Dogsled Camping

 March 2017

Weekend update:  skipped the last race of the season, went dogsled camping instead

[PIC]

The race had been adjusted due to warm weather, and the snow was melting fast, so my pal taxidermist Owen and I decided to stay local

It's too muddy to leave straight from the farm so on Saturday morning we drove to the end of the road and set off with the dogs from there

[SHORT VIDEO]

(original plan was for our spouses to join but they were at Iditarod and the state bowling championships, respectively)

We drove two 6-dog teams about 30 miles into the woods and stopped at a clearing by a beaver pond with about an hour left of daylight

[SHORT VIDEO]

My team was

Jenga-Brewtus
Kid-Flame
Popeye-Neo

and Owen had

Pepe-Pyro
Gabby-Badger
Maggie-Grinch

First step to setting up camp was caring for the dogs. Owen made them beds out of pine boughs while I chopped through frozen creek for water

They're used to straw bedding, not pine, but settled down pretty quickly. It smelled so good out there-like a fresh Christmas tree

[SHORT VIDEO]

I kept losing Flame and then finding her curled up in my sled bag

[PIC]

(yes, I lost my stuff sack so taped my sleeping bag up in a trash bag)

QUINCE MOUNTAIN INTERJECT:  whoops, sorry--I think I brought your stuff sack to Alaska :(

Once the dogs were fed, watered, and bedded down, it was time to set up human camp.

[PIC]

We made sleeping shelters. I got soaked in frozen dew at the last race, so went conservative with a tarp. Owen set up under a tree.

[PIC]

The dogs watched.

[PIC]

"Hey Blair I found a good place for you to sleep"

[PIC]

After campfire quesadillas + hot chocolate, we were in bed by, like, 8. No sooner had I fully crawled into my bag than Jenga started yowling.

Chaos! Maggie and Pyro were playing without her! I reassured her and moved some dogs around, then slept for like 10 hours while Flame snored

In the morning, we packed up camp and hit the trail early because it was supposed to be warm. Wanted to get home before the sun struck

Most of the trail was gorgeous but some of it had melted into gravel and we had to cross a highway four times

The highway was no biggie. But gravel! Imagine skiing down a steep mountain but suddenly it's made of gravel and you can't slow down.

[PIC]

Pretty sure I sprouted a dozen gray hairs for every foot of gravel we went over (almost a mile total). RIP my sled runners. RIP my youth.

[PIC]

We made it all the way home by noon. The dogs were spectacular. I am so proud of every one of them. Hoping we keep this snow a little longer

...so I can stare at these little butts some more (going slow here to climb a big hill). Look at Popeye's feet.

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