August 13, 2004 - We just returned from a trip to Minnesota.�The purpose of the trip was to pick up Holly, who had been bred to Pinto.�While we were there, we also attended the sled dog nutrition conference at Two Harbors. It was wonderfully cool in Minnesota, and we spent an extra day visiting with friends and family. Back here in Montana, the hot weather continues. I ran a 6-dog team this morning, which was about all the dogs I could hook up and run before it got too hot.
August 25, 2004 - The hot weather continued all last week, which was just as well since it gave me more time to watch the Olympics!�This week the weather has turned cool and rainy, so I have begun to plot out my training program in earnest.� Right now that involves free running the dogs in between rain showers.�I like to free run them in groups of 6 to 14.�That is a manageable size for me to keep track of and allows me to combine them in groups of similar ability.�I currently have 42 dogs on my training list, plus Rose, who insists on free running with every group. Free running involves taking off on the ATV with a bunch of loose dogs following me as we head into the fields on a three mile loop.�Actually, the dogs usually beat me down the driveway, and I end up chasing them at 20 - 30 mph.
August 31, 2004 - The weather has turned hot again. After running a 6-dog team this morning, it got too hot even for free running for the rest of the day.�When running out of the yard, we can only go about two miles round trip. Today I ran Walnut and Almond in lead going out and put Abba and Foggy in lead coming back.�This was Foggy's first time in lead, and while she wanted to play with Abba, she did just fine for her first time.
September 7, 2004 - A nice cool down in the weather has allowed me to start running in earnest.�Today I hooked up a 14-dog string with Switch and Breaker in lead for a 5 mile run.�This involved loading the dogs in the truck and driving a couple miles to a suitable dirt road.�This triples the time that it takes to run dogs, so I run a 14-dog string in order to maximize the use of my time.�I will also continue to run small teams out of the yard in order to work on leaders.�So far the youngsters Foggy, Snowy, Windy, and Hydrogen have all had their first taste of leading.�In the past week we also had rabies shots administered to 23 dogs, bringing all the young dogs up to date.
September 13, 2004 - Over the weekend we attended the local sled dog symposium known as Race To The Sky Rendezvous.�The speakers this year were Mitch Seavey, Jacques Philip, and John Barron. As usual, lots of good information was exchanged, and we returned feeling energized and enthusiastic about training our dogs.�Today I ran an 8-dog team of bitches in heat and then free ran most of the rest of the dogs.
September 20, 2004 - Last week Mike and I made our annual trip to Canada to celebrate our anniversary. We had a marvelous time in spite of the cool, rainy weather. This week I am making a trip to Maine, leaving only two days this week for the dogs to be trained. So today I am concentrating on running all the main string dogs. Tomorrow I will try to run the puppies and yearlings in addition to getting the main string out again.
September 29, 2004 - I just returned from my trip to Maine. I had marvelous weather while I was there.�I toured Acadia National Park with my friend Meg Stewart, and then we went to Mushing Boot Camp in New Hampshire. Ann Stead, breeder of Northome Siberians, and Jamie Nelson, four time winner of the Beargrease, were the teachers at Mushing Boot Camp, and they did a marvelous job of teaching dogs and humans alike. I was there mainly to help Meg Stewart with her team of yearling Siberian Huskies. Now that I am back, I am trying to catch up on training my own dogs. Today I ran every dog on the list except Cashew. Cashew was supposed to go free running, but she decided that nosing around the meat saw was more interesting than running.
October 3, 2004 - Today was the Montana Mountain Mushers fall meeting. Mike went to the meeting with friends Kit Wolny and Steve Maggio, both mushers of Siberian Huskies. I stayed home because Holly was due to whelp. Over the course of the afternoon and evening she delivered six beautiful puppies. There were four males and two females. One pup is black and white, two are dark brown and white, one is light brown and white, and two are blue-grey and white.
October 5, 2004 - This morning we found one of Holly's puppies dead in the whelping box. It was the beautiful blue-grey male. Since he had spit up some milk the day before, our vet speculated that he probably had a cleft palate and died from inhaling some milk and getting pneumonia. We are very sorry to lose him, but there are five healthy puppies left for us to lavish our attention on.
October 7, 2004 - Today I took Holly's five puppies in to the vet to have their dewclaws removed. Dewclaws can cause painful sores when you have to bootie a sled dog, so it is best to remove them in the newborn pups. The vet examined each pup and proclaimed them to be healthy and normal.
October 10, 2004 - Holly's pups are one week old today and are doing well. In the past week most of the main string dogs got out for four runs and the rest of the dogs had two or three runs. The youngsters Lithium, Boron, and Carbon all got their first try in lead. Carbon was not too sure about it, but the others did quite well.
October 16, 2004 - This week all the dogs on the training list got out at least twice, and the main string dogs got out for five runs. The yearling Rain had his first try at lead, but he did not seem to like it very much. Holly's puppies are doing well. Their eyes are just starting to open.
October 23, 2004 - This was another productive week with the main string getting out four times for 3-5 mile runs.�Most of the rest of the dogs got out for three runs.�I used mostly veteran leaders this week.
October 30, 2004 - This week the main team got out for three runs with a long run of 9 miles.�I am busy doing a lot of jogging myself in preparation for a 50 mile race for humans that I am doing in November.
November 6, 2004 - Today was a big milestone; my 40th birthday.�I did lots of free running with the dogs this week and lots of jogging by myself.�My big foot race is only two weeks away.
November 13, 2004 - The main string is looking extremely good right now.�They are running fast and pulling hard. I am careful to keep their speed down to prevent them from wearing out the pads on their feet.�Hail, Thunder, Lightning, and Sleet all got to take a turn in lead this week.�All 14 of the yearlings have now had a try at the lead position.
November 27, 2004 - We have returned from our Thanksgiving vacation. I completed my 50 mile race and enjoyed some time with my family in Ohio.�The dogs have had nearly two weeks off, so we started them today with some free running to ease them back in to training.�Holly's puppies are looking well and seem to remember their names.�They will receive their first vaccinations tomorrow.
December 2, 2004 - This was a very busy week as we get ready to go to the race this weekend.�The main string did a couple 12 mile runs plus a total of 15 miles of free running.�They seem to be in great shape and good spirits.
December 7, 2004 - We are back from the race. It was wonderful to get on snow and run with the sled. It may be the only time we get to be on sleds this month. I came in 6th in the 6-dog race, and Mike had two really great training runs with the other half of my main string. Check the Racing page, which is linked from the Journal page, to read an account of the race.
December 18, 2004 - This is a very frustrating time of year.�I need to be increasing the mileage on my team, but without any snow here, the dogs' foot pads are getting worn out on the hard gravel roads that we have to train on. We did three 18-mile runs this week, and I have had to lay a few dogs off in order to let their feet heal. Booties wear out so fast on the gravel that I do not have enough booties to protect all the feet on every run.
December 25, 2004 - Merry Christmas everyone!�We got a couple inches of snow this week, and then the temperatures plummeted, and strong winds came up and blew most of the snow away.�The dog truck won't start when it is cold, so I just free ran the dogs on our short trail out of the kennel. We believe we know what is wrong with the truck, but it will cost money to repair, so I am just hoping for warmer weather until we can get the money saved up.�Mike and I spent a very pleasant Christmas at home feasting on various goodies and stoking the wood stove.
January 1, 2005 - Happy New Year! We got a couple inches more snow since last week, and some cold weather blew in. This is nothing out of the ordinary for Montana, but we are not used to it since it has been so warm so far this winter. My main leader Ghost got sore wrists this week from all the pounding on the hard dirt and gravel. The rest of the team is doing well, and Ghost was feeling much better after a couple days off. I have lots of leaders that I am working on, and Ghost has reached the age where he deserves a break from responsibility and the pressures of leading a fast string of dogs. I am letting him cruise along in the middle of the team.
January 8, 2005 - What a cold week this has been.�I only got the team out for three runs.�Next week I will have to start packing in the miles, or we will be way behind in training for the Race To The Sky. However, for the miles that they do have, the team looks really fantastic. They are running hard and fast and finishing strong. I am rotating everyone into lead except my old troopers Fresca, Luna, and Ghost, who do not need any training for lead.
January 15, 2005 - The super cold weather continued all week, and there was sufficient snow on the ground to protect the dogs' feet. We put a lot of miles on this week, and a couple of the dogs actually started to feel a little stiff or sore. Two days off gave them a chance to recover, and they are all still very eager to go.
January 22, 2005 - Wow, what a huge change in the weather. I was hoping for a bit of a warming trend, but instead the temperature shot way up above freezing, and all our snow melted in just two days. Now we are struggling with worn down foot pads because of the hard gravel.
January 29, 2005 - We have gotten the word that the Race To The Sky has been cancelled due to lack of snow. I am just going to let the racing dogs rest so that all their foot pads can heal up. Next week I will start training some of the younger dogs again. This is a very disappointing end to our season.
February 5, 2005 - This week I made sure to get all of the yearlings out for a run in harness. I am running small teams of eight dogs and working on getting every dog comfortable in harness. On each run I try one youngster in lead for the second half of the run. Some of them take to it right off, and some need a little more time and training to learn the job.
February 22, 2005 - Tomorrow I will be flying to Ohio to spend three weeks with my parents. My father is recovering from a mild stroke, and I will be teaching his classes in Physics, Calculus, and Astronomy at Antioch College. It is very hard for me to leave my dogs, but I am looking forward to seeing my relatives and being in the academic world for a while.
March 16, 2005 - I am back home in Montana. I really enjoyed teaching again, but I also missed my dogs. Dad is able to go back to work, so I am not needed there anymore, but I am needed at home to train dogs and take care of puppies. Holly?s puppies are getting big and need lots of exercise and play time. They will be ready for harness training soon.
