Part of my DNA

MUSHING, it is just part of my DNA.  With only two weeks to go before departing for Alaska, I headed into the heart of the Colorado Rockies to serve as Race Marshal and Chief Judge at the Winter Park's Dog Days of Winter Sled Dog Race.  When one of the up and coming newer racers thanked me for driving so far (about an 8 hour drive) to help make the event happen,  I responded that it is just part of who I am - and, at this point, part of my DNA.  That little strand of DNA is what has drawn me to Alaska over and over for twenty-five years and to dog sled sports.

I started running sled dogs in the mid-1980s.  Did my first novice race - or Cheechako by 1987 and traveled by dogsled through Gates of the Arctic National Park in northern Alaska in the late winter of 1988, Denali in 1989 and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 1990.   That first trip to Alaska took me north of the Arctic Circle, into a roadless wilderness where I joined a couple other tourists, an Iditarod veteran - one of the well known Mackey family of racers, an Arctic explorer - Joe Henderson and about 50 dogs for a weeklong, self supported dogsled trek along the park's many rivers.  

Malamute Man - Joe Henderson leading us up river.  Yes, that is polished ice we are using as our highway!

It was that first night in Gates of the Arctic NP that infused Alaska into my genes.  Our band of travelers had to wait until about 8 pm for the sun to go down and the moon to rise over the horizon before harnessing up our teams of 7 dogs for a shakedown run along the river.  About halfway through the evening cruise, the northern lights came out and put on a show so incredible that everything other than the dogs and the sky faded away.  The minus thirty degree temperatures were hardly noticeable - and I didn't notice when my ear poked out from under my hat and began to freeze.  

My team and I approach frozen overflow.  This photo of an old photo doesn't fairly reflect the electric blue color of the ice.  Someday, I will scan the original slides of the trip to share the amazing colors of this journey.

The travels by dog team through the Alaskan bush and the northern lights had me hooked on Alaska.  

Soon, my racing partner and I became very serious about the dogs and racing.  At the start, we had a couple great dogs that were worthy of world class competition, even though we were still newbies and the dogs were teaching us.  

Those dogs took us to the IFSS 1993 World Championships as handlers for Team USA member and 1992 ISDRA Eight Dog Silver Medalist - Rick Meyer.  Rick asked if he could use those dogs at the world championships in Fairbanks and we enthusiastically said YES.  It was a chance to watch the very best racers running their dogs and, for me, a chance to run dogs on what is arguably the best race track in the world - the Alaska Dog Mushers Association track.  For the next 10 years, I would race my dogs (in teams of 4, 6 and, my favorite, 8 dogs) from Fort Nelson BC to Flagstaff, AZ and from California and Oregon to Colorado.  

When time, money and over crowded roads to our training spots made it impossible to continue training at the level required to be competitive, racing became a thing of the past.   Dog sledding however has remained a constant.  There hasn't been a year since I first got into the sport that I haven't trained, run, handled for someone or been part of a sleddog event.  So, when I saw that the IFSS Championships were going to be back in Fairbanks and North Pole this year, of course I had to plan to attend my 3rd IFSS Championship event.  This year it has been my pleasure to work with the IFSS to honor Bob and Bella Levorsen (see prior post) and to volunteer to mark dogs at the ADMA Limited North American Championships. 

If you are in Fairbanks next month, look for me marking dogs at the LNAC! You'll recognize me by the paint all over my Carhartts!  Hope to see you there.  And for those of you who can't quite get to Fairbanks, this blog will soon turn into race reports and photos! GO TEAM USA! GO COLORADO TEAM MEMBERS - show the world your altitude!

Enjoying the dog days of Winter Park!