Thanks to Amy and Ken Wheaton, who are in Wasilla for the Aurora 50:50, here are a few shots of the teams getting ready for the start of the race. Above left is Aliy bootie-ing Willie and above right is Meghan readying her team. Below is Allen’s Black team (behind) keen to get going at #12 and Meghan’s Red and Black team (closest to camera) ready to go right behind him at #13.
The teams set of Friday afternoon and headed south for the Aurora 50:50, starting Saturday morning. The teams have been decided and we have three entered: Aliy with the RED team, Allen with the BLACK team and Meghan is racing the RED AND BLACK team.
Click here to view the Aurora 50:50 race rosters!
Aliy captured some great footage on the way out of the White Mountains Recreational Reserve on Monday morning. It was a gorgeous morning and you can see how the light changes as the sun rises – you can also hear Ranger chatting all the way along the trail!
What better way to enjoy such a beautiful corner of the world than on the back of a dog sled!
One of my absolute favorite villages on the Iditarod is the tiny Eskimo village of Shaktoolik out on the Western Coast of Alaska. The people out there have a life different from much of the mainstream world – and they are proud of it! The dogs and I will be in Shaktoolik in just over two months.
I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did.
There has been a late change to our racing schedule for this weekend. Unfortunately the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association Solstice 100 Race has been rescheduled until January 12. Too little snow, too much snow, then too cold temperatures of Interior Alaska apparently overwhelmed the club’s trail committee.
Therefore, despite the 650-mile round trip dog truck commute, we have entered the Aurora Dog Mushers 50:50 in Big Lake, Alaska. Our dogs and mushers are ready to race!
We will pack up two trucks with three teams and head south to Big Lake on Friday. The race is Saturday and Sunday and we will keep you updated with team line-ups and race progress as much as possible over the weekend.
We’re still on track for the Copper Basin 300 and Kusko 300 in January and we will update you closer to the time with team line-ups for those races.
On Sunday afternoon Aliy, Allen, Meghan, Ryne and Moira packed 45 dogs along with five sleds full of gear, straw and supplies and headed off from the Wickersham trail head into the White Mountains National Recreation Area – just north of Fairbanks. The yearlings and a couple of the “more mature” dogs were headed 13 miles to Moose Creek Cabin. Heavy snow conditions closed the trail about 6 miles shy of this goal. But, the teams were able to break trail to Lee’s Cabin, which was luckily unoccupied for the night, and set up camp. The three adult teams proceeded on with a 7 to 8 hour training run before looping back to the cabin.
Aliy and Moira set up camp, heated the cabin, made water and started dinner for the dogs and humans under the very close supervision of ChaCha and Rose.
Allen, Meghan and Ryne ran on some of the open trails and encountered cooler conditions but got some really good miles on the dogs!
It was the first time camping for the youngsters and they all did really well; they ate well, slept well and coped with the change to their routine brilliantly. We encountered temperatures ranging from about -35F to -50F during the course of 24 hours.
Aliy captured some great video on the way out on Monday morning so watch for that in the next few days.
Mac is our biggest dog and one of our more vocal. He is not only a powerhouse in the wheel position on the team but also a cheerleader!
He is as strong as an ox, so his sled dog work ethic is much appreciated by the team.
Mac is calm and confident, he’s never upset by new experiences and is a calming influence on the youngsters that surround him in the yard. While the others are getting excited he sits peacefully, but always ready to go.
We’re looking for big things from Mac this year. Look for him on the team.
Last Friday evening the Yukon Quest held an auction and wine and beer tasting event to raise funds for the 2013 race. Aliy was the auctioneer and she did a sterling job helping the Quest raise quite a few thousand dollars for their organisation.
Hotly contested items for auction included “Musher for a Day” packages from Brent Sass, Hugh Neff, Paige Drobny/Cody Strathe and SP Kennel!
Can you spot Allen there too amongst the other Quest mushers?
