SPK Dog Log

If you’ve been watching the GPS tracker… You know what I mean!

Report from Moira and Ray in Tolsona: 

Allen and Aliy have just passed each other — going opposite directions — on the Tolsana loop. That had to be fun!

We can’t know what they might have said to each other in passing, but I’ll make a two dollar side bet that “Get after it!” was somewhere in the very brief dialogue!

I guarantee that Allen is poling, kicking and pushing with every ounce of energy he has!

LET’S RACE!

Allen and Nic Petit are neck and neck and they are both on the “Tolsona loop” with 30 minutes left each to rest. It’s on.

At the Tolsona Resort checkpoint under a big moon and about -15F we could easily tell it was Allen’s headlight on the lake as his double ski-poling creates a unique headlight motion. We can see him coming from miles off! His 30 minute stop was busy, busy. He didn’t settle the dogs on to straw for such a short stay and his chores were simply to to snack, snack and snack both the dogs and himself and make sure booties were in place for the next run. He also dropped Felix with this time and we want to thank the volunteer checker and vet Hayden for working with us on such a tight timeframe.

Aliy has pulled in, done a very similar thing to Allen and is back on the trail again on the “loop” and will be back at this checkpoint. She and her team are looking GREAT!

All the handlers will get a rare moment of calm as we have no campsite to clean up (those teams that did put straw down will be using the same campsite) and no driving to the next checkpoint. This checkpoint also has the best spectator viewpoint, we can sit in the restaurant and see the teams come in with enough time to get down to the check-in area.

Dogs teams rest at Tolsona and another is about to arrive

We are watching the tracker to follow Meghan who has arrived in to Lake Louise checkpoint at 8.48 with a very respectable run time of 6 hours 57 minutes. At this checkpoint during the 2013 Sheep Mountain 300 she took her nap curled up in front of the fireplace covered in parkas. She told me she is looking forward to doing that again this time! And enjoying a burger.

Ray, Lidia, Christine and I are sitting in the Tolsona Resort restaurant enjoying some breakfast… no wait, is it dinner? Quite possibly lunch.

From the CB300 Facebook page:

Reigning CB300 Champion Allen Moore has taken the lead out of Tolsona 1, leaving at 7:14 a.m. He’s followed by Nic Petit, who left at 7:22. They’ll each have to take a final 30-minute layover at Tolsona 2 before heading to Glennallen.

According to the GPS tracker, both mushers have turned the loop at Crosswind Lake and are approaching Tolsana for the second time. They will each wait there for 30 minutes, then run the 25 mile stint to the finish.

My analysis? What a great race! Go dogs, run like the wind!

Allen blitzed the run from Sourdough to Lake Louise and currently has the fastest time for that leg. There was a little overflow but nothing like the open water of the previous legs.

The temperature at Lake Louise was around -10 with a huge moon and a whisper of aurora. It is a beautiful part of the world.

As the BLACK team were staying only two hours Allen had a lot of chores to do in a little time. He did his arrival routine of snacking, strawing and de-bootying the dogs really efficiently. He then came up into the Lake Louise Lodge and gave Quito a run for her money with the amount he ate! Quito is known to eat many many snacks when she comes in to a checkpoint and Allen inhaled two cheeseburgers in record time. He then wanted a quick nap so asked for a wake-up call in TEN MINUTES! When Ray went to wake him Allen was fast asleep and he said that ten minutes really refreshed him! The exit routine of feeding, bootying and ensuring harnesses and lines were right happened very quickly and the team really looked focussed and ready for the push ahead as they left.

Allen is still running Scout and Quito in lead. Scout is generally the choice leader when Aliy and Allen want a more steady, controlled run so to have him still leading while doing these fast runs is really great to see. Allen sometimes changes leaders around depending on the run ahead but said there was no need to swap him out as he was doing a fantastic job up there and working well with Quito.

Aliy is currently on exactly the same rest schedule as Allen so she stayed in Lake Louise for two hours also. She said she was generally happy with the way her team is performing and sorry to drop a couple of dogs. As Ray and I were leave Aliy was ordering some food – she’s ready for the push ahead.

Meghan came into Sourdough really happy with the way her team is running. Ranger and Dingle are superstar leaders and the rest of the team are backing them up brilliantly. Meghan will enjoy the rest of this race as she has seen some of these trails before during the 2013 Sheep Mountain 300.

As it turns out, with the quick turnaround at Lake Louise, I clean forgot to take any photos. I’m sorry I have nothing to share with you right now.

I want to update you on the team mates that are with us in the trucks and no longer racing in the CB300. Everyone is going to be fine with a bit of rest and some TLC.

From Allen’s BLACK team WILLIE came into Lake Louise not 100 percent, which is unusual for him. He’s one of those dogs that gets on with it with minimum fuss. A veterinary consult with Hayden told us he has a sore left tricep; Allen said he thinks he just stepped into a hole towards the end of the run and twisted or jarred it awkwardly. After resting and eating with his mates on the line I brought him back to the truck, gave him a long Algyval massage all over, popped on a coat and let him nap in his straw lined box. If you ever wonder about the bond between musher and dog you just need to see a musher when he has to drop a dog. It is quite moving to watch, quite frankly. As I lead Willie away Allen, who was on a tight schedule to booty and get out of the checkpoint right on time took a few moments to say “Thank you Willie, you are a good dog!”

In Tolsona FELIX came in to the checkpoint favouring his left leg a little. Vet Hayden examined him immediately and said he is an extremely stoic dog, especially for one so young as he could feel he had a bit of a wrist issue but Felix didn’t squeak or complain. What a tough guy! Felix has eaten a nice big meal, had his Algyval massage and is now sleeping. Allen really didn’t want to drop him but considered that, as this is the biggest race in Felix’s life so far, that he didn’t want to push him and risk a more serious injury. The next two legs will be done at speed!

Willie and Felix

From Aliy’s RED team we have Tug who you heard about previously. She has rested well and is looking great.

In Lake Louise she decided to leave FANG and RAMBLER. FANG was a little dehydrated but is happy eating and drinking and resting. RAMBLER was simply tired. He hadn’t eaten that well during the race and it caught up with him in Lake Louise. He has since eaten a meal plus a burger from the Lake Louise Lodge! Aliy always hates to leave anyone behind but it was the best decision for them.

Rang and Rambler

From Meghan’s RED AND BLACK team we have LYDIA. She had a minor sore left wrist (have you noticed a pattern with left limbs?) and Meghan made the call to leave her in Sourdough Creek checkpoint. She will be thinking about Lydia’s future and not wanting to risk anything more serious by continuing.

Meghan told us Lydia had done an amazing job over the really tough part of the course and she was very very sorry to be letting her go. She is now sleeping peacefully after a big meal and massage.

We really want to thank the entire veterinary team for their help, advice and understanding. They do a fantastic job and it is all volunteer! We value you more than we tell you.

Good morning!… It’s been a busy night!

Overnight, Allen was 16 minutes faster than Nicolas Petit between Sourdough and Lake Louise, making his cumulative run time fastest by two minutes!

Allen left Lake Louise 28 minutes after Petit, but has 30 minutes less rest to complete. Either way you slice it, the bottom line is: Two minutes!

A number of mushers are hot on their heels, and I’ll post more analysis as soon as the online stats are updated… Stay tuned!