Ok, since I'm slowly changing our kennel name and things back, that means that I've also had to start a new blog! So, here's the link to that one. I'll begin posting there, as I build the new site. Bear with me during the "construction" please!! Thanks!
http://RogueSummitKennel.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Training report
Training goes forward, with the A team about ready to jump up in miles. We like to do a couple of hard runs, with the dogs pulling the wheeler the whole way without help. When they come in looking good, then we up the mileage by a few miles. We alternate between hard, pulling runs and interval runs, where they speed up, then slow down, then pull hard, then run along. All of these are important for conditioning and muscling the dogs. Too much heavy work, and the dogs bulk up, slowing them down. Too much speed work, and the dogs don't build the muscles/endurance they need for the hill work or hard pulling they will see on races. It's imperative that the musher try to present every possible scenario that the team will see on a race; that way, the dogs (and musher!) are prepared for what's to come.
Manny has been rotating leaders in and out on each run. Yesterday, Dusk and Just took a turn in lead, working well and pulling hard together. Today, the B team goes out and I think he's planning on running Dutchess with Munchkin, or Riley, or Torus, or ? ? ? I'll find out later. ;o) Next run for the A team (if there's time today), he wants to put Sunshine in lead to see how he'll do. He was super slow last year, compared to our other leaders...so we'll see. Sunshine handles any speed in the team but tends to slow down in lead. Weird, but true. Temps are about 37F today...pretty warm. So, I imagine that the B team will be S-L-O-W. However, our trails have been groomed by our local sprint musher (Thanks, Mike!), so the dogs will now be running on hard, fast trail. Good training all around.
We've been discussing our kennel name and have decided to revert back to our original name, "Rogue Summit Kennel". We changed it upon moving to Alaska/Two Rivers...as there weren't any "summits" close-by. Our name derived from one of our first huskies, a beautiful red & white siberian named Rogue. He was a fantastic dog, a good friend and a good sled dog. Sadly, he passed away on the operating table, after a routine surgery. It broke our hearts, as Rogue was like one of our children. So, due to the combination of losing our guy and moving from the Bitteroot Mountains to Two Rivers, Alaska; we changed to Running Swift Kennel. However, now we've started seeing are a LOT of kennels with the "Running" theme. Also, we'd like to remember our good buddy, Rogue and at times, we feel like "rogues" ourselves. ;o) So, I'll slowly be switching our kennel name back to the original "Rogue Summit". Bear with me though...there are a lot of places where I'll need to change it!
-Tammi
Manny has been rotating leaders in and out on each run. Yesterday, Dusk and Just took a turn in lead, working well and pulling hard together. Today, the B team goes out and I think he's planning on running Dutchess with Munchkin, or Riley, or Torus, or ? ? ? I'll find out later. ;o) Next run for the A team (if there's time today), he wants to put Sunshine in lead to see how he'll do. He was super slow last year, compared to our other leaders...so we'll see. Sunshine handles any speed in the team but tends to slow down in lead. Weird, but true. Temps are about 37F today...pretty warm. So, I imagine that the B team will be S-L-O-W. However, our trails have been groomed by our local sprint musher (Thanks, Mike!), so the dogs will now be running on hard, fast trail. Good training all around.
We've been discussing our kennel name and have decided to revert back to our original name, "Rogue Summit Kennel". We changed it upon moving to Alaska/Two Rivers...as there weren't any "summits" close-by. Our name derived from one of our first huskies, a beautiful red & white siberian named Rogue. He was a fantastic dog, a good friend and a good sled dog. Sadly, he passed away on the operating table, after a routine surgery. It broke our hearts, as Rogue was like one of our children. So, due to the combination of losing our guy and moving from the Bitteroot Mountains to Two Rivers, Alaska; we changed to Running Swift Kennel. However, now we've started seeing are a LOT of kennels with the "Running" theme. Also, we'd like to remember our good buddy, Rogue and at times, we feel like "rogues" ourselves. ;o) So, I'll slowly be switching our kennel name back to the original "Rogue Summit". Bear with me though...there are a lot of places where I'll need to change it!
-Tammi
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fox Hats and Beaver Hats
Devlyn wanted to model my new Red Fox hat. Nice, eh? I was being a total girl when I got it!
Here's Conor wearing his brother's beaver hat. He wanted to try on a fur hat, too!Winter Time
There is just something to the great Northland. Man is it pretty out there! When I walked outside in the early morning hours, the luminous moon shed its silvery light across the newly fallen snow. The hush in the air excited me...like the Earth was holding her breath in anticipation of a new day, like that first present on Christmas morn. I started the car to warm it before my trek to town and headed back to the porch. As I gazed up, I was thrilled to see the starburst pattern of a few buds of the aurora, opening up into ribbons that spread across the sky. No matter how long I'll live, I'll never get over the wonder and beauty of watching the Northern Lights as they perform their ballet across that indigo stage. Breathtaking! Aww...it's a good day to be alive and living in the North.
Training is going well. The dogs are getting conditioned for the upcoming season, hard pulling; but, great for them. The trails have about 9 inches of mushy snow, like porridge and the warm temps make it hot for the furrier huskies in the team. Flashbacks to the Cantwell Classic!! Ha ha ha! However, it's great to get some trail breaking in and get the dogs used to soft, punchy trails. Then, we'll just need to alternate between those and the hard, fast trails to prevent injuries this year. All in all, things are looking good. Zen & Feather led the team for today's run, even though both girls have been giving Manny fits. Guess they figured out that their girly antics weren't going to work....that Manny was going to make them lead regardless of a heat cycle or not. Both girls led wonderfully, not giving Manny a single problem today. In fact, even with the soft trails, Manny said that the dogs really picked up on the run, doing even the rough section of trail faster than normal. Right on!! :o) These veteran dogs never cease to amaze me.
Training is going well. The dogs are getting conditioned for the upcoming season, hard pulling; but, great for them. The trails have about 9 inches of mushy snow, like porridge and the warm temps make it hot for the furrier huskies in the team. Flashbacks to the Cantwell Classic!! Ha ha ha! However, it's great to get some trail breaking in and get the dogs used to soft, punchy trails. Then, we'll just need to alternate between those and the hard, fast trails to prevent injuries this year. All in all, things are looking good. Zen & Feather led the team for today's run, even though both girls have been giving Manny fits. Guess they figured out that their girly antics weren't going to work....that Manny was going to make them lead regardless of a heat cycle or not. Both girls led wonderfully, not giving Manny a single problem today. In fact, even with the soft trails, Manny said that the dogs really picked up on the run, doing even the rough section of trail faster than normal. Right on!! :o) These veteran dogs never cease to amaze me.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
ADMA Symposium 2007
The Symposium was a LOT of fun this year! I was pretty much camped out there, though a few club members were great and took a turn or two at the TRDMA table. We had several memberships, a few folks got race packets for either the Solstice, the Two Rivers 200 or both and we sold several t-shirts. All in all, a good weekend. Oh, and we sold the Arctic Oven tent within the first hour! Too cool.
I had a great time at the Quest Birthday party, as well as the ADMA auction on Saturday night. Got to catch up with lots of friends all weekend. I had to give Gerry my usual ration of "Scheiße" (hope I spelled that right, Gerry). ;o) Just kidding! It's always fun to joke around and talk with Gerry. It was great to see Laura & Tamra, as well as Sebastian, Hans and many others. It was also fun to catch up with local friends, such as Aliy & Allan, Lance, Benedikt, Jessica & Tom, Judy & Devan, most of whom I only see on the trails in passing, or on races. It's funny, because a lot of us live within a 10 mile radius of each other. Such as Jessica and Tom...we live just 2 miles from them and we all run the same trails...yet we usually only talk at length at Symposium or at local races. I guess we're all just too busy working/running dogs.
Oooo...I have to share a great deal I got this weekend! Ever since my beaver hat got washed (don't ask!), I've needed a new fur hat. But, I just got by with a rabbit fur hat. That worked fine, until I was on the Quest trail and it got soaking wet with condensation. So, there I was, just 2 tables down from Julie Collins's table, with all of her beautiful furs, hats, mitts, etc. I couldn't take it anymore, and decided that it was past time for me to have a new hat. I looked through them all, and I loved the wolf and marten. But talking with Julie, I wanted something durable, yet warm. I've always had beaver hats, so of course I looked at that. Quite beautiful, but a tad big on me. I could've lived with that though, and just put my hair in a ponytail. But then, I tried on the red fox. It was so SOFT and luxurious! Truly beautiful. I couldn't decide at all, so I asked Julie. She suggested the fox...and even gave me a bit of a break on it...so how could I say no? I LOVE it! I have to admit that I was being a "Girl"...because it's really pretty, looks good on me (a plus) and even matches my parka and sled bag! Ha ha ha! Then, I had to show it off. I was like a little kid, giddy with excitement. But, I rarely splurge on myself...it's always for the boys or my hubby. This was just for me, and I felt a bit sinful getting the hat. But, I really did need a new fur hat. ;o) I'll post pics up later...I'm off to bed. The weekend was fun to visit, but I'm beat! Laters.....
-Tammi
I had a great time at the Quest Birthday party, as well as the ADMA auction on Saturday night. Got to catch up with lots of friends all weekend. I had to give Gerry my usual ration of "Scheiße" (hope I spelled that right, Gerry). ;o) Just kidding! It's always fun to joke around and talk with Gerry. It was great to see Laura & Tamra, as well as Sebastian, Hans and many others. It was also fun to catch up with local friends, such as Aliy & Allan, Lance, Benedikt, Jessica & Tom, Judy & Devan, most of whom I only see on the trails in passing, or on races. It's funny, because a lot of us live within a 10 mile radius of each other. Such as Jessica and Tom...we live just 2 miles from them and we all run the same trails...yet we usually only talk at length at Symposium or at local races. I guess we're all just too busy working/running dogs.
Oooo...I have to share a great deal I got this weekend! Ever since my beaver hat got washed (don't ask!), I've needed a new fur hat. But, I just got by with a rabbit fur hat. That worked fine, until I was on the Quest trail and it got soaking wet with condensation. So, there I was, just 2 tables down from Julie Collins's table, with all of her beautiful furs, hats, mitts, etc. I couldn't take it anymore, and decided that it was past time for me to have a new hat. I looked through them all, and I loved the wolf and marten. But talking with Julie, I wanted something durable, yet warm. I've always had beaver hats, so of course I looked at that. Quite beautiful, but a tad big on me. I could've lived with that though, and just put my hair in a ponytail. But then, I tried on the red fox. It was so SOFT and luxurious! Truly beautiful. I couldn't decide at all, so I asked Julie. She suggested the fox...and even gave me a bit of a break on it...so how could I say no? I LOVE it! I have to admit that I was being a "Girl"...because it's really pretty, looks good on me (a plus) and even matches my parka and sled bag! Ha ha ha! Then, I had to show it off. I was like a little kid, giddy with excitement. But, I rarely splurge on myself...it's always for the boys or my hubby. This was just for me, and I felt a bit sinful getting the hat. But, I really did need a new fur hat. ;o) I'll post pics up later...I'm off to bed. The weekend was fun to visit, but I'm beat! Laters.....
-Tammi
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Crossing Eagle
There's Dusk there on the right, leading over Eagle Summit for Eric Butcher in 2006. Immediately behind Dusk is Torus, and Rocket is back there by the sled, the dark dog with his tail up. I'll be glad to have these three veterans with me, when we run the 08 Quest 300 this season! It's coming!Truckin' Along with Chevy
Chevy is doing so well with us! We originally bought Chevy from Gerry to be a wheel dog with our A team. We really need a wheel dog to match Inu, who works hard and really does well "steering" the sled. But, Zen, one of our main leaders has come into heat. She wasn't taking commands and wouldn't take the turns Manny wanted her to take (he went longer with the team, requiring them to take a different trail). So, he took her out of lead and put Chevy in lead with Dusk. He said those boys took every single command without question! How exciting!!! He said that he really thinks Chevy could be a very nice leader. Right on!
Now, we're working on expanding the horse paddock, well...Manny, Jimmy & Devlyn are right at this moment. ;o) A really nice Percheron/Quarterhorse gelding named Sampson, needs a new home. He's a well trained horse, who has been ridden and packed all over Alaska. He's also a dynamite kid's horse! He's big...bigger than Bismark, but a very nice gentleman. Therefore, we really had to make the pen MUCH bigger to accomodate this guy. We hope to be done by tomorrow, so that we can bring Sampson home. Lots of things happening. It always seems like there's more and more work to do. Ho hum. And Manny is STILL working! We are ready for him to be done for the winter, as the dogs are running nicely and we need to concentrate on them full time at this point. We have several races that we want to do this year, so it's definitely time to 'get cracking'. Here's the run-down for this season: Solstice 100 (Manny), Cantwell Classic 200 (Tammi), Don Bowers 300 (Manny), Yukon Quest 300 (Tammi), and the Chatanika 200 (Manny). As you can see, we have a full schedule! Good thing we have 28 dogs in training right now! And, I'm comfortable saying we have about 22-24 dogs capable of racing. Excellent!
Well, I'm off to help haul logs and put up rails. Have a great day everyone!
-Tammi
Now, we're working on expanding the horse paddock, well...Manny, Jimmy & Devlyn are right at this moment. ;o) A really nice Percheron/Quarterhorse gelding named Sampson, needs a new home. He's a well trained horse, who has been ridden and packed all over Alaska. He's also a dynamite kid's horse! He's big...bigger than Bismark, but a very nice gentleman. Therefore, we really had to make the pen MUCH bigger to accomodate this guy. We hope to be done by tomorrow, so that we can bring Sampson home. Lots of things happening. It always seems like there's more and more work to do. Ho hum. And Manny is STILL working! We are ready for him to be done for the winter, as the dogs are running nicely and we need to concentrate on them full time at this point. We have several races that we want to do this year, so it's definitely time to 'get cracking'. Here's the run-down for this season: Solstice 100 (Manny), Cantwell Classic 200 (Tammi), Don Bowers 300 (Manny), Yukon Quest 300 (Tammi), and the Chatanika 200 (Manny). As you can see, we have a full schedule! Good thing we have 28 dogs in training right now! And, I'm comfortable saying we have about 22-24 dogs capable of racing. Excellent!
Well, I'm off to help haul logs and put up rails. Have a great day everyone!
-Tammi
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