My New Ski Dog

Well I have always like malamutes as ski dogs. Functionally they are well built for the role. Rocket is fading so he can only go on the simpler stuff. Jago (Babe) blew her ACL in December so she is out. When I had a four day, 38 mile ski tour from Forest Service Cabin to Forest Service cabin I enlisted Valley's help to be the new ski dog. From the trailhead at the start all the way to the end she was my new ski dog. She did great. She ran ahead to have fun, then either ran back to check on me or sat and waited to make sure I was coming along. She threaded herself between skiers with pulks and would blast ahead into the lead. She was even polite enough to sit on the side of the trail and let dog teams go by. In the cabins she found her spot, and stayed there not bothering anybody.

Here are some pictures:








Yep she's my new ski dog. Took 6 years of training but it was well worth it.

Dos

Guess who had ACL surgery two months ago. The one pulling LOL.

That's a Dog!

Yesterday I was showing pictures to Nicki's grand niece Lauren. Lauren turns 3 in another month. When I showed her this picture, and said "This is Moose". Lauren said, "That's not a Moose, that's a dog!"


It was a great sunny day, this is like two weeks of sun without clouds. Valley seems to like it.


And here they are together.


Moose was adopted from a rescue in Logan Utah 6 years ago. Several years ago his owner asked me some questions about how to fit him with a harness on a website named telmarktips.com. She just moved to town and wanted to go skiing, so that we did. And we got to meet each other and each others malamutes. Seems like I must have given her good advice :)

Alumni V2

We were up in Fairbanks dropping a malamute off for foster care. Tom adopted Siku and Lady Lou several years ago. Both of them couldn't have found a better home.



That'd be Siku with his head turned, Lady lou looking at the camera, and Tom behind them in the skis. The Alaska Pipeline is behind them.

Family Affair

Well you know what they say, "Families that skijor together stay together."

Yesterday we were out skijoring together. I got behind Trek and Nicki was behind Rocket. Valley as you can see is leading the party.

Blast Off!

We continue working Valley into a great backcountry malamute, and this weekend we took her out on her very own into a new spot. It was a bit of a struggle to get her away from the trailhead, she also followed behind until lunch break. but once loose she became her old self again :)

First the scenery pose:


Blast Off! she takes off running...


Pouring it on!


Landing


Only to take off again




To Cool down.


What a great day to share with Valley.

Alumni

Every once in a while I get to see some of my alumni I've adopted out. This weekend we were skiing in Turnagain Pass at a place known as Eddies.

Roxy (B&W) I adopted out 5 years ago, Takotna (R&W) a couple of months ago.


Roxy looking pretty.


Takotna looking pretty.






Of course they love it when they can give chase, and we love it when we can ski in powder.


I have to admit, I love the alumni who are powderhounds. That'd be Roxy and Takotna.

Paybacks are not hell

Paybacks aren't always hell. Hell they are sometimes fun. When Takotna was adopted out I told the adopter, I'll take you back country skiing. Today was payback times.

Takotna on the way out on the trail,after finding a great spot to take a break.


She's waiting for us to catch up to her. At a little over one, she has all the energy in the world. 8 or 10 inches of powder doesn't slow her down.


Valley was along.


After skiing out we returned and did some telemark turns. Looks like Takotna is having fun.

What goes up....


Must Come Down.


Takotna can even surf.


and comes up smiling.


After a day like this, you know what they say?
"If the FunDogs are Happy, so are the FunHogs."

Trek!

Trek has been in our home now for about 6 weeks. He came in terrified of men and when I picked him up to put him in the rig he peed all over us. Poor guy, but he loves Nicki.




and he loves to skijor. Here he is running with Rocket. Looking pretty happy he is.


Running along side Valley:







We've been taking him to the same spot over and over again. Shy dogs learn from repetition and consistency. Its the main way they learn to trust. It must be working, because when we come out with the harness, he plants himself next to Nicki :)

Happy Howl-i-days

We are wishing the visitors to the blog the happiest holiday season, and a year full of healthy adventures.

Spiritwalker

We went out for a little tour Saturday ending up on Spiritwalker near Summit Lake. It was a great day, with some sunshine and warmer temps up high. We lucked out and the skin track was set too, which made it easy on the dogs.

We skied up to and down the knob along the ridge behind Valley. It was a great powder day with 12 or 16 inches of powder on a hard rain crust. You can see why I was excited the dogs had a trail to charge up the hill on.


On our way down we had good views up Mills Creek before it clouded up.

Just how does he do it?

Just how does a guy let 3 malamutes off leash in a half million acre state park and then retrieve them at the end of the day?

35th Annual

Today marks the 35th annual ski on Thanksgiving Day. I started back in college and I am still going. I remember bumping into Will Putman someplace in Fairbanks sometime after I arrived and we skied at his house for years. I remember a memorable ski up from my place in Fairbanks near the Old Nenana and Henderson Road up to the top of Ester Dome. But most of all I remember having a dinner afterwards with friends and being thankful for all the happiness of the day.

It was a great day, we had a big storm blow through that brought rain, high winds and lots of warmth. We almost lost our snow pack. Today we woke up to 4 inches of wet snow. After breakfast we put it to good use. :) Its still snowing now, so far the storm total is about 10 inches. I suppose it'll go all night.

After the storm earlier in the week, this is plenty to be thankful for.

Ice Dancing

When we go cross country skiing we go cross country. This means we don't always have a trail and we have to make our own. Sometimes there are stream crossings.


This doesn't seem like such a big deal until you check out Nicki's face in the picture. This is a closeup. Click the picture to get a close up.


Look at her face out on the ice.


A little happier to have made it across. (This is actually the 2nd stream crossing :) )


Jago (Babe) decided to she wanted more of an adventure so she walked up and down the stream on the ice.


Valley on the first crossing.


The dogs walk on ice gingerly, very careful indeed. They go right across though.

These stream crossings are really "pretty small potatoes" since they are so small. Its early in the season, so we have to make sure the ice is strong enough, but that's my job :)

Best Buds

Valley and Rocket are best buddies. They often sleep next to each other, however if Rocket touches Valley when she is sleeping WatchOut! She comes out of a dead sleep to snarl and bark at him.


These two girls are ok with each other. Valley would like to be Jago's friend but Jago isn't that into it. Jago might be if Valley would give her all her food but I don't think that's going to happen. What malamute gives up their food?


When I ask Valley if she wants off leash, she comes up to me tentatively, I reach over and let her off. I don't ever think she has ever said, "Not now, I am comfortable the way I am." Its nice to let them off and let them run. They love it, naturally. And its been a great confidence booster for Valley. Today she pulled for the first time ever while breaking trail.