tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25456691085406047612024-03-14T23:51:49.705-08:00Old School Alaskan“A good dog is so much a nobler beast than an indifferent man that one sometimes gladly exchanges the society of one for that of the other.” (William Francis Butler)Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.comBlogger914125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-57479460162560872432022-11-05T09:55:00.001-08:002022-11-05T09:55:51.719-08:002022 Election. How I rank candidates for National Office, and why.<h2 style="text-align: left;"> This post is about my personal political opinions. </h2><p style="text-align: left;">If you aren't interested in my political opinions, just scroll on by. My mind is set and it's very unlikely anything you comment either here or on social media will change my mind.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I describe my political leanings as "Practical Libertarian". I am a registered Libertarian and usually vote for Libertarian candidates as my choice when such candidates are on the ballot. That noted, I reserve and exercise the right to vote against the showboating, politically ignorant quacks that sometimes fly the Libertarian banner,. <br /><br />Istrongly feel that the government which governs least governs best. I am in favor of strong local governments and weak distant governments. I believe local jurisdictions (municipalities or boroughs) are more likely to appreciate and address the needs of their citizens while imposing their will on the smallest proportion of the general population as possible.<br /><br />I believe that State Governments are more likely to appreciate and address the needs of the citizens of each State than is the Federal Government. <br /><br />As the accompanying meme demonstrates, during this election I have a particularly strong disdain for the Alaska Republican Party and the candidates most strongly supported by the party. Over the past few legislative sessions the ARP has chosen to severely punish Republican legislators who demonstrate the courage to think for themselves and vote against the party line. I have a far more favorable view of legislators who are willing to examine and follow the evidence than simply kowtow to the so-called "Party Leadership". </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE25GhCHfUTNa7poN70Yk5nbwv2TffB2q5-MzANZHywkMHnTCz3ytMhUnerTldcqYu-kl6BQ_YY_DL9TVW43RCPCAow8qIw8BCnTcZB7un6KT9m6ql2L6OeQR9GT18A1lEPRf7OZ6rg26TASRb223a4O_Hj_BNidLAQ-YayA-5OeoziFZMoXY3Bv_Y/s1480/Spike%20and%20Chester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1480" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE25GhCHfUTNa7poN70Yk5nbwv2TffB2q5-MzANZHywkMHnTCz3ytMhUnerTldcqYu-kl6BQ_YY_DL9TVW43RCPCAow8qIw8BCnTcZB7un6KT9m6ql2L6OeQR9GT18A1lEPRf7OZ6rg26TASRb223a4O_Hj_BNidLAQ-YayA-5OeoziFZMoXY3Bv_Y/w551-h403/Spike%20and%20Chester.jpg" width="551" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">My choices for U.S. Senate:</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">#1 - Lisa Murkowski</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Over the years Ms. Murkowski has made legislative decisions that prove she is either a helluva lot smarter than her daddy, or at least a helluva lot more politically astute. She clearly prioritizes the needs of her constituents above the desires of the ARP puppet-masters. She scores additional points with me in that she is not a disciple of His Royal Majesty and Savior Donald Trump. In other words, she's proved she actually has a brain and is willing to use it.<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">#2 - Patricia Chesbro</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Ms. Chesbro seems to recognize the importance of supporting the fossil fuel industry while refining the technology and building the infrastructure necessary to transition to more environmentally friendly energy production and distribution. She also seems to be supportive of the civil rights of historically oppressed minorities, which is important to me. I can't justify fighting for my own rights if I'm willing to extend those rights to others, even others with whom I disagree. <br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">#3 - Kelly Tshibaka</h4><p style="text-align: left;">I may decide to not rank Ms. Tshibaka at all. I hold her in such disdain that it's difficult to not spell her last name as "Chewbaka", bacause her ranting reminds me of the growls, grunts and groans of that big, fuzzy Star Wars character. <br /><br />Ms. Tshibaka comes across as His Royal Majesty and Savior Donald Trump's loyal desciple and therefore a proponent of Christian Evangelical Theocracy, with which I simply can not abide. I believe that your religion belongs in your church, your home and possibly in your interactions with society, but should be kept as far away from OUR government as possible.<br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">My Choices for U.S. Representative:</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">#1 - Chris Bye</h4><p style="text-align: left;">By now you've probably guessed that my first choice for the U.S. House would be Libertarian candidate Chris Bye. Mr. Bye can't generate nearly the resources needed to defeat the mainstream party candidates, which is truly a pity. We haven't heard much about him from the press, but his position on the issues in play are clearly stated on his web site at <a href="https://www.itstimealaska.com/issues/">https://www.itstimealaska.com/issues/</a>.<br /><br />He comes across as a practical Libertarian, recognizing that little can be to repair the damage done by a couple of centuries of bi-partisan gamesmanship, but much can, and should, be done to slow the bleeding.<br /><br />I don't expect him to win, but with our ranked choice voting system it is likely that the candidate with the fewest votes will be dropped and those of us who do rank him first will be counted based on our 2nd rank choices.<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">#2 - Mary Peltola<br /></h4><p style="text-align: left;">The incumbent elected to finish out the late Don Young's term, Ms. Peltola has already shown that she puts the needs of her constituents to be of higher priority than the desires of the Democratic Party. I've been comfortable with her decisions so far, so see no reason why she should be replaced.<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">#3 - Nick Begich</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Begich seems to have a good track record on economic issues, but fails as a supporter of individial civil rights. He strikes me as another strict adherent to the ARP party line and therefore a proponent of the Christian Evangelical Theocracy - which is little more than the Christian version of Muslim Sharia Law.<br /><br />Truly his only saving grace is that he is not Sarah Palin.<br /><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">#4 - Nobody at all.</h4><p style="text-align: left;">The fourth candidate for this office is our former 1/2 term governor Sarah Palin, who I truly and thoroughly despise. She tries to come across as a tried and true desciple of His Royal Majesty and Savior Donald Trump, but in reality her lord and master is the camera, and she seems to be willing to do or say anything that gains her more air-time. If elected, I belive she become the Replican version of Demoncrat activist <span class="ILfuVd NA6bn UiGGAb" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Our Nation simply doesn't need 2 of them.<br /><br /></span></span><span class="ILfuVd NA6bn UiGGAb" lang="en"><span class="hgKElc"></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Ballot Measure 1</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">No<br /></h4><p style="text-align: left;">Constitutionally required every decase, Ballot Measure 1 calls for a State Constitutional Convention to bascially rewrite our State Constitution. While supporters of Ballot Measure 1 argue it's an opportunity to finally settle questions surrounding our Permanent Fund Dividend, the majority of supporters seem to be Christian Evangelical organizations more interested in stripping our unique "Right to Privacy" clause in order to outlaw abortion. <br /><br />I believe that our Right to Privacy in our own homes is our most important tool to keeping religious zealots out of our homes and bedrooms and I'm not willing to risk it. <br /><br />So, there you have it. That's how I intend to vote on Tuesday, and why. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree I do encourage you to research the candidates and their positions and put a lot of thought behind your own choices, and then follow up by casting your own ballot on Tuesday.<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-17101149120517877512019-03-21T07:25:00.002-08:002019-03-21T07:25:49.151-08:00NREMT-P (ret)<h2>
(ret) and What It Means</h2>
In parenthasis, (ret) refers to retired. This morning, it also refers to me. After 43 years of contiuous EMS practice, 40 of those years as an advanced practitioner (paramedic), I am no longer employed in the field, and in just 10 more days my professional certifications will expire at which point I'll no longer be qualified to do the job that has supported me all those many years. Consequently on those rare occaissions it is appropriate to include my professional qualification in my signature, the NREMT-P will include the parenthesized (ret). <br /><br />This morning, (ret) can also refer to retrospective. <br />
<h3>
Circumstances</h3>
My retirement is the result of a bad case of 'dumbass disease' last September. Working at remote industrial sites on the North Slope, my work schedule was two-weeks on / two-weeks off. My crew-change day was Wednesday. On Monday evening, September 3rd, I was in my kennel, feeding the dogs, but my head was in Fairbanks, reviewing all the errands I would need to do to prepare for my next tour-of-duty on the job. I stepped into what appeared to be a water puddle, but turned out to be a very deep hole. As a result, I suffered major injuries to my left knee, including a complete rupture of the quadraceps tendon, a tear of the patellar tendon, spring of the later collateral tendon and a few meniscus tears. On Thursday morning, even before my co-workers were beginning their daily duties I was on the surgeon's table for the time-sensitive surgery absolutely necessary for any sort of recovery.<br /><br />Following the surgery my left leg was completely immobilized for 6 weeks. Then began a long, arduous process of physical therapy to regain the use of the knee. Under the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) I had six-months (extended due to that 2-on / 2-off duty schedule) to return to the job. To do that required that I pass a PAT (physical abilities test) to demonstrate my physical ability to meet the requirements of the job description.<br /><br />Although my life-style requires some other abilities, my physical therapist and I focused on the abilities I would need to recover in order to pass the PAT. We put a lot of work towards restoring balance (needed to control a dog sled) aside to focus on strength and endurance necessary to achieve the criteria of the PAT. <br /><br />Working in a dual role, as a security officer and medic, the test was oriented to the demands of a high-performance armed security officer, an included a 3-minute step test, tromping up and down a 12-inch step at a pace of 90 steps per minute, as a test of aerobic fitness. On my first attempt to pass the PAT, my knee buckled about half-way through the step-test (fatigue), and the technician called a halt to the test. In less than two minutes I had failed the test and was facing termination.<br /><br />The company was very gracious, and although my FMLA had expired they allowed me an additional month to retake the test and return to duty. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking on my professional certifications as I had missed the refresher courses needed to maintain my State certification and national registration as an EMS provider. My therapist and I focused even more intently on the strength training needed to extend my leg from an angle slightly more than 90 degrees to fully extended, in order to overcome the obstacle of that damned step test, and it worked.<br /><br />On my second attempt, I overcame the obstacle of the step-test. It wasn't pretty or eligant by any stretch, but I managed that 3 minutes of aerobic horror, and we continued on. Wearing a weight belt to simulate the weight of the duty-belt worn at work, I proved that I could carry a 50 pound box of weights the required distances, lift it to my waist, left it to my shoulder, and lift a lighter box higher than my head. I proved I could walk up and down the hallway with a steady pace and balanced gait. I proved I could kneel and return to standing on both knees repreatedly and assume all the positions needed to pass my firearms qualification requirement. <br /><br />Then, along came the monkey wrench. During the month in which I was training to meet the requirements of that specific test, unbeknowst to me or (apparently) anyone else, the criteria of the test had been changed. The original test, for which I'd trained, required climbing up and down a ladder several times. I had trained and practiced that to the point where I can climb a ladder like a monkey. The new criteria, however, was one of those things my therapist and I had set-aside in order to focus on strength training. It was an endurance test requiring an uphill hike for 15 minutes at a rate of 3-plus miles per hour. That test proved I no longer have the endurance to pass 2 tests of aerobic capacity in the same session. <br /><br />
<h3>
<b>Decision Making</b></h3>
Was I pissed off? That's an understatment. I didn't mind that the company (and it might have been a contractor responsible for developing and managing the PAT testing process rather than my own) changed the test criteria. The new criteria is more in-line with the demands of the actual job than is clamboring up and down a ladder. What pissed me off (and still bothers me), is that I wasn't notified of the change in criteria. Even the director of human resources at my company (a relative new-hire) wasn't aware the criteria had been changed, though she was very quick to point out that "the company has no legal obligation to notifiy employees of changes in policy or procedures." Had we known about it, my therapist and I could have incorporated some endurance work into my therapy regime to prepare for the ordeal.<br /><br />So the next decision I faced was to allow the company to terminate my employment, or just suck-it-up and retire. Obviously, I chose the latter.<br /><br /><b>(End of RETrospective)</b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<h3>
Prospective</h3>
Although a career in emergency services offers many rewards, wealth is not among the list. I'm not a rich man by anyone's measure, but neither am I impoverished. Throughout my career I've been diligent about contributing to my retirement fund and my financial advisor assures me that I have adequate funds to maintain my life-style well into the future. <br /><br />I also have a team of very strong and attractive sled dogs. I've worked part-time as a sled dog tour guide in the past and earned enough to pay for the maintenance of my kennel. So long as I can keep my body together I can do such work on a full-time basis during winter and earn enough to support my kennel. That's important to me because if I can't keep and run my dogs I have no reason to retire.<br /><br />I had already been taking some courses in genetics, particularly canine genetics, prior to my injury. With much more 'free' time on my hands than is typical for me, I realized early on I needed to do things to keep my brain active or I'd likely go either bug-eyed stir crazy. Albeit no tee-totaller by any means, I'm only a casual drinker preferring quality over quantity so spending the time in an alcoholic stupor simply wasn't on the list of things to do. So, I've spent a lot of that down-time and a not insignificant amount of money on on-line courses in genetics, population genetics and canine genetics. It's turned out that a subject that I intially struggled with (harder for me than organic chemistry) actually is understandable and is down-right fascinating. <br />
<br />I believe I can generate enough interest among other dog mushers to help them make better breeding decisions based on scientific evidence that will ultimate result in stronger, faster and much more genetically diverse kennels and the sled dog population in general. Most dog mushers just don't have the free time necessary to study anything not directly related to the immediate care and training of their dogs so I'm hopeful I can help them out, and maybe earn a bit of money to help pay for my own continuing education and maybe even some highly specialized (and very expensive) comuter software in the process.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I love and live in Alaska. There are lots of fish that need to be caught. Caribou and moose that need to be harvested and sled dogs that need to be raised, trained and run on the back-country trails. I believe I have more than enough interests to keep me plenty busy both physically and mentally during my retirement. <br /><br />Meanwhile, when old men gather around a table or campfire to boast of their past I can join the conversation and while others boast of their past accomplishments I can fit right in by explaining that for over 40 years I earned a living protecting others from the ravages of crime, terrorism and disease. It might be a bit of an overstatment, but then again I'm a fisherman and hunter and overstatement is expected, accepted and generally approved in a well-told story. Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-17158518368391800962019-02-11T05:50:00.001-09:002019-02-11T06:30:02.667-09:00YQ - The Home StretchLast night I was all but glued to the Yukon Quest Live Tracker, enjoying som exciting racing out on the Yukon Quest. As you'll recall, Brent Sass had left the Mile 101 checkpoint after four-hours rest just as Allen Moore was arriving. Allen had decided to blow through the checkpoint to give chase.<br />
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Allen was able to give Brent a good run for his money, but by the time they had topped Rosebud Summit it was clear that Moore's team didn't have the juice he, or I, thought they had. They slowed considerably after the work of climbing two major mountains back to back. Ultimately, Brent arrived in the Two Rivers checkpoint shortly before 7:00 PM, a solid hour and 20 minutes ahead of Allen.<br />
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After an 8 hour mandatory layover, Brent headed toward the finish line at Fairbanks at 2:53 this morning and Allen left as scheduled at 4:32. They are currently mushing their way on trails parallel to the Chena Hot Springs Road through Chena River State Park with just shy of 12 miles between them.<br />
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Things were equally exciting for the race for third and fourth place, between Michelle Phillips and Hans Gatt, where Michelle passed Hans at the top of the summit to take the 3rd place position just prior to arriving at Mile 101. Gatt, a four-time champion cleared the summit before walking up to his leaders and lying down beside them for a quick breather.<br />
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Gatt got up to give his dogs a snack and started working on his gear. While he was making some adjustments, Phillips passed him. After the two exchanged pleasantries, Gatt hopped back on his sled and started his descent toward Mile 101. After the exchange, <a href="http://www.newsminer.com/mushing/brent-sass-holds-strong-lead-finishers-expected-in-fairbanks-today/article_0b0e23e6-2ddd-11e9-93de-4bc625510797.html" target="_blank">journalists at the summit overheard Gatt mumbling, “Worst ever,” as his team pulled away. </a><br />
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Yesterday evening Hans and Michelle were racing head-to-head over Rosebud Summit and were both gaining ground on Moore when they reached the Two Rivers checkpoint, with Gatt arriving less than an hour before Phillips.<br />
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As I write (5:45 AM), Sass, Moore and Gatt are en route to the finish line, and Michelle will be leaving the final checkpoint in about 20 minutes. Matt Hall and Paige Drobny are resting at Mile 101 and I expect they will be leaving shortly. The remaining competitors are literally spread out between Central and Eagle as they continue to march toward the Golden Heart City of Fairbanks.Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-36810762078416259032019-02-10T14:49:00.003-09:002019-02-10T14:49:50.459-09:00YQ report - It's a Nail Biter, for sure.When I wrote this morning, I was firmly convinced that Brent Sass had the race well in hand. He marched right into the Mile 101 checkpoint and settled in to rest, and to wait. Sure enough as Allen Moore topped Eagle Summit Brent apparently bootied up, called 'em up and hit the trail. <br /><br />I was surprised that Allen Moore didn't stop at the checkpoint long at all. He saw an opportunity to close the gap, and took it. He is currently chasing Brent toward the Two Rivers checkpoint, on the other side of Rosebud Summit. Thus far in the race, Brent's team has avereageda route speed of 4.1 mph, compared to Allen's at 4.0 mph. <br /><br />With that mandatory 8-hour layover coming up in Two Rivers, Allen may be counting on the long break to rest his team enough for a sprint to the finish line. Brent will certainly be doing the same. <br /><br />The last time these two mushers were this close so near the finish of the race, Brent edged out Allen in the last stretch, between Two Rivers and the finish line in Fairbanks. That year, Allen's team simply ran out of energy and couldn't keep up. This year Brent is running an entirely different team of dogs - but so is Allen. I suspect I'll be glued to the ol' computer until these two teams check in just up the road a bit from my place. Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-69140455579086159792019-02-10T10:50:00.000-09:002019-02-10T10:50:38.781-09:00Yukon Quest - A Trail to Redemption?Having camped on the trail somewhere outside Central (possibly Medicine Lake), Brent Sass blew through the checkpoint and mushed onward, apparently marching straight over the notorious Eagle Summit to Mile-101. Brent still has all 14 dogs on his gangline. Allen Moore, in second place, is just now (10:30 AM) 6 miles out of Central, where Hans Gatt and Michelle Phillips are still resting their teams. <br /><br />I believe this move has placed Brent Sass firmly in the cat-bird seat. He can care for his dogs and perhaps get some much-needed sleep and simply take off when Allen arrives. Another option is to mush on toward Rosebud Summit and the Two Rivers checkpoint where he is required to take a mandatory 8-hour layover. Either way, I don't see any way that Allen can pass him short of a major miship out on the trail.<br /><br />Brent's last few races can best be described as disastrous. In the 2016 Iditarod his overly tired team refused to leave the White Mountain checkpoint, forcing him to drop from 2nd to 20th place. In the 2017 Yukon Quest, Brent punched the "help" button on his Spot Tracker when two of his dogs collapsed en route to the Central checkpoint. As a result of those, and perhaps other less well-known events, Brent has a reputation for working his dogs beyond their natural capacity. Winning this year's Quest with a full team of 14 dogs would go far toward restoring his good name and reputation on the trails. <br /><br /> Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-14472964567122620692019-02-09T07:18:00.001-09:002019-02-09T07:18:48.885-09:00YQ This Morning - February 9th.I'm apparently not the only one who is curious about standings in the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race this morning. When trying to bring up the Live Tracker I've gotten "time out" errors using two different browsers. I suspect too many of us are trying to view the GPS trackers at the same time, thus overloading the sytem.<br /><br />When I last looked, at about 5:30 AST this morning Allen Moore and Brent Sass had gained about 10 miles over Hans Gatt and Michelle Phillips. The two leaders were inbetween Slaven's Cabin and Circle and both traveling at just under 8 MPH. Hans and Michelle were both at Slaven's at that time. <br /><br />About half an hour ago or so, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YukonQuest/posts/10157033724874490?__xts__[0]=68.ARBTML2KAMte1qV9W291U1vGLaFIZpKv5TXUBrGu5HpProxBdV1hEuj-3a9Efqbw-8UV9Out35yI4svmQtAH0E9jO0hm4kt6L7qSHF1-tICe-Jfr2Ks1KZPVb7kJMC78Ux21sMr8uu3VIyZ-svrfFNHVzhCrrny5VfYcUaZT9LfI2BJnr12614eoMQS-Diq2WIZ_U7FbJBq__A10TYrDu26j_N2qZddKj2jTnjcvmqoUIgupcTVi2W_fDw-sADCFu0emizl7ImSQnjxyWVKk7RwtgAZNVkl3zrGpAUh72cXkL7pClRPY3HI9XVaYlJXiPdbH0Ai_MogeBzSaZDoX5RKXssgaWE4Zd0wVeNbnoA&__tn__=-R" target="_blank">Yukon Quest Official Site </a>FaceBook crew posted the following information: <br /><br /><i>"As Allen Moore, Brent Sass and Hans Gatt make their way closer to Circle, Michelle Phillips, Paige Drobny and Matt Hall continue to rest at Slaven's Dog Drop. Denis Tremblay and Ryne Olson are enroute to Slaven's while Nathaniel Hamlyn, Jessie Royer and Torsten Kohnert rest up at Trout Creek Hospitality Stop. Cody Strathe, Brian Wilmshurst and Curt Perano are out of Eagle while Jason Biasette, Andy Pace, Dave Dalton, Deke Naaktgeboren, Misha Wiljes and Rob Cooke continue to rest in Eagle for their mandatory four hours, or longer, as some have chosen to do."</i><br />
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AHA - it's finally my turn to take a look at the Tracker.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXehQdF7925mq4zxI4w5-_enYfrDRQZyiuZdhP7ft31PVU70qmJp3WxHyd0UOkMaEVoVAO8bPjRc3QL1gFhLSNpVULYrcn1OyvvpBLG7uK4z1y7z_9n-mLQD0mJZMQEXtYPPlpCDBOmE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-02-09+at+6.59.35+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="942" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXehQdF7925mq4zxI4w5-_enYfrDRQZyiuZdhP7ft31PVU70qmJp3WxHyd0UOkMaEVoVAO8bPjRc3QL1gFhLSNpVULYrcn1OyvvpBLG7uK4z1y7z_9n-mLQD0mJZMQEXtYPPlpCDBOmE/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-02-09+at+6.59.35+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<i> </i><br />
Here we see Allen Moore racing less than 3 miles ahead of Bren Sass. In terms of long-distance sled dog racing there are practically neck to neck. Hans Gatt and Michelle Phillips truly are neck to neck with less than a mile between their teams. <br /><br />I would expect Allen and Brent to be checking into the Circle checkpoint in about two hours.<br /><br />Take a look at that really squiggly section of trail coming up to the southwest of Circle. That's Birch Creek. If you were to stretch that section of the Quest Trail out you'd see that it's MUCH longer than it seems. I've floated it by canoe in summer and I can assure you that after a few hours on the water it seems to go on to infinity. The Quest trail follows 30 miles of those meanderings, so about four or 5 hours for a fast team.<br /><br />During winter Birch Creek is notorious for overflow and most years it's one of the coldest sections of trail in the entire race. This year is probably as exception. The temperature right now in Circle is 18 degrees F (-4 C) and in the next checkpoint, Central, it is 24 above F (-4 C). <br /><br /><br /><i></i>Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-24559526317947337482019-02-08T16:55:00.000-09:002019-02-09T12:26:33.805-09:00February 8 - Drama on the YQ Trail.I'm beginning to believe that it simply isn't possible to have a complete long-distance sled dog race without some degree of drama, and this year's Yukon Quest is no exception.<br />
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I reported this morning that Olivia (Neff) Webster had scratched from the race in Dawson. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hugh.neff.9/posts/10157089061713967?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCrwRXfnrzvx2hfyPgwPKuma5Degd-JZTiSTnhzI2oZ6IGsO-WRUdn__zMEO0muMGBSiHkr3SWPeS7CiNU4bkVt4GRseS3xLXnAly-9HYx_1Nu3DerMILSRloiOg2M-Pdwm51yQGpxlPgcAzhz7BjTt8JvqvIAIyZrS-uCG6ZDFJYlwH5Mn8swMdJ721R8V92p1It46X0O_tybgGBq6DkP45xzY15VAfpXFneB3hi5Dx5NSm8gsBo3nw9bMN75O4cS2DrBeBE5CFZC9i78ZG4Kl0dlQfZYkBkUJZ99eqcfkrlhy0M1lRF79wU4E-rGy5amSIeDzyg1aw2s&__tn__=-R" target="_blank">Hugh Neff 'shared' the Yukon Quest official report</a> in a public FaceBook post, along with the following comment:<br />
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<i>"This is TOTAL BS. <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100025753682346&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARCPr4iniYDImNf9I8yYYJTWZWtAy1SevZ9DWvIOcLxPIQCtxzYLudBkzkjFOTyhX815OTCyrhpa-owz%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/olivia.shankneff?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARCPr4iniYDImNf9I8yYYJTWZWtAy1SevZ9DWvIOcLxPIQCtxzYLudBkzkjFOTyhX815OTCyrhpa-owz&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCrwRXfnrzvx2hfyPgwPKuma5Degd-JZTiSTnhzI2oZ6IGsO-WRUdn__zMEO0muMGBSiHkr3SWPeS7CiNU4bkVt4GRseS3xLXnAly-9HYx_1Nu3DerMILSRloiOg2M-Pdwm51yQGpxlPgcAzhz7BjTt8JvqvIAIyZrS-uCG6ZDFJYlwH5Mn8swMdJ721R8V92p1It46X0O_tybgGBq6DkP45xzY15VAfpXFneB3hi5Dx5NSm8gsBo3nw9bMN75O4cS2DrBeBE5CFZC9i78ZG4Kl0dlQfZYkBkUJZ99eqcfkrlhy0M1lRF79wU4E-rGy5amSIeDzyg1aw2s">Olivia Shank Neff</a> was forced to drop 8 time YQ finisher Mojito due to a minor frostbit flank. A recurring issue that he's had for years. (Golden Harness winner.)<br />She was then forced to scratch after returning to doglot to drop Emily,leader in heat. <br />The dogs are fine. Mojito and c0. Will be mushing back to Tok in 2 hours. We'll be running 2 small teams. My wife and our dogs didn't deserve this. The vets have been harassing us all yearand need to be investigated! LeRoy Shank's Dream has been destroyed by greed, power hungry people and overall corruption."</i>Earlier, Hugh had shared a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hugh.neff.9/posts/10157088871578967" target="_blank">post from Tammi Dunlap Skaleski</a> (who I am not acquainted with), who had written, "<i>Just got off the phone with Olivia Shank Neff and Hugh Neff. Here is the scoop from them as to what happen.. Emily ,lead dog is in heat. Several dogs fights happened . As race officials stood by and watched and did nothing as olivia fought for over 2 hours to break up fights due to Emily being in heat, a guy on snowmobile stopped ASKED if she needed help. They forced her to scratch saying she had too much outside assistance. Which she had none. They also forced her to drop her main lead dog Mojito even though he is fine passing all vet checks. This is pure bullshit and the Quest officials should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. Olivia and dogs were rested doing great except for Emily in heat. She doesnt deserve this nor do these amazing dogs that worked hard to get here and were doing great. Please show your support and love for them. They will be continuing to run dogs back to tok on their own. We are so so proud of you both and support you all the way. Be proud of pushing through everything they have thrown at you. Hold heads high . We love you</i>"<br />
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This afternoon veteran musher Sebastian Schnuelle, who is very highly respected by most who know him as a great dog man and long distance musher, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sebastianschnuelle/posts/10218539801191981" target="_blank">also commented on the situation</a>. Some may recognize Seb as the Original Armchair Musher.<br />
<i><br />"There is drama at the tail end of the Quest about Olivia Webster ( Neff ) scratching. Last year the race officials and Vets were critizesed for not pulling a dog out of Hugh's team in Eagle, who later died. This year they are pulling a questionable dog out of Olivias team in Dawson and yet again they are blamed. This time for pulling " a key lead dog ". This shows the difficulty of the decisions the officials and vets are facing.</i><br />
<i>Giving a musher the choice of being withdrawn or allowing them to scratch is very common practice. Ultimately the outcome is the same. The mushers race is ending, for the wellbeing of the dogs and Musher. I was given the same choice by Joe May in my 1999 Yukon Quest attempt. I was in complete disagreement at the time, just to realize years later, with more experience, how much of a favor Joe May had actually done me. Being a race official is an incredible difficult position, more so in the day and age of social media. Decisions are done as a group and nobody is out to ruin somebodies dream. The dream can turn into a nightmare, or it can stay alive and well, for later years. Mine did, as exactly 10 years after being told to go home, my race had a much different outcome.</i>"<br />
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So, as expected, there is drama on the Yukon Quest trail. The only real question worth asking is "Why does the drama so frequently involve the Laughing Eyes Kennel?<br />
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Update - February 9th.</h4>
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner has published a story about the brouhaha. You can read it under the headline "<a href="http://www.newsminer.com/mushing/yukon_quest/shank-neff-scratches-says-quest-forced-her-out/article_ad09a352-2c4b-11e9-ad34-6fa5de2301ee.html?fbclid=IwAR0uJ9gWd42ngEgge1N-C-3_t6PkioPTsj93_UQAWkV8RDl6-qtKU2GVSvI" target="_blank">Shank-Neff scratches, says Quest forced her out</a>". Personally, I think the most pertinent part of the article reads, "“Hugh came up and started yelling at everybody, and I was like, ‘Oh my god.’Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-78436868288146765222019-02-08T06:00:00.000-09:002019-02-08T06:00:24.775-09:00Morning report - Friday, Feb 8The race is definitely on, with four mushers having passed through the Eagle checkpoint overnight. As I write, Allen Moore has a slim lead over Brent Sass for first and second place. Michelle Phillips is traveling in 3th place with Hans Gatt in fourth. Matt Hall arrived in Eagle about 10 minutes ago (05:45 AST) and is resting his team at his home-town checkpoint. <br /><br />Jimmy Lebling finally made his way to Dawson City yesterday, and immediately scratched "for the well being of his team." Having completed her 36 hour layover, Olivia Webster (Hugh Neff's wife) turned around, returned to town and also scratched. Lisbet Norris finally made her way into town at about 10:40 last night. <br /><br />As of this morning there are still 28 teams competing.Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-16357689972265289612019-02-07T05:24:00.003-09:002019-02-07T05:41:02.621-09:00Yukon Quest - Day 4Coming off their 36 hour layover in Dawson City, the frontrunners in the Yukon Quest are wasting little time in route to the Canada- Alaska border. At 5:00 AM AST Brent Sass is less than a mile from Clinton Creek, where the trail leaves the Yukon River and tracks up the Fortymile. Hans Gatt and Michelle Phillips, traveling close together, are only 5 miles behind the leader and in fourth place, Allen Moore is about 5 miles back from them. Paige Drobny, Denis Tremblay and Matt Hall have all left Dawson City for their run to Alaska and Ryne Olson will be free to leave in less than half an hour.<br />
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Two mushers, Lisbet Norris and Jimmy Lebling seem to be struggling, still about 50 miles from the famous gold-rush town and moving at only 4 miles per hour. I would not be surprised if they were to either scratch or be withdrawn from the race when they eventually do make it to Dawson City. It's pretty apparent their teams are unable to maintain a racing pace.<br />
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Chase Tingle had an interesting wildlife encounter and a new story to add to his collection while en route to Dawson City. Apparently his team attracted the attention of a lonely gray wolf who more or less casually chased them down the trail for several miles. The story is well told in a <a href="http://www.newsminer.com/mushing/quest-rookie-tingle-runs-with-a-wolf-into-dawson/article_766e8f68-2ab8-11e9-b248-fb04ef360852.html?fbclid=IwAR331Yey60T7EkaVlwJz1CbTsH6B47jv-4x_ghXMVv8PMIj7CTYBEQSqaDY" target="_blank">Fairbanks New-Miner article</a>. Reading it in Chase's own words is well worth clicking on the <a href="http://www.newsminer.com/mushing/quest-rookie-tingle-runs-with-a-wolf-into-dawson/article_766e8f68-2ab8-11e9-b248-fb04ef360852.html?fbclid=IwAR331Yey60T7EkaVlwJz1CbTsH6B47jv-4x_ghXMVv8PMIj7CTYBEQSqaDY" target="_blank">link</a>. <br />
<br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-9405610883181851442019-02-05T19:42:00.002-09:002019-02-05T19:42:16.157-09:00February 5th Evening Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dawson City, Yukon Territory hasn't seen this much excitement since 1898. Well, except for the annual rush of mushers, dog handlers, race officials and race fans that are inundating the small city tonight. As I write (18:43 AST), 8 Yukon Quest competitors have driven their dogs to the checkpoint, and of course others are not far behind.<br />
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Brent Sass won today's Dash for Cash, arriving first into Dawson City at about 11:24 PST this morning, earning a poke with 2 ounces of placer gold assuming he finishes the race. Brent was followed into Dawson City in short order by Michelle Phillips, Hans Gatt and Allen Moore.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76A7l0VIWgobrY9l-69P0gxXiSBS3BaOv1-PkOD0ScMzRDWrtaiSplp2vVi1JvNiI1R2ZCLcHEdUTk3CCSjZKlciLuFhv0SmzieTz1v6kPO5dnqJzqbmFOjsR8yqGhnK2ijisbO0DAiQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-02-05+at+7.00.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="579" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76A7l0VIWgobrY9l-69P0gxXiSBS3BaOv1-PkOD0ScMzRDWrtaiSplp2vVi1JvNiI1R2ZCLcHEdUTk3CCSjZKlciLuFhv0SmzieTz1v6kPO5dnqJzqbmFOjsR8yqGhnK2ijisbO0DAiQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-02-05+at+7.00.21+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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All of the Yukon Quest mushers are required to take a 36 hour mandatory layover in Dawson City. During the layover their handlers can assist in dog care, mushers can repair sleds, sleep in real beds, enjoy hot showers and all that other civilized sort of stuff. Writing as the <a href="https://yukonquest.com/news/armchair-musher-what-happens-dawson" target="_blank">Armchair Musher on the Yukon Quest website</a> (under the News tab in the navigation menu), Jodi Bailey did a very nice job describing typical activities occuring during the long mandatory stop. <br /><br />Typically any musher who arrives within 8 hours of the leader is considered to be in good position to ultimately win the race. Up until now the mushers have been clocking miles, getting themselves and their teams settled into the routine of the trail, their own run and rest schedules, and kind of casually setting themselves up in good position. The "real" race is said to start at Dawson City as mushers take a considerably more competitive approach to the race. When they leave Dawson City the next checkpoint will be Matt Hall's home town of Eagle, Alaska. The trail takes a bit of a roundabout way of getting there, forcing the mushers to traverse the historical gold mining region along the Fortymile River before turning north on Alaska's Taylor Highway, going over Eagle Summit (notoriously nasty during bad weather conditions) before reaching Eagle. In total it's about 150 miles of cold, dark and lonely country. <br /><br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-88095291722184831892019-02-05T07:01:00.000-09:002019-02-06T06:50:06.860-09:00More ARF Deceitful B.S.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujL4ImmPQl8-rDbgedLRwmrwJFFIKky-QvzvlvQC91teYT2ASRs54RegbSowrue7pRUHset885lQgTuu_xutZT8oHu5Thw6Qs2E62QU3LMhw7cUyGQYaq4-bNY5QjJwh90q9v1FqSsAI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-02-05+at+6.36.18+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1167" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujL4ImmPQl8-rDbgedLRwmrwJFFIKky-QvzvlvQC91teYT2ASRs54RegbSowrue7pRUHset885lQgTuu_xutZT8oHu5Thw6Qs2E62QU3LMhw7cUyGQYaq4-bNY5QjJwh90q9v1FqSsAI/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-02-05+at+6.36.18+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This screen shot taken from the Humane Mushing FaceBook group demonstrates one of the reasons I really dislike animal rights organizations and the fanatics who support them. While the statement made at the top of post is technically true, it doesn't even begin to explain what really happened. The implication, of course, is that race veterinarians cleared a dog that knew had cancer to run the race. In fact, there was no reason to believe or even suspect the poor dog had issues until symptoms developed. The veterinary team did everything in their power to help the dog, the musher and the musher's crew.<br />
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Here is the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmokinAceKennels/posts/2085327371705856?__tn__=C-R" target="_blank">original FaceBook post</a> that Humane Mushing "shared", telling the whole story.<br />
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"<i><span class="fwn fcg"><span class="fwb fcg" data-ft="{"tn":"k"}"><a data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard-referer="ARQ5lW_BsJdPdsYxX6WtceXq6yRqh-vrTTlKnElwvZoiGGP3M2NKyZdyerpf0VNBARE" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1394053470833253&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdkC-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARBeaatK1AKGLGpAsUWzoIQuwuII_SN8a-jb6S_Zcex3cfboaF_SVv3epj4iu58AzYkfLpqUxjCw9Oho%22%2C%22hc_ref%22%3A%22ARQ5lW_BsJdPdsYxX6WtceXq6yRqh-vrTTlKnElwvZoiGGP3M2NKyZdyerpf0VNBARE%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22nf%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/SmokinAceKennels/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBpQ-uWpMmZ0PA84nnIxXlvQ9dlLiDMRAoQEMtJgusqssMkGlBtn5pC7vfziD3qd2zJwgZBeTPIiONXqNCDaby1PGCPwQ0qL1BJVhCanVKkJa4oEhQOX4VNWjvqok3_MMZrVnbiiMG9ZVw238t2uMUOOQ1S7tH6g1lGO0nPUWIflQJ7ZEjeZa-w4nvfnrITRD2sxzGUkytMajl51CxfLN3IJhsyPXMUZAlSdnAvNFPUpfbhTibOD7N9SCDjHXMNlrZzgIu-lVkQaDgZbMQjj6LqqZoNJwWtVtFqL8vGMBl-72pv2PXL1yj1GkeOWgQX-FI_3Jq5_hmtiCzyq_69rknMMm6vw5V62QdBYepMkCKHxyDSOIDGByewZbuP3pn_K24Epmg85XvPii_2w2rPSXKYCvgTIml3DjcUC1yNO7mi2B1t_lsooJRu27p4gj6vD1cbgMnvydmse6k2lrT-nH1F6qRnBTTvXPsxFCAZoevpM31KPEtdDnXYWg&__xts__%5B1%5D=68.ARDSACoMoNPkW2AbjcofVSM3TSadjo1KLWARSxLMW5q46KR42UryYUlX_YIqPvuF6zp6P41E9UfZcYFVOFqVYHndF82Ntrc4aW73jQu_v82p6-3AZ4Tc0ohvIIyuqdlW9C_5fq5ZZMtsm0peFOsg9O4vYgQ95vwAAiqKiN3xnAbXJi8l0bmsQknNO6PpVO2TABkQgqxoJDj1vMUuiv181KXoN2H3Zwv8ueELNZCwpCk7u6iPtZf8jw1Qgei2UBlvWRivHxOivBl1ul0jp1_TXxeo7--DrVsPzuenzrpI7xw8QD38v1sxfIYdlThXUIPrxl_msxb3ReJjpyb8GWYTiamN70wI&__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARBeaatK1AKGLGpAsUWzoIQuwuII_SN8a-jb6S_Zcex3cfboaF_SVv3epj4iu58AzYkfLpqUxjCw9Oho&hc_ref=ARQ5lW_BsJdPdsYxX6WtceXq6yRqh-vrTTlKnElwvZoiGGP3M2NKyZdyerpf0VNBARE&fref=nf">Smokin' Ace Sled Dog Kennels</a></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="e_u19dgcgmi"><span class="fsm fwn fcg"><a class="_5pcq" href="https://www.facebook.com/SmokinAceKennels/posts/2085327371705856?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDSACoMoNPkW2AbjcofVSM3TSadjo1KLWARSxLMW5q46KR42UryYUlX_YIqPvuF6zp6P41E9UfZcYFVOFqVYHndF82Ntrc4aW73jQu_v82p6-3AZ4Tc0ohvIIyuqdlW9C_5fq5ZZMtsm0peFOsg9O4vYgQ95vwAAiqKiN3xnAbXJi8l0bmsQknNO6PpVO2TABkQgqxoJDj1vMUuiv181KXoN2H3Zwv8ueELNZCwpCk7u6iPtZf8jw1Qgei2UBlvWRivHxOivBl1ul0jp1_TXxeo7--DrVsPzuenzrpI7xw8QD38v1sxfIYdlThXUIPrxl_msxb3ReJjpyb8GWYTiamN70wI&__tn__=-R" target=""><abbr class="_5ptz" data-shorten="1" data-utime="1549287086" title="2/4/19, 4:31 AM"><span class="timestampContent" id="js_50">Yesterday at 4:31 AM</span></abbr></a></span></span><span aria-hidden="true" class="_6spk" role="presentation"> · </span></i></div>
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<i>Pelly Crossing Update:</i><br />
<i>Sorry for the silence, but we had pressing matters on hand. Matt arrived in Pelly at 7:55 pm last night and requested veterinary assistance to drop a dog, Salcha. Matt talked extensively with head vet Nina about his concerns before we headed inside for a thorough examination. It was decided that she needed X-rays to accurately diagnose her symptoms. So with the unwavering support of the vet crew, we were lent the veterinarian's spare vehicle and headed to Whitehorse in search of emergency care. Josh, a senior vet student, graciously offered to be our driver and veterinary consultant. We were relieved to have his knowledge by our sides.</i><br />
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<i>After hours of diagnostics (radiographs, ultrasounds & a full blood panel) Salcha was diagnosed with cancer. Salcha and I are currently eating dinner in bed and cuddling in a down comforter in a hotel in Whitehorse. Matt, who had intended on only staying 4-hrs in Pelly, sat by anxiously, checking in every 20 minutes & pushing off his departure time to await news of her health. Choking back tears, it was decided that Matt should continue on down the trail and we told each other that Salcha would see him in Dawson.</i><br />
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<i>Salcha was sent home with special meds plus a special kibble to keep our little Miss Piggy plump, just the way we like her. Of course, she doesn't let anything get in the way of her appetite and as soon I converted the soap dish into her doggy bowl, she was chomping away on her 3 am snack.</i><br />
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<i>Salcha is one of Matt's first dogs whom he loves dearly and he proudly claims as his daddy's girl. She's feisty, smart and unfalteringly loyal. Salcha is hands down one of our toughest girls in the dog yard and has proved this fact a million times over across every inch of the Yukon Quest trail. After spending thousands of trail miles together, tackling obstacles, overcoming weather and claiming the teams first victories, she has a special place in Matt's heart. The trust that is built over the years of running together is everlasting.</i><br />
<i>So tomorrow, after a quick cat nap, we will make our way to Dawson. Josh, our compassionate vet turned gracious chauffeur, will do the driving while Salcha sleeps on a nice warm pile of parkas. We can't thank the vet staff enough for their help."</i><br />
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This is just one of many examples of animal rights fanatics (ARFs) twisting reality to further their own propagandist agenda.<br />
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<h4>
Update, Wednesday 6 February. More of the Story.</h4>
Matt Hall arrived at the Dawson City checkpoint at 5:43 yesterday evening. After going through the necessary mandatory rigamarole (dog count, gear check and sign-in). In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmokinAceKennels/posts/2086304881608105?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAdq5bpsLoE_JQ7Piimwgu110QULEsRfBT-sWP6x1bjfySekTKbRPToz2U4rGjcKRffEdL8zl_LO4zUAY7iCjTUSvvfji7XDlKi2kSG2ekcoyT_KxZWxZpqr_7Y7kOT4nqYv65fP-VldbigeqfQLARbMtKzsFjXboXDh8fAjmIQqFbOBVGBoiNy8gIv2QCSLmd6O1seqYX3OSxxbiPfMoPYS6phaK_ELW96Z1tgYwx0SZiGWSzaFzUtir464vHwq-1ThZcekrQmlaB1vHeXmCAQYhgaBbbZ3B076hUoiqDh9c97yNXGt49AwdegO8Yd5M9HPGa6hK-vaUMu32xhvrNtNLlw&__tn__=-R" target="_blank">FaceBook post the Smokin' Ace Kennels</a> team of handlers described what happened next.<br /><br /><i><span class="text_exposed_show">Once Matt signed in and went through the mandatory gear check, we parked him next to the truck to load the dogs an<span class="text_exposed_show">d
get to camp. The first thing out of his mouth was, "How is Salcha?" We
told him he could see for himself! A look of pure joy rushed over his
face as he opened the door to see his sassy girl sitting there wagging
her tail. He said she was on his mind the entire time. They're currently
cuddled up on the bed with full bellies, happy & content.<br /></span></span></i><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show">They even posted photographic evidence.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /><br />Thank you for reading the rest of the story.<br /><br /></span></span><i><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></i><br />
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Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-46603726371930385212019-02-05T05:48:00.001-09:002019-02-05T05:48:35.329-09:00YQ Morning Report, Tue Feb 5.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicERl5gJLBMvLRvlpJFRzG8t9h6fyyUGyuJH1tJOY-nYw6jljkrjMa-YAWFAlYm7frMTl2bnIatqAy8L_QTOwHyaZhyphenhyphenpofaANJ321j6q0L1ntXgPXzWWEzaajIw5U24PaXUpnut48omNI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-02-05+at+5.27.34+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="944" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicERl5gJLBMvLRvlpJFRzG8t9h6fyyUGyuJH1tJOY-nYw6jljkrjMa-YAWFAlYm7frMTl2bnIatqAy8L_QTOwHyaZhyphenhyphenpofaANJ321j6q0L1ntXgPXzWWEzaajIw5U24PaXUpnut48omNI/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-02-05+at+5.27.34+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GPS tracking devices on each musher's sled provides a near real-time overview of the race</td></tr>
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Several mushers appear to be 'going for the gold' as their teams approach Dawson City this morning. Brent Sass is currently leading the race. He's about 40 miles from Dawson City. Allen Moore is only about 5 miles behind him, less than an hour away at typical long distance sled dog speeds. Michelle Phillips, Hans Gatt and Denis Tremblay are all following Moore. There is only a 10-mile gap between Sass and Phillips.Meanwhile, Matt Hall, Ryne Olson and Paige Drobny are running closely together roughly an hour and change behind the lead pack. <br /><br />I won't be able to watch the race and closely as I'd prefer today. Life happens, and in my case that includes a drive to town for a physical therapy session and some much needed grocery shopping. I'll look forward to catching up once I return to home.<br /><br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-40754585874180067222019-02-04T19:41:00.000-09:002019-02-04T19:42:18.985-09:00YQ Evening Update, February 4Teams competing in the Yukon Quest continue to cover miles and miles of trail, and they've continued swapping the lead position most of the day. Each time I've looked at the <a href="https://yukonquest.com/race-central/current-standings/live-tracking" target="_blank">Live Tracker</a> it seems a different musher is up front. Over the past few hours Hans Gatt, Allen Moore, Brent Sass and Michelle Phillips have all broken trail. As I write, Hans and Allen both appear to be resting at Scroggie Creek while Brent and Michelle are marching on. Meanwhile Paige Drobny, Matt Hall and Ryne Olson are mushing closely together, making good time about an hour or so out of Scroggie Creek.<br />
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There is about 95 miles of trail between Scroggie Creek and the next checkpoint at Dawson City. Once the mushers reach Dawson City they are required by race rules to take a mandatory 36 hour stop. There is a prize ofgold waiting for the first musher to arrive in Dawson City, and with mushers knowing they can give their teams a good long rest, I would not be surprised to see up to six or seven mushers competing in a headlong "dash for the cash" by tomorrow evening. If so it will certainly be exciting to watch.<br />
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I'm a bit surprised to see Lisbet Norris still in the Pelly Crossing checkpoint. Perhaps her Spot Tracker isn't working? I'm sure her Anadyr Siberian Huskies are capable of faster performance than they've shown thus far. Rob Cooke's team of Siberian Huskies are certainly holding their own in the middle of the pack.<br />
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In the back of the pack, 5 teams, including Chase Tingle, are resting at Stepping Stone.<br />
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<br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-24626213369247146492019-02-04T06:22:00.002-09:002019-02-04T06:24:22.875-09:00<h2>
2019 Yukon Quest Update</h2>
<br />It's still very early in the Yukon Quest, much too early to start picking front-runners. Hans Gatt and Allen Moore have been trading places for first and second place a bit on the trail which I find rather interesting. I look for Allen to surge forward once they reach the more mountainous terrain near Dawson. Allen believes his dogs work best in steep terrain and has noted that on hill climbs his smaller dogs readily pass slower teams while on flat terrain he is more often the one being passed. <br />
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Meanwhile, Aliy Zirkle won the greatly shortened YQ-300 (this year only 200) very handily. According to news media she plans to run her team for another 60 or 70 miles in the local area. I'd suspect she is looking them over before selecting candidates for her 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race team.<br />
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Meanwhile, Jodi Bailey is doing a great job in the role of "Armchair Musher" on the <a href="https://www.yukonquest.com/" target="_blank">Yukon Quest website</a>. Just click on the "News" tab in the menu to read her commentary. Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-85716472373361920862019-02-02T07:41:00.004-09:002019-02-02T07:41:43.586-09:002019 Sled Dog Races<h2>
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<h2>
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.</h2>
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This year's John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, in Minnesota proved that the race isn't over until the teams actually cross the finish line. Ryan Redington left the last checkpoint with what appeared to be an unbeatable lead over his fellow competitors right up until his dogs went on strike. The first musher to pass Redington and the utlimate champion of this year's race was Blake Freking, driving a team of Ed Steilstra's dog behind his own purebred Siberian Husky leaders. Following Blake, his wife Jennifer also passed Redington and with a team of 11 Siberians and 1 of Steilstra's Alaskan Huskies Jennifer finished in second place. Two more teams passed Redington before his dogs decided to return to work. <br /><br />
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Pedigree Stage Stop</h2>
Today is the final stage of the Pedigree Stage Stop Race in Wyoming and Idaho. Yesterday's stage, in Driggs, Idaho proved disastrous for two time defending chamion Lina Streeper. Lina, who held a slim lead through most of the race, took a wrong turn sending her several miles up the wrong trail. Top contenders Érick Laforce and Tommy Bird also left the marked trail early in the run and proceeded several miles on an unmarked trail before turning around. Upon returning to the marked trail, Lina and Érick completed the course after losing significant time to the field finishing 22nd and 23rd respectively for the day. The impact of this is that Lina dropped to 10th overall and Érick 13th overall. On returning to the marked trail, competitor Tommy Bird elected to return to the checkpoint and withdraw from the race.<br /><br />Today the competitors will be racing in Teton County, Wyoming and winner of today's stage is expected to cross the finish line at around 2:00 PM, Mountain Standard Time.<br /><br />
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Yukon Quest</h2>
Later today the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race will start in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. In spite of some difficult trail conditions, which race organizers have accommodated, the race promises to be a great one, and I'll be following it closely, even if I don't post regular updates as I used to do. <br /><br />The Quest is my personal favorite long-distance race, primarily because I personally know several of the mushers competing in the race, and am acquainted with several others. Former champions Allen Moore and Matt Hall are nearby neighbors. Both are brilliant dog men, dedicated to their teams and their sport. Chase Tingle, an all around nice guy who is equally devoted to his dogs, will be making his long-distance racing debut in this year's race. I haven't seen Chase very often this year, because he's been so busy working as well as training his dogs and himself for the race. Ryne Olson will be racing her lovely Ryno Kennel dogs in the Quest. Ryne, Matt and Chase all live near each other in a bit of an enclave with excellent access to the Two Rivers trail system, and I wish them each and all the very best of luck in this year's race. <br /><br />Brent Sass, formerly of Two Rivers, is returning to the Quest after taking a year off to regroup. <br />Hans Gatt, a four-time Yukon Quest champion who hasn't been seen on the Quest trail since 2010 is also returning this year with a team of young dogs. <br /><br />Jimmy Lebling, who is also well known in our little community, will be undertaking his rookie run in the Quest with a team of dogs from Hugh and Olivia Neff's Laughing Eyes Kennel. Cody Strathe and Paige Drobny will be racing two teams from their Squid Acres Kennel, located up on Murphy Dome.<br /><br />Purebred Siberian Huskies will be well represented in the teams of Rob Cooke and Lisbet Norris. <br /><br />All in all, this year's field of competitors makes the 2019 Yukon Quest a race well worth following.<br />
<br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-91823220989515424412018-11-07T08:45:00.001-09:002018-11-08T11:26:59.606-09:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Greyhound Racing Banned - is Sled Dog Racing next?</h2>
Yesterday a <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/audience/george-diaz/os-ae-greyhound-racing-amendment-13-vote-20181106-story.html" target="_blank">supermajority of voters in Florida</a> voted to ban greyhound racing in their State. Because a vast majority of race tracks in the United States are located in Florida and racing remains legal in only a handful of other States, some of which have no active racing tracks at all, many fear the result of the Florida decision will mean the end of greyhound racing in the entire United States. This is reflected in a press release issued by the <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/news/animal-protection-groups-celebrate-historic-victory-florida-voters-approve-amendment-13-end" target="_blank">Human Society of the United States (HSUS)</a>. "Florida is home to 11 of the remaining 17 greyhound racing tracks in the country. The groups hope that passage of Amendment 13 sounds the death knell for an industry that is responsible for inflicting pain, suffering and death on thousands of gentle greyhound dogs."<br />
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I'll be first to admit that I know very little about greyhound racing. I do, however, know a little bit about the mindset of do-gooders and the animal rights industry. Large or small, animal rights organizations, like any others, need to raise money. Otherwise they cease to exist, their paid staff is forced to find other employmemt and voluneers are forced to find other causes to fulfil their psychological needs.<br />
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Even as they declare victory these organizations must seek out other targets on which to generate public outrage and generate donations. Less than 24 hours after the results of the Florida election were available <a href="https://www.peta.org/blog/florida-historic-vote-greyhound-racing-ban/" target="_blank">People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA)</a> is already doing so. Under the headline "Victory! Dog-Racing Industry CRUSHED After Florida Votes to Ban Races" PeTA blogger Michelle Kretzer wrote "Now, <a href="https://investigations.peta.org/hemopet-greyhounds-expose/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">PETA is working to shut down canine blood banks that hold dogs captive</a>..."<br />
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Please note that these activist organizations are not promoting improved standards of care for dogs - they are promoting the outright ban of activities with which they disapprove and in the case of greyhound racing, they are apparently celebrating some success, and turning their sights onto the next target.<br />
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Sled Dogs are already in the Crosshairs</h3>
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Many animal rights fanatics already target not only sled dog racing, but literally all disciplines and aspects of dog mushing. Florida based Sled Dog Action Coalition is a long-time opponent of dog mushing, bolstered by the efforts of Humane Mushing and other small-scale, highly focused activist groups. PeTA has already heeded the siren's call, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/inside-petas-fight-to-take-down-the-iditarod-203853/" target="_blank">targeting the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race</a> as well as the commercial dog sled touring industry.<br />
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Quite simply, there is no reason to believe that animal rights fanatics will not attempt to ban the avocation of dog mushing. The issue is too much of a potential money-maker for their organizations to ignore.<br />
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Update: </h4>
On November 8th, Ashley Keith sent a message stating "<span class="_5yl5">Just an FYI - neither SDAC nor Humane Mushing have ever taken in donations or payments of any kind." Ms. Keith is a self-proclaimed Sled Dog Activist associated with both organizations. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot - FaceBook - 11/8/18</td></tr>
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Humane Mushing does, however, solicit donations for others.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screen shot - humanemushing.com, 11/8/18</td></tr>
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<br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-55350084100377994202018-08-10T19:07:00.000-08:002018-08-10T19:07:12.535-08:00Stupidity - It's Apparently ContagiousI used to believe that human stupidity is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder. It's been my admittedly casual and purely anecdotal observaton about one out of every 4 people is too damned stupid to survive to adulthood without the finely coordinated assistance of diligent parents, siblings and benevolent spiritual beings such as gods, godesses or at least an angel or two.<br /><br />Recently, however, I've seen evidence that leads me to believe that the disease of stupidity is actually an infectious disease, most likely viral and rapidly approaching pandemic propoportions. <br /><br />Here are just 2 examples that I noticed just today - and I'm at work, over 100 miles from the nearest thing resembling a collective human habitation.<br /><br />First, from a story in the <a href="https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/wildlife/2018/08/10/unprecedented-man-wades-into-katmai-bear-feeding-zone-takes-a-selfie/" target="_blank">Anchorage Daily News</a> we have the case of the rocket surgeon who decided it was a good idea to take a selfie with a half-dozen grizzly bears. Don't believe it? Well, here is videographic evidence.<br />
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<br />Then there was the case I witnessed, and videographed, this afternoon. I was returning to my station from a patrol when I encountered a pickup truck parked on one side of the road, directly opposite 2 motorcycles on the other and leaving very little room for a semi to fly between. That's stupid enough on the Haul Road, but it gets even better.<br /><br />As I approached, I saw five people all gathered around at the edge of the road, staring into the brush. I knew long before I saw that they were watching a pair of muskoxen, which were feeding only about 15 feet away. Now, standing around 15 feet away from a wild prey animal that survives by fending off grizzly bears and wolves is stupid enough, but it got even better.<br /><br />When I stopped to talk to these brain scientists, ALL 5 OF THEM TURNED THEIR BACKS TO THE ANIMALS.<br /><br />Don't believe it? Well, here is the video-taped evidence. I must apologize for the quality - my dash cam doesn't perform well in gloomy weather conditions, so I had to enhance exposure and brightness, and this is the best I could do with the equipment I have available. <br />
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<br /><br /><br />Could it get any worse? Don't ask - these people seem to the question as a challenge. <br /><br /><br /><br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-46221024712605001542018-07-31T06:41:00.005-08:002018-07-31T06:42:38.147-08:00Sled Dogs of the Early Canadian Fur TradeThis article originally appeared in <i>Mushing</i> magazine. I reserved electronic publication rights in order to share it here.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sled Dogs of the Early Canadian Fur Trade</b></div>
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by Thom "Swanny" Swan</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is good evidence to suggest that the first domestic dogs to enter North America did so while pulling sleds of some sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the early 1990s archeologists unearthed an ancient hunters’ encampment on Zhokhov Island in the Novosibirk archipelago, and discovered the remnants of a dog harness, some dog sleds, and a very well preserved dog bone. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Radiocarbon analysis of the findings showed that their approximate age was 7,800-8,000 years.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>North America's historical 'Eskimos' (Inuit, Inupiat, Yupik, &c) have been driving sled dogs since the dawn of human memory yet there is no evidence to indicate that Native American or First Nations people, historically referred to as Indians, used dogs to draw sleds prior to the introduction of the European fur-trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence, historical Native American and First Nations dog driving equipment and methods were much more similar to those of Europeans rather than Eskimos, which contributes to a strong case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comparing observations recorded in the narrative journals of John Franklin's first overland expedition with those of his second expedition shows that the Dog Rib people of the Mackenzie River District did not start mushing sled dogs until some point between 1824 and 1826.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The best available evidence suggests that French colonists were the first to harness dogs to sleds in the boreal regions, combining types of harnesses and rigs that were well known in their homeland with the Native-invented toboggan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dog power was an important feature of daily life in Lower Canada from the 17th century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1688-89 LaHontan observed sleds "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">drawn by great dogs</i>" were in common use.<br />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sled dogs became even more important to French colonists in the 18th century. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Kalm wrote the most descriptive early 18th century account in 1749.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"<i>In winter it is customary in Canada, for travellers to put dogs before little sledges, made on purpose to hold their cloathes, provisions, &c.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor people commonly employ them on their winter-journies, and go on foot themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost all the wood, which the poorer people in this country fetch out of the woods in winter, is carried by dogs, which have therefore got the name of horses of the poor people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They commonly place a pair of dogs before each load of wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have, likewise seen some neat little sledges, for ladies to ride in, in winter; they are drawn by a pair of dogs, and go faster on a good road, than one would think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A middle-sized dog is sufficient to draw a single person, when the roads are good.</i>"</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once introduced, the practice of driving dogs caught on fast among Natives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to trap enough fur to trade for the most desirable and expensive items, Natives had to travel further and faster and needed a more efficient means of transporting their furs to trading posts and their purchases back to their camps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They already had toboggans and suitable dogs, all they needed to do was put the two together. As Native people visited and traded among each other, the practice of dog mushing was introduced, typically about a decade or so before the first fur traders entered a new trading region.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The "Indian" Dogs:</b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The most common dogs pressed into sled service in the fur-trade, by Natives and Whites alike, were Indian dogs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally kept by aboriginal people for hunting, packing, religious sacrifices, security and in some cultures even as mobile meals, many of the Native dogs were already well suited for the job of drawing a sledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Natives often enjoyed a surplus of dogs and were willing to trade them, sometimes quite cheaply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, on September 16th, 1800 Alexander Henry the Younger wrote that he purchased 3 trained sled dogs for three quarts of watered down liquor.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In those rare fur-trade documents that mention breeds or types of sled dogs, Indian dogs (often referred to as Indian mongrels) were far and away most common, but those business records did not describe the dogs in any great detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The narratives, letters, memoirs and other documents written by explorers, missionaries and other visitors to the fur-trading region during the 19th century are often more descriptive.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of the best first hand descriptions of the Native sled dogs used in the fur trade was provided in the memoirs of H.M. Robinson, who wrote, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">These animals are mostly of the ordinary Indian kind, large, long-legged, and wolfish with sharp muzzles, pricked ears, and thick, straight, wiry hair. White is one of the most usual colors, but brown, blue-grey, red, yellow, and white marked with spots of black, or of the other various hues, are also common. Some of them are black with white paws, others are covered with long rough hair, like Russian setters. There are others of a light bluish-grey, with dark, almost black spots spread over the whole body.</i> </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>James Carnegie (Earl of Southesk) described his team during the winter of 1859-60, writing, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"My team consists of three middle-sized Indian dogs, sharp-nosed, bushy-haired and wolfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chocolat, the leader, is dark red; Casse-toute, grey, shaded with black; and Fox, reddish fawn-colour."</i> </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Robert Kennicott and some other historical authors referred to Indian dogs as "geddies" or "giddies", to differentiate them from sled dogs developed by Whites in the later years of the fur trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kennicott wrote that the Indian dogs of the Mackenzie River District.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">... look a good deal like a fox, only heavier and stronger in every way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are hardy to a wonderful degree</i>."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frank Russell wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Most of them are of the wolfish breed known as Indian dogs, or, in the far North, - giddes; these are smaller and more uniform in color than those kept by the whites</i>."</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pure blood Indian dogs were already nearing extinction as a result of diseases and interbreeding with European dogs prior to the age of photography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know of only 2 historical photographs that we can be reasonably certain are of pure Indian sled dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The copyright of one of these is in private hands, but an on-line search for 'Horse Creek Mary' and 'dogs' will usually provide copies of the image as a result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second, an image of a nearly starved dog in summer coat is from an expedition report published in1898, is included as an illustration of this article.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-xijzhFI3ZeeT5XOVhD6b4AzQUXFDLVvs4BhfUtRnAXpnVWDvL9t1zAB1gc-ANwePtsFHrZyRHEUIKlEujINJ4P6HMgpqN-sGgY5UQAzpyQXAigmhYWDjsBnulg0mV9I9o9FAAEorms/s1600/Gidde+by+Russell.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-xijzhFI3ZeeT5XOVhD6b4AzQUXFDLVvs4BhfUtRnAXpnVWDvL9t1zAB1gc-ANwePtsFHrZyRHEUIKlEujINJ4P6HMgpqN-sGgY5UQAzpyQXAigmhYWDjsBnulg0mV9I9o9FAAEorms/s400/Gidde+by+Russell.tiff" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A First Nations dog in summer condition, by Frank Russell, published in
1898.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The demise of purebred Indian dogs was noted even before 1914, when Alaskan missionary Hudson Stuck wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The 'Siwash' dog is the common Indian dog; generally undersized, uncared for, half starved most of the time, and snappish because not handled save with roughness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In general appearance he resembles somewhat a small malamute, though, indeed, nowadays so mixed have the breeds become that he may be any cur or mongrel."</i></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My own team consists primarily of dogs that are similar to the historical descriptions and images of Indian dogs. They have been difficult to find even in the remote bush regions of Alaska and Yukon Territory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Artist Veryl Goodnight's painting "March On The Mail Trail" depicts the author's team in a late 19th century context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dogs Orion and Capella are representative of the historical descriptions of 18the and early 19th century Indian dogs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7ZFV7fgBgI02Q7C4-U_9vyn16M8mStxWl9xqwVq8VZHmOZsWsLVozWMbB1ms9SqDHRC9ubGK-KChRirWph0o9M6kXec7i-QM_yY_1knyfeQI1_edlLnv71dH7803obJehwBHb1qB4mQ/s1600/March+on+the+Mail+Trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1280" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7ZFV7fgBgI02Q7C4-U_9vyn16M8mStxWl9xqwVq8VZHmOZsWsLVozWMbB1ms9SqDHRC9ubGK-KChRirWph0o9M6kXec7i-QM_yY_1knyfeQI1_edlLnv71dH7803obJehwBHb1qB4mQ/s400/March+on+the+Mail+Trail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Painting of the author's most historically authentic dogs by Veryl
Goodnight.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitC7CacVsx94NvZh5CZEuXczhJv9_hkkr_v9JAH1ApjMpqjTxuhOzIHCb3qF2pneybO2hRwHFG_HJaURtHV8yrlQBbMzzfS9vbgTIEkTG4utnI6rSf06l76hIehkk_3LzCQeEvy-wYyAo/s1600/orion+%2526+capella+9-8-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="771" data-original-width="900" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitC7CacVsx94NvZh5CZEuXczhJv9_hkkr_v9JAH1ApjMpqjTxuhOzIHCb3qF2pneybO2hRwHFG_HJaURtHV8yrlQBbMzzfS9vbgTIEkTG4utnI6rSf06l76hIehkk_3LzCQeEvy-wYyAo/s400/orion+%2526+capella+9-8-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Orion and Capella are representative of historical descriptions of late
18th and 19th century "Indian" dogs.</span>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The "Eskimo" Dogs:</b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>During the late 18th through the 19th century, a few "Esquimeaux dogs" found their way into the boreal regions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Compared to the Indian dogs, the Eskimo animals (called "Eskies" and later bastardized to "Huskies") were selectively bred for thousands of human generations for genetic traits specific to hauling heavy loads over long distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's no surprise that the historical Nor'westers regarded the Eskimo dogs as the very best of sled dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Archaeological findings on Zhokov Island and other sites indicate that the ancestors of the modern Inuit Sled Dogs likely drew their owner's goods and supplies across Beringia 7800 to 8000 years before modern time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professor Jean Aigner, head of the University of Alaska Fairbanks anthropology department, has asserted that there is firm evidence that Alaskan Natives have been using dogs to draw sleds for at least the last 1,000 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An illustration on the frontspiece of the 1657 edition of Martin Frobisher's <u>Historia Navigationis</u> includes an image of an Eskimo dog in harness drawing a sled.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In 1749, Kalm was describing the Eskimo people in the region of Labrador when he wrote, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"For many centuries past they have had dogs whose ears are erected, and never hang down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make use of them for hunting, and instead of horses in winter, for drawing their goods on the ice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They themselves sometimes ride in sledges drawn by dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have no other domestic animal."</i> </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In describing the array of dogs at a Hudson's Bay Company post, H.M. Robinson wrote, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"It sometimes happens, however, that among this howling pack of mongrels there may be picked out a genuine train of dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no mistake about them in size or form, from foregoer to hindmost hauler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are of pure Esquimaux breed, the bush-tailed, fox-headed, long-furred, clean-legged animals, whose ears, sharp-pointed and erect, spring from a head embedded in thick tufts of wooly hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These animals have come from the far-northern districts, and have brought a round sum to their owners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are of much more equable temper than their wolfish brethern, and frequently have a keen appreciation of kindness."</i> </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Describing his own Eskimo dogs, missionary Egerton R Young wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The pure Eskimo dog is not devoid of beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His compact body, well furred; his sharp-pointed, alert-looking ears; his fox-like muzzle; his good legs and firm, hard feet; his busy tail, of which he often seems so proud; and his bright, roguish eyes, place him in no mean position among the other dogs of the world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His colour varies from the purest white to jet black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I owned two so absolutely white that not a coloured hair could be found on either of them. ...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The working weight of my Eskimo dogs ranged from sixty to a hundred and thirty pounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed rather remarkable that some of the lighter dogs were quite equal in drawing power to others that were very much larger and heavier."<s> </s></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IV0i9Q3RPabz_joShxI49rQcXw6542k3db4OYzSe05PuGqQ-CdTmWXKe8hF0dY6dZoV6F5f07qmuK8e3YFdG7Sq-oHzAcUqCkTiypiHdDCcQGI6i63GTj6HJ5Hm1w65h8CvUwQGtKRE/s1600/Eskimo+dog+by+Adney.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="573" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IV0i9Q3RPabz_joShxI49rQcXw6542k3db4OYzSe05PuGqQ-CdTmWXKe8hF0dY6dZoV6F5f07qmuK8e3YFdG7Sq-oHzAcUqCkTiypiHdDCcQGI6i63GTj6HJ5Hm1w65h8CvUwQGtKRE/s400/Eskimo+dog+by+Adney.tiff" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Drawing of an Eskimo (Inuit) dog by Edwin Tappan Adney, published in
1900.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although still referred to as the Canadian Eskimo Dog by the Canadian Kennel Club, the preferred term for pure blood Eskimo dogs is "Inuit Sled Dog".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among dog mushers they are known by their Inuktituk name of "qimmiq".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been estimated that in the 1920s some 20,000 such dogs were living in the arctic regions of Canada alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A combination of cross-breeding, disease and an apparent attempt by the Canadian Government to eradicate the breed resulted in fewer than 200 animals left alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The breed might have gone extinct if not for the efforts of the Eskimo Dog Research Foundation created by William Carpenter and John McGrath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The foundation purchased dogs from remote Inuit camps and began breeding them to increase their numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Most modern Inuit Sled Dogs are found in the arctic regions of Canada and a few working kennels in the upper Midwest region of the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few mushers in Alaska have some Canadian Inuit dogs or mixes as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my own dogs, a mix of Canadian Eskimo Dog and Yukon River Dog named Innoko, has the general appearance and temperament of the ancient Eskimo dogs.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPkAHLmyLqAoTxx0Pec0wIPYoFf4JLm3Rv1_IsizQ8SH8_ehpHAN7rPYxxVj5V7_MYHJc_Af5DcvjIKbRk7oPvq1gMXooiA5DUuhkP5nsi86Y63tjwkIX61eKKITRbyIqBnNrfblGJBc/s1600/Innoko+11-5-11+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1080" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPkAHLmyLqAoTxx0Pec0wIPYoFf4JLm3Rv1_IsizQ8SH8_ehpHAN7rPYxxVj5V7_MYHJc_Af5DcvjIKbRk7oPvq1gMXooiA5DUuhkP5nsi86Y63tjwkIX61eKKITRbyIqBnNrfblGJBc/s400/Innoko+11-5-11+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Innoko is a Canadian Inuit Dog, similar to historical descriptions of
"Eskimo" dogs.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Mixed Breed Dogs:</b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By the early 19th century, European breeds of dog were present at least in small numbers at some of the furthest and most remote posts of the fur-trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1805, Alexander Mackenzie, nephew of Sir Alexander Mackenzie who explored the river that bears his name, was headquartered at Great Bear Lake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among his personal possessions was a retriever who amazed the local Athabascans by fetching shot birds from the water.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In 1814 Alexander Henry the Younger wrote, "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mr. Franchere brought down the dogs belonging to this place </i>(Fort George, formerly Astoria<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">)....<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are of an excellent breed of the Mastiff kind....<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bitches are of the Hound kind, all famous watch dogs.</i>"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven years later Captain John Franklin observed European dogs at Cumberland House on the Saskatchewan River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Franklin wrote, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"This morning the sporting part of our society had rather a novel diversion: intelligence having been brought that a wolf had borne away a steel trap, in which he had been caught, a party went in search of the marauder, and took two English bull-dogs and a terrier, which had been brought into the country this season.</i>"</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the early 19th century fur-trade dog mushers began intentionally mixing European breeds with Indian dogs in hopes of creating dogs more suited for the job at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reduced staffing and more efficient business practices instituted by the Hudson Bay Company's George Simpson provided incentive because fewer laborers, longer distances and heavier cargoes demanded larger, stronger dogs.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There appears to have been a strong preference for large, molosser type dogs such as mastiffs, Newfoundland Dogs, Saint Bernards and similar breeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is evidenced in the DNA of modern racing Alaskan Huskies, a majority of whom carry genes normally associated with Anatolian Shepherd Dogs. The Anatolian is a large molosser livestock guardian breed developed in Turkey, but not known in North America before the 1950s, and even today is still quite rare.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGNZj8ofcM1jUWJnZ8kLdfAenjfICobGauXbD9PSkAWCAM3Om3E7g8NUf7vrIctPeaZ_DD4awzNXvSAX6sv6HTv2MbNLt-IpSMapPYW-snaRtqwGYtjUEyqQIoXgEbfkPGh4_0scVbN8/s1600/Seamus+12-7-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="731" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGNZj8ofcM1jUWJnZ8kLdfAenjfICobGauXbD9PSkAWCAM3Om3E7g8NUf7vrIctPeaZ_DD4awzNXvSAX6sv6HTv2MbNLt-IpSMapPYW-snaRtqwGYtjUEyqQIoXgEbfkPGh4_0scVbN8/s400/Seamus+12-7-15.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seamus is an Anatolian Shepherd Dog x Alaskan Sled Dog cross</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The most notable of the crossbred dogs were the dogs of the Hudson's Bay Company's Mackenzie River District.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the 1860s the Yukon River Dogs (later referred to as "Mackenzie River Huskies") were known and respected throughout the Northland, even at locations far removed from modern Yukon and Nunavut Territories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In 1861 Robert Kennicott described his Yukon River Dogs. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The original stock has probably been some large, strong dog, and they have become hardier by a very slight intermixture with Indian dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the best dogs are bred from, and thus at last the general stock has come to possess peculiar strength and powers of endurance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This breed of dogs is now carefully kept distinct from the Indian dogs, or "geddies" as they are called, even though they have originally been improved by an intermixture of geddie blood....<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of mine are quarter geddies, and one of them, though very large, is almost exactly the shape of a geddie....<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My other two dogs are pure-blooded 'Yukon dogs,' as a particularly fine breed, mostly found at this post, is called.</i> </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Frank Russell wrote, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The dogs of the Mackenzie District are the largest and best trained of all that I saw in the North.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have been bred especially for hauling upon the established routes of travel, where weight, rather than endurance, is desired."</i></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The fame of these dogs continued well into the 20th century, even as more out-crossing with European breeds created additional confusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is demonstrated in Hudson Stuck's 1914 description.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Many years ago the Hudson Bay voyageurs bred some selected strains of imported dog with the Indian dogs of those parts, or else did no more than carefully select the best individuals of the native species and bred from them exclusively - it is variously stated - and that is the accepted origin of the 'husky.'<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The malamute and the husky are the two chief sources of the white man's dog teams, though cross-breeding with setters and pointers, hounds of various sorts, mastiffs, Saint Bernards, and Newfoundlands has resulted in a general admixture of breeds, so that the work dogs of Alaska are an heterogenous lot today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should also be stated that the terms 'malamute' and 'husky' are very generally confused and often used interchangeably."</i> (Stuck 392)</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today the famous Mackenzie River Huskies are exceedingly rare though a few dedicated fanciers are making every reasonable effort to preserve the breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When the Job Changes - the Dog Changes:</b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Three 20th century events combined to threaten the existence of the historical working dog breeds that were once common throughout the far north.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first of these was the development of organized sled dog racing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Established in 1908, the Nome Kennel Club held the first "All Alaskan Sweepstakes" race - from Nome to Candle and back - offering serious prize money to the winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1909 the first teams of Siberian huskies were imported to Nome by Charles Fox Maule Ramsey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those two teams took first and second place in the 1910 event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The winning team, driven by John "Iron Man" Johnson, set record that stood until the centennial reenactment of the race in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With serious money on the line, so many Alaskan dog mushers sought out Siberians for their breeding programs that today it is nearly impossible to find a racing sled dog without some degree of Siberian husky in his or her DNA.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Developments in the field of aviation in the 1920s led to dog teams being replaced by airplanes for the long distance transportation of mail and freight to many of the isolated bush villages of Alaska and Canada, considerably reducing the demand for freight hauling teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led to the demise of the big mail and freight hauling operations, though smaller "trap-line" or "village" dog teams remained plentiful until mid-century.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally, during the last quarter of the 20th century the widespread adoption of mechanical snowmachines<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>changed the role of sled dogs forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the older, traditional dog mushing trappers and travelers died off, so did their dogs.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today the roles of sled dogs in the North are primarily racing, followed by backcountry touring - particularly in regions where snowmachines are not legally permitted to travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The modern racing Alaskan Husky is a mix of any type of dog who loves to run and pull.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Alaskan huskies are incredibly athletic and tough, most bear little resemblance to the sled dogs of history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Currently tourism combined with a strong interest in preserving Inuit tradition and culture in the Canadian arctic, especially Nunavut Territory and the area around Churchill, Manitoba seems to be sufficient incentive to maintain a viable population of Inuit Sled Dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A handful of bush-dwelling trappers, a few back-country tour operators and a handful of fanciers such as I are trying to maintain breeding populations of "village" or "trap-line" dogs similar to historical Indian types, though such dogs they are becoming increasingly rare and difficult to obtain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether our preservation projects will succeed is seriously questioned.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are days when I despair for the future of the historical types of sled dogs that contributed so much to the fur-trade and to everyone who lived in the boreal regions of North America in the 18th and 19th centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When those dark clouds of doubt start seeping into my brain, the only sure cure is to don my historically authentic clothing, harness a team of my most authentic "Indian" dogs to my 'cariole' or 'traveling sled' and pull the hook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the team settles into the mile eating trot that is their preferred pace and the sunlight filters through a cobalt sky and sparkles off the hoar frost coating the bushes and trees, the experience refreshes my mind and my spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some worries just can't compete with the timeless experience of mushing the dogs.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Illustration Credits:</b></div>
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Adney, T: <u>The Klondike Stampede</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harper and Brothers Publishers: New York and London: 1900.</div>
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Russell,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frank: <u>Explorations in the Far North; Being the Report of an Expedition Under the Auspices of the University of Iowa in the Years 1892, 1893 & 1894</u>: Univeristy of Iowa: 1898.</div>
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Goodnight, Veryl; "<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">March of the Mail Trail</i>", painting 2014.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Historical References:</b></div>
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Carnegie, J (Earl of Southesk): <u>Saskatchewan and the Rocky Mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Diary and Narrative of Travel, Sport, and Adventure, During a Journey Through the Hudson's Bay Company Territories in 1859 and 1860</u>: Edmonston and Douglas: Edinbrugh: 1875.</div>
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Coues, E (ed): <u>New Light on the History of the Great Northwest; The Manuscript Journals of Alexander Henry and of David Thompson</u>: Francis P. Harper: NY: 1897.</div>
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Franklin J: <u>Narrative of a Journey to the Shorts of the Polar Sea in the years 1819, 20,21, & 22</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>M. C. Carey & I. Lea, A. Small, Edward Parker, McCarty and Davis, B. & T. Kite, Thomas DeSilver, and E. Littell: Philadelphia: 1824.</div>
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Franklin J: <u>Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Seas in the Years 1825, 1826, and 1827</u>: Carey, Lea, and Carey: Philadelphia: 1828.</div>
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Kalm, P: <u>Travels Into North America: </u>John R Forster, translator: Volume II: T. Lowdes, London: 1772.</div>
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Keith, L; <u>North of Athabasca; Slave Lake and Mackenzie River Documents of the North West Company, 1800-1821</u>; McGill-Queen's University Press; Montreal; 2001.</div>
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Kennicott, R: <u>Transactions of the Chicago Academy of Sciences</u>: The Chicago Academy of Sciences: Chicago: 1869</div>
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Robinson, HM: <u>The Great Fur Land or Sketches of Life in the Hudson’s Bay Territory</u>: G.P. Putnam’s Sons; New York; 1879.</div>
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Russell, F: <u>Explorations in the Far North; Being the Report of an Expedition Under the Auspices of the University of Iowa in the Years 1892, 1893 & 1894</u>: Univeristy of Iowa: 1898.</div>
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Stuck, H: <u>Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled; A Narrative of Winter Travel in Interior Alaska: </u>Charles Scribner's Sons: New York: 1914.</div>
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Young, E: <u>My Dogs in the Northland</u>: Fleming H. Revell Company; New York, Chicago, Toronto: 1902.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">About the Author:<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thom "Swanny" Swan is a recreational dog musher and historical reenactor. He, his wife Trish, 23 dogs and two very cautious domestic cats share the Stardancer Historical Sled Dogs kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska.</div>
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-->Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-69707792642872175342017-08-15T10:55:00.002-08:002017-08-15T10:55:38.666-08:00Summer Project - New Dog BoxSummer is short in Two Rivers, and generally pretty hectic. In addition to the mundane tasks like filling in massive bomb craters dug out by the team in the dog yard, keeping sled dogs reasonably entertained, preventing the grass in the front yard from resembling an Amazon jungle and so forth, each year I tackle a major kennel improvement project. This year's project has been to transform a stack of plywood and other materials into a fully-functional "dog box" for the truck.<br />
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My old dog box provided excellent service for quite a long time. Originally built by my friend Mike Green some 30 years ago, it's safely carried dogs over much of the United States, particularly the Northeast, and across Canada and the Alaska Highway to our great State. For the past 10 years it has transported Stardancer dogs and our gear wherever we took a notion to go.<br />
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This past winter, however, it started showing signs of aging. Door literally fell off, and at one point an entire panel was left hanging by nothing more than a rusted wood screw when the framework beneath it failed. We were able to patch it together enough to get through the season, but the writing was on the wall. It HAD to be replaced.<br />
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I plan to write about the project in more detail later, but here are a few photos to show our progress thus far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MJBncoUg4d6e-CxmPMtlG1lt8ykniG_EI_Dqc1xsip-O8KaiFT0LIuM100sZOdV0q1v636cVLC3aQ36Ch10zfUIkpcHLQo_hsTjQIGt_WXkR0esBxjfSEu5iKY41e9BSbwqbpyod_zY/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MJBncoUg4d6e-CxmPMtlG1lt8ykniG_EI_Dqc1xsip-O8KaiFT0LIuM100sZOdV0q1v636cVLC3aQ36Ch10zfUIkpcHLQo_hsTjQIGt_WXkR0esBxjfSEu5iKY41e9BSbwqbpyod_zY/s320/01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting Materials to Size</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfe5KX8eVCgtFxqRwzxtRR0lcY_4VxdBaF91za9QD0cfp4uXF0_4HIcTbZOsrvfy6bhc06HJIygYzD4BcwvgxGCoOkkKQxnq5hYLxq21BAefgok2h3wEq5FxWd3cizLITiM-WhD8cYqQQ/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfe5KX8eVCgtFxqRwzxtRR0lcY_4VxdBaF91za9QD0cfp4uXF0_4HIcTbZOsrvfy6bhc06HJIygYzD4BcwvgxGCoOkkKQxnq5hYLxq21BAefgok2h3wEq5FxWd3cizLITiM-WhD8cYqQQ/s320/02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Template for the Compartment Doors (jar lid used to draw corners)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVqfaf4-m4gj6h9AkGkNy2Sia-wW2ntUPUK7z6WcmHIS5-5k29gk_srhdll4cpaM0DxU9KzSnf-1FFy7AGVfesl15tg5bACc5kF9YudFhcWMGs46CS1Ozr2yuoJB70p7mBJE7bo2n3u0/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVqfaf4-m4gj6h9AkGkNy2Sia-wW2ntUPUK7z6WcmHIS5-5k29gk_srhdll4cpaM0DxU9KzSnf-1FFy7AGVfesl15tg5bACc5kF9YudFhcWMGs46CS1Ozr2yuoJB70p7mBJE7bo2n3u0/s320/05.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door Template Traced Onto Side</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jpoQ9LV0zhlDRqbAXaoCpE56fY_NNdXZDgKghxLf5sPujnK5F6RLKeBwatuWnpCV95vb5HaBDbTZwjljFcb-ibJdd99pU7ytDrs7TSz5G24Lz3md1udW2WM5ivPDXOeddZ_fMjRmzWs/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jpoQ9LV0zhlDRqbAXaoCpE56fY_NNdXZDgKghxLf5sPujnK5F6RLKeBwatuWnpCV95vb5HaBDbTZwjljFcb-ibJdd99pU7ytDrs7TSz5G24Lz3md1udW2WM5ivPDXOeddZ_fMjRmzWs/s320/06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting Out the Window</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwcQmRdR9z-MjlNPHKOMxFyoO0kwDpYTxpw0fpZV-wXea04zUjyjj-jFvyHmqnISM0UWju5tcOJqDJbAmJvJRkjAkTZAiE9hXVnXpIvzgg5KxN1N0tW0k3UhRtC5VAiU9JKxpBwsY6j4/s1600/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwcQmRdR9z-MjlNPHKOMxFyoO0kwDpYTxpw0fpZV-wXea04zUjyjj-jFvyHmqnISM0UWju5tcOJqDJbAmJvJRkjAkTZAiE9hXVnXpIvzgg5KxN1N0tW0k3UhRtC5VAiU9JKxpBwsY6j4/s320/07.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door Hardware Installed Before Cutting Out the Corners for a Better Fit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDZch1CQvIpysO4tLiTR4k_JQwk1e2Gtws8mGFqDUpwLiJJwRVTZbI0NKsYsa74_paqOa12RGH3KlSBe-4WjonrwqnfJSu0SP_57B6VyjOR5Uau971KgxZviy59PSovoD3PN3djWf7u4/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDZch1CQvIpysO4tLiTR4k_JQwk1e2Gtws8mGFqDUpwLiJJwRVTZbI0NKsYsa74_paqOa12RGH3KlSBe-4WjonrwqnfJSu0SP_57B6VyjOR5Uau971KgxZviy59PSovoD3PN3djWf7u4/s320/03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Center Divider Ready to Fasten to Floor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nRWC5Oyyd7PJyolpaqDa6oFwe03I-RtwkBxrv-nTtVvSWhDBWziZHe-ErWIAfu7vkBH4bGjWMkAa9LUE67FHCRbzU8zjBx0nYGmY0WjHlcOf8KqwJKBBgQVxg0K_FBYFIyWutY_I2GU/s1600/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nRWC5Oyyd7PJyolpaqDa6oFwe03I-RtwkBxrv-nTtVvSWhDBWziZHe-ErWIAfu7vkBH4bGjWMkAa9LUE67FHCRbzU8zjBx0nYGmY0WjHlcOf8KqwJKBBgQVxg0K_FBYFIyWutY_I2GU/s320/08.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partitions Between Compartments Attached to Floor and Center Divider</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fastening Right Side to the Floor. It Is Also Attached to Each Partition</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both Ends Attached to Box</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mostly Completed Box Coated and Mounted on the Truck Bed</td></tr>
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<br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-44711316229930504252017-08-08T03:25:00.002-08:002017-08-08T03:25:24.936-08:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Yukon Quest and YQ300 Sign-ups Preview Great Racing</h2>
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19 mushers signed up to run the 1,000 mile 2018Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on the first day while simultaneously 21 others signed up for the YQ300 miler. Contestants in both races represent a nice mix of well-known and well-experienced dog drivers as well as up-and-coming rookies and near-rookies. <br /><br />Let's start with the longer race. The first musher to turn in paperwork on the Yukon side of the border was Rob Cooke, Over the past few years Rob's team of purebred Siberian Huskies has turned many heads in both the Quest and the Iditarod. In Fairbanks, Tok musher and former champion Hugh Neff was first in line. You can see the full roster of day-1 sign-ups on the <a href="http://yukonquest.com/news/19-sign-2018-yukon-quest-opening-day">Yukon Quest website</a>.<br /><br />My home town of Two Rivers, Alaska is well represented by gifted mushers in both races, including two previous Champions. Matt Hall and Allen Moore both signed up for the 1,000 miler on the first day. Both mushers also have plans to run the 2018 Iditarod. Ryne Olson, who started her career as a handler in Allen and Aliy Zirkle's SP Kennel and has sinse grown her own team and regularly challenges her giften mentors in various races has also signed up for the long race.<br /><br />In the 300, Two Rivers will be represented by the only woman thus far in history to win the Yukon Quest, Aliy Zirkle along with up and coming mushers Chase Tingle and Heidi Sutter. <br /></div>
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Meanwhile, back at the house....<br /></h3>
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This summer's major project is construction of a brand new dog box for the truck. I spend most of my last R&R building the basic structure and getting it ready to haul dogs if circumstances require. I'll finish the project on my next R&R and then write more about it.<br /><br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-75770721979097043232017-03-31T11:41:00.001-08:002017-03-31T11:43:23.275-08:00Checking Out the Back TrailWhen one travels it's important to watch the trail ahead, but it's also good to glance back once in a while, to check out where you've already been. That's why we have rear-view mirrors in motor vehicles. This is my quick glance at the 2016-17 dog mushing season.<br />
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Maintaining a kennel of sled dogs, even a small kennel such as mine, is expensive. I've tracked my expenses since establishing the Stardancer Historical Sled Dogs kennel, and it has consistently cost me about $1,000.00 per year per dog to maintain the team. That includes feed and supplements, veterinary expenses, infrastructure (fences, pens, houses, &c) and mushing equipment. With 20 dogs in the yard, that adds up to about $20,000.00 per year. That equates to a lot of hours at work.<br />
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To help meet those expenses, this winter I contracted with <a href="http://justshortofmagic.com/" target="_blank">Just Short of Magic</a>, a sled dog touring company here in Two Rivers. Rather than maintaining a huge kennel of dogs the owner, Eleanor, contracts with other mushers to run tours. This saves her tons of money in kennel and payroll expenses while ensuring her guests get the quality experience for which they are paying. <br />
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Just Short of Magic (JSOM) offers half-hour and full-hour sled dog tours and also a two-hour mushing school. The trails on which we run are beautiful and very well maintained. Here is a video showing highlights of a JSOM Lead Dog (full-hour) Tour. The video is just under 5 minutes.<br />
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In order to run for JSOM, I had to have my business license and liability insurance, so in August Stardancer Historical Sled Dogs became a 'real' business, one that is almost certain to give my accountant a headache or two. <br />
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Winter was slow in coming this year. We did our first training run with the four-wheeler (ATV) on September 7th, but it wasn't until October that we could start running with any regularity. Even then the combination of warm weather and my work obligations made fall training a bit of a hit or miss operation. By November it was apparent that I would need some help running the dogs in order to get them into good condition for the hard work of hauling people. I was very fortunate to be able to recruit Nick Guy, an experienced musher who's methods are very similar to my own. In exchange for helping with conditioning my team, Nick was willing to trade his work for the use of my dogs to run tours for JSOM during the time I was away at work. <br />
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Usually we have enough snow on the trails to safely run sleds in early November, but this wasn't one of those 'usual' years. We began the tour season during the Thanksgiving season by taking guests on training runs with ATVs. We were fortunate to have a big dump of snow just before the Christmas season that made the trails not just usable, but actually quite nice. The video below shows highlights of a tour done on Christmas Day. (less than 5 minutes)<br />
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Most years once we have snow on the trails the snow will accumulate a couple of inches at a time. This year was different. Instead of lots of little snowfalls, we had long stretches of no snow at all punctuated by big dumps. The total accumulation was excellent so we were able to run regularly. The down-side was that this was the coldest winter in well over a decade. We had some serious cold snaps (temperatures of -40 and colder) that haven't been seen up here in a long time. Some required us to suspend tours because it just wasn't safe for the guests. <br />
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Nonetheless, we were able to work regularly and the team responded to the hard, frequent work better than anyone could ask. For example, early in the season my dogs had difficulty passing other teams. Leaders would stop, team dogs try to meet and greet dogs from the oncoming team, and so forth. With Nick and I both running the dogs and frequently encountering other teams on the trail our guys were soon professionals at going by without hesitation. By the middle of February we didn't even have to cue the dogs to go by. Just keep our mouths shut and let the dogs do their thing. <br />
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When overtaken by faster teams we can usually keep moving until the overtaking team starts to go around the sled. Then a gentle "whoa" cue and a bit of pressure on the brake is all that's required to 'give trail' and let the faster team go by. Sometimes we have to stop the team, but frequently we can keep moving while the faster team just sails right by.<br />
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We did have some unexpected challenges this winter. I've already written of the weather and the dangerously cold temperatures that forced us to either modify the routes or suspect tours altogether. There were also some unexpected issues with the dog truck that needed to be addressed.<br />
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The dog box mounted on the truck is about 30 years old. Originally built by Mike Green, I purchased it used. It has provided me excellent service for over a decade, but it is now showing it's age. Even though it's always been well protected from weather, some of the wood framing and even the plywood shell is starting to weaken and rot. Poor Nick has literally had a door fall off twice (with a little help from occupants). By mid-season it was apparent that I'll need to completely replace the box this summer. That's a big project but I'm pretty handy at wood working and I have some ideas that should result in a robust and more convenient set up on the dog truck. <br />
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When unloading (dropping) dogs from the truck, we use short chains called drop chains to secure each dog to the truck. My set up had eye-bolts secured through the running boards of the truck to serve that purpose. With daily use, those excited strong dogs jerking at the running boards resulted in their near-destruction. They just weren't stout enough to withstand the strain. During mid-season I had to contract with local mechanical handy-man and fabricator Bryan McManus who operates <a href="https://www.facebook.com/2Build/" target="_blank">2Build, LLC</a>, to replace them. Now they are hell-for-stout and look good to boot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hHC2GVDY2FAwxmy0hnLooNxP5BCSzXGd5mY6YtjGX_lC7nWD8OsYpdfwcGcFER6X8OAckzR5OTsiH08JheKMSxsKvsgq4rvhys16Bv841JBYT9w3UJeidVcvPNcx5CQg-INHJ-ucjjc/s1600/truck+running+board.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hHC2GVDY2FAwxmy0hnLooNxP5BCSzXGd5mY6YtjGX_lC7nWD8OsYpdfwcGcFER6X8OAckzR5OTsiH08JheKMSxsKvsgq4rvhys16Bv841JBYT9w3UJeidVcvPNcx5CQg-INHJ-ucjjc/s320/truck+running+board.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left side running board with U-bolts to 'drop' dogs</td></tr>
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I learned a lot this year. I logged well over 500 miles on the runners, and Nick easily equalled that. That means the Stardancer dogs covered over 1,000 miles with each run carrying at least 150 pounds of person in the sled. Most tours we carried two passengers for a load of 300 to 500 pounds. Through the course of the winter I learned that a heavy sled loaded with a pair of heavy passengers is hard to handle. I also learned that a sled that is too lightly loaded - for example a single small passenger - is also hard to handle. The happy medium is around 300 to 350 pounds.<br />
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Because most of the other contractors at JSOM are racing mushers with dogs bred for long distance racing, I learned that the old-school trapline dogs such as mine really are much slower. I'm OK with that since we always get where we are going and it's still a lot faster and a lot more fun than walking. <br />
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My own sled handling skills are greatly improved as a result of my touring experiences. That's kind of a big deal since those toboggan sleds used for carrying guests are wider, heavier and generally just more "klunky" than the sleds I've driven in the past. I've learned better ways of snubbing the sled to launch the first run of the day, how to trade one sled for another without unhooking the dogs from the gang line, and lots of other tiny details that escape conscious thought.<br />
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The dogs have learned to wait patiently on the gang-line in between tours. Like sled handling, that's kind of a big deal since waiting is all part of the game. Most of the dogs have learned to wait patiently for that first launch, though there are a couple of exceptions - namely Thowra and Aufeis. Heck, I've even learned to (mostly) monitor my language when guests are present. Rather than referring to an errant fuzz-butt as a deity-cursed illegitimate child of a bitch I'm more inclined to call him or her a "silly beast" and let it go at that. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QZhuoqxjsYzlFjgJoTfNzTxoxGNb0obfxKNDL-CMMCXA5duM4Sc2KzgmuqnX45UkWRwGXaBOY-B9NEJ8xZjTeRK-r0fdNj4DUGu4ZgjpChcVwg1mhPx4ERZP7ASBaq6lQ0r0XYUQ6PQ/s1600/waiting+patiently.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QZhuoqxjsYzlFjgJoTfNzTxoxGNb0obfxKNDL-CMMCXA5duM4Sc2KzgmuqnX45UkWRwGXaBOY-B9NEJ8xZjTeRK-r0fdNj4DUGu4ZgjpChcVwg1mhPx4ERZP7ASBaq6lQ0r0XYUQ6PQ/s320/waiting+patiently.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sled dog touring team waiting patient for the next group of guests on Christmas Day.</td></tr>
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Guests who go dog sledding seem to fall into a couple of different categories. About half the guests we carried this year are International travelers. The majority of those were Asian, especially Chinese and Japanese. The others were from far-flung places such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and throughout Europe. A goodly portion of the American guests we carried live on the West Coast. Southern California and the Bay Area were very well represented. <br />
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Many of our guests were very enthusiastic. They had a strong interest in dog mushing and there was nowhere else in the world they wanted to be at that moment. Some came in tour groups in which dog mushing was just a side-activity, a way to kill time before moving on to the next attraction. For some of guests dog mushing was a 'bucket list' activity. Among my favorites of these was an older couple celebrating the wife's 73rd birthday by dog sledding on a cold, dark winter day. One couple, farmer's from the Midwest (I believe they said Iowa) raise and draft with mules. They were intently interested in drafting with a different specie of animals and the conversation kept my interest throughout the run. Another favorite was an adventurous young Australian lady, traveling alone and independently of any tour company, who had previously climbed Mount Everest. <br />
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Perhaps the saddest was a young lady who was taking a half-hour (Swing Dog) tour on New Year's Day. Riding with her husband in the sled she was trying her very best to have a good time, but the fun ended when she vomited up her breakfast only half-way through the tour. In broken English the embarrassed young lady explained "I had too much to drink last night."<br />
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Contracting to Just Short of Magic, which has earned many achievement awards in the local business community and <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attraction_Review-g60826-d3956820-Reviews-Just_Short_of_Magic-Fairbanks_Alaska.html" target="_blank">tripadvisor.com's certificate of excellence</a>, was truly an honor. I got to run and learn from some very experienced touring and racing mushers and can honestly say I was mushing dogs with some of the best dog people on earth. There was a lot of hard work involved but the pay was good and the company was even better. It's something I'll be delighted to do in the future. <br />
<br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-29047666602650754232015-08-23T07:31:00.002-08:002015-08-23T07:31:55.066-08:00Dog House Project<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Replacing Dog Houses</h2>
Every dog in the kennel has his or her own house to provide protection from inclement weather. They are simple structures, but important for the health and well being of the dogs. Over the years our dog houses have taken a beating, and it reached a point where we were performing so many repairs to the houses that it made more sense to just replace them.<br /><br />
An 'extra' week at work netted enough money to replace nearly all the dog houses in the kennel. The design we use is popular among dog mushers. Most of our dogs spend more time on top of their houses rather than in them, so the flat roof gives them a surface where they lie in the sun or sit and look over their realm. They are large enough for the dog to fit, but small enough to retain body heat. The door is off set to one side to provide better protection from wind. A deep threshold makes it easier to contain a thick bed of straw in each house, and the frame around the door help prevents chewing and wear and tear from chains dragging in and out as the dog goes about his or her daily business. <br /><br />It's a simple and straightforward design, basically a rectangular box on legs. Each house requires only a single sheet of plywood, a ten foot 2 X 4, two eight foot 2X2s and about half a pound of #8 inch and a half rock screws. <br /><br />The first step of the project was acquiring materials, which of course necessitated a trip to town.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjredhCSDDrNdNG2_ZuOZLK5vkk9O-nu9alZvTiVsj1pZ7VDfFUH5OqwJr1YWLsxtwR2sS7GQdzjll5kmH51usEGQqutkPmhnTHTCzUiqn2EOJLyAsjnzbklcbOhyyIwFb9CPhLzsQawj0/s1600/1+-+acquire+materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjredhCSDDrNdNG2_ZuOZLK5vkk9O-nu9alZvTiVsj1pZ7VDfFUH5OqwJr1YWLsxtwR2sS7GQdzjll5kmH51usEGQqutkPmhnTHTCzUiqn2EOJLyAsjnzbklcbOhyyIwFb9CPhLzsQawj0/s320/1+-+acquire+materials.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enough material for 20 dog houses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The second step was to measure, mark, and cut out the panels needed to construct the houses and to build a prototype. In doing so I learned the legs called for in the plan I was using were two short, only 27 inches. By making the legs 32" the house sits higher reducing the amount of snow that can blow or be dragged into the door. Much of the rest of the day was spent cutting out the panels. I just stacked them in in rows, with the parts organized based on the order of assembly. It took me most of a day to cut the panels from all 20 sheets of plywood.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qWi631vlGdN1vh0PLr4MhyphenhyphenMeXj2KtHQolwfYhRo3gBqP2hyphenhyphenOy1HR7kgYLppnvi9XYsGIqsAJwUQdgjC3xAQ1l7zmt3gsxTDLdHFyA3WsAPM8gvHyRlz2vxbTLpSbIwDPsX0iKPNVL-4/s1600/2+-+cut+out+panels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qWi631vlGdN1vh0PLr4MhyphenhyphenMeXj2KtHQolwfYhRo3gBqP2hyphenhyphenOy1HR7kgYLppnvi9XYsGIqsAJwUQdgjC3xAQ1l7zmt3gsxTDLdHFyA3WsAPM8gvHyRlz2vxbTLpSbIwDPsX0iKPNVL-4/s320/2+-+cut+out+panels.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plywood panels stacked in order of assembly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The third step was to cut out all the small parts needed. Each house
needs 4 legs, 32 inches long. It needs furring strips cut for all 8
edges and all 4 edges of the roof. Even though I was using a chop saw I was surprised that it took me about 5 hours to cut and stack the small parts. Again, I stacked them in the order of assembly to keep things reasonably well organized.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rCCEXiJ78zDAs7SXg_KFzTkseNwrzRfJrdmafiwtFUOKX9RtfNLLizmXo43N8HXBYUE_iWqPmktKJQIvA6EbCNI3tKJc1FnMyFE52oiKlcdiPVr1KeS-6i7W7_ly6hBLO6lTp4YJky8/s1600/3+-+cut+and+stack+materials.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rCCEXiJ78zDAs7SXg_KFzTkseNwrzRfJrdmafiwtFUOKX9RtfNLLizmXo43N8HXBYUE_iWqPmktKJQIvA6EbCNI3tKJc1FnMyFE52oiKlcdiPVr1KeS-6i7W7_ly6hBLO6lTp4YJky8/s320/3+-+cut+and+stack+materials.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legs and nailing strips were chopped and then stacked in the order of assembly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgiZG5Kq_GyyFCEKgu9SvMRw8x8UXkFuP7ux4Lne_LbHBtQRMLb62RVDb3M44WlvvnaR8MEaYseMzFSMFS7FdB7vbcXPA7-KoNjNjJ0xF62wog46M36pvMyxMcnKtguxGJuMMaJABZ-E/s1600/4+-+assemble.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />The actual assembly of the houses was the most time consuming part of the job. It was a step by step process, with each dog house requiring about an hour to assemble.<br /><br />1 - Cut out the hole for the door. I used a combination of a circular saw and a jig saw to do that.<br /><br />2 - Screw the door frame into place.<br /><br />3 - Flip over the front piece and screw two legs into place.<br /><br />4 - Screw two furring strips onto the top and bottom edges of the front panel.<br /><br />5 - Screw two legs into place on the back panel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgiZG5Kq_GyyFCEKgu9SvMRw8x8UXkFuP7ux4Lne_LbHBtQRMLb62RVDb3M44WlvvnaR8MEaYseMzFSMFS7FdB7vbcXPA7-KoNjNjJ0xF62wog46M36pvMyxMcnKtguxGJuMMaJABZ-E/s1600/4+-+assemble.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />6 - Screw two furring strips onto the top and bottom edges of the back panel.<br /><br />7 - Screw the two end panels onto the back panel.<br /><br />8 - Screw the front panel onto the end panels.<br /><br />9 - Screw furring strips onto the top and bottom of the end panels.<br /><br />10 - Cut out the corners of the floor to clear the 2 X 4 legs, and drop the floor into the box. (Don't fasten it down, it needs to be removable for seasonal cleaning.)<br /><br />11 - Screw furring strips onto all four edges of the roof.<br /><br />12 - Screw the roof to the top edges of the house.<br /><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgiZG5Kq_GyyFCEKgu9SvMRw8x8UXkFuP7ux4Lne_LbHBtQRMLb62RVDb3M44WlvvnaR8MEaYseMzFSMFS7FdB7vbcXPA7-KoNjNjJ0xF62wog46M36pvMyxMcnKtguxGJuMMaJABZ-E/s1600/4+-+assemble.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgiZG5Kq_GyyFCEKgu9SvMRw8x8UXkFuP7ux4Lne_LbHBtQRMLb62RVDb3M44WlvvnaR8MEaYseMzFSMFS7FdB7vbcXPA7-KoNjNjJ0xF62wog46M36pvMyxMcnKtguxGJuMMaJABZ-E/s320/4+-+assemble.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assembled houses stacked under cover, awaiting paint.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The final step is to paint each house. I used non-toxic latex exterior house paint left over from earlier projects. We had just enough leftover paint to cover all 20 of the new houses. The cobalt blue was from the dog trailer project two years ago, and the lighter blue from repainting the trim of our house earlier this summer.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWMXtPFIIXSj9R_s7Y05xA77m1IvTvHlnjoe2Ps6237QGmym801aGD3yfJTOWPhTiBUQcs9STyw_g-gS0aGSIZzf6Lq4j0ateQnBryvJbzqixH6qoLMf6ZejNzwqIKkp9aJzDoouteqs/s1600/5+-+Paint.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWMXtPFIIXSj9R_s7Y05xA77m1IvTvHlnjoe2Ps6237QGmym801aGD3yfJTOWPhTiBUQcs9STyw_g-gS0aGSIZzf6Lq4j0ateQnBryvJbzqixH6qoLMf6ZejNzwqIKkp9aJzDoouteqs/s320/5+-+Paint.jpg" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted houses lined up while the paint dried.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-3415190455022351892015-03-26T07:24:00.003-08:002015-03-26T07:24:46.599-08:00The Winter ReviewIt was not the best winter for me, nor the worst. Mostly it seems like I was very busy all winter long, but accomplished much less than I had hoped. <br /><br />Fall training was interrupted by the higher priorities of raising a healthy litter of puppies and ensuring those we didn't keep for ourselves made it safely to their wonderful new homes. That was our highest priority, and I believe we achieved it. When coupled with mandatory work-related training for me, however, it meant less time available to focus on teams and trails. <br /><br />The early snow of October seemed to promise a great winter of dog mushing, but that didn't really pan out. It wasn't until December that I felt comfortable running the dogs with sleds and even then the trails were rough and difficult. Subsequent snowfalls were rare - though heavy enough to ensure trails were passable. <br /><br />In any event, our mushing season consisted of short runs in which we focused on leader training. While they were effective from a behavior training standpoint, they weren't sufficient to build the strength and stamina necessary for cross-country travel. Though there were only a couple of serious cold snaps this past winter, it seems they hit at exactly the wrong times, further preventing additional training for the dogs.<br /><br />Now, when I finally do have more time to focus on the dogs, the weather has thrown a different monkey wrench into the works, with record breaking high temperatures resulting in more poor trail conditions. <br /><br />For practical (dog driving) purposes, winter is pretty much done. The snow is melting down, the temperatures too high to safely run the dogs, yet still too much snow to accomplish outdoor tasks around the house. Overall, the best term to describe our winter seems to be "frustrating." <br /><br />However, that is the past. It's now time for me to look forward to summer projects, complete as much of my work related training as I can now, so I can reserve more time in the fall to focus on the dogs and our mushing goals. Perhaps with better planning I can do a better job next season.<br /><br />My friend Mike Green often said that "Work is the curse of the leisure class." I appreciate his sentiment. Still and all, if I set my mind to it I can surely come up with better ways to adapt, improvise and overcome in order to do a better job for my dogs and kennel.Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-43977004782632190452015-02-26T15:39:00.001-09:002015-02-26T15:39:07.342-09:00Looking Forward to the I'RodThe Iditarod is coming. The restart is coming to Fairbanks, but I'm at work and will nonetheless have to follow the race like most folks, through media accounts, news releases and features offered on the Iditarod web site, and of course the expensive GPS tracker. <br /><br />Lack of snow in the Southcentral Region of the State has made for difficult training conditions, and more particularly, virtually no snow at all on the trail north of the Alaska Range has forced the race committee to move the this year's restart from Willow to Fairbanks. This means the race will be run primarily over the Tanana and Yukon Rivers to Galena, then job North to Huslia and then back south to the village of Koyukuk. This will provide a total mileage of 968 as opposed to the normal "southern route" mileage of 987.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://d3r6t1k4mqz5i.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2015-iditarod-route.jpg?db746e" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://d3r6t1k4mqz5i.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2015-iditarod-route.jpg?db746e" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2015 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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That's plenty of miles, but this year's route doesn't include the steepest and roughest terrain for which the Iditarod is noted. I think that could have a serious impact on the final results of this year's race.<br /><br />The last time the Iditarod started in Fairbanks, Norwegian musher Robert Sorlie became the first non-North American resident to win the race. Sorlie's style of dogs and style of running proved very effective over the relatively level terrain and warm temperatures. Like Sorlie, Martin Buser has very 'houndy' dogs that love to run fast between camps and checkpoints but don't seem to fare so well in rough terrain or colder weather. The route change may give Martin and/or his son Rohn an edge this year. Martin placed 4th in 2003.<br /><br />Jeff King placed 3rd that year, so it's evident that his team back then had no problem traveling over the river route. Jeff was forced to scratch at Pelly Crossing in this year's Yukon Quest. He had traveled as far as Stepping Stone, but then returned to Pelly where he explained he was concerned with the amount of dog food needed to mush his team onward to Dawson City. While that might seem a good reason to suspect he may have issues in the Iditarod, let's remember that the temperatures during that part of the Quest were brutally cold. His dogs needed even more than their typically high caloric intake to deal with the temperatures while running. His dogs may be high maintenance, but on easier terrain in warmer temperatures I doubt his Quest scratch is particularly informative. As they say in TV commercials, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. I think Jeff could be a contender this year.<br /><br />Like Jeff King, Ray Redington Jr. also scratched in the Yukon Quest, pulling the plug at Dawson. With only 7 dogs on the line, and some of those looking stiff and sore, he felt it best for the welfare of his team. His dogs may also fare better on the river than over rough terrain.<br /><br />Ken Anderson took 5th place in 2003. He's been below the radar thus far this year, I haven't seen nor read much about his training season. I can't really venture an educated prediction, but I wouldn't rule him out as a contender. <br />
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<br />Mostly I want to consider the teams that have just finished the Yukon Quest. Brent Sass' 'Wild and Free' team came into the Quest finish strong. Strong enough to change a 2 minute deficit into an hour and 10 minute advantage over only 74 miles. I was honored to check the first two teams into the Two Rivers Checkpoint, and both Allen Moore (leading at the time) and Brent Sass had teams of dogs that were lively and running strong. I really couldn't have called the race at that point.<br /><br />However, by the time the two teams passed in front of the Pleasant Valley Store it was evident that Brent's dogs were more focused and running faster than were Allen's. That's important because Allen's wife, Aliy Zirkle, will be running some of those same dogs in her Iditarod bid. She's been a strong contender the past few years, but unfortunately some have taken to referring their SPKennel as "Second Place Kennel". <br /><br />Brent's teams always seem to perform best in rough conditions, be it tough terrain or tough weather. Their reputation was bolstered this year in the Quest. While the brutal cold encountered during the first half of the race took a toll on other teams, Brent and his dogs came through like gangbusters, earning Brent more than a 6 hour lead by Dawson City which he extended to 9 1/2 hours by Circle City. Unfortunately he lost most of that lead by oversleeping in a camp on Birch Creek just before the checkpoint at Central and he lost the rest of it while resting at Mile 101. <br /><br />The fact is, Brent Sass proved he has a faster dog team than does the SPKennel during the Quest. Now the question is whether he can out-think Aliy in the Iditarod. While winning both races back-to-back in the same year is rare, Lance Mackey has proven it can be done and Brent Sass is every bit the dog man as Lance.<br /><br />Aliy and Allen may be the most famous couple in long-distance sled dog racing, but they aren't the only couple to share a passion for the sport. Third place Quest finisher Ed Hopkins is partner's with Michelle Phillips, who has signed up for the Last Great Race. Though she has yet to break into the Top-10 in the Iditarod she will be mushing a team of proven performers on a trail that is unfamiliar to nearly everyone in the race. It should be interesting to watch how she and her team perform.<br /><br />Quest musher Damon Alexander Tedford won Rookie of the Year, finishing with a team of 12 dogs from the kennel of Mitch Seavey. Tedford described his team as Mitch's "B-team" in several interviews. If those are his "B-team" dogs we can expect a strong showing from the stars in his kennel. I haven't heard much about last year's champion, Dallas Seavey, this season. He's been busy playing TV reality star but his training and team have been flying under the radar. I suspect he and is dogs will be 100% prepared and he will definitely be a player in this year's race.<br /><br />I think that if Hugh Neff can exercise some discipline he could also be a force to consider in the Iditarod. His performance in the Quest wasn't particularly impressive this year, but he already admitted it was his own fault, for pushing his team too hard early in the race. Hugh likes being up front, and it's not uncommon for him to push hard early - sometimes to his chagrin. The thing is, I doubt he will make the same mistake twice in the same year. Although he only had 7 dogs on his gangline between Circle City and Fairbanks, he was able to coax them over Eagle Summit and finish the race in a respectable 5th place. <br />
<br />Training conditions have been even tougher for coastal mushers than for those in the Southcentral region, and I really don't have much information on which to assess the teams of mushers such as John Baker, Richie Diehl or others living and training in the more remote regions of the State. <br /><br />The fact is, there are just too many things I don't know to make predict who will thrive and who will dive during this year's Iditarod. By my estimate, any one of at least 25 experienced mushers could win, and we aren't going to know who it is until the nose of the first lead dog crosses the line beneath the burled arch in Nome.<br /> <br />
<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545669108540604761.post-29654986197163499532015-01-01T00:00:00.000-09:002015-01-01T00:00:06.014-09:00Memoirs of 2014The past three months have been a real whirlwind, and I apologize for not keeping my blog up to date. There just isn't time for me to do everything I'd like to do, and sometimes updating the blog ends up toward the bottom of a never-ending "to do" list.<br />
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So, to catch up, I'm going to start and end and work my way back to the beginning. Since I last wrote my life at work has been focused on work, and my life at home has been focused on puppies and some more work. <br />
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Fall and early winter sled dog training has been a real 'bust' this year. The wet summer persisted into September and resulted in a lot of erosion and damage to the trails. Combined with my work related travel obligations, we just weren't able to run the dogs as often as we should. By the time my schedule settled down it was already late in the season. The result is that our dogs are very much under-trained for this time of year. I'm hopeful that we can remedy that situation between now and the end of the winter.<br />
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The puppies are, of course, the highlight of the fall and early winter. Chetan proved to be a wonderful mother, and all six of her babies have thrived. We got our first 'sticking' snowfall of the season just days after they were whelped, so these snow dogs have never yet seen ground that wasn't covered in snow. Today, at 12 1/2 weeks, they are HIGHLY mobile and all are responsive to humans as well as to other dogs. Trish and I are keeping 3 of them here at the Stardancer Kennel.<br />
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Because the puppies are the result of an artificial breeding using frozen semen, in other words are 'pupsickles', we decided to name them on an ice related theme. The three we are keeping will retain their puppy names probably for the rest of their lives.<br />
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Aufeis is our female from the litter. From the day they were born she was the largest female, and second in size only to "Jumble", who is now known as "Griffin" and growing up in a mushing kennel in Minnesota. Aufeis has always been the boldest of the puppies. She was first to explore the world outside her whelping house, first to explore the world outside her pen, and remains the boldest today. Just two days ago she figured out how to climb over the low fence that separates the puppy play area from the main dog yard, to go romping about with the big dogs. She's a bit of a handful but I think she has promise as a great leader if we can focus that curiosity and bold attitude toward the job of a sled dog.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmnnNCRfJW8sqaIK9I6fOyf7YUPX09IaKtLvi0OlaZ0YRvzEQ42FmjbKnRGz0EyV0WdWW9vckfsYECiD2ZgJGbl0RBMNKXjrVrnbQcE5NGcrhvdRjCGFQOrMn8VT3XD_Pmu6DSwNn-Fs/s1600/Aufeis+face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmnnNCRfJW8sqaIK9I6fOyf7YUPX09IaKtLvi0OlaZ0YRvzEQ42FmjbKnRGz0EyV0WdWW9vckfsYECiD2ZgJGbl0RBMNKXjrVrnbQcE5NGcrhvdRjCGFQOrMn8VT3XD_Pmu6DSwNn-Fs/s1600/Aufeis+face.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aufeis, learning how to "run the ramp" to load up in the truck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Glacier was the 2nd largest puppy of the litter. His eyes sometimes appear blue and sometimes green and his reddish buff colored coat is striking. He is the puppy most attuned to humans, sometimes preferring the company of people to that of other dogs. He's almost as bold as his sister and every bit as cute.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SLvcJjiOG2zRsBBkFAYdKqbj4Tg_srTt92hUDRLxTAnm7QkJN2rccIIcXXPvxvxpNa3lAPnbzM0zkvQwd1rAC0Zn-cT4uXhfoK8uA_lj4UbgnfvQOkIIWKgmOH8sSP1dUuiJWRXyATs/s1600/Glacier+face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SLvcJjiOG2zRsBBkFAYdKqbj4Tg_srTt92hUDRLxTAnm7QkJN2rccIIcXXPvxvxpNa3lAPnbzM0zkvQwd1rAC0Zn-cT4uXhfoK8uA_lj4UbgnfvQOkIIWKgmOH8sSP1dUuiJWRXyATs/s1600/Glacier+face.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glacier has striking eyes, sometimes blue and sometimes green.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Hardpack was originally selected to go to a local touring kennel, but
life changes for that operation resulted in a change of plan. Trish and
I have decided to keep him with us rather than search for a different
home. He was born with a classic Hedlund Husky gray coat, but today his
undercoat hides that silverish gray underfur. He is less bold than his
littermates, more of a thinker than hell raiser. Once he joins the party
he's all about being in the middle of the fray. He's a quick study and
may prove to be relatively easily trained.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPMvm5rVquZBY7IsSyTgs7aqDU38tvOdp3EoF_Uup4ynmJDMmTLeHRFEXaTm2QkLBzqvjQ7uJHLFAW-Jo_iWo-_qHazGjaUl3rN_Ce4vXEO3k6YvL85-G7wRF8xBi8i3zK5FIZhRjFD0/s1600/Hardpack+front+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPMvm5rVquZBY7IsSyTgs7aqDU38tvOdp3EoF_Uup4ynmJDMmTLeHRFEXaTm2QkLBzqvjQ7uJHLFAW-Jo_iWo-_qHazGjaUl3rN_Ce4vXEO3k6YvL85-G7wRF8xBi8i3zK5FIZhRjFD0/s1600/Hardpack+front+on.jpg" height="320" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hardpack showing his "happy face"</td></tr>
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Of the other 3, Frazil (now Tonrar) is now enjoying the life of a very active pet near Minneapolis, looking forward to a long career as a skijoring pet, and 2 are home with Phoenix's owner at the <a href="http://www.points-unknown.com/" target="_blank">Points Unkown</a> kennel near Hovland, Minnesota.<br />
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Trish and I personally delivered Terra (Nilas) and Griffin (Jumble) to Linda Newman, the owner of Points Unknown, in November. It was our first opportunity to travel together, and we had a wonderful time not only getting to know Linda, her handler, and the dogs that have played such a huge role in the development of our kennel, but also exploring the surrounding area. <br />
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Linda lives only a few miles from Grand Portage National Park, which played a huge role in the historical Northwestern fur-trade. We had an opportunity to meet up with Karl Koster, who works at Grand Portage as an historical interpreter. Essentially we got the up-close personally guided tour of a historical site that I've long wanted to visit. <br />
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A big portion of my October R&R was spent in annual paramedic training. This year's version included the alphabet soup of courses I've described in the past on this blog. ACLS (advanced cardiac life support), BLS (basic life support) - pretty much the full meal deal. <br />
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Now that we've gotten caught up on the news, we can consider the rest of the year. Simply put, summer just wasn't summer. It was one of the wettest and coldest summers on record up here, which put a damper on a lot of plans and projects. The only major project I accomplished was the new chicken house, which seems to be working out well for us. <br />
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Dog yard maintenance was a nightmare this year. During the rare moments when the yard wasn't a sea of mud and muck, I was unable to acquire fill dirt to fill in the holes that sled dogs can't resist digging. Our local quarry operator essentially went out of business and created some legal problems that will likely result in long-term incarceration. The tractor got good use recovering as much of the packed earth as we could and repositioning it as best we could, but I was never really happy with the result. <br />
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Spring was a lot of fun, especially during Veryl Goodnight's visit and of course the races were very exciting to follow. <br />
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Probably the most important event of 2014 was work related. In January I transferred from site I had worked at for nearly 20 years to a new workplace, north of the Brooks Range. Learning a new job that is more active than the old one has been challenging, and generally a lot of fun. While my old position had me sequestered in a guard shack 12 hours each day, the new one sees me out on patrol keeping an eye on about 60 miles of pipeline and the infamous Haul Road, the Dalton Highway of television fame.<br />
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Like most years, 2014 was a mixed bag of the good with the less good. I can't use the word "bad" in that sentence at all. We've faced some challenges but so far we've been able to overcome them. I won't even venture a guess as to what 2015 might hold in store. All I can say with certainty is that I am looking forward to seeing whatever may come our way next.<br /><br />This brings us back to the present moment. As I alluded to earlier, lack of sufficient snow has made it difficult to train sled dogs, not only our own team, but racing mushers in the area as well. As often occurs, many mushers have been trucking their teams to distant trails in order to prepare for races. <br /><br />Some races, such as our own Two Rivers Solstice 100 / 50 have been postponed in hopes of more snow and better trail conditions. In our local case, the result was better trails for the race that is scheduled for this coming week-ened. Also coming up this weekend is the Gin-Gin 200. This will be our first opportunities to see which teams are most likely to be competitive in the more famous long-distance races later in the winter.<br /><br />Arguably the most important of the early season mid distance races is the <a href="http://www.cb300.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">Copper Basin 300</a>, scheduled to start on January 10th. All 50 places in the maximum field are filled, with 12 other teams on a waiting list, hoping someone else will withdraw to give them a chance to compete. Notable teams signed up for the CB-300 include Paige Drobny and Cody Strathe (Squid Acres Kennel), Matt Hall (Smokin' Ace Kennels here in Two Rivers), Ray Redington Jr (Redington kennels), Sebastian Schnuelle (who apparently hasn't retired after all), Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore (SP Kennels).<br /><br />Perhaps the most exciting news I've heard the past few weeks is that <a href="http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/4time-winner-lance-mackey-joins-starstudded-yukon-quest-roster/30448920" target="_blank">Lance Mackey has signed up to run the 2015 Yukon Quest</a>, which will start February 7th in Whitehorse, YT. This marks another comeback for Lance's Come Back Kennel, which has not fared well the past few seasons. There are currently 28 mushers signed up for the Quest, including previous champions Allen Moore, Hugh Neff and Jeff King. Brent Sass, who was literally knocked out of the running in last year's race due to a head injury, is also signed up for the race.<br /><br />So, exciting times are certainly coming on the long-distance race circuit and I'm sure they will offer plenty of stories worth hearing for years to come.Swannyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14760445041030590554noreply@blogger.com1