SPK Dog Log

The wind is a constant companion on the Western Coast of Alaska. As a dog team travels across this land there is a “music” that is created by the wind, the rustling of the sled runners and the rhythm of the dogs.

Here is a fantastic article by Brian Phillips from the ESPN Grantland website about his experiences following the 2013 Iditarod. There’s some great pictures and graphics, including this awesome one of the SP Kennel Red Team!

Click picture to link to the story:

The mighty Yukon River is always a challenge during the Iditarod. In 2013, the challenge was different than the normal bitter cold. With temperatures hovering in the 30’s and 40’s (above zero), this brought water – lots of it. It was in the form of rain, sleet and snow, as well as overflow and open creeks. But, when the clouds cleared away and the bright blue sky appeared, the afternoon warmth made for perfect camping! Not too many dog teams camp directly in the middle of the Yukon River. It is certainly a unique spot. But, it was so inviting this year, why not?

At a little over eight months of age Olivia and Nacho’s puppies Lydia, Junior, Dutch and Kodiak today went out for the first time in harness.

Ranger (who you can clearly hear barking), Beemer, Chemo and Schmoe guided the way around a couple of miles of easy trails. I think you will agree: they are naturals! It’s really exciting to see the future of SP Kennel take their first steps. How long ’til winter?

While traveling 1,000 miles across the arctic, teams often camp in the wilderness. This “Aliy Cam” video shows a peaceful resting dog team in a gorgeous area of Alaska. It also shows the Iditarod Trail’s rugged and untamed nature. Despite it’s fame and history, the trail is not a “super highway” – actually it is not very different from how it was hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

After summiting Rainy Pass, Iditarod dog teams travel downhill along Pass Fork Creek. This small high mountainous creek is thick with willows and windy curves. After several miles, Pass Fork converges with the slightly larger Dalzell Creek. This creek is still high up in the mountains. The Dalzell Gorge is a section of the creek that has high cliffs on either side. It creates a seemingly “ice canyon” roller coaster for the dog teams because they still have good speed traveling downhill. The Gorge continues to funnel dog teams even farther downhill and eventually the trail pops out onto the Tatina River. The wind blown and icy Tatina is a larger river. The mountain terrain is visible from every direction as the team travels along the Tatina. Rohn Checkpoint lies at the confluence of the Tatina and the Kuskokwim.

“Aliy Cam” was back on the Iditarod Trail in 2013. After sorting through many shaky video clips and segments with no sound or too much sound, we have finally produced a few quality films.

So, here is the first video taken from the 2013 “Aliy Cam”.

Thanks for your entries into the Quesadilla competition, we had 152! Congratulations to Janice from Virginia, Quesadilla is on her way to you this week!

We will admit we did have to start the draw again and stuff poor Quesadilla back into her ziplock; we originally were trying to involve Tig but that didn’t quite go according to plan… do you want to see the out-takes?