If it seems to you like the Iditarod Checkpoint Drop Bag process has been going on forever, you’re not alone… It seems that way to all of us here at the Kennel, too! Finally, all of the “stuff” — dog food, snacks, mushing gear, personal items, etc. — has been … Read More
Aliy wraps up her “gear” bag series with this video showing you what she has packed for checkpoints at the 750 and 1,000 mile marks.
In this video, Aliy shares with you the contents of her “gear” bag for the actual Iditarod checkpoint, 500 miles into the race. Besides being the race’s eponymous checkpoint, Iditarod is the half-way point on the trail and serves as a major resupply point. The drop bags for it are … Read More
In the first two parts of our “iditarod Checkpoint Drop Bags” series, we looked at the mountain of dog food — meat, fish, fat, kibble, etc. — that was converted into piles of dog food then packed into the Drop Bags. I mentioned at the time that in addition to … Read More
We conclude “Ron’s Ride” with Aliy talking about the development of sled dogs and considerations for which dogs will become SP Kennel racers and which will be given away as pets or “recreational” sled dogs. She continues with some commentary about how dogs learn from each other, then concludes with … Read More
We continue “Ron’s Ride” with Aliy talking about lead dogs, their qualities and the differences between them. She goes on to talk about the amazing capabilities of sled dogs and her view of the misunderstanding between people who don’t really know the dogs and those who do. Many thanks to … Read More
While driving back to the Kennel from the blood tests & EKGs, I was merging onto the local highway and noticed that traffic was stopped in both directions. The reason was because these two moose were crossing the highway. Just another little slice of Alaskan Life!
Despite what you may hear from rumor mongers among so-called “animal activists” and some sensationalists in the media, the well-being of the dogs is the paramount consideration in sled dog racing. This is true of everyone involved in the sport. Way beyond the fact that mushers know a dog who … Read More
As “Ron’s Ride” continues, we pick up with Aliy describing typical musher activities at an Iditarod checkpoint. She then does an inspection of the team and provides an extremely interesting and informative narration. Many thanks, again, to my friend Ron for this fantastic footage! (Note: Ron is exclusively a still … Read More
We’ve spent a few days looking at “Logistics” preparation for the Iditarod, so let’s turn our attention back to “Training.” One of the trickiest things I’ve noticed about what Aliy and Allen have to do in training preparation for the Iditarod is getting all the dogs “in-sync.” In other words, … Read More
