More Road Work

1/26/11:

Two teams of 5-dogs each.  4 1/2 miles each team following the same route.  Home to Two Rivers Rd. trail (School trail) to trailhead parking lot, past power line ROW to highway crossing.  Across highway and east to southbound winter trail to baseline.  East on baseline to survey line.  North on survey line to CHSR trail.  West on CHSR trail back to road crossing.  Cross road, return to trailhead parking lot and then back home.  Here's a map that may make it easier to visualize.  You can click on it to see it in full size.

Temperature at start was +8 degrees (F).  Temperature at finish of both runs was +5 degrees.

First Team:

Torus and Grace (Lead)

Orion (single swing/team)

Seamus and Nels (wheel)

This team proved easy to hook up and easy to run.  Torus was having a good time from the beginning, and of course was spot on with all his gee/haw cues.  Orion is just a hard working young dog, and Seamus and Nels are "professional" in all regards.  I took the loop at the trail head parking area in the opposite direction on the return trip.  Max speed was 12.8 mph and average speed while moving was 7.6 mph.

Second Team:

Just and Rose (lead)

Capella (swing / team)

Beau and Nels (wheel)

Easy enough to hook up,  The launched faster than the first time, but I didn't let them go flat out until they had had time to warm up and stretch some muscles.  On the straight away toward the trailhead they actually were a little slower than the first team, though not by much (12,5 mph). 

I had them take the loop at the trailhead parking area in the opposite direction than which we usually run, which ended up in my hitting a tree. 

Though a bit confused when I asked them to go by the power-line ROW (and the trail home), they correctly very quickly, with only 1 rep of the cue.  No problem cueing them past the turnaround we used the other day, nor cueing the haw onto the baseline trail.

The haw onto the survey line trail was a whole 'nother matter.  I had to hook down and pull the leaders onto the proper trail six or 7 times before Just figured out I was serious and we really were going to go that way.  Slogging around in unpacked snow was no fun at all, but he finally got the point.

Of course dinking around with the turn gave them plenty of time to rest up for the uphill pull.  Turning onto the CHSR trail they pulled me into another tree.   No problem going across the highway or past the power-line trail.  Took the opposite direction around the trail head loop and damned if they didn't pull me into ANOTHER tree.  SHEESH!!!

The return home was uneventful.