to head down the trail, 73-odd miles to Carmacks.

It was dark the entire time we were in Braeburn so there is not much in the way of pictures. We are now at the Carmacks checkpoint and we will try to catch up on some rest before we welcome Allen and the Black team later today.

Red Team Update

Aliy and her young Red Team came into Braeburn at 2:43am. Her checkpoint arrival routine is similar to Allen’s and I managed to catch up with her very briefly as she passed by me on her way to getting some rest. She looked in great spirits and said it’s all good! I will get more information to you about the Red Team as soon as I can.

The handler crew has arrived in Braeburn – famous for their plate sized burgers and enormous cinnamon buns! The Lodge is packed with officials, volunteers, media, handlers and supporters all checking the trackers on our various mobile devices. At the time of writing Allen is around 10 miles out and I will try to give you a report once we have done helping him park and he’s finished his checkpoint arrival chores.

Earlier today, as you have seen, we got both teams safely on the trail and the handler waiting game begins.

This morning we arrived in Shipyard Park with about T-2.5 hours. We unloaded Allen’s sled and he spent a good deal of time packing and rechecking, ensuring he had everything he needed. Once the mushers leave, the only things they can add to their equipment is the gear they sent ahead in their drop bags so it is important they have everything necessary. Ray and Spencer put new plastics on the sled runners then we set about dropping the dogs.

Spencer and Ray change the runner plastics on Allen’s sled

The experience of the Black Team members was evident in their calmness as we dressed them in all their cold weather gear and walked them to the start line. Once the countdown began you could see the spark in their eyes as they were about to head down the trail. I was sitting right next to Quito and Scout in the chute to capture some footage and Scout was singing. He’s normally a pretty laid-back, calm dog but he was excited!

Again this year, as a Quest fundraiser, booties were sponsored by supporters and Clyde was the proud wearer of them this year!

Allen’s “Quest Guest” Nicky all bundled up; Josh from the logistics team fastens the all-important tracker to Allen’s sled

We had time to take a short break before getting the Red Team ready to go on their adventure.

The routine was exactly the same as Aliy packed her sled then we dressed the dogs in jackets, t-shirts, “ticklers” for the boys, and booties.

You could see quite a difference with this young team as they lunged and screamed waiting to head down the trail. The excitement of the people, the noise and adrenaline added to their mood.

It was a good feeling to have gotten both teams safely on their way.

Aliy looking frosted; the red team lines out ready to leave

The weather forecast shows cold temperatures and winds adding a big chill factor to the race. Actually, those of us here in Whitehorse don’t need a forecast to tell us that! All the mushers and officials are keeping a close eye on the forecast and are hoping the “warming trend” arrives early.

At these temperatures and in this wind we need to take extra care of the dogs and, rest assured, we are well prepared with clothing and equipment to keep our dogs safe out there.

We can dress them in fleece jackets and/or wind jackets, we have plenty of fox-fur ruffs for the male “personal areas” to avoid frost-nip and T-shirts to cut the wind on the shoulders of those with shorter coats (pictured right). We also have more fleece jackets and throws out in the checkpoint bags for just this situation so they can rest more comfortably curled up together under their warm blankets.

Remember also that these dogs are Alaskan Huskies and are bred to thrive in colder temperatures. It’s not like sending your pet labrador or poodle out into the weather. They have husky coats with the warm under-coat and long guard hairs to protect them. In cooler weather they sleep with their noses tucked into their bellies so their warm exhaling breath warms their underbelly, and their tail can curl over their nose. Of course, when they are running – just like when we exercise – their body temperature will rise.

Take a look at Aliy explaining how we dress the dogs for this weather and see a comparison between Waylon, who has a shorter coat and leaner physique, and Izzy who has a thick husky coat.

Nutrition is important in any race but with cooler temperatures the requirements change a little. Dogs will burn calories faster in the cold weather so we must do more to replace them. We continue to feed a warm meal of Eagle Pack kibble (which is already high in fat and protein) and we will add extra fat by way of poultry skins and other meats, soaked into the warm water. Snacks out on the trail will also be high fat skins and meat. You may remember posts during races where warmer than normal conditions were experienced and we described how the dogs prefer to eat more fish and leaner meats to help hydrate them, rather than fattier snacks. Its the other way around in these conditions so they instinctively know what their bodies need.

Our mushers are also well prepared with warm layers, fur ruffs and mitts and an extra wind-proof layer over the top. Hands become more of an issue as many of the tasks need some dexterity, such as bootie-ing and doing up harnesses and jackets, so a good stash of chemical hand warmers is imperative!