Dog Sledding 2011

[J. J. Magnum]

The season this year began with a 'pop' rather than a 'bang' (as usual) when the Ft. Custer race again failed to materialize due to a lack of snow.  Although Mother Nature did drop about 5" on us on Thursday January 6 it just wasn't enough to make it go.  We ran a good training session though on Saturday the 8th.  Ruhl ran all 5 dogs on the sled for the first time which was an EXPERIENCE!  Lots of issues to sort out there, but suffice it to say that it turned out positive for all.  In the afternoon he ran a clean course with his three "racers" (Maggie - Mugsy - Khyou).  No drama; good timing; everything we hope for.

On to the Kalkaska Winterfest this last weekend.  As usual the weather greeted us on Saturday morning with what I have come to consider a normal Kalkaska race day...





Temps in the teens; snowing about an inch an hour; and wind blowing at about 20 mph.  Like I said a normal day... :yelrotflmao:

The teams seemed to be in fine fettle and there were a lot more of them this year (over 140).  There were 11 signed up in Ruhl's class.  Lots of yelps, yips, and howls all day long.

Despite the cold Ruhl thought the scenery was worth the trip.  This is the team next to us - Danielle would run 4 Dogs in the Pro Class (more about her later)...



Ruhl took advantage of his last year of eligibility as a Junior to run the Three Dog Class which was much smaller than the Four Dog Sport (next year's project).  So having a final meeting with the "racers" he got them ready to go...

Maggie...



Mugsy... (practicing their "wolfy" look...)



And Khyou...



They rocked off into the wild snowy grey yonder and returned with again no drama and no mishaps on the trail.  Ruhl even bettered his last time on this course by 2 minutes!  A great run.

After settling the dogs in from the race we walked down to "WhiteTails" a great restaurant where we indulged in the "All you can eat" Prime Rib Buffet.  Mom and Ruhl were obviously ready for the end of this day; but happy with the result...



When the race results were posted Monday it showed Ruhl's time to be much slower than his competition; however, there are lots of reasons for this.  All of the other Juniors were running hounds or Alaskan Huskies which are leaner and faster than Siberians.  Also most of the Juniors were younger kids who don't weigh 100 lbs. .  Ruhl would have to have shaved a full 15 minutes off his time to be competitive.  Not happenin' so we packed up on Sunday morning and made a leisurely drive home.

Oh, and Danielle?  She ran slower times with her 4 dogs over the same 4.8 mile course as Ruhl ran with three!  That put a grin on his face... 

Unfortunately the race in Atlanta MI was cancelled yesterday...  Still we have the Thunder Bay Classic in Alpena in February...  Here's hoping!

[Winter Hawk]

Great going for the kids! 

Do they run any freight races where you are?  When I was in Fairbanks back in the early 1970s we had freight races where 100 pound sandbags were put on the sled for every dog in the team, minimum of 5 dogs, about 12 miles long IIROC.  That would be where the Siberians and Malemutes would shine.  (Not to mention the Saint Bernards!)  You need a freighting type sled for that, though.  I tried it one year with a hybrid sled with a 5' deck, running five dogs.  The 500 pounds of sand bags ended up piled high and so it was top heavy.  Every bend in the trail it would dump over!  I had a lot of fun, though....

-Winter Hawk-

[J. J. Magnum]

Well, the dog sledding season for us has come to a close but on a high note this year.  Our last race was the Thunder Bay Classic held in Alpena, Michigan about 5 hours to the north.



We started our journey picking up our musher at school around 11:10 am during his lunch break then stopping for some fine dashboard cuisine at McD's...



By 4:30 we had reached near the top of the big mitten and met up with our host and guest dog wrangler for the weekend...



John let us borrow his family's cabin in Atlanta MI about 30 minutes from Alpena for the weekend saving us from yet another motel room and allowing us to fix our own meals.  Friends like him don't grow on trees! 

The next morning the Alpena Sportsman's Club was filled with excited mushers and even more excited dog teams.  If you have trouble listening to dogs barking then dog sledding isn't the sport for you.  It sounds like a coyote convention glee club most of the day.  Ruhl got signed up to run in the 4th position going out of the starting chute.  Most of the competition were running Alaskan Huskies (Siberian/Hound crosses) bred for speed.  We got them harnessed up and in the chute on schedule.  My buddy learned that trying to hold a 60 lb. husky ready to run is like holding back a dragster with the rear wheels spinning.  Ruhl drove them to a surprising 2nd place finish on the first day.



He lagged about 2 minutes behind the leader (a youth that weighs about half what Ruhl does and driving Alaskans), but significantly ahead of the rest of the pack.   :thumbupright:   We were very pleased with the first days run.  We retreated to the cabin for ribeye's on the grill and a pleasant evening relaxing with friend John.

On Sunday we again set up our spot to await the day's competition.



Around 10:15 it was off to the races again.  This time Ruhl went out one off the pole (2nd position) and really charged out.  Although the boy in 1st didn't get passed, Ruhl made up almost a full minute on him.  The dogs really came through and Ruhl said he also ran most of the way.  Here the wife caught them chargin' the finish line...



Back to the tie out line to wait the results, Maggie, our leader, decided to give her #1 boy a little congratulatory affection...



Shortly after snacks and water the team decided it was naptime...





At 2:30 the announcement was made that Ruhl had taken First Place in the "Pure Breed" competition with his speedy Siberian team and 2nd Place overall in the Junior division!  :dancingbanana:

We bid farewell to our "dog wrangler" with much appreciation for his help and accomodations, then travelled home.  A long but extremely rewarding journey!