Husky Homestead

Summer Update!

2008-07-02T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Happy Summer! Ours is happing pretty fast here at Husky Homestead...

Tours have been going strong so far this season and we've had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people from around the world. A great big thank you to so many of our guests that have sent "kudos" letters to us. We do love to hear when you enjoyed your visit with us.

Our puppies are growing bigger everyday! Here Jamie takes four little ones for a run with the four-wheeler. They've gotten to the age that we need to be motorized to keep up with them....

Jeff signed up for Iditarod XXXVII this past Saturday. He headed down to the picnic at Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla early in the morning with two of his biggest fans in tow: cousin Randy from MN and Virgil. Since Virgil always has his camera handy, he snapped these pictures to share with us us while he was there...

Jeff handing over the check for his entry fee for the 2009 Iditarod. Jeff will be the 13th musher to draw his bib number at next years banquet.

Cousin Randy (he really is Jeff's cousin!) is taking it easy for a bit during the days festivities. That better be "Cold Hands Warm Heart" that he is reading... :)

Phone calls received while the guys were on their way back home to Denali made it sound as if they were having entirely too much fun!

I apologize for this being so short! But we have been talking about doing a blog for so long... and as Jeff says "focus on the task"... that I wanted to get a little blurb out to you all. Please do check back though - we'll share some more summer pictures with you from the Homestead.

Until then, take care!!

No Maine Cabela's Appearance

2008-05-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry we're a little late with sharing the news here... but due to changes in his schedule, Jeff will not be appearing at the Cabela's Grand Opening in Scarborough, Maine this weekend.

Check back for more updates soon!

Jeff's gone - and we're having fun!

2008-05-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've written ~ but we have been busy! The staff has been gearing up for the past month and it is finally here! We've been spring cleaning, doing some construction (and destruction...), and moving those ping-pong tables out of the way. We kicked off the season on Wednesday evening with our first tour, and we're now in the swing of things and open for all three of our regularly scheduled tours. We are looking forward to having another great summer here, and to meeting a whole new group of guests from around the world!

Summer is almost here ~ the days are long and the temperatures are rising ~ but the ice is not quite gone from the lake. We tried to change that yesterday... Armed with some not-so-great paddles, Jamie, Nicole, Dave and myself hit the water ~ after Nicole and Dave practiced their air guitar (you've got competition, guitar man in Tok!).
I will go so far as to say that this was my idea, so if we get any slack from the boss...we were off the clock. Also since it was yours truly who came up with this temporary detour from regular chores - I happened to be the only one without a paddle and got to snap these fun pics. The ice-breaking canoe trip seemed to help a little bit - but that water is going to be cold for a while...

In other news - we've got puppies!
Nicole is holding all 3 puppies in our "Office Supply" litter (finally! I've been pushing for this one FOREVER!) . They are "Shredder"(f), "Eraser"(m), and "Pencil"(m). We'll see if the names stick... :) Dave says "of course they will!"

Our smallest litter on the block are Dollar's pups. They don't have names yet, but they are getting a lot of loving from our first few groups of guests. There are even a couple in the litter that resemble their dad "Solomon" who was a great addition to Jeff's teams in both the Iditarod and the All Alaska Sweepstakes. Born on April 24th, these little ones are just over 3 weeks old.

Claire, one of our long-time all-stars, had a litter of 4 pups on March 21st. She had 3 boys and 1 lone girl that looks just like her Mom. These guys just woke up from a nap when I snapped this pic - they're still covered in straw. What a life! We're working on a theme for these guys too.

Jeff is in sunny California this weekend attending a few events ~ including the Red Lantern Party that we hear went off without a hitch yesterday. Despite the fun we've had while the boss is gone... he has been missed and we look forward to the return of POTUS.
Donna has been here holding down the fort (POTUS-ette?) and giving a lot of tours herself. She pulls out on Wednesday for an agility trip down to the warm weather in Portland. We wish her lots of luck and hopefully she and the agility crew will come home with lots of ribbons and some great photos for us to post here on the blog.

Keep checking in with us here for more fun stuff from the Husky Homestead Crew!

Carrie

2008-04-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings Race Fans!

Still winter here at Denali. Snow & icy. Anchorage is expecting 5 inches of snow today. Jason has a team of yearlings out on the Denali Hwy getting ready for the ’09 race season. We’re not letting the grass grow under our feet here!

Dog sales have been brisk – but some of the best are still here!

Check ‘em out! I’m off to Palm Springs with my daughter Ellen to check out a fine arts boarding school. By the time I get back next week I’m guessing the snow will be starting to melt quickly.

I wanted to answer a few of the questions that have come through on the blog...

-As for what does POTUS stand for? If I told you that I’d have to kill ya! Figure it out...!! ;)

-A couple comments about Lance’s dog Zorro. We hear he is home safe & sound in Fairbanks after being hit by a snowmachine near the finish of the Sweepstakes. There was a comment that possibly Zorro shouldn’t have been being carried, and that possibly Lance was acting irresponsibly by not stopping or something. I wasn’t there, but I know Lance well, and I also know that it’s not uncharacteristic to carry a dog that can’t keep up with the rest of the group. This does not imply that the dog is in any way uncomfortable, suffering, or such. It is way more humane to give a ride to a dog that can’t keep up, than encourage a dog to go faster when he can’t. I have no reason to believe Zorro was injured prior to being hit by a snowmachine, and have made the assumption the more likely reason was that he could not keep up with the speed that the balance of the team was capable of going.

-Salem is happily training yearlings with Cali. His littermate Houston will be going to his retirement home outside of Bend, Oregon. And Rumba has recently moved to Northern Sweden.

-The harnesses I used in this year’s races were modified PULKA harnesses from Howling Dog and made in the Czech Republic by ManMat. I love them, and clearly intend to continue using them. There are two things I like about them more than the distance harness I’ve been using: 1.) I can select one side or the other for the dog to stay on. This gives me an opportunity to influence pressure points on the dogs – it does not require me to remember which side of the tow line that the dog has been running on. It sounds insignificant when I say it and see it typed, but I cannot emphasize how much benefit I believe I have reaped for the dogs because of this. 2.) The harness pulls slightly further back and lower off the dogs body, producing and even straighter “tension line” from towline to far shoulder. It also is less prone to rubbing.

I will be attending a Cabela’s Grand Opening in Scarborough, Maine on May 24^th & 25^th. I’ll also be attending the California Iditarod Fan Club’s meeting (at my Mom’s house!) May 17^th.

That’s all for now folks!

POTUS (haha)

**Check back soon for new & updated puppy pictures!!

For Sale - Brokaw

2008-04-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

Brokaw (M) – [Tahoe & Lindy] Great in swing. Showing promise as a leader. Good eater, keeps his weight, has a nice coat and overall an easy keeper. Low-key dog that will do great in your yard next to anyone. Intact. $600

Direct inquiries to: info@huskyhomestead.com.

For Sale - Budget

2008-04-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hertz - $750 - SOLD!

Hertz (M) & Budget (M) – [Merlin x Salem] From the “rental car” litter. Energetic, good eaters, great coats. Two of their littermates were yearling standouts after their first winter of training, and these guys are not far behind – just need a little more experience and some more time on the trail. Both are intact.

Please direct all inquiries to: info@huskyhomestead.com.

--Budget $600

For Sale - Badger

2008-04-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Badger (M) – With parents like Rumba & Demi, you can’t go wrong. Badger is from the “critter litter”and just marked his 1 yr birthday. Even though he is still pretty young, he shows tons of promise. He's great with people, super friendly and always ready to go. With his long legs he's bound to go far. $750

Please direct all inquiries to us at: info@huskyhomestead.com.

Sweepstakes Re-cap...well kinda

2008-04-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

<<-- Getting ready for the start!-->>

Whew! Was that just a dream, or did I really just run 408 miles in 61 hours? Good lord, what a rodeo we had in Nome for the All Alaska Sweepstakes. I don’t really know where to begin – or finish…it might be material for another book!

I’m in Denali, but just for the day as I fly back to Nome for the Sweepstakes awards banquet tomorrow. All flights in and out of Nome were cancelled today due to stormy weather, so I’m on the edge of my chair in anticipation of tomorrow’s departure. Donna encouraged me the other day to come spend a couple of days at home and head back for the banquet, and it has been wonderful to be in my own bed.

<<--Jeff & Jason on the trail, pre-race.-->>

No doubt anyone who’s reading this knows Mitch Seavey passed me in the last miles of this $100,000 winner-take-all event, and as a result it was bittersweet – my team was so awesome! My team IS so awesome! Wish I could take a little fountain of youth juice because I have so many things that I want to do with my dogs in years to come. I feel like we learned so much about them ~ in this race in particular, and I look forward to using what we learned for future generations of dogs and mushers.

<<--Jeff & team heading into the Council checkpoint on race Day 1.-->>

We had a little champagne toast with family and friends Sunday night. Jason and I gave a blow by blow account – I wish I’d have recorded it because I don’t have the energy to do it again now (there will be a $5 fee for whining!).

<<--Jason & UConn outside the "Mobile Dog Unit"...-->>

There’s been a lot of interest in dogs for sale – we did spend a little time on it today. Look for it soon – very soon!

I promise I’ll try to share more Sweepstakes stories in the days to come.

jk (alias POTUS)

<<--...and what's inside the "Mobile Dog Unit"?? The team - ready for a snooze.-->>

In Lieu of GPS - Some Fun!

2008-03-26T11:30:00.001-07:00

Well hey there race fans! While we're all sitting at our computers hitting the "refresh" button and waiting for updates on the Sweepstakes Race ~ I thought I'd share some fun stuff with you and try to answer some of the questions that have been coming in.

Many of you have asked where the dogs are that used to be on our dog page. Well, if you take a look at the picture above ~ you'll see three of our favorites: Texas, Tin & George. They are happily residing in Northern California and living it up with a friend of ours there. Jeff has kidded her and said that there appears to be an empty spot in there... The rest, well they are still here!

And moving on:
-Jeff does not watch American Idol ~ we do not have TV where we live. (Although he is a fan of The West Wing - we have that on DVD!)

-While Berkeley and Bronte spent a lot of time running in lead during the Iditarod, many dogs in the team are capable of running in different positions, and do.

-Jeff started the Iditarod with 16 dogs, and finished with 14.
He will start the All Alaska Sweepstakes Race with 13:
Berkeley
Bronte
Call
Charles
Deets
Dickens
Dublin
Guiness
Kilarney
Lobben
Solomon
Sussex
UConn

The motto around here... along with that one, there is also the "$5 fee for whining"...
<<<<---------------------
-Jeff has been frostbitten - but getting frostbitten during a winter in Alaska is like getting sunburned in Arizona.

-Mushing is definitely a family sport for the King's:
Jeff met his wife Donna while she was working as a volunteer ranger for the National Park Service. They were both running teams in Denali National Park when their teams became entangled - short story is that they've been entangled ever since. :)
All three of the King daughters are seasoned mushers as well. Cali, Tessa and Ellen are all veterans of the Junior Iditarod ~ and Cali even ran the Iditarod as a senior in high school! Tessa is also a veteran of the Junior Yukon Quest, and even though Ellen keeps herself very busy with dance - she's still a musher at heart.

-Jeff doesn't have a favorite dog - or so he says... I secretly think that he's very fond of Liza - one of the house dogs. :)
<<------------------ Alright ~ hopefully that's enough to keep you checking back for more... I do see that they have updated the Sweepstakes website with a few pictures and some information from the first few checkpoints. Check them out at www.allalaskasweepstakes.org.

So until next time...watch out for that yellow snow!

-Carrie

Sweepstakes: Pre-Race

2008-03-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

The 100^th Anniversary of the All Alaska Sweepstakes begins Wednesday morning (tomorrow) at 10:00am. Exciting! Jeff and his crew have been in Nome since Friday in preparation for the event. Chris, Kurt, Jason and Jeff spent the weekend out on the trail exploring and getting their bearings. It sounded like quite the adventure and they reported that the race will be “challenging”. The wind will be the critical key in the trail conditions for the race.

Jeff’s 14 dogs flew to Nome yesterday and are ready and raring to go.

At the turn of the century, beginning in 1908 and running annually until 1917, this race followed a well-worn trail between Nome and Candle; a trail that was used as a mail and supply route. However in 2008, there is not an established trail between these villages. The population of Candle is 1. The population of Council is 1 (down from 20,000 during the gold hay-day). His name is Art and he is 72 years old. Art was very welcoming to Jeff and the crew as they passed through there twice in their quest to acquaint themselves with this legendary race route. The checkpoints in between these flourishing metropolises are, to my knowledge, uninhabited. For the race, each checkpoint will be staffed with a race checker armed with a HAM radio, along with race judges and veterinarians passing through. The stellar cast of judges includes, but is not limited to, Mark Nordman and Joe May.

After the mushing meeting this afternoon, the Husky Homestead team is busily working on snowmachines, finalizing plans, packing and repacking. Jeff reported that Chris is in “attack mode” in preparation to lead the support crew’s charge on tomorrow’s trail. Both Chris and Jeff are getting massages to extinguish a few aches, by-products of the past weekend, and to loosen up for the trail ahead. There are still a list of unknowns concerning the race and logistics, but that is what adventures are made of!

It is 20 degrees, sunny and calm in Nome today. There are some rumblings of a storm moving in, but Jeff did not see it on any predictions that he could find. Their host family in Nome, Amy and Larry Smithheisler, have been welcoming and generous in their help and support. Jeff, Jason and Chris were surprised yesterday to be presented with hand-made skinning knives engraved with “All Alaska Sweepstakes 2008” by the artist himself. “Klondike” Kurt, among his many talents, created these heirloom knives for each of them to honor this truly Alaskan adventure. Very cool.

Back to Nome!

2008-03-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it home, but won’t be here for long. Already this morning I am packing my bag to depart to Anchorage to begin the All Alaska Sweepstakes adventure. Weather looks perfect on the Seward Peninsula - lows of -10, highs of +10 – perfect weather for a sled dog race. It’s springtime in Alaska! Lots of sunshine too!

The trail crew, Jason & Chris, are already in Nome. Lead strategist, Kurt Hellweg is due in Anchorage this afternoon. We will meet for a think tank tonight and join the trail crew in Nome tomorrow. The plan is that the four of us will cover the entire 400 mile trail Saturday and Sunday by snow machine, for an on-site inspection of the race trail. Dogs are continuing to be tucked in the dog barn here in Denali at 10,500 feet. They are being exercised daily to stretch out and loosen up for the upcoming event. Jennifer and Dave will deliver the 14 dogs to Anchorage on Monday morning where they will be split into two groups on Alaska Airlines for the 1.5 hour flight to Nome. Wow. Lots of logistics...

I took part of the team out to our training camp yesterday for an 80 mile run in an effort to make sure I bring the right dogs for the Sweepstakes. One change in the line-up did occur as a result, and I feel confident that we have picked a super team.

What a hoot this morning! We brought Call & Deets in for the blog photo ~ as the trophies really belong to them. When Call came into the kitchen, approached the living room, looked up and saw the ceiling fan spinning – he acted like a small bush plane was about to crash into the living room. From there he sprinted back across the kitchen and launched towards what to him appeared to be an opening to the out-of-doors. Alas, Call learned a thing about triple-pane picture windows. Lucky for me, the window didn’t break. Not that lucky for Call – who now has a goose egg on his forehead… Yes, the dogs really do like it better outside – this is not a joke.

Carrie and Donna will be blogging whatever available information there is for the Sweepstakes. I will be back in early April. Anyone interested in dog sales – there will be a bunch on the blog…sled dogs, retirees, puppies. This is the time of year we sell the majority of what dogs will be sold on any given year. Really got some good ones!

Stay tuned – happy trails!
Jeff

Jeff - Part 2 from Nome

2008-03-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the rest....

This year's team was a fantastic mixture of youthful exuberance as well as mature wisdom. The oldest dogs in the team were Dickens and Bronte, both running in their fourth Iditarod. These sisters were counted on for their focus and speed that is the result of many years on the trail. As hoped, our young male, Deets, in his first Iditarod, did a fantastic job and lead well over half of the race. His quick thinking and steady pace made him a valuable dog in the front of the team. Berkeley and Kilarney, both wild with the desire for speed, needed to be pulled back into the team due to the risk of over-revving the rest. Near the end of the race, both Kilarney and Berkeley's early enthusiasm caused their energy to fade. However valuable in the team, both these young girls were unable to set the pace needed to catch Lance. UConn held his weigh super, was very steady and did a fantastic job. Dublin was a work-a-hollic and steady to the very end. Call lived up to his goof-ball reputation and pulled hard when he deemed it necessary and not at all when he thought it was not. The five dogs owned by Jon and Bree Little (Adidas, Lobben, Braeburn, Solomon, and Guiness) were fabulous and were a great asset to the team. Solomon in particular seemed unfazed by the entire operation and sat overly alert and energetic at the dog lot in Nome. Many thanks goes out to Jon and Bree for allowing them to be a part of our team.

As I travelled over the Topkok hills, it dawned on my that this very same team was in an excellent position to be prepared for the All Alaska Sweepstakes race here in Nome at the end of this month. It is hard to believe that I could be excited about a 400 mile race while still recovering from the sleep deprivation that the recent Iditarod has caused, but we can rest in the grave. At this time next month the snow will be melted. Make hay while the sun shines. Race while the snow in on the ground.

Thank you all who have cheered us on in this most exciting 2008 Iditarod race. We look forward to bringing you more details in the following weeks.

Jeff - Part 1 from Nome

2008-03-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Nome, Race Fans!

As I stagger from bed to kitchen and the kitchen to the bed rejuvenating my two biggest deficiencies, food and sleep, I am anxious to share with all of our friends and supporters a first hand account of our 2008 Iditarod. What a nail-biter it was and I hope you enjoyed it! Rumor has filtered back that the GPS Tracking System was well received by race fans and I found myself imagining friends and family watching the computer each time the small LED light blinked on the transmitter indicating a signal being sent out to computers around the world. There was some discussion among mushers and media on whether the GPS might influence the strategy of some of the competitors. However, though I can imagine where the GPS information might influence some team at some point, I consider it very far-fetched and consider the positives of the GPS system dramatically out-weighing the downside. It is my guess that it is here to stay.

Strategy did play a big part in this year's race for me and Lance as we both decided to take our 24-hour-break in Takotna, while many potential pre-race favorites decided to go on farther down the trail. As it turned out, I believe, it eliminated anybody who did not take their long break prior to Cripple, putting them out of the hunt for the 2008 victory. We really never know how our decisions will play out until the race progresses and, as it turned out, this year I couldn't be happier with our decision to stop in the wonderful hamlet of Takotna.

Prior to the race, one of my goals had been to drive my team "like an All Alaska Sweepstakes Team" What it means to me is an effort to drive the team at the slowest dog's pace since the Sweepstakes mandates that no dog that starts the race can be dropped and that all dogs must finish the race.

**more to come from Jeff later....

Donna: In Nome & busy busy...

2008-03-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

From late Wednesday night...

A quick apology for not getting to the computer sooner... It has been a busy day here in Nome, Alaska! We caught a couple of hours of sleep last night from midnight to 2 am and then headed down to Front Street to watch Lance cross under the Burled Arch delineating the Iditarod Finish. Of course it was thrilling, and a wonderful crowd of supporters and spectators were there to mark history. Jeff and the team finished just over an hour later and looked fantastic!! Lots of congratulations and kudos to Jeff for a brilliant job. It was so exciting to watch them come up the chute looking so alert and energetic. A fabulous finish to a fabulous race!

Jeff was mobbed by the media and we whisked the team away to the holding area a few blocks away. After bedding down on fresh straw, having their harnesses removed and bowl after bowl of kibble and water, the entire crew was finally willing to rest. At the same time a team of veterinarians was examining and assessing the health of each dog. This information is used to determine the winner of the Leonard Seppala Award, the humanitarian award presented to one of the top 20 mushers who the vets vote to have exemplified the highest degree of dog care. Then at 7:30 am, our good friend Lisa Frederic assisted the "Pee Patrol" in collecting urine for drug testing.

The morning was busy for me as I arranged the flight for the dogs and collected the kennels that had been shipped to Nome last week. After his (not-long-enough) nap, Jeff joined me in assembling the kennels and coordinating the pick-up with the Alaska Airlines crew at 10:30am. Off the team went to fly to Anchorage where Jason and Dave were anxiously awaiting their touch down. The gang was back in their warm beds at home by 10:00 pm. Breakfast at Fat Freddie's (including two banana milkshakes for you-know-who), back to bed for Jeff, a trip to the Crafts Fair for cousin Randy from Minnesota and me, arranging various flights out of Nome. etc. brought the day to the 5:00pm Channel 2 news segment filmed live with Jeff and Lance at the finish line and an hour and a half of "wrap-up" interviewing for the Insider. Dinner at Airport Pizza with the "Cabela's Guys" topped off the day. We stopped by the dog lot to pick up Angus and Lobben fresh in from White Mountain. Due to poor flying weather, planes had not been flying in and/or out of that picturesque village until later this afternoon. These two will fly out tomorrow morning with our close friend and rabid Iditarod fan, Rod Keift. Ellen has been all over town, but mostly in the Mini Convention Center playing cards with the Buser Clan.

Is it still really only Wednesday??

I promise to corral Jeff tomorrow and get the run down on his team. I look forward to hearing an organized evaluation of the team. Of course, we have been hearing stories from the trail including intimate views into moments along the way. However, I always look forward to the complete and unabridged version of the doggie report card after the race.

Wet Buns, arm-wrestling, Safe Sex Parties, Idita-fairies and other wet clothing are all available as entertainment options to the collection of Iditarod fans here in Nome. It is much busier here than it has been in years; a good thing for the Nome economy. The activity calendar is filled with a conglomerate of distractions that only this old Gold Rush town can provide.

Stay tuned for more to come....

Donna: A look to the finish!

2008-03-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Race Fans!
Donna phoned from Nome a little while ago so I'll give you her take on what's happening today.

Donna and Ellen made it safely into Nome this afternoon. Weather report there has it snowing - very light and fluffy! Upon getting tucked away in the home of their host, Miss Ellen was off with the Buser boys and company ~ Donna surmised that she may not be seen until the finish... :)

If you've been watching the updates you'll see that Jeff was into White Mountain an hour behind Lance. Simply stated - if Jeff could have been ahead of Lance, he would have been. Donna listened to an interview with Jeff during his break in White Mountain and she thought that he sounded pretty good. Bruce Lee was questioning Jeff and asked if he had another gear - Jeff's reply "Yup, I do." This could be a nail biter folks!

Jeff plans to drop Angus and Lobben before he heads out from White Mountain at 5:50pm this evening. In 2006, Jeff's team did the run from White Mountain to Nome in 10.5 hours.

Historically, having an hour to make up heading out from White Mountain is something you may bet against. Having 1.5 hours to make up - no way; a half an hour - possible. Jeff definitely has his work cut out for him. If Lance is still able to call his team up and get that other gear... well, we'll see who's got the speed when it counts most.

No doubt about it, the race has been very exciting - and it will be an exciting finish too! It's Lance's race to lose right now.

Assuming snow doesn't slow them down too much, Donna expects the winner should cross the finish line between 3-5am.

She'll give a full report tomorrow on all of the dogs - oh, and Jeff too! Stay tuned....

Donna: Day 8 Re-Cap & Outlook for Day 9

2008-03-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

"I wish he would just go away."

That is what Jeff expressed yesterday on the phone from Unalakleet. Of course, he was talking about Lance! Jeff is having to work this race to the last coastal mile to earn his placement. Jeff continues to be extremely impressed with Lance's dogged determination and brilliance.

A quick assessment at this point: Lance took half as much rest as Jeff in UNK in hopes of putting some time between his team and Jeff's. Jeff's team is consistently posting faster run times, half an hour in a 7 hour run for Lance. That calculates to more rest for the home team. Rest positively correlates to speed. However, we know that Lance's team can perform well with less rest. The outcome? Assuming the trail and weather ahead remain relatively clear, the paperwork says that Jeff's team should ultimately pass Lance simultaneously increasing the distance between them. Sounds good to me.

I was glad to see that Lance stopped and rested in Shaktoolik. I know that Jeff would not have gone through this windy village without a rest there, at least 4 hours. Both of these savvy dog drivers are very aware of the fragile balance of run and rest, especially along the coast in the last 200 miles of the Iditarod. Poor judgement on the part of the musher now is fatal to the outcome of his/her race. Jeff is historically very conservative along the coast and extremely attentive to the speed and well-being of he dogs to insure an energetic finish down Front Street in Nome.

And WOW! 16 dogs leaving Shaktoolik??? We will have to do a little checking in the history books to see how this adds up. I know his team is still strong, eating well and sound. It has got to be very fun and uplifting for Jeff. I remember when our great friend, Don Lyrek, ran our second team (was that in 1996?) and he finished with all 16 dogs. The finish chute in Nome wasn't long enough to fit the whole team comfortably.

For any avid race followers, you will know that these last couple of hundred miles of the Iditarod are what stories are made of. Some of the most thrilling Iditarod victories had Mother Nature pulling a few strings; Libby Riddles in 1985, Rick Swenson in 1991. Martin Buser is noted for making the comment one year in Koyuk, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings". With skill, focus, determination and a bit of fairy dust, she'll be singing our song this year.

Ellen and I head to town (Fairbanks) today to catch our flight to Anchorage and then Nome in the morning. I'm not sure if I will be able to get an update out early tomorrow or not. By then, Lance and Jeff will probably be in White Mountain on their mandatory 8 hour break, 77 miles from the finish line. The winner should be crossing the finish line around 2 am Wednesday morning.

Enjoy the race!

Donna: Re-Cap of Day 7; Outlook for Day 8

2008-03-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, if you checked your TRACKER this morning you will see that Jeff has passed Lance on the trail from Kaltag to Unalakleet. Jeff's run time into Kaltag was 45 minutes faster than Lance's and had him into Kaltag just 50 minutes behind Lance. I was surprised that Lance stopped in Nulato, showing Jeff his hand, especially after stopping on the Yukon in route. That may have been a grave tactical error. He gave Jeff the opportunity to watch how long he rested in the checkpoint. That made it easier for Jeff to figure out exactly how much he should rest there. Don't get me wrong, Jeff still has to run the race for his dogs, but leaving a half an hour earlier than he would have, awards him some time and has little affect on the team overall. "Picking up pennies" is what Joe Runyan called it. Pretty soon you have the whole dollar.

So, it is not surprising that Lance went through Kaltag. It will keep Jeff guessing about what he is doing and may hurry Jeff along a bit. It also makes it impossible for Lance to know what exactly Jeff is doing until/and if Jeff connects with him down the trail. Obviously, at this point, Lance is trying to avoid a connection! Both teams appear very strong and healthy.

The trail along the Yukon has been soft and slow, not unusual for this section of the race when the temperatures are moderate. Jeff did call from Nulato yesterday just and hour before he pulled the hook. He said that the dogs were bored with the slow trail and with "nothing to look at" on the long, wide river. He is still thrilled with their appetites and was worried he had overfed Adidas on the
trail going into Nulato. She ran sluggish after a meal but perked up as they rested in the checkpoint. He sounded very focused and alert and called, I believe, to distract himself from leaving. "I got up to get ready to leave, but I'm an hour early." he said. He was sitting on his hands, so to speak, as he waited to leave.

I believe that Unalakleet got an inch or two of fresh snow, which will slow the trail a bit. The temperatures are forecasted to drop a bit (10 degrees at night in UNK) which will be a great gift to the dogs and mushers. Overall, the trail has been good on average and would certainly not be anywhere close to a bad-trail-year.

At this point, Jeff and the team are just over 3 hours behind his pace from 2006. He took 12 hours from Kaltag to Unalakleet that year. That would indicate a 2 hour rest on the trail at Old Woman Cabin. It is not unusual for teams to make this reported 90 mile run straight through in as little as 9 hours. Either way, we will likely not see a team into this first coastal village before noon today. As the teams arrive in Unalakleet we will get a very clear picture of how this race may play out. Once the frontrunners leave this checkpoint, it is just over 2 days to the finish line.

A correction from my report yesterday.... I believe it had to have been in 1996 when Jeff did the Yukon run in two segments. In 1993 they ran the southern route.

Donna: Day 6

2008-03-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

The Yukon River will be a defining factor in this year's race. We can already see the drama unfolding before us as the teams come off their 8 hour breaks in Ruby. Ruby is a popular spot to take this mandatory stop because of the long trail from Ophir, through Cripple, to hit this first village on the river.

All reports about Jeff and our team from Ruby sounded awesome. Their run time into Galena last night was strong and indicates more speed available than Lance had on his run on the same trail. (The mystery is how did Paul do it in half the time? Inflatable wings???). I believe it was in 1993 when Jeff boldly did the run down the Yukon, from Ruby to Kaltag, in only two runs. I don't believe it had been done before... or at least not successfully. That move positioned him for his first Iditarod win. We see that Lance appears to be making the same dynamic attempt to put more time between himself and the teams in the chase. Exciting!

The stats now will give us a very clear idea of the strength of each of the teams. In addition, we will not see such variable run/rest schedules amongst the teams which will also making it easier for us spectators to follow the race progression more accurately. We can now finally put our calculators away and watch.

I have to comment on the fact that Jeff left Galena with 16 dogs. It really is almost unbelievable! I know that is totally thrilled about it!
Ed Iten also has a team of 16. Very cool!!

If I had to choose a position to be in at this point in the race, I would choose exactly where Jeff is.... well, maybe a tad closer to Lance! There is a lot of pressure being in the lead of such a powerful event, always looking over your shoulder, especially when you have such strong teams hot on your heels. We know that Lance is undoubtedly up for the job, but Jeff has a very together team at this point and I am sure the Lance can feel the heat. If Jeff's team can consistently run faster than Lance's, then within a few runs they will have made up the time differential without having to make too rash a move.

Time will tell....

Donna: Day 5 - Part 2!!

2008-03-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

I just spoke with Jeff from Ruby. He and the dogs were already fed and, after working on their feet, he was headed in for a nap. Though he didn't say it, I'm sure that he is taking his 8-hour break there.

He has taken to calling his team "Fine China". He admitted that he is amazingly happy with them overall. They are all sound, carrying the correct weight and (every musher's dream) their stools are firm "just like in the yard at home". He has been feeding out a full cooler of food on every run. He said that when he stops on the trail, the team starts turning back to the sled in "attack mode". He has to rush out in front with the chow to avoid a big tangle. Bronte and Kilarney, along with others, were barking to leave Cripple last night/this morning. The team has a lot of energy left, so much so that every time they see something along the trail that interests them, they bolt like a Fur Rendezvous (the big sprint race held in Anchorage in February) team. They did just that in the last mile or so coming into Ruby when they saw a cameraman hiding in the brush.
Angus is having a great race. "Jon's dogs are all studs" was Jeff's report. Dublin is also a "stud" but not much fun. He is like a hard- pulling robot. The Vets hate him because he bites! (Not a typical behavior here at home but many dogs do become wired when racing and getting poked by Vets can be a nuisance....). Deets (from the Lonesome Dove litter, brother Call is also in the team) has fulfilled Jeff's expectations of being tireless. He loves to lead and is perfect gee/haw. Deets and Dickens made a brilliant trail decision this morning on a winding trail where Jeff couldn't see what was happening around the corner up ahead. They made the correct choice of trails on their own avoiding a deep area of overflow.

I told Jeff how cool it was to see him leave Cripple with 16 dogs.
"Well, I'll be leaving Ruby with 16." he replied.

Donna: Day 5

2008-03-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Wow! Jeff left Cripple with 16 dogs! That is a first for him and historically rare, at best, for a front-running team in the Iditarod.

As I was periodically checking the Tracker and watching Jeff and his team approach the checkpoint of Cripple yesterday, I got a phone call. Amongst static and delay I heard dogs barking and screaming.

"Do you hear that?" the caller asked, "That's your man. He just arrived in Cripple 5 seconds ago. The team looks FANTASTIC and Jeff is even smiling!"

It was the Iditarod Race Marshall, Mark Nordman.

"I had to test out this sat. phone to see if it was working." he added.

What an incredible treat! That few second sound bite was a perfect
and priceless report from the trail on how the dogs are doing.
Awesome.

Having just completed the first half of this 1000 mile event, the teams are now positioned for the challenge. I lament that Hans Gatt and Rick Swenson are not carrying locator beacons. Those two fellows are having a great race and, I'll tell you, Rick is scary! He is the
quintessential dog man and knows the race like the back of his hand.
They both took probably a 6 hour break on the trail into Cripple and are likely running straight to Ruby. There will be a bunch of great teams in Ruby only minutes apart.

Ruby is a popular spot for the teams to take their mandatory 8 hour break. By the rules, it must be taken at one of the Yukon River checkpoints (Ruby, Galena, Nulato or Kaltag). I honestly don't have a clue why this rule is in place. Most would stop nearly that long anyway. I'll have to do some background checking on this one. Jeff will most likely be choosing this beautiful Yukon River village for his second mandatory break. He should be arriving at a great time this morning to leave at the perfect time this afternoon to be back on his preferred schedule. You may have noted that he did a couple of things this past 24 hours that go generally against his prescribed run-rest schedule. Sometimes that is necessary for the correct placement of runs further down the trail.

Ruby is also the place to get the 8 course meal prepared in situ by a Master Chef and the $5000 awarded by the incredible Millennium Hotel. It looks like Lance will be eating well this morning! I'm sure that Tonya is happy about that. They will get to enjoy that same meal and a romantic evening at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage some time after the race. (Thanks, Max!!)

Included in Jeff's team this year are five wonderful dogs owned by Jon and Bree Little. Lobben, Adidas, Guiness, Solomon and Braeburn came to Husky Homestead to live with us last summer. With Jon's wonderful and growing family and his commitment to his writing, he
had decided to not field a team of his own in this year's Iditarod.
What an honor to be offered the opportunity to work with such wonderful athletes. Jon and Bree have done a fantastic job with their blossoming kennel. There are a few other teams in this year's race that have some of their dogs as well.

I may get a call from Ruby today. I'll fill you in tomorrow.....

Carrie: The Team!

2008-03-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much for all of the e-mails that you have been sending! Along with the posts that you've made on the blog - we know that you're checking in just as much as we are!

Quite a few of you have written wanting to know what dogs made the final cut for the team. So here you are - the final 16:

Adidas
Angus
Berkeley
Braeburn
Bronte
Call
Charles
Deets
Dickens
Dublin
Guiness
Kilarney
Lobben
Solomon
Sussex
UConn

More soon! -Carrie

Donna: Day 4

2008-03-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

The race will get lively now that teams are leaving their 24's behind and settling into the race ahead. It will become a bit clearer to us bleary-eyed computer addicts what is actually happening on the trail.

A note about the 24's (as we watch more teams going farther down the trail each year); when Jeff won the Iditarod in 1993, he took his 24 in Takotna. At that time it was the farthest down the trail that a team had successfully completed the break and gone on to win the race. The trend now is to continue down the trail to the half-way point and beyond. I believe that the increased knowledge of dog care and maintenance in addition to the knowledge being acquired every year on the amazing capabilities and potential of a well-managed team
of Alaskan Huskies has produced strong competitive dogs and teams.
Each team must make the decision based on the needs of the entire team at that point in the race.

As I wait from news from Ophir, I will recap a bit of my conversations with Jeff from his 24 hour break in Takotna:
Overall, Jeff was relaxed and very content with all that had happened in his race so far. He is thrilled with the appetite of the entire team in addition to the overall soundness of every single dog. He said that he has never had a better team at this point in the race, also noting that he has also never seen the depth of great teams around him either. Kilarney (from the Irish litter named after Cali spent a semester in Galway, brother Dublin in also in the team)
is "nearly spectacular", going way too fast and trying way too hard. The rest of the team is not ready for her. Neither are they ready for Berkeley (from the litter of colleges, brother UConn is also in the team) to be at the helm. Jeff described her as a "devil woman" the first few days of the race; screaming and charging ahead. He is glad they stopped in Takotna so that she can back off a bit. She is working way too hard. The team was moving so fast in the Burn that Dickens couldn't keep up comfortably so he gave her a three hour ride into Nikolai and was then later able to put her back into lead and she lead the team into Takotna. Sussex (from the litter born to superstar, Spaniel, and named for types of spaniels, brother Charles in also in the team) had been brilliant, steady, easy and steers beautifully. He said that he has never had more dogs willing to lead and do what they are doing now. The team's performance has solidified. He personally has not been cold at all and is enjoying the warm temperatures. In Takotna, the dogs have been very alert and eating really well. Bronte and Dickens (from the famous authors litter) were loose yesterday and visiting spectators, rubbing up against them like cats begging for butt-scratches. Seeing the team leave this morning on the Insider tells it all.

A couple of surprises from behind this morning! Hans Gatt and Rick Swenson are off their 24's and right with the front of the pack.
Lance's team benefitted well from the rest and appears to be ready to roll in style again this morning. The temperatures are reported to stay in the 20's and 30's for the next few days.

So, my best guess is that most of the teams now coming off their 24's will run straight to Cripple and 8 hour there. It depends on how slow the trail is. If Jeff ran straight through that would have them running through the afternoon, something he tries to avoid. So, we'll see what happens next!

Donna: Day 3

2008-03-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

Don't be getting too excited yet. There is a lot of race trail left before the burled arch in Nome!

Reports on Jeff and his team from the checkpoints are all very positive. They are now most likely tucked snugly into the friendly village of Takotna enjoying their 24 hour (actually more like 26 hours and 40 minutes) break. Jeff has established close friends in Takotna, the village known to "put on the dog" for the mushers and teams. This is a tough spot for Jeff to go through without stopping for a while. Prior to the race, he had two choices of 24 hour break checkpoints, Takotna (at the top of his list) and Ruby (also one of his favorite spots along the trail). There are already a few teams positioning themselves to break at checkpoints farther down the route. Many will be comfortably resting in McGrath and Nikolai. Where each team chooses to take this long, mandatory break can have a significant affect on the team's performance. Taken too early or too late you can miss the opportunity to maximize the benefits of the rest. A well-timed, long rest such as this one can fuel the tanks and act like jet propulsion for the team.

As you may know, this long break is also where the time differential from the staggered start times is equalized. That is why each team will have a different length of time for this mandatory stop. Once the teams have completed this break, it becomes much easier to follow the race with a clearer vision of what is actually transpiring on the trail. In 2006, Paul Gebhardt stunned us all by going all the way to Galena to take his 24 hour break. He did a brilliant job and finished well that year.

A few observations:

Rick Swenson's team looked awesome coming into Nikolai (as viewed on the Insider). This could be a great year for him. The first SIX time winner?

There may be a chink in Lance's armor. It appears that he is struggling to find strong leadership in the team. Not an easy feat with a team of this caliber. It is a rare dog that can lead a large team that is traveling at these speeds for long. A same dog that is challenged to lead at these speeds can easily run back in the team at the same speed (or faster). It is the mental pressure of running in front of a powerful and speedy bunch that can become daunting. Sometimes simply slowing the team down a couple of miles per hour will solve this challenge, but that is not always an easy thing to accomplish when the team overall has the speed and drive.

Mitch is posting fantastic run times and will be fun to watch as his race unfolds. He is taking his long break farther down the trail.

Kjetil and his team sound strong and appear to be moving very well. Again, another team to watch carefully.

And, of course, Paul's team has been looking very good in the video clips. Yet again, another experienced and savvy driver with a great dog team.

Being the first team down the trail may have some disadvantages (or advantages) if the weather creates trail challenges. Too much snow will slow the frontrunners down as they break trail. In addition, teams generally travel faster when they know they are chasing another team or teams. If however, a team gets far enough down the trail before the weather changes the trail surface, they could get a "jump" on the rest of the pack. Mother Nature always has her fingers in this exciting race!

I heard that the Discovery Channel's helicopter which is following Rachel Scdoris and Joe Runyan on the Iditarod (owned by Tony Ony) went down in the Dalzell Gorge. Everyone walked away from it and they all are fine but the $800,000 helicopter and $50,000 worth of camera gear and equipment are teetering on a cliff and they aren't sure how to salvage it.

I look forward to getting a call from Jeff with the low down on each of the dogs, the trail, etc. There is lots going on here today so I hope (if you are reading this, Jeff) that he is persistent! Tomorrow's blog will include plenty of detail from the trail.....

Donna: Day 2

2008-03-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that 48 hours hasn't even passed since the teams left Willow on Sunday. Already they seem so far into the race. For Jeff and many of the frontrunners, the worst of the trail is now behind them. They can breath a little easier and focus on the trail ahead. Many have left the checkpoint of Rohn and are negotiating the trail through The Burn, an area that was devastated by forest fire in the 80's creating a large section of trail that is unprotected by trees. The wind blows relentlessly in this area making it difficult for any snow to take hold. These wind-blown sections of trail can be difficult to negotiate by presenting challenges including gravel, dirt and tussocks. The dogs generally have no problem making their way down the trail, but the musher and sled tend to absorb the rough and tumble of the surface. Each team is allowed to send out a second sled along the trail and many choose to send their replacement to McGrath. This second sled can be of a lighter build than the bomb-proof variety needed to travel the Alaska Range. Having a replacement sled also alleviates the need to spend time repairing the old one that has been damaged by the rough trail.

The trail so far this year appears to be very good; hard and fast. The run times and the large teams indicate a good trail surface. The warmer temperatures are also in favor of the dogs and mushers alike. Maintaining the weight and hydration of all involved is much easier at these moderate temperatures.

Our friend, Rod Keift, was in the Rainy Pass checkpoint yesterday while Jeff and his team were there resting. Rob reported that Jeff was in great spirits and the dogs looked great, eating well and comfortable. It was overcast and snowing. The Iditarod website is also predicting some weather ahead which potentially shakes things up a bit depending on how it affects the trail surface. Jeff is about an hour and a half ahead of his schedule from the 2006 race at this point.

One of the significant findings from Rod's report is that, disappointingly, the mileages and checkpoint locations on the Live Tracker are inaccurate. If you were avidly following the stats and Tracker yesterday, you would have guessed that Jeff and the team were rested 10 miles past the Rainy Pass checkpoint. They actually rested in the checkpoint. I believe that the Tracker information is likely to be consistent when reporting the relative location of musher to musher, but the mileages and relationship to the checkpoints is inaccurate. Ah, well, valiant effort. I suspect that distance between the GPS points is calculated "as the crow flies" and the actual trail miles are significantly longer. I'm sure that some very smart and diligent person will eventually work that all out for next year!

I will refrain from making any grandiose race predictions or revelations at this point. It is simply too early to do so. The only significant reports would be of some substantial bad luck that would alter someone's entire race. Jeff always says that the only good luck he ever needs or wants is the absence of bad luck. At this point there are many strong looking teams driven by many strong and experienced mushers. It will be a great race!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Jason, Dave, Jennifer and Carrie are keeping life going between checking the stats and watching the Iditarod Insider. Dave has taken his job of training the All Alaska Sweepstakes team very seriously and will be "focused on the task" for the next two weeks. It is warm and sunny, a brilliant spring day.

For the best updates check out: www.iditarod.com.