SPK Dog Log

After a full night’s rest we packed up and said farewell to Dawson City to head for Pelly Crossing. The temperatures are warmer today than what we had experienced during the 36 hour break and there has been fresh snow so the ploughs were in action on the highway. Just as the first three teams left Dawson not far apart, the handler crews travelled close together also.

Since leaving Dawson the teams have climbed over King Solomon’s Dome and we heard there was fresh snow up there which would make it slower and more difficult. Next up are the notorious Black Hills which are continuous ascents and descents – it’s not mountainous above the tree-line but the continuous nature of the ups and downs make it challenging. Talking to Aliy about this part of the trail she said you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere then you come across active gold-mine claims where there is heavy equipment and dredges that you mush right by. You can really tell that this part of the country is focussed on gold mining – not just in its history but currently as well.

Once out of the Black Hills they drop onto the Pelly River and the first lights of civilisation are at Stepping Stone, where there are always very happy, welcoming people. It has been a hospitality stop on the Quest for many years and is incredibly hard to go passed without stopping as they have burritos, ice-cream and lasagna – anything the musher wants PLUS warm beds – so you never know whether the musher planned to stop there or got sucked into the hospitality!

It is then just 34 miles to Pelly crossing; the trail either travels along the river or the road depending on the conditions, this year it is travelling along the road. We expect Allen and the team later today and we are just now getting the lay of the land at this checkpoint so we are ready for them to arrive. We are all missing the dogs having spent an intense 36 hours with them – we can’t wait to see them (oh, and Allen too!)

FYI: Pelly Crossing lies where the Klondike Highway crosses the Pelly River (hence Pelly-Crossing) and is the home of the Selkirk First Nation (thanks wikipedia!).

The Black Team get ready to leave Dawson City…

Here’s a VERY short clip of the team leaving Dawson looking awesome!

You will see Allen moved Olivia up into lead with Quito and moved Scruggs to swing with Boondocks. Scruggs has done a fantastic job for the first 500 miles but with such a plethora of great leaders leaders in his team he decided to give Olivia a go up there. She is proven in this race and he felt she looked like she wanted the responsibility.

Allen was feeling great and was excited to get back on the trail, as was the team. They were well rested, ate several giant meals and received such good care during the last 36 hours. We are very happy with what we, as handlers, did in Dawson to help get them out looking so very good.

I have more footage and I am hoping to edit into some kind of fancy montage-thinggy but it could take some time so I thought you’d like to see them on their way first.

After completing their mandatory 36-hour rests in Dawson, Allen and Brent are back on the trail! Allen departed 2.5 hours after Brent, who now has a lead of almost 20 miles.

Both mushers are running excellent races, and Brent made a nice move on the Yukon to take the lead. You can be sure, however, that he doesn’t consider it a “comfortable” lead. There’s a lot of racing ahead and anything can happen, especially when you have very strong competitors like Allen and Hugh (who is only another 1.5 hours back) on your tail.

It’s going to be an exciting few days to Whitehorse… Stay tuned!

While I was over at the dog camp I asked Aliy and Dr Mike Davis about the reasons for the stretch out, massage and foot ointment they were giving each dog.

Aliy was working on Boondocks and Dr Mike was walking Scout.

As promised, I took the video camera over to the dog camp and got Meghan and Aliy to show you around…

We have just over four hours before Allen and his team leave Dawson City for their run to Scroggie Creek Dog Drop then Pelly Crossing checkpoint. We cannot get to Scroggie Creek ourselves so it will be a while before we see them again as it is about 200 miles to Pelly.

What is happening now is the dogs are having a final big meal and they will get some snacks and meaty water shortly before they leave. They will also have a final massage to warm up their muscles and perhaps even get a bit of a pep-talk although, to be honest, I’m not sure they need it. After such a great rest for the last 32 hours they sure look ready to get going!

Allen is making his final preparations before heading over to the camp to pack his sled and get ready to go.

Once the team leaves Dawson we need to break down the camp then we have time to come back to the hotel and get something to eat and make our plan for the rest of the race.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dawson City during the Yukon Quest, the dog camp is over the river from the city itself and during the winter you cross over using an ice-bridge. This year the river freeze took much longer than expected and the ice-bridge meanders a bit upriver and back down to avoid open leads of water. It’s a little daunting actually.

L-R: Dawson City Checkpoint; the ice-bridge and some open water!

I am trying to upload the videos of the Dog Camp and also one of Aliy and Dr Mike Davis explaining the importance of the stretch-out and massage schedule. I am having some “bandwidth issues” (do I sound like I know what I’m talking about?) so I’m working on it!

We’re a little over 12 hours into the 36 hour layover the team is looking great. We have the dogs on an eating, resting, stretching out and massage schedule which, right at this moment has them fast asleep at their camp. Last night after the team got in Meghan, Aliy and Dr Mike Davis (a good friend of SP Kennel) spent a couple of hours with them giving them their warm kibble meal and some extra meat snacks then settling them into their jackets and fleece blankets. We set up some kennels to give the dogs a couple of options – you will see when we take you on a tour of the camp that some choose to curl up in the kennel and others prefer to stretch out a little on a straw bed. Each to his or her own.

Our challenge currently is the temperature. It’s around 30F below which means the dogs are not able to fully stretch themselves out to sleep (they curl up more in the cold, just like we do and therefore don’t fully relax all the muscles while sleeping). We’re trying to combat that with extra straw and blankets and fortunately the temperature is forecast to warm a little so they’ll get the chance to ease any tired muscles.

Meghan stayed at the campsite overnight to keep watch over them, she was in the Arctic Oven tent in her big down sleeping bag listening for any commotion and getting up every now and again to check everyone still had their blankets on and were comfortable. She said the only thing she heard all night was one dog get up to reposition themselves. I had said this before but this team really knows how to make the most of their rest time!

Aliy and Dr Mike went back over to camp early this morning taking a caramel latte for Meghan with them. They fed and massaged the team and also completed the mandatory veterinarian check. At Dawson the vets do a comprehensive check on every dog and note any recommendations or concerns in the “vet book” which travels with Allen down the trail. We’re very happy to report there were no major concerns with the team, just a few sore muscles which, considering what they have all just done, is fantastic news.

Dr Mike watches on as Schmoe is checked out; Dr Mike and Biscuit

Meghan watches on as Mac gets his vet check

Aliy is delighted and excited – she said that the team looks super-good and in her opinion it is the best looking team Allen has ever brought into Dawson. The one thing she noticed is that they are well hydrated which shows what great care Allen took of the team in the first 500 miles. The meal Allen prepared them when they stopped at Forty Mile was really important to them.

We’re giving the dogs some space now to rest and we will all go back over to camp in a few hours for the next round of stretch-out, massage and meal.

As for Allen; Ray sent him to bed around 2.30am and he had a good long sleep and woke up to a steak-and-eggs-with-omelette-on-the-side breakfast. Ray has been checked through Allen’s sled and has dried all his clothing and gear and has the sled ready to continue down the trail. We just all caught up for a quick chat and some trail stories and now we will all take a couple of hours rest before Allen attends the Mushers Meeting. At this meeting the mushers will receive a trail update for the trail onward from here and other important information from the Race Marshall and officials.