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Copper Basin 300 Overview 2012

January 11, 2012 by

The Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog race begins on Saturday January 14th in Chistochina, Alaska. The CB300 is known for it’s mountainous terrain, rugged trail conditions and, often times, large amounts of snowfall. From year to year, the race route and the conditions vary – which generally makes the CB300 a challenge. The general route is the same (map below), but the direction and start/finish change yearly.

SP Kennel considers CB300 a “true test” of our season of training, the dogs’ fitness and a musher’s savvy. This will be the 10th year we will be competing in the event. Some years we have had great finishes and other years Lady Luck has not played in our favor.
With a nearly full field of 55 teams, the 2012 Copper Basin 300 will be a heck of a race. The winner of this season’s GinGin 200, Brent Sass, is entered, as is the 2012 winner of the Knik 200, Jake Berkowitz. There are many more teams of note that will be at the starting line.
You will be able to follow the race at :
SP Kennel will have three teams in the event: Allen, Aliy & Ryne with their respective 12 dog teams. The exact team rosters will be posted on Friday morning. Last minute decisions are still in the works, as well as one more pre-race training run.
Allen will have predominantly the same team as was the Red Team at Sheep Mountain 150 this past December. Aliy’s and Ryne’s teams consist of many dogs that have not yet raced this season. We are conscientiously trying to give every SP Kennel dog a chance to race.
So…. look out! We are off to the races!
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Winding through the Trees

January 11, 2012 by

Our training runs are always exciting.

Some of the trails that we travel on are fit predominately for dog teams (and a few hardy cross country skiers.) As you will see in this video, the narrow winding trail would be difficult for a snow machine or any other motorized vehicle to maneuver.
You will notice, with a team of 14 sled dogs, it is challenging to see the entire string. But, with Beemer and Scruggs up front, and Dingle and Pud in swing, the team was confident we would get where we needed to go. As we wind through the forest, you can see the leaders already turning around the next bend!
I watched this footage in regular speed, then fast and then slow. I thought it was pretty neat at all speeds….. so, enjoy!
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And Mystery Dog Number 6?

January 10, 2012 by


Li’l Debbie!
Sponsored by Deb and Hunter Davis

Congratulations to Anne for being the first correct guess! Send us an email at SPKDogLog@gmail.com with your t-shirt size, color preference (Red or Black), and address, and you’ll be sporting SPK gear in no time!

Great guesses! However, only Li’l Debbie fits all three clues. She eats everything in sight, as do all Pepper pups, which makes her name appropriate. With her tail high in the air, she trots a bit like a priss but has the athleticism to back it up. Li’l Debbie’s drive and focus makes her an all-star on the treadmill!
Check back in on Monday, January 23th for the next Mystery Dog!


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Guess That SPK Dog Week 6!

January 9, 2012 by

Since each dog at the kennel has their own personality and history, we thought it’d be fun to see how well the SPK followers know the athletes. Every other Monday, we’ll post “Guess that SPK Dog” at 1:00 PM EST, and the first correct answer posted in the website comment box wins a SP Kennel t-shirt! Limited one shirt per person.
Game #6 Dog Clues
1. I’m a natural on the treadmill.
2. I’ll eat anything and everything in sight, making my name appropriate.
3. Some say I run like a priss, but I’ll do it all the way to Nome!
Who am I?

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A Rookie’s View on Winter Gear

January 5, 2012 by

With my first 1,000-mile race fast approaching, I’m rethinking all my previous winter gear. Three pairs of work gloves might last me a 300-mile race, but what if I have 700 more miles to go after that? Or what will I do if my clothes are soaked from kicking and poling, and I have another campout before my next checkpoint? How many booties will the dog team need for 1,000 miles? I’ve always had the mindset of two days in the arctic wilderness….not two weeks.

One of the biggest changes to my winter wardrobe is the switch to Northern Outfitters gear. Previously, I used Mountain Hardware Compressor Pants and one of Aliy’s old parkas. The compressor pants are incredibly warm and a favorite for around the dog yard; unfortunately, once soaked, they lose all heat retention. The problem is after one section of overflow or a couple good hills, you’re soaked to the base layer and hoping for a warm checkpoint. Solution? Northern Outfitters.

Northern Outfitters have the unique capability of keeping you warm, yet also wicking away any moisture. Essentially you’re wearing a big sponge that soaks all moisture from your body and transports it to the outside of the shell, keeping you nice and toasty. While it does feel a bit as if you’re wearing one big puffy diaper, Allen can attest to the usefulness of the material when he found himself in knee-deep overflow. Rather then having to change his pants and boots, he simply took them off, wrung them out, then continued down the trail as warm as before. Few types of gear are as effective when wet.

So with the human gear now covered, how is 1,000 miles different for dog gear?
The first shock was the number of dog boots needed to run over 1,000 miles. Sixteen dogs times four feet per dog times 21ish runs….that’s fourteen hundred booties! Ok, booties check.
Most of the other gear like harnesses or dog jackets I’ll just carry in my sled and will last the entire race. However, dog tosses (fleece blankets that are laid over a pair of dogs while they’re resting) are sent out to each checkpoint. Thanks to Barbara Boucher’s class, I now have enough tosses, complete with race reminders and motivational comments written on each one! Thank you!!

Slowly but surely, I’m accumulating the gear needed for a 1,000-mile race (or at least what I think I’ll need). Luckily, Aliy and Allen’s experience provide a good idea of what might be useful and how the gear differs depending on the length and type of race. I just have to remember that even with all their advice, the term ‘rookie mistakes’ was coined for a reason!

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Wes and Wendy’s Weather Six

January 3, 2012 by

Happy New Year!!! (This is our foster SP Kennel dog Hank in his New Year’s Hat)
The New Year has arrived with a cold snap. It’s been down to 45 Below and we could see temperatures remain like this for the next few days. The long term forecast does indicate that the cold snap will ease but won’t get above 0 any time soon. The dogs are curled up in their houses and are resting from last week’s training session along the Denali Highway. It’s time to resume their training and if it doesn’t warm up here a bit then we will look for an alternative training area.
Last week I (Wes) participated in my first multi-leg training run with SP Kennel. We loaded 45 dogs into the trucks and drove to Paxson Lodge. There we unloaded, hooked up and headed 42 miles up the Denali Highway to theMaclaren River Lodge. Mushers, including Aliy and Allen, experience great hospitality at the Lodge for humans and canines making it a favorite training area. It was a comfortable 10 degrees but wind gusts, poor visibility, and snow drifts warned that it would not be a straight forward run. It ended up being the toughest run of my short mushing career.

The first 20 miles involved steep climbs and wind gusts. I was expecting this and it went alright. However, knowing that Allen and Aliy are professionals, I knew that their run would be determined by how well I kept up. I put everything into kicking and poling to ensure I didn’t slow them down. We started to hit snowdrifts around mile 20, and it was exhausting. Keeping up suddenly became a lot more work. Often, I would jump off and run alongside the sled for the duration of the drifts. At one point, I jumped off the sled to run beside it and immediately sank up to my waist in snow. Unable to keep up, I grabbed the handle bar tightly and dragged behind the sled. I tried to pull my knees up onto the runners but it didn’t work. I finally managed to tip the sled which brought the team to a halt and I climbed back on. There was actually no way I could help the dogs; I couldn’t kick or run because the snow was so soft and deep. Ranger was in lead for Ryne, and right behind me. He was continually sniffing my heels, barking and encouraging me. Roughly translated his barks were “Git on up there now!” and “Let’s go!” These are brave dogs and although I had the young ones; they quickly got the idea that running is not always hard, flat trails and they responded fantastically.

After a 6 hour run, we arrived at the Maclaren River Lodge and I was as tired as I have ever been. We immediately snacked the dogs and started soaking kibble for a feeding. We put straw down for the dogs so they could nap and then went up to our cabin to rest. Being exhausted, I removed my boots, my outer clothing, unfolded my sleeping bag, and climbed into my bag. After 25 seconds of rest, Aliy got up and announced “Time to go feed the dogs”. I got out of my bag, dressed and went out to help feed the dogs. The next morning Aliy gave me the day off. They re-shuffled the teams and she, Allen and Ryne took larger teams on an extended run. Our return went much quicker but did bring its own set of challenges with it. The trail we had broken had hardened and was more firm on our return. However, due to a misunderstanding with the schedule and route of the Gin Gin 200 race, we found ourselves passing head-on with the racers. Most of these mushers I had only seen on You Tube clips. It was great to finally see them in real life. Though my momentary encounter with professional musher Hugh Neff didn’t go so well. I was persistently kicking and poling uphill while he flew down from the other direction. As he passed, he leaned out for a fist pump and yelled in encouragement, “You Go Girl!” It’s time for me to stop shaving!

Though a difficult trip, it is the highlight of my mushing experience to date. I am hungry for more and am rapidly getting addicted to this way of life.
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