Sheep Mountain 150 – Getting Ready!
The SP Kennel racing season begins in 48 hours. What’s the schedule? Thursday Pack Race Gear, Sleds, Truck Gear, Handler Gear for Black, Red and Red & Black Racing Teams Fuel up two Dog Trucks at Pleasant Valley Store Add Straw to Dog Boxes Plug in Dog Trucks (40 degrees … Read More
Race Season – Two Weeks Out
The Sheep Mountain 150 is shaping up to be a competitive opener for the SP Kennel racing season! The start is scheduled for noon, Saturday December 18th at Sheep Mountain Lodge (mile post 115 Glenn Highway.) Allen’s SM150 Second Place finish 2008 (Photo by Joseph Robertia) The SM150 is an … Read More
Yukon Quest
SP Kennel racing schedule has just gotten busier. That’s right Allen has signed up for the Yukon Quest – 1,000 mile International Sled Dog Race – and Aliy has signed up for the Yukon Quest 300. The Yukon Quest starts on February 5th in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. Our plans … Read More
Iditarod 2009: Eagle Island Finale
While sorting through the last of our 2009 Iditarod media, I came across this footage that Aliy’s dad shot during his time as a volunteer at the Eagle Island checkpoint. I think it is an excellent finale to our Iditarod coverage, because it provides an extraordinary — even unique — … Read More
Iditarod 2009: Aliy Zirkle’s “Live” Iditarod Trail Video — Part 5
In this final part of Aliy’s “Live” video from the Iditarod Trail, the team battles fierce winds of a “ground blizzard” approaching Shaktoolik and Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. The middle segment is a night scene at the checkpoint, and the finale is a camping scene after the storm … Read More
Iditarod 2009: Aliy Zirkle’s “Live” Iditarod Trail Video — Part 4
In this part of Aliy’s “Live” video from the Iditarod Trail, the team slogs its way up the final hills to overlook the Norton Sound near Shaktoolik. As you will hear, the wind is really starting to pick up and Aliy has to work hard to keep the dogs focused. … Read More
Iditarod 2009: Tales Of The Trail — Nice Boots!
After fixing her busted sled runner in White Mountain, Aliy was hoping things would hold together for her 77 mile final run into Nome. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. About five miles into their run, the team approached some pretty nasty “overflow” which happens when a river … Read More
Well… Of Course!
That’s right!… Of course the volcano blew! What else could we expect trying to get back from a race? Because of the volcano eruption near Anchorage and the threat it poses to aircraft, all flights out of Nome were cancelled today. That means Aliy, Allen and the dogs won’t get … Read More