Monday, January 25, 2010

We always stay so busy!

The dogs have been logging some serious ride time in the truck the last couple of days. Last Thursday we drove up to the Collins Pond area in Hyde Park Vermont. But before we got there... well, we got to Richmond, I realized I forgot the drop chains ( the tethers to keep the dogs attached to the truck before and after the run), so we drove home and then went back out and met up with Barb and Stacy. It was a great run, we did two loops around the ponds doing a few head on passes with Barb, but never saw Stacy. It was a short run, only 13 miles but the terrain is similar to the fun run we went to on Saturday. I brought Stacy's Trapper and Marl with me so we could transport them to the fun run for her. Then Barb and I went to Lunch! After a great Meal at Frida's in Stowe we parked at a nearby park to let the dogs out. I attempted cross country skiing again, failing, i fell 3 times in less than a 1/4 mile stretch...Then we headed over to the Stoweflake to help Rob and gang with tours. We got home late and I was pretty tired, but we got up early the next day to go out running again.

Friday we had a interview for Vermont Sports Magazine and had pictures taken. That was something new for all of us! Dubs is kinda camera angry and kept barking at the camera. Hormones were in the air too, so of course there was a lot of humping going on at the truck which made everyone laugh. Schnee wouldn't leave Flash alone and Jersey was flirting very hard with Marl and Trapper. They got some moving shots of the team and then we were off on a nice 25 mile run. Up one side of the mountain, down the other than back up and down again to our truck. At the 1/2 mark we had a nice "picnic" the dogs had venison, I had beef jerky. the dogs were not really into stopping which was good but I didn't get to the rest of my lunch. They caught their second wind at about mile 18 and then were roaring up the hills! I was very proud of them and Trapper, who despite never gone on such a long run kept up nicely. I got to try out a lot of different leader positions and dog combinations along the way. The weather was great, sunny and in the 20s, and there were few snowmobiles about. When we got home there was lots of playing going on with Trapper and Marl being there and the dogs stayed out until almost 9 at night!

Saturday was a big day too. We got up at 3am, yes 3am! Lee and I met up with everyone in Waterbury and then drove down to Wonalancet, NH. There were about 15 teams that participated in the Wonalancet Fun Run, a benefit for the Patriot Siberian Husky Rescue. We came in 3rd in the 4-6 dog class. I ran Eli and Ellie in Lead, Munchkin in single team, and Jersey and Dubs in Wheel. The dogs loved the trail as it was mostly wooded windy trails that kept them excited. I had some steering issues, I think one runner is tilted funny, which kept me on my toes around all those corners! There were lots of bridges to go over and even a Boy Scout troop sledding on part of the trail! Ellie did not want to go past the bright plastic sleds and giggling kids but Eli true to form pulled her and the rest of the team up the hill past the distractions! Eli is a surprise leader. We got him in May from a true recreational team and he continues to amaze me! He is not very good about turns but he makes up for it in his drive and on-bys! Oh and there were some steep steep hills that just about killed me to run up. ( need to get my running shoes out again!) After the race we celebrated Barb's Birthday at a neat restaurant in Meredith NH and then treked over the Canaan to Christine Richardson's Seal Cove Kennel. We met with Christine to pick up a new , in order to compete in the 30 miler at the 100 mile Wilderness Race we needed one more dog; Flash is still out due to his Chronic Bronchitis. We emailed back and forth and Lee and I decided that her dog Carmine would be a great addition to our team. He was being very shy at her house but is already coming out of his shell 2 days later. He seems to be getting along with everyone just fine so far. After picking him up we finally started our journey home. Lee and I were so exhausted we went straight to bed after unpacking gear and feeding dogs. Thursday to Saturday we were in the car for over 400 miles and the dogs ran about 50! I can't wait for tomorrow to try out Carmine, hopefully we get more snow than rain tonight and I don't have to get the ATV out! Till next time. - Elizabeth

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