Two Rivers

I have been in Alaska only a summer and one week, and yet this is the place I feel I’m meant to be. Of course, ask me again when the temperatures hit -40 degrees and the sun barely rises above the horizon, and my opinion might have changed. Or I might have survived the bitter winter and, dare I say, enjoyed it, but still felt the need to move on due to my incessant wanderlust. Who’s to say? All I know is that right now, for this winter, Alaska is it. Why? I’ll tell you. For starters:

1. The Dogs-
The dogs here at SP Kennel are some of the happiest, most enjoyable dogs I’ve ever run. (You can check them out at http://spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com/) It is hard to believe that after dogs like Alaska, Ayn, Hoover, Greed, Prancer, Gimli, (I could keep naming dogs) Clark, Jekyll, Kar, and Arlo I could find dogs that I loved to run just as much, but I have. The SP Kennel dogs are all affectionate and hard workers, making every run a great experience. Of course, there are a few differences. Rather than the standard x-back harness with a tug line and neckline, these dogs use half harnesses and only a tug line, which means that the dogs are only attached to the gangline (main line) by one small piece of rope rather than two. They are not attached at the collar. So, when we’re hooking up dogs, the dogs can face forwards, stand backwards, twirl around, swing from side to side, and do just about anything. Add another enthusiastic dog next to the first, and one would think that the set up could only result in tangles. To an uninformed bystander, it would appear to be utter chaos, but in fact the whole situation is quite organized even without necklines. Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t small twists between the most animated pairs of dogs or the puppies, but overall, when you yell “Ready!” the dogs know to straighten out and run forward. The other difference between these dogs and my first group of canines is that the SP dogs have to be able to live comfortably in -20 to -40 degree nights, meaning that I don’t have any sleeping buddies since they’re all acclimating to the upcoming cold. Although for the time being, the ex-sled dog Stella is sleeping in my cabin until she flies down to her new home in Florida. Lucky for me, there is no use in Stella acclimating to -20 nights before her trip to Florida.
Not only are the sled dogs incredible, but also I have to mention another canine athlete, Tig. Tig is a small, two-year-old black lab that has been trained as a field dog. Aliy has taught Tig various voice, whistle, and hand commands so that she can direct her in retrieving game. In the summer, Aliy and Tig hunt and attend field trials to put all their training and hard work to the test. Yesterday evening, I watched Aliy direct Tig across a huge field in search of bumpers. I’ll forever be amazed while watching dogs work and seeing all for which they’re capable.

2. The Experiences-
With only a week under my belt, I’ve already experienced more ‘firsts’ than I could have imagined. Last weekend, I attended the sled dog symposium and listened to some of the mushing greats, both for long distance and sprint. It was very interesting hearing nutrition experts and meeting many of the big name mushers in the world of dog sledding. Later in the week, I helped to butcher a horse. Sled dogs eat a variety of meats, and one of their favorites happens to be one of my favorites… although for different reasons. When I first heard we were going to be receiving a horse for the dogs, I have to admit, I was slightly anxious. Growing up, I was the classic horse-lover, playing with Breyer horses, joining Pony Club, and begging my parents for a horse whenever I had the chance. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Why try to bury a huge animal deep in the permafrost when there are fifty sled dogs who would gladly help with the circle of life. I decided that as long as Black Beauty didn’t step off that trailer, I’d be ok. Lo and behold, it wasn’t Black Beauty, and I came to realize that there is something satisfying about skinning an animal. And, the dogs will love it.
Ok, first barnyard lesson: B- (I wasn’t the fastest skinner, but I didn’t cry or poke a hole in the gut releasing the disgusting, potent innards….)
Two days later, I was to have my second barnyard lesson with chickens. Aliy and her friend, Leslie, kept around twenty chickens for the past five months for their eggs. With winter setting in, all the chickens just weren’t going to survive the frigid cold, so some would experience the toasty warm of our ovens. Rather than the standard chop off the chicken’s head or the South American swing the chicken, we utilized a much more humane and peaceful technique. I’ll spare everyone the details, except to say that dinner last night was quite tasty (or as good as a scrawny Alaskan chicken can be). Second barnyard lesson: B+ (I was a pretty effective plucker, but I had a bit of trouble catching a chicken)

3. The People (perhaps, I should have this farther up…)
Everyone I have met thus far has been incredibly friendly and welcoming. At each errand stop in Two Rivers, Allen and Aliy knew at least one person, and on the drive into Fairbanks, they pointed out lots of driveways and said, “so and so lives here, and so and so lives there). Basically, Two Rivers is a town (if you can even call it a town) of dog people. Perfect. I’ve also really enjoyed working with Allen and Aliy. I know I’ll learn a lot this winter and look forward to every minute of it!


I forgot to mention- by golly those Northern Lights!!!