8 Miles

The training regimen became more serious today. We jumped from 4 miles to 8 miles. The dogs loved it. Since the temperature has dropped down to 40 degrees at 6am, we can keep the dogs out a little longer. Also, the sun stays behind the opposite ridge line just a bit longer, allowing it to stay cooler longer. Unfortunately for me, this means that I have to start layering. Intense layering. When I get out of bed in the morning, I am an icicle. Lately, I outfit myself in a long-sleeve, fleece sweater, and wind jacket (not to mention the hat, gloves, and wool socks). It takes about ten minutes and running up the hill to get two dogs in order for me to strip down to just a long-sleeve. Who knew harnessing was such a good workout!

After the quick 8 miles, the really complicated part begins. Now that we're aggressively training, the dogs need an exorbitant amount of food. Their morning meal is getting larger and now includes a protein powder. We have to mix the powder in with the water and food, looking for just the right ratio. Getting the dogs to drink water is still the priority, so the more you can shove under their noses, the better. The feeding has become a science. Each dog gets a certain amount of food and water, whether in the morning or at night; if you give them too much, they flip their pan over so it dumps out on the ground; if you don't give them enough, they start to howl. Most of the dogs are pretty reliable in their eating patterns, but it can still throw you for a loop.

Sunrise over the kennel

As I get further into training, I have to remind myself to write down the interesting details. Each day, there is a new occurrence or lesson learned. For instance, Bill was explaining today what happens when a handler falls asleep on the sled. He explained that it really depends on the team. On the Iditarod, it is common for a handler to fall asleep at the wheel and a lot of teams will just stop when they realize this. Other teams continue running, the handler can trust the lead dog to find the way. It's the little details like this that truly make me appreciate this experience.

If anyone has any questions about anything regarding dogsledding, let me know. If I don't know the answer, I'm sure Bill does and then I'll have something to write about!