Darkness Falls
It is definitely that time of year again. The sun is rising at about 10 a.m. and going down at 4 p.m., so since we both work full time jobs, we haven’t been able to run in the daylight very much. The night runs are enjoyable in some way. It is always cooler, and much closer to the actual pattern the dogs would run in a race. The heat of day is always avoided when possible. Also, at night we are always alone. No other mushers or snowmachiners to worrying about, typically. And with the exception of moose which can be dangerous, we do often see more wildlife (coyotes, snowshoe hares, owls etc) as creatures come out to prowl for food. The down side to working all day and running most of the night is we don’t get much sleep, which after a few days start to make everything a little fuzzy. Also, since we sometimes run teams of 14 dogs, the length of the gangline is quite long and it can be difficult to clearly see every dogs gait to ensure they are running well and are injury free. Life is about making lemonade out of lemons though, so we run when we have to, rather than when we’d like to.
In other news, this weekend is in many ways the official start of the Iditarod, at least for rookie like Cole. This Saturday is the mandatory rookie meeting in Anchorage and Cole was very excited to take part in the event. Oddly, many of this year’s Iditarod rookies are veteran of last year’s Yukon Quest, so Cole is looking forward to spending time with friends she’s already made out on the trail. Also, our wonderful sponsor Kassik’s Kenai Brew Stop, provided Cole with a new Kassik’s sweatshirt and hat to wear up to the meeting. We are thankful for their generosity and proud she will be able to advertise their delicious beer while up in the big city. While Cole is away having fun, I’ll be holding down the fort and pulling double duty on running the dogs in addition to all th other chores that will also double. It’ll be a lot of work, but hey, somebody’s got to do it.
Also related to Iditarod, Cole received her first letter of support from a couple by the name of Kat and Phil in WI. They read Cole’s bio on the Iditarod Web site and sent a very kind letter telling her how they too rescue dogs and even wolf-hybrids. Since a big part of our philosophy isn’t just being humane, but encouraging other to do the same, it was good to know that the word is getting out, and that there are others out there doing what they can to help animal in need.
It’s been a while, so an update on Oaky’s puppy is long over due, but our time has just been so limited. We apologize and promise to have photos and an update about the little guy next week. He is doing well though. He is the chubbiest puppy we have ever seen and his eyes just open a day or two ago. He’s starting to get more mobile, but still not walking yet. More to come soon.