When Words Just Don't Say Enough

Alright, well, I keep sitting down to write a blog post about an average day in fall training and the recent snowfall and the enthusiasm of the dogs and the splendor of the landscape, but each time I fail miserably. And frankly, words just can’t do the experience justice, so I’ve resorted to another form of expression:

Hopefully the video helps.




To Ms. Yeilding’s class, I’m thrilled that you all are reading Jack London and learning a bit about the north. Perhaps you can give me some pointers! I’ll do my best to answer your questions. Lucky for me, life is not as tough as it used to be during the Klondike gold rush. I don’t have to carry sourdough starter in a pouch around my neck or rely solely on the land. Most of my food comes from either Fairbanks or a small grocery store a few miles down the road. I just have to be prepared to spend a bit more money for the food. The exception to this is the meat. Fish, moose, eggs, and chicken caught or hunted by Aliy and Allen fill the freezers, so instead of spaghetti with beef, we’ll eat spaghetti with moose. I, myself, have not yet been hunting. For the dogs, they eat a very high protein, high fat kibble mixed with warm water. Later on, we’ll throw salmon, horse, or chicken fat into the slop too. The dogs love it. When the dogs are running so many miles, they’re burning anywhere from 10,000-14,000 calories per day. That’s equivalent to over 20 Big Macs.
The majority of the time, the dogs know where they are going. Their sense of direction is far better than mine, so typically I’ll listen to them. Of course, if I’ve got a dog like Newt in lead, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to let him choose since he’d probably always choose the right fork (Newt can only run on the right side).
I’m still working on adapting to Alaska. Ask me again in the spring after I’ve experienced an Alaskan winter, and I can probably give you a better answer. For now, I’d say I’m on the right track. This morning it was -1 degrees, and I was feeling fairly frisky. One of my main concerns is keeping my fingers warm, so I recently purchased a pair of beaver mitts.
For me, the main draw and benefit of living here in Two Rivers is that I’m surrounded by mushers and dog lovers. Often times I’ll see more dog teams go down the road than cars. I’ve only been dog sledding for a little over a year, but I would say that it is my passion. I’ve always been a dog person, and helping a dog work and do what it loves to do is very rewarding.