I-DID-A-RIDE......

Today Jane and I drove to Sterling for a dog sled ride (click link above for pics). We went to Mitch Seavy's Ididaride Kennels. Mitch and his family are Iditarod mushers, in fact, Mitch won the 2004 Race and placed 9th this year. One of his son's was, and still is, the youngest musher to ever run and finish the Iditarod.
Today there was only James and Kristin on the property along with about 170 dogs (minus Mitch's A team who were still in Nome-actually we met them on the road back when we were on our way home). With everyone else still in Nome it was very quite at the kennel and we had a lot of undivided attention from Kristin, our musher, and James, a dog trainer who is learning to mush.
But first, the trip down. It was about 2 hours to Sterling south down the Seward Highway along the Turnagin arm and onto the Kenai Peninsula, one of the best fishing spots in the whole world (just ask anyone in Alaska). Anyway, the first site to be seen (no trip pictures) was the water at the Turnagin Arm (I think that is the Gulf of Alaska). It was frozen into these huge blocks of black ice that were sticking up out of the frozen water (the effect of freeze and thaw). It looked very surreal! And on the cliff side of the road were these wonderful waterfalls that were frozen into massive greenish-white...well, frozen waterfalls for lack of a better discription. In the fall when I posted pictures from this trip there were Dahl sheep...no sheep this time but there was a huge moose standing on the edge of the cliff high above the highway grazing and watching the cars go by...what a sight he was!!
As we drove onto the Kenai the first thing you saw were dozens and dozens of snow machines being driven everywhere. Forget the wilderness of Alaska....there was hardly a mountain along this entire stretch that didn't have the snow marked with snow machine tracks. Imagine a massive range of mountains with lines drawn in the snow in spiraling and circling patterns. It was beautiful but disturbing.
As for fishing...oh, yes...the temperature may range from -4 to 12 depending on whether you were in a valley or mountain but the fishermen were out. On the way down we saw two people sitting on the ice along side the road....as we got closer we realized they were ice fishing. But the guy that gets the prize was the fly fisherman who had walked out past the ice and was standing thigh deep in the water happily casting in sub zero weather!
On the way back the temperature was up around 20-23 and it was very nice. We saw a few more people fishing. The most interesting place was the side of the road where 3 people were standing on the ground fishing next to a guy who was in the water with waders on and right down a little bit....maybe a hundred yards...on the ice was another guy sitting on a stool on the ice fishing. Something for everyone!
I was very, very excited this trip to see three bald eagles sitting in trees-two were in trees across the Kenai river and very easy to see and the third was sitting in a tree beside the road.
What a treat!
Finally we arrived at the Ididaride Kennels of Mitch Seavy. Everyone was gone (they were in Nome, of course) except for Kristin and James. They live above the work shop, along with another young woman, and work for the kennel. Kristin is an Outward Bound teacher and an expedition musher (I didn't ask what that exactly was) who came for the winter to learn more about racing. James is a dog trainer who is learning to mush. They told us to come at 1 pm since it would take them from 8 until 1 to feed all the dogs and do the other chores.
We got a chance to cuddle the most adorable 6 week old big baby Malamute and then we got a tour of the kennel. They have about 170 dogs (I forgot the exact number)...they feed 150 pounds of kibble a day and (I think I have this right) 30-40 pounds each of meat and fish. That is lots of food!!!! And you know what that produces....lots of poop to scoop!!!
They have 3 or 4 pens with the youngest dogs-they were around 12-16 weeks (we went in one and were accosted by a liter of 16 week old children all wanting attention NOW). Then the pups advance to the yard where they are steaked out to start harness training. Next to that bunch are the retired dogs and then on down are the yearlings (some making up our team). Apparently retired dogs still have jobs-they may be used for breeding or they may baby sit (I did not make that up) the younger dogs in a yard where they are turned out. Some like Pearl, who was our lead dog today, teach the younger dogs how to do their jobs.
There was a section where Mitch's 24 A team dogs were, 16 made the cut and had gone for the Iditarod (one was back, a female who was injured and they hurried her back since she was in heat and they had hoped to get her bred). The ones who didn't make the cut were hanging out...and other dogs that are currently racing dogs were also around the place-I just didn't figure that out among all the dogs.
There was also a couple of pens for females in heat, a breeding pen and a whelping pen with a pregnant mama close to delivery. One of the females in heat was a Lance Makey dog-since he won her life had changed and she would probably be bred! She is a much more valuable woman today then she was a couple of weeks ago!!
James harnessed up the dogs for us while Kristin told us how to ride the whip sled....when you turn right you shift your weight to the left but your body to the right...also when going down a hill you have to use your break or you will run into her (what a trusting soul). I took the first turn on the whip sled. I started out pretty well...I was a little worried about my left knee which has been really painful and pretty unstable the last week. So, I would break with the left so I didn't have to support my weight on it...that's just not intuitive for me though. I want to break with my right...and I did one time...not a good idea. My left knee gave and I turned the sled over and fell onto the trail...falling, of course, on the dad-gum (not the real word I would use but this is a family blog!) knees. HOW EMBARRASSING!!! But, I got back up and mushed on-after all I didn't have to go 1000 miles on a broken leg like that one guy in the Iditarod! I did better after that...actually I pretty much got the hang of it. Of course, we were on straight, flat trails after that and it is pretty easy to get the hang of standing on two boards and holding on to a rail. You would think.....however, after a while (don't know how long but the ride was two hours and I think I did about half on the whip sled) my feet and calves sort of started to cramp up....but, I thought about the guy with the broken leg and went on-besides it was so much FUN!!!! But, I knew I had to call a stop when my legs started to shake like jello!!! One fall off of the sled was enough for this trip.
So, I got in the sled and Jane got the whip sled. Now, I originally thought this was what I wanted to do...just sit and be pulled. However, I have to tell you the most fun spot is not in the sled it is behind the sled!!!
I did get to see the dogs-I couldn't really see them well from the whip sled because Kristin was in front of me (thank goodness). I was able to appreciate the different ways the dogs pulled, see the one who was pulling her weight but really wasn't pulling with the others. Could see Pearl's leadership and how it shaped the team. And notice how dogs that were harnessed together would communicate with each other at times....like one dog slowed down to poop (they do that while running) and the other reached over and sort of nipped him to get him going again. That was real interesting!
We had one little time when Pearl decided she wanted to go one way when Kristen was telling her to go the other. When Kristen couldn't get her to go straight she stopped the sled, dug this metal "anchor" into the snow and told Jane to push on her break with both feet while she got off to correct Pearl. Hummm, I'm sitting there thinking, "ok, if they take off they won't go very fast, Jane can push on the break and that little Kristin is in good shape...she'll run up and jump on the sled...yep, we'll be fine...sure we will." Later I learned Jane was having a similiar conversation with herself. But, all was well....Pearl got the point and Kristin got back on the sled and off we went....with a bunch of tired one year olds who wanted to go HOME.
They gave us a good ride. At the end we petted each one and thanked them-which they actually seemed to enjoy, they really love to be petted. However, I hope they got an extra treat!
As for Jane and I, we went back to Suzie's Cafe and snacked ourselves with some Fruits of the Forrest pie (to die for!) and headed home...tired and smelling like dogs but really satisfied with our experience as mushers. I could learn to enjoy that sport!!!
Oh, I forgot Buddy....I just have to mention Buddy. He is the most beautiful Malamute that is sort of a pet/mascot. Not a sled dog! However, James has taught Buddy to be a musher. He "drives" his own little sled, and sometimes he sits in it so other dogs can pull him!! He is a real lover!!! Sweet, beautiful and smart! BUDDY!!!