Rogue Summit Kennel

Peek-A-Boo

2008-06-21T00:58:00.001-07:00

Here's Druid, Peek-A-Boo & Bismark

Peek-A-Boo is a beautiful 7 yr old fjord/percheron mare, who came to us from Haines. Devlyn was so excited to finally get her, as she's for him. Peek was raised/trained in 4H and was a child's horse. She has some ground manners to work on, as she's been pretty much a pasture buddy for a few years. However, she is truly a pretty girl. Now that I've finished up the last course I needed for my master's degree (Wahoo!), we'll have more time for riding. Can't wait to hit those trails!

2008-06-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

Lady, our mini long-haired dachsund

Jaeger, our Great Dane, chilling out with Radar on the left

Fun on Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a great picture of the boys up on the Firebreak Trail

Here's Devlyn and Druid. Devlyn was brushing Dru down because he said he's practicing for when he gets his own horse, Peek-A-Boo next week.

Devlyn and Conor "steering" the ship.

We're having fun and enjoying the sping/summer. It's been raining a bit pretty much every day, so we're squeezing fun in between showers. We went atving yesterday and had a blast. Jaeger and Monty went with us, though both ended up having to hitch a ride on the atvs (yes, big ole' Jaeger rode...how you ask? VERY carefully!). It was gorgeous out on the Firebreak trail, with fantastic views of the White Mountains. Next week, we will be getting Devlyn's new horse, Peek. Peek is a gorgeous 7yr old fjord mare from Haines, Alaska. We can't wait to get her home, because then Devlyn and I will be able to go for rides together this summer.

Well, we're off. Lots to do. Have a great day!
-Tamz

Were you a Rogue Today?

Lots a goin' on!

2008-05-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I last posted. Its really crazy how busy I got as spring arrived. Just when you'd think things would be winding down, they started hopping! Not only did we have the Valley Funale to plan/pull off, but there was testing week at all of our area schools (April), then I was running around doing fundraisers for the Hutchison Junior Class (we had a great raffle thanks to the donation of a limited edition BMX bike from one of our caring parents). During that time, we were planning Prom, with me running from here to there getting decorations and last minute details worked out. Along with all of that, we still had to sell the tickets...little did I know the amount of paperwork that goes with that! Sheesh! Once Prom was finished, the end of the year was upon us and all of the busyness that goes along with that. Can you say, graduation?!? I'm definitely not looking forward to that next year. But, at least we're already planning.

Summer is now here and does it find us slowing down? Heck no! Now, we're working with the horses, getting ready to start the new corral in the next few days, as well as planning a trip to Haines to pick up the newest addition to our herd, Devlyn's new horse, Peek-A-Boo. On top of that, Devlyn is signed up for soccer, while I'm taking the last class I need for my Masters degree, as well as doing some sled dog/pet sitting duties all summer. I also plan on getting all of the rooms in the house painted and need to fix up the spare room upstairs, after pulling out the old carpet. We certainly don't have time to sit on our proverbial laurels around here, that's for sure. ;o)

So, bear with me if my posts are few and far between, because we'll be out enjoying the summer. Cheers!

-Were you a Rogue today?

Jeff's Passenger Race

2008-03-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

I convinced Jodi that we should go have some fun over at the ADMA race track last Wednesday, as the annual Passenger Race was happening. I haven't ever done a passenger race, so thought it would be a great thing to do with my best friend. Jodi & I haven't gotten to do a whole lot together this season, making this a perfect excuse to get together. A few of my guys picked up a bug from the Two Rivers 200, which meant that I really didn't want to take them down to the track just days before the ONAC....that wouldn't be very nice at all. So, I picked up Jodi and 10 of her dogs for the race. We pulled bib number 6 and our combined weight (with all that gear) allowed us to run up to 10 dogs. Good call on Jodi's part...I didn't think we'd be able to run more than 9. All that stinking gear is HEAVY!! So, we hooked up her team, I climbed in the sled and she unhooked the dogs. We didn't have any handlers at all and of course, her leaders tried to go out the "In" chute. Thank goodness that Barb Moore was there, as other folks kind of stood there, staring while Barb charged over, grabbed those leaders and pulled them to the start line. Thanks, Barb!! We took off and dang, but Jodi's dogs were flying! Lasher and Dru were beautiful up front, stretching out the whole team, moving fluidly. I couldn't watch much though, as little balls of ice were flying up from under the dogs' feet, smacking me in the face. Ouch! We ran fast around the track, no other team in sight. We stopped at the turnaround, threw our "bribes" to the turn-around judges (candy and a scented, plush Gingerbread girl) and Jodi practically tossed me out of the sled when the hook caught. I jumped on the runners, Jodi jumped into the basket and just as I reached down to pull the hook, Arleigh Reynold's team with his Quarterback passenger came around the turn. One of Arleigh's dogs ran right into my back, slamming me into the sled. I got up and off we went, following Arleigh. The trail was icy and Jodi's sled, with a lower handlebar than mine, was real squirrely (for me, anyway), sliding around the corners, threatening to tip at every turn. However, with Jodi's leaning and my crouching down, we managed all of the turns and curves just fine. All was well, until another team came up behind us, just before the 1 mile mark to the hall. The dogs passed fine...the sled; however, slammed into me, knocking me down. Jodi's dogs started pulling and for a moment, both teams were side by side. I was down on my knees, so I lunged forward, planting a knee on the brake until Jodi could plant the hook. I somehow managed to keep the sled upright and got it stopped. I do have a big ole' bruise for my troubles though. Talk about extreme mushing!! Sheesh!

We headed up the hill and lo and behold, there was Donna Thompson and Swanny, with his freighters. We caught them on the way in to the finish...and when I passed, there was my old man, Torus, leading Swanny's freighters, with Dutchess in swing. As I went by, I called to Torus "Come on, Torus! Let's go, Boy!" and to Dutchy "Hey Dutchess! Pick it up!" Those dogs just took off like a rocket, sticking to us for a stretch. It was really cool to see these guys pick it up for a valiant finish. I loved seeing Torus stretch out, with Dutchy just behind. Too Awesome! I really love both of those dogs and am extremely happy that Swanny is able to give them a job.

Jodi & I crossed the line with her team and got them to the truck. What a BLAST!!! We had so much fun out there....then, we heard that we'd come in 2nd!! Right on!!!! Wahoo! Jodi ran over and we hugged each other, laughing, not believing our ears. A 2nd place finish is WAY cool...especially with her dogs hauling my heavy bum around the course. And we found out that there was a tidy bit of money for the first few places. Bonus! What a way to end the day. :o) Jodi had to head to work, so I took all her fur kids home to their houses and dropped off her sled. This was so much fun, that we hope to do it again next season.

In other news, Rocket had his bottom fang extracted, along with the little tooth just behind it. Dr. O did a fantastic job, you wouldn't even know Rock-a-doodle had a problem. He's healing up very nicely. Thanks so much, Dr. O!! You are the BEST!!! The next gig is the Valley Funale, the last Saturday of March at Pleasant Valley Store. Manny will take the team and do the 10 dog, 25 mile class. It's always a fun way to end the race season. The kids will do the kiddy races...Conor will (maybe) run his first 1 dogger, while Devlyn will run in the 2 dog class again. An easter egg hunt, Hungry dog contest and a BBQ will round out the day, providing lots of fun for all. Come on out and join us!

-Were you a Rogue today?

08 Two Rivers 200, The Chatanika Challenge

2008-03-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

What a great race this is! Definitely a qualifier though...you won't find one much more technical, that's for sure. It was gorgeous the entire weekend...hot though. Friday found us with temps around 40F, though it did start out to be overcast, the sun soon came out to bake down. I put the furkids in this lineup: Just & Dusk (lead), Zen & Feather (swing), Ahab & China, Jericho (single), Inu & Luke, then Rocket & Chevy (wheel). I chose to run 11 dogs and left Sunshine at home...he really doesn't do well in the heat and is pretty heavy (actually, he's downright fat!), so I thought it better to take one less. The first part of the trail is 40 miles of climbs and drops. I'd drawn number 13 (lucky?), so that meant that the trails would be chewed up for my team. The warm temps made the snow rather slick and a bit slushy...icing up the runners, brake and drag mat. I didn't realize this until the first drop....the first few are short, but a bit twisty. My feet slid right off my mat/runner, dragging me down the first hill. The second one, the same thing happened, but this time I lost my grip on the handlebar. Luckily, there was a burnt out stump off to the side that caught the sled...though it shredded my bib, which had been tied to the front of my sled. I planted the hook, lifted the sled out of the soft snow...then, tried for about 10 minutes to get my hook out! I kicked, dug, used my other snowhook, nothing worked. Just when I'd get it a bit loose, the dogs would replant it. Definitely a good hook. We had 4 teams pass us, as I got very frustrated. I then dumped again going around a sharp turn...don't know how that one happened...first we're in the turn fine, next thing I know, I'm on my side and my hand hurts like crazy! I jumped up and immediately got going again...but was feeling pretty stupid and clutzy at this point. The dogs were super strong...Manny had warned me; but, I really thought it'd be fine. He was right and by this point, I was a bit nervous at the sheer power singing through the gangline. We took off again and we were hanging right behind Bill Cotter for many miles. I did have one more dump...at the first road crossing. Chevy was in wheel and cut the corner, launching us off the banked snow, dumping the sled. My head cracked on the pavement, shooting pain through my skull. Luckily, Manny was the volunteer at that road crossing...so he caught the team as I staggered up and across the road. I was ok, til he asked me if I was alright...at which point tears started to swim before my eyes as pain radiated across my head and down my neck...I told him through gritted teeth, "No, I'm not alright!! I lost the team, crashed, hurt my hand and now my head is splitting!" And here, we were only 10 miles in!! What the hell did he think? Definitely wasn't a bed of roses. I jumped on the sled and got going. I gave myself a mental shakedown at that point..."Come on, Tammi! You've done this before...you know what you're doing...quit messing around and DRIVE." That worked, as we came down the mine hill, crossed the 2nd road crossing and actually stayed upright! Todd Mackinaw was manning that crossing....he said, "Good Job!" and told me I was one of the few who actually made the 90 degree turn. That made me feel better. I told him my head had bounced off the road at the last one. He said, "Good thing you have a hard head." and laughed. That got me chuckling and off we went. Greg Stoddard caught up to us going up the next set of hills...we pretty much stuck together from there until we crossed the Little Chena.

We stopped to snack down at Fairbanks Creek, when I noticed something funny about Rocket. He was eating his fish, but his bottom left fang was poking out of his mouth. Somewhere along the way, he must have caught the tooth on a root or rock while dipping....and hurt his lower jaw. He didn't seem to be doing badly and was pulling strong, wagging his tail. So, off we went. Before going down Iowa dome, I decided to undo Ahab's tug as he had started overheating and wasn't pulling much. I wanted to make sure he didn't get tangled in his tug. We were doing great going down Iowa Dome...a little faster than I would've liked, but not too horribly bad. Unfortunately, Ahab tripped and fell about halfway down the descent. I couldn't stop the team, though I managed to slow them. I kept calling him to get up and he did. Then, a little further down, he slipped his collar and was running loose. I called him as the sled went by...but at that point, I couldn't stop as there was a mess of humped overflow that I had to negotiate before I could stop the team. I did finally get Ahab...he came limping up to me a few minutes later, so I loaded him and he rode the next 12 miles. I got to the dogdrop and dropped Rocket; the vet said that she's seen it before...(he'll lose his bottom fang and a tooth)...but he'll be fine. I was sickened...but she told me not to worry about it and to keep going (Jeanne Olson is just awesome...I'm glad she's my vet). I also dropped Ahab, but they never did find anything wrong with him. That was good, as I thought he'd hurt his wrist or shoulder.

We crossed the road and pulled over for a break a few miles down, parking right behind Greg. We rested for 2 1/2 hours...I broke spruce bows off for the dogs, which they gratefully used. The rest of the run to PV store went very well...we had to slow down for the connecting trail between the North Pole trail and the Rosser....it was narrow, tight, twisty with trees that you couldn't avoid kissing. Better to go slow and not damage the sled. We got into PV store in like 10th place! That was very cool! The dogs rested GREAT and we left 5 hours later, with 9 dogs. The run to Angel Creek was pretty uneventful, though I was really freaked out about the trail to the finish (steep downhill with ice). We got into Angel Creek and rested for 5 hours. Jericho had developed a limp, so I decided to drop him. Then, China was holding up her left wrist, not putting weight on it. I had Dr. Rose check her out and she said China would be fine to go...but since I was already worried about the steep downhill on Flat top...I decided to drop her and run 7 dogs. Better safe than sorry.

The next part of the race went well until Colorado Creek. There were 2 sections of waist deep overflow that the dogs had to swim and I had to wade through. Luckily, Greg Stoddard and I were running together, so we helped each other out. The first one was about 50 feet across...the second one was about 200 feet. Greg led the dogs while I manhandled the sleds through. Greg got even wetter, when another musher came up and needed help across. He helped her go through, too. Greg went into the overflows 12 times, what a He-man!!! I went through 6 times. I actually did alright...my bibs just ROCK and so did those Cabela's boots...they did get a bit wet...but the water never did go through to my socks. :o))) So, my feet stayed warm and dry....my bibs iced over before the water had a chance to soak all the way through. However, Greg wasn't so lucky and his boots filled with water. We got some wood and got the fire going to get him warmed up. I told him to change his socks/pants, which he did have a spare set (thank goodness)...and I took care of keeping the fire going while he got into his sleeping bag and attempted to dry out his boot liners (he has the Cabella's boots, too). He ate a bit and just warmed up. But, he wanted to get going as we'd already spent over 3 hours dealing with the overflow/fire...so he didn't wait for his liners to dry and we took off. He decided that he was going to PV store via the road crossing (was only 4 miles versus finishing the 20 mile run to the store) because he couldn't feel his feet at that point...Casie and I (she was the other musher) followed him to the road where I could place a call to tell race officials what was happening and that he was borderline hypothermic. They told us if we came with him to the store that we'd be dq'd. They reassured me that race officials knew Greg was coming and would make sure he got in. Then, I turned my team and helped Casie turn hers. We bootied, snacked, then took off and backtracked to the race trail turnoff.

I was all freaked out about that last 20 miles of the trail, as other mushers (myself included) thought it would be dangerous and difficult. It turned out to be just fine and the trail was even better going back. I actually had a good time on it! But, my headlamp batteries were dying (we spent a good 3-4 hours dealing with the overflow, fire and getting Greg up to the road)...and I'd left the spare ones at Angel Creek figuring I wouldn't need them. I'd also given Casie my lithium pack that was for my backup light, cause her batteries were almost dead. Luckily, the batteries I'd changed out at the beginning of the leg had just been cold. I put them in my pocket to warm up, then tried them in my headlamp and whala...they worked. :o) Wasted a good 15 minutes though...which was just enough time for Casie to beat me in to the finish line by 12 minutes. Ha ha ha! Aw well...I'd rather help others out and know they are safe than worry about a spot or two. The dogs practically flew the last 6 miles...they were loping so very strong and looked gorgeous, muscles rippling, tongues lolling, tugs tight...they knew we were almost done and really stretched out. They made me so proud of them! I'm happy knowing that I was holding the 10th place spot for most of the race and that I have a top 10 dog team. Cool! Definitely musher error, which I'll be working on for next year. All in all, we finished 12th out of 19 teams. There were 15 finishers and 4 folks who scratched.

Well, I'm off to bed. Another thanks goes out to Greg, for being such a top-notch competitor, but better than that, for being such a fantastic person. He's one helluva a nice guy and that certainly trumps everything! You ROCK, Greg!!!!

-Were you a Rogue today?

Race trail training

2008-03-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of the team on part of the race trail (a few miles after Iowa Dome). Warm temps with the possibility for freezing rain are going to make this a c-r-a-z-y run...but I'm looking forward to having a blast out there with good friends (both doggy & human-like), good fun and a good trail. Race draw banquet is tonight. Come on number 3! ;o)

Training for the Two Rivers 200, The Chatanika Challenge

2008-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of my race team for the TR200 this weekend. Yep, you heard right...I'm doing the race. Manny is discovering that while he enjoys training, he isn't so much into the racing side of things. But, yours truly is. So, he's handing the runners over to me. And Happy Birthday to me!!! What a great present. :o) Anyway, Manny has had them out on a few training runs this week, to get them used to the temps, run part of the race trail and just check them out overall. The race is just 2 days away, so lots of prep happening right now. Packing drop bags tonight (my resupply bags that will be at the 2 checkpoints- Pleasant Valley Store 92 miles in and Angel Creek Lodge about 140 miles in), cutting meat, going over the sled and lines, etc. The temps are looking to be really HOT (about 30-40F above zero) and sunny. This equates to a slow, mushy trail and dogs who could overheat. Our temps have been all over the place over the past 2 months, dropping down to -50F, up to 58F above at one point. That's over a 100 degree difference in temps! So, you can imagine that the dogs with their permanent fur coats, would overheat easily if a musher doesn't take care. Luckily, the race trail winds through trees, down through swamps (low lying) and on rivers...these are generally areas where temps are a bit cooler. Most mushers will try to run in the cool of the night, trying to avoid those middle of the day temps. I have my race plan in place, and it involves camping/snack/water breaks all throughout. I'm hoping to start with 11 dogs....but may be down to 10, we'll see. That's ok...I actually enjoy running smaller teams.

There are 16 teams signed up as of right now....if all show up, that means over $3000 in prize money! Right on! Not that Rogue Summit is in contention...but it's nice to see our little race growing. Yay! Check out our TRDMA website for information on the race. Well, I'm off...a little thing called "Work" is beckoning. I'll try to post updates...but may not be able to post anything until after the race. We'll see. Take care all!

-Were you a Rogue today?

Flu bugs and ear infections

2008-02-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

Sounds like fun, right?! NOT!! First, Devlyn and Conor came down with a bug...but lucky them, it only lasted a day or so. Then, Manny got sick, hacking and coughing, feeling just overall cruddy. He was thinking that he had strep, but turned out to be Influenza. Then....yep, you guessed it...he passed it right on to me. Talk about feeling just horrible! I did try to go to work on Friday; but, alas no one was feeling "the Love" for me. In fact, they sent me off to the doc's office...where I was informed that I have Influenza A (or maybe B). I was given Tamiflu, ordered to stay home Friday and Monday...rest, drinking loads of liquids. Been there, done that....now the crud is in my chest and it hurts to breathe. Reminiscent of this time last year, when I was down for a few weeks with pneumonia after the Quest. Bleh! I have been back to work, and have a doc appointment on Friday morning; so, I'm hoping to hold out til they either tell me I'm on the mend or issue antibiotics (if they are needed).

The dogs went on several runs a week ago; but haven't run since we've been sick. Not a bad thing...temps went from ridiculous cold to steaming hot with temps in the 40s (it even got up to 50F one day!). Snow was falling off of roofs, dripping and melting everywhere. Manny was actually a little worried about the trails getting ripped up. At least the dogs got out on some 20s and 30s to keep them limber and in shape. He's planning on a run tomorrow and we'll see what happens over the weekend. I'm hoping that I'm feeling a bit better, as I'd love to get the dogs out on a long run. Been a little bit since I got out with the team. I just hate being sick! Cause when I get sick, it really takes me down. So, stick around for some upcoming adventures. Manny is set to run the Two Rivers 200 on March 7th. Should end up being a GREAT race, with twelve mushers already signed up and a few others in the wings who'll sign up at the Pre-race draw. For more info, check out the TRDMA website.

Were you a Rogue today?

Racing Yearlings

2008-02-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Man, it's been awhile! Sorry for the long delay...not too much happening around here, as we were caught in a deep freeze for a few weeks. On top of that, our dogs had a nasty virus, so we gave them time off to let them recoup. Manny started running the dogs again last week, taking them on some 20s and 30 milers to get them back up into training. Unfortunately, we went from one extreme to the other...going from deep cold to HOT...above 30 degree temps around here. The dogs are still running, but they are kinda slow when it's hot out. To top things off, Feather and Zen are both coming into heat....yay (NOT!). Luckily we only have 3 girls racing...and half of the team is fixed. But, the girls tend to be a bit "off" while in heat. Not cool...they do still run, but not as solid as they usually are.

Anyway, today Jodi and I decided to go over to the ADMA track and run in the 6 dog class. She did it to get her yearlings out, as did I. I knew we'd be slow, as my youngsters haven't run much due to concentrating on the main race team....and when they were running, they hadn't done more than 6 miles. That's ok...the race trail for the 6 dog class was only 7.7 miles...so I knew they could do it...but we'd be slow. I took Munchkin & Sunshine in lead, Zeus & Peiper in swing, and Polar & Odin in wheel. Actually, they weren't doing too bad...but I had to stop several times to pull a dog over to his side of the line...or unhook a leg from a neckline, etc. A sprint musher tried to pass us several times, but each time I'd stop, his leaders would balk and wouldn't pass. Finally, after Jennifer Probert went by us like a rocket (seriously, she was FLYIN'!), I stopped and hooked down. Then, I grabbed the leader necklines for the team behind and pulled them up past my team. We weren't racing, so I didn't much care...and knew that the other team was faster than mine. We did pretty well til we rounded the 7.7 mile turn...at which point Sunshine tried to go through the orange fence...then Peiper got tangled over his neckline. I hooked down, got that all straightened out and took off again. That's when I saw that Munchkin had a leg over her neckline. Sheesh!! While I wasn't racing...I can't snuff out that competitive streak in me, as I wanted to try to avoid being last. Oh well. I hooked down again and untangled Munchkin. We started loping for a few yards...but by this time, Sunshine had slowed way down and no matter how much I coaxed, he dropped into a trot and wouldn't speed up. Sigh. That's when Peiper started backing off his tug now and then. I tried to pedal, but that freaked Peiper and Polar out....so much so that by the time we were near the finish line, both Peiper and Polar stopped pulling...as did Sunshine because the 8 doggers were heading out and freaked them a bit. All in all, the race did what I set out for it to do....Got the yearlings out on a sled, giving them some experience around other teams. Cool! All of the tangles, stops and slow-downs ended up earning us last place...just 19 seconds off of Bill's time (AK Raider). That's cool...Bill earned it! :o) But, we did it in 48 minutes...so at least we were under an hour! Ha ha ha ha!

Back to work tomorrow for Parent/Teacher conferences. Manny will be taking the team out on another training run. We're playing it by ear on how far the dogs go...if they look good and run smooth, then they'll go on a longer run. If they're not looking into it, they'll go shorter. That works. Mariska was out at the track today taking pics...as soon as she sends them, I'll post some up. Until then...keep your eye on those Quest Teams...they are on their way to Whitehorse!

-Were you a Rogue today?

Cold comes back

2008-01-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

Brrr! It's been cold the last few days, between -20F and -40F, so we didn't get the dogs out. However, the dogs seem to be getting over the nasty bug that they had, which is great! The temps are coming back up again to right around zero. These things mean that Manny will get right back into training tomorrow. He's going to run the Two Rivers 200, aka Chatanika Challenge. As such, he's figured out his game plan for the race, so it's time to train the dogs to execute it. He'll be doing lots of 50-100 mile runs with the dogs over the next month, prepping them and getting them ready to go. We're waiting to hear back from Bill Cotter, as he offered us a nice dog after the Cantwell 200. Can't wait to see him and plug this new guy into the team. He's a 3 yr old male, right out of the same lines as Ahab. Luke ran the Cantwell with Bill and finished, so the dog already has quality race miles and is ready to go with us. Right on! Bill has some very nice dogs whose trot just eats up the miles....and they have fantastic coats. Definitely something we want for the Yukon Quest.

Hilti seems to be recovering very well. His paw is healing and we're optimistic that his large pad will stay intact. We've already decided that he will be a house dog (what's one more, right?!?), which he is adjusting to quite nicely. Last night, after changing his bandage, I laid down with him on the living room floor. Hilti was just hilarious, rolling around, flopping on his back like a fish. Then, he'd roll over into me, lift his muzzle up to my face and raise a front leg, asking me to give him belly rubs. Of course, I'd oblige and then he'd sit up, wagging his tail...just to do it all over again. He had me laughing and giggling at his goofy grin and shining eyes. Very cool. He still prefers his kennel, but I'm slowly making him spend more time in the living room to get used to his new housemates.

I'm off to check on the Tusty. Judy Currier, a neighbor was leading for quite a bit of the race, but it looks like she, Lance and Bill Steyer are duking it out for the top spots. It's an exciting race to the finish! :o) In other news, the Quest has sent out trail updates...while we did get some good snow cover, there are LOTS of sections of big overflow out to Chena Hotsprings, then from there to Central...where ever there's a creek or water, there's overflow and they aren't little puddles either. Maybe it's not such a bad thing to have to bow out this go around, eh? Oh, and there are bare rocks, with pretty much bare ground on Eagle Summit. Bleh! I hope something comes through before the race, or Eagle is going to be a real bad ride this year.

-Were you a Rogue today?

Solstice 100

2008-01-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Since I will not be able to run the Quest 300 this year due to financial reasons, Manny realized how upset I was. So, he told me that he'd take sign-ups and make sure things ran smoothly and let me run the race. What a great husband, eh?? I was so thrilled! I really felt that the dogs would do well. After all, they'd just come off of the Cantwell the weekend before and really did a decent job. Therefore, the start found me on the runners, excited to be on the trail. For once, I wasn't all freaked out and nervous...I got a full night's sleep, ate breakfast...I was totally ready for some fun. It was SOO nice not to have the nerves fluttering, not have my stomach doing somersaults. Awesome! The dogs took off like maniacs! I had to stand on the drag all the way down Pleasant Valley Road. They did try to go through Swenson's gate, but listened to my 'on-bye' command. We took the sharp right turn onto Baseline quite nicely (I was worried I'd clip the tree on the inside of the turn) and I could see Jessica ahead of us in the distance (she'd started 1st, I was 2nd). That was the last I'd see of Jessica though! Ha ha ha! The dogs were cruising along in this order: Feather & Sunshine in lead, China & Chevy in swing, Zen & Just, Dusk & Ahab, Tricky & Jericho, then Rocket & Inu in wheel.

We were flying down the trail, and I was having a BLAST! til we made the turn onto the Rosser (the really sharp left off of the wintertrail). I had made it around most of the turn and the sled was starting to straighten out. I remember thinking, "Alright, Tammi! You're finally getting this sled handling stuff down" when the sled suddenly lurched sideways and the next thing I knew, I was tossed to the right side of the trail, face first into the powder. Hmph! What the...?!? There must have been a stump or something under the snow that I hit with the sled. Ok, I picked the sled up and off we went. Then, Sunshine (in lead with Feather) slowed way down. I stopped once we popped out onto the wood cutting road before the bridge that crosses Jenny M creek and leads to Mullin's Slough. I switched leaders, putting Dusk up front with Feather. That did alright...but not great. Abbie caught us by Sonny's place...then Jodi Bailey caught us after we passed Pleasant Valley road...then Molly caught us in the potato field by Hipas road, where I switched Chevy for Dusk. Well, that lasted all of about 1/4 mile, as when the swing dogs started to overrun Chevy, he abruptly sat down. Well, Shoot! I stopped once again while still on Hipas to switch Zen for Chevy...then Aliy caught us right before the bridge near the road crossing. It went downhill from there...the dogs had obviously picked up a bug from the Cantwell and were just "off". To make matters worse, the heat really zapped them. We slowed WAY down on the way to Angel Creek. I was getting really bummed out, then Sunshine and Tricky started pulling stupid stuff, stopping to pee and poop...dragging the whole team to a stop. I went through all of my leaders, before settling on Just and Dusk to take us into Angel Creek. The trail was bottomless...mashed potato consistency. I was irritable and got to calling Tricky & Sunshine some colorful names (they knew what they were doing too and had no compunctions...the boogers!!!). They are so big, that if they decide to stop and poop or pee, they yank the entire team to a halt. I ended up getting passed by Carol Blevins (we played leap frog for a while), then Greg Stoddard caught me at the rifle range...then Blake Matray caught us about 5 miles from Angel Creek with his gorgeous siberians. ARGHH!!! At this point, I was calling and coaxing the dogs, trying to get them to pick up...but it was no use. It took us 6 1/2 hours to do a 52 mile run. Pitiful.

The dogs ate & drank wonderfully, then rested great at Angel Creek. When we took off out of there, they were SCARY strong and fast! However, I was REALLY missing Dutchess and Torus...cause both coming and going, when we got to the open water that is always there by Angel Creek, the dogs bunched up and I had to drag them across the open water. Neither Dutchess or Torus ever hesitated over open water...they'd go through anything. Unfortunately, when I planted the hook to take the dogs across the water, there wasn't a whole lot of snow to hook into. The hook came loose and the sled went through the river on it's side. I leaped onto the overturned sled to stop the dogs, but they dragged me and the tipped sled into the deep snow. Wow, only 5 minutes into the return leg, and here I was wasting a good 10 minutes just trying to get out on the river and go!

Once we got going, the run to the finish started off great...the dogs were really loping along, all the way to the rifle range. Then, I stopped to snack and booty...and the bottom fell out on our speed again. It was so HOT! I was sweating...the dogs were plodding, and Blake caught up to us at that point (he'd left about 10 minutes after us). When we got through the overflow, about a mile or two from the road crossing, the dogs finally picked up again, loping all the way to the finish. Greg Stoddard left Angel Creek about 20 minutes ahead of me and we almost caught him, along with Blake. I saw their lights ahead of us before the road crossing and along CHSR...and I'd been poling like crazy for the last 10 miles of the race, trying to catch them (boy did my arms hurt the next day!). Both Blake & Greg beat us to the finish by just 4 minutes. We finished in 9th place. Not as well as I'd hoped or planned...but we finished none-the-less. The dogs ate and drank wonderfully at the finish (actually, the whole race)...but I could tell that the heat had really gotten to them. Makes sense, seeing that we'd just ran a 200 the weekend before in wind and -30F to -40F. That's a 60-70 degree difference! Amazing. Since then, the dogs have been sick...they are eating and drinking; but, they all have some nasty diarrhea. Bleh!! Luckily, the next race will be the Two Rivers 200 for Manny in March. This way, they'll have a week or two to recoup and not have to worry about going out on another race. After the 200, we are looking at the Taiga 300 at the beginning of April, so that one of us can still get a 300 qualifier. Don't know which one yet, or if we can even get the time off of work. We'll wait and see.

In other news, Hilti went in for surgery today. Dr. Olson was thinking that it would just be the middle toes & possibly one of the smaller toes. But, when she was performing the amputations, she was checking the other toes and to her dismay (and ours), she ended up having to take off all of Hilti's toes. Good news is that his large pad is still intact. She checked the blood flow and it appears ok. But, we won't know for sure for a little bit yet. Either way, Hilti is going to be a house dog from now on. He's recovering and though he's a bit groggy yet, he appears to be doing fine. Dr. O and another musher have shared stories with us about dogs they've had who had lost toes and went on to run and even race. But, I just don't know if that will happen with Hilti. If nothing else, he will definitely be a good stud dog for us and anyone else who is interested. After all, Hilti came from Lance Mackey...from VERY GOOD bloodlines. In fact, Lance bred Hilti and got some pups from him right before we brought Hilti to our kennel. Additionally, Hilti proved to us how good of a dog he is on the Cantwell...so this spring, we'll breed Hilti and get some pups. Besides, we've been planning on starting our own breeding program, which is why we got Hilti from Lance in the first place. So, we'll go forward with that and see where it takes us. We won't be out to breed a lot of pups...as we don't believe in doing that. However, we are working to be competitive, so it's time.

Take care all and keep Hilti in your thoughts. We'll keep you posted on his recovery.

Bad days...

2008-01-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

Well, the last few days have been sad ones for us here at Rogue Summit. First off, while Hilti is making a good recovery, it looks like he'll lose a few toes and it looks like his racing days are over, just when he was getting started. This is very sad, as Hilti is a fantastic dog...one of our best and brightest. Then, yesterday morning, Manny went out to feed the horses their breakfast only to find that Sampson had gone down and couldn't get up. He called me and I rushed home, stopping first to grab Joe and Jodi. We all tried to get Sampson back on his feet; but, it was no use. He had lost the use of his entire right side...he'd had a stroke. Sadly, we lost Sampson, as there was just nothing that could be done. I try to take solace in the fact that he was an old horse and had a good life with us here. Still, it hurts.

They say things cycle in 3's and that looks to be true. With the vet bills we've incurred over the past few days, it was looking like I wouldn't be able to run the Quest 300. But, I'd spoken with a company and they said they'd help us out by sponsoring us with some food. Originally, I'd had the winter/races all planned financially. But, then my brother needed help, so we brought him here, helped him out, helped him get a job, etc. Even though we knew it would make the winter rough, we did this because it's family and he needed the help. Besides, he'd promised to pay us back, so I wasn't worried. Well, he's now not returning calls (on the cell phone we bought him), avoiding us, etc. It makes me sad to be used this way...particularly by my brother. We used to be real close. Guess time changes us all.

Anyway, today, we find out that the sponsor who was going to help with food has to back out. To make matters worse, another sponsor sold their business, so that financial backing is gone as well. Needless to say, without the sponsors, I won't be able to run in the Quest 300 this year. This is the one race that I was determined to finish and now I won't even make it to the starting line. And really, what stands between us and the start is about 10 bags of kibble and a couple blocks of meat. Doesn't seem like much, but at this point, it feels like a mountain. To say that I'm extremely down right now is an understatement. Sorry to unload my woes here...but it just breaks my heart to have all of these things culminate into not doing the one thing I'd been planning for all year long. Especially after soldiering through the Cantwell Classic this year.

Well, I'd better get. TRDMA is putting on the makeup 100 miler this weekend, so I have some stuff to do as I'm helping to put it on. I wish everyone out there the best.

Cantwell Classic Rundown

2008-01-15T00:27:00.000-08:00

The Cantwell Classic 200 started last Friday. Originally, we were supposed to start at 10am...but the start was changed to noon and was moved a bit further out on the Denali Highway, due to low snow and pavement showing. Ok, no worries. That just made our first leg a bit shorter. Team Rogue drew number 19 out of 32 teams...just about the middle of the field. I got a bit of sleep the night before...but we couldn't get a parking space near a plug in, so Jodi got up around 3am to start the truck. Morgan, one of Jodi's dogs, was staying with us in the room. When Jodi went to start the truck, Morgan jumped on me and I woke up to a dog snout and 45lb pitbull on my chest. Who said pits are vicious? Morgan?? She'd maybe kill you with kisses! Sheesh! Ha ha ha! I got back to sleep around 4am...but then someone clomping down the hallway woke me up around 5:30am. I tried to go back to sleep, but by then, I started thinking about who I was going to have lead out....who would I run with Zen? She's in heat...so she can't run with Chevy or Hilti....Just would be good..besides, he can be a bit shy, so I didn't want him in lead with all the people around. Ok, Dusk and Feather in lead, China & Ahab in swing, Zen & Just, Hilti & Chevy, Tricky & Jericho, then good ole' Rocket & Inu in wheel. Alright...that's what I went with.

Ten o'clock rolled around and we found ourselves in a caravan, trying to get to our parking spot. It was like a carnival out there...but we made it through and got parked. Jodi & Joe were my handlers, so they helped me get the sled out, get the drops out, etc. We left the dogs on the truck, since we'd just dropped them before we'd left the lodge. I wanted them resting as long as possible, as they tend to get amped up on the drops. Jodi & Joe sat in the truck, giving me my time to just pack my sled, go over my stuff, etc. I've found that I need that bit of "quiet time" to gather my thoughts, go over my plan and kind of get into a "zone". I have to do that to calm down, as I always get nervous before races. I hate the feeling too...those butterflies, flipping around...my heart feeling like it's in my throat....ugh! I've been doing this for 4 years now...and still get nervous. So, that alone time lets me get a handle on it and this worked well. We dropped the dogs an hour before my start time...12:38pm. Susan got Jason out on time, he drew the 2nd spot...so she came and helped me. I had a pit crew! I put out the harnesses for each dog, dog coats, and booties. While I finished getting my gear on, headlamp, batteries, gloves, warmers, etc...they got the dogs ready. My sled was ready, gangline stretched...I looked at my watch...10 minutes. Ok, cool. We're right on time. Then, a timer comes up and yells, "You have 2 mins!" WHAT?!? "No, I have 10 minutes!" and I showed her my watch. Well, no one heard me. Next thing I know, all of these people started grabbing dogs, asking me where they go, etc. I mean, there were people everywhere, helping us hook up. Jodi yelled at Joe to jump on the sled...I sat on the sled to give more control. Someone was up front with my leaders...so Jodi sat in front of me and we rode up to the start in style. I had about 30 seconds...Jodi went up and untangled a dog...can't tell you who, as it was just chaotic. I jumped on the runners, they counted down. Mike Santos was there holding my sled. He wished me luck, then off we went. Jodi and Joe yelled "Good Luck!" and I hollered "THANKS!" and we were flying. I rode the drag to slow them down and realized, "Holy cow! We've started!" I didn't even have time for those last minute nerves on the way to the line. Cool!!! :o)

The first leg went really well. The dogs were running smooth, chugging up the hills, coasting down. I stayed on the mat and kept them at an easy pace. This time, I'd learned. No blasting through the first leg for us! My plan was to do the first leg in 4-5 hours...so I kept them easy. We started seeing mushers ahead and slowly reeled a few in. What a RUSH to pass teams! Of course, we got passed here and there. A fellow Two Rivers musher, Judy Currier left behind me. She caught me about 30-45 minutes into the run, though I can't be sure of the time. A few others passed here and there...but that was ok. I expected Hans to catch me quickly, as he'd left right after Judy...but it was a while before I saw him. Right on! That made me feel pretty good. Aaron Burmeister passed me on an uphill...at that point, I'd kept the dogs at a slower pace, so I decided to let them stretch a little. They hate being passed and love to chase, so I let them stay with Aaron for a few miles. It was fun to do that, as it showed me that my team had the speed. However, Aaron was going down hills faster than I wanted my dogs to go, so he did slip away after a while. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to get to the first checkpoint, Big Su. Good, right on schedule. I got the dogs bedded down, but the snow was deep and soft, making it hard to negotiate. I fell down a time or two...like a beached whale trying to get on my feet with all that gear, big boots and soft snow. The dogs were resting until teams started pulling out. I was in the tent, trying to get my gloves dry and trying to get warm (I was freezing for some reason)...but first, there was a fight. Tricky & Jericho got into it, because Jeri is a 2 year old ex-sprinter who was on his first race. Of course, he wasn't resting and was bugging Tricky, the old veteran and Trick didn't like that at all. So, after a few times of this, I moved Tricky back to the sled. Ok, back into the tent, only to be called because my team had pulled loose from the tiny willows they'd been tied to (the hooks wouldn't hold in the soft snow). Ok, I got them tied back out again and went back inside. Started eating my bacon sandwich and was feeling warmer. Then, Ahab somehow got loose....so I had to go get him. CRAZINESS!

My headlamp was malfunctioning, turning off and on. Diddier was parked next to me. When he asked what was wrong, I told him that I needed a new bulb, but had the wrong ones with me. He had a bulb and was so kind. He worked on my headlamp and got the new one in. Wahla! He thought it might be the wire, but I'd insisted that Manny had just replaced the wire, so that couldn't be it. Well, I was out bootying the dogs, getting ready to go when the light went out again. Dang it! I'd had enough. I went to go get the back up petzel...not as good, but at least it worked....when I realize that the battery cord was unplugged. Duh! Well, it turned out that the headlamp has something wrong inside it...that's ok..I can take it back to the folks we got it from and they'll fix it.

Well, I'd hooked up tugs, a volunteer was on my brake while the vet was near my leaders. I was getting my parka on when the vet yelled "Hey!" Chevy and Hilti were fighting. By the time I turned, they'd stopped. So I jumped on the runners and off we went. We were FLYING out of that checkpoint. The dogs looked great, rippling and leaping as they charged up the first hill. Beautiful! We caught and passed a musher, then another musher caught us a bit later. Jason had left about 20-30 minutes ahead of me, but we caught him and passed on by. I was riding a high! The dogs were looking beautiful, moving as a unit. Snow was falling, but no wind. Very nice night. The only thing that would've made it better would've been a full moon & the northern lights. We cruised along, every once in a great while, we'd catch sight of a headlamp in the distance....slowly catching and them passing a team. Right on! I was thinking that we'd get into Maclaren in about 3 1/2- 4 hours...right on schedule. Then, I thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to finish with all 12 of my dogs?!?" Just a few minutes later, I saw Hilti dip and almost stumbled. His tail went up and I noticed a hitch in his gait. Oh no!! I stopped the team and went up to check him out. That's when I saw frozen blood on his right front leg. I freaked! I could've sworn there'd be a gash...but I couldn't see a wound. Well, in the sled for him. I took him back to the sled to get my vet wrap and gauze...but crap! they weren't there! I guess when I asked Jodi to put warmers in the vet bag to keep the liquids warm, she'd inadvertently forgot to put the baggy of gauze & vet wrap back. Well, so much for trying to wrap it...I didn't have anything else but wrist wraps and those might cut off circulation. Ok, we'll just put him in the sled. I moved some stuff (I didn't have to do much, I've gotten really good at packing the sled), and tried to put him in. Hilti had other ideas. He fought like a mad man! He splayed his legs out, twisting and kicking. I got blood all over his dog coat and my gloves. Don't know how I managed to keep it off my parka and sled bag. I got his back legs in and started to push him down when he leaped and tipped the whole sled, knocking me over. Ok, this was NOT working. I was so afraid that I was going to hurt him worse! Well, we can't put him on top....can't lead him next to the sled....so my only other option was to let him go along with the team. I was going to leave his tug unsnapped, but I worried about throwing him off balance. So, I hooked him in and kept the team at a slow trot, riding my drag to keep them slow. Feather and Dusk kept looking back at me, questioning me as to why we weren't hauling...but I just told them "Easy!" and talked to Hilti. We had about 10 miles to go...so I was concentrating on getting them in. Rohn & Martin Buser caught us about 5-6 miles from Maclaren...I watched them float off like ghosts, without headlamps, in white wind anoraks. Feather & Dusk were clawing to give chase, but I wouldn't let them. We made the turn off to drop down to the Maclaren River....whew! a wild ride through soft snow, sharp turns, willow branches sticking up from the trail, from the sides, whipping the dogs and the sled as we went by. I didn't think about the trail, I just rode the sled, hitting the drag and the brake, alternating from one side to the other as the turns twisted first left, then right, then left again....down and down we flew. We dropped onto the river, then headed into the checkpoint. I immediately called for a vet and got the team parked. The vet came over and I babbled what had happened...I was so upset. I went over to take Hilti's harness off...when I picked up the injured leg, I saw that his paw looked weird. I grabbed it and pretty much lost it. His foot was frozen. OH MY GOD!!! I just freaked out! The vet, bless his heart, stayed calm and helped me get Hilti over to the vet tent. He cleaned up his leg...turns out that "gash" I could've sworn he had were only 2 small punctures...obviously from when Chevy & Hilti got into it at Big Su. He started working on the foot, warming it. I realized that I had to get my team taken care of...when another volunteer came and said that he'd help the vet so I could get to my team. I had totally broken down by this time..but going through my checkpoint routine helped me get a grip and calm down. The vet came over and told me that the wounds were small, and that it was just Hilti's toes. Not great, but better than the whole foot. Long story short, we took Hilti to our vet today and she said that it was probably better that I did run him, as it kept the blood circulating in the leg and had he'd been in the sled, that probably wouldn't have happened...but the booty on that foot probably restricted blood to the toes, creating the problem. Her words, I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn't. Besides that, she said that in the sled, he could've aspirated and I'd have arrived with a dead dog. Needless to say, even though everyone said it was a freak thing and that I did what I could...I still feel responsible. I know that we can't always find everything wrong....Kelly Griffin told me that even had I stopped them every 5 minutes, I'd probably not catch everything and that sometimes freaky things happen. However, he's my dog, my responsibility...period. Needless to say, the rest of the race had a shadow over it for me, and I was distracted, worrying about Hilti.

I didn't get any sleep, though I tried. Susie at Maclaren cooked a mean bowl of chili and gave me some delicious homemade bread with it. Yum! But, I could only eat half of it. I laid on the floor amongst all of the other snoring mushers, but soon enough, folks were stirring and lights came on. Oh well...it'd be daylight soon anyway. I moped around a bit, upset about Hilti. Kelly, Anne Capistrant & Deb Hoover soon talked me out of my funk a bit. Kelly then told me something that I'll keep hearing over and over in my head. When she asked if I was leaving at my start time, I told her I should...but I'm so slow at bootying that I might just let everyone leave, then go. She said, "Don't do that...you're just developing bad habits." Her words later rang through my head, as I was stalling about leaving Big Su later on that day. Well, I went out and gave my guys snacks, put there blankets away (yeah, I cover them with blankets once they've settled...along with their dogcoats and straw..they rest so much better that way), and started bootying. However, I'd only made it halfway through the team when my time came. That was ok...they told me I could go whenever I was ready. Good! Cause I was taking the time to massage wrists and shoulders as I went...which is what takes some time. I'm working on that though...to get quicker at bootying. Well, I got finished, hooked tugs and took off about 40 minutes later (yeah, I'm REAL slow). The run to Big Su was alright...the dogs started off poky...but then smoothed into their traveling pace. We caught and passed 2 other mushers who'd left before us. Nice! After that, they started poking along again...pooping and peeing...just goofing off. What the heck?!? Well, ok....I didn't realize it at the time, but they were feeding off of my worry for Hilti and my self-recriminations. I tried to be a little more upbeat, but I don't think they bought it. We finally made it to Big Su...but it took us 4 1/2 hours! Sheesh! My plan was to leave at my designated time...1 1/2 hours...but the dogs all curled up tightly in the wind and settled in. I changed my mind and stayed for 4 hours. They all rested beautifully. I gave them fat snacks, along with their glyco/rice/beef snacks....then a feeding. I wrapped Tricky's wrist as a precaution..it was a little puffy, but barely (per the vet) and covered him with another dog coat. Most of the dogs were shivering, as the wind was howling and the temps were dropping. COLD! I pushed straw around them, then covered them all with their blankets. Even Jericho was curled up, resting...the youngster had finally gotten the hang of this camping stuff. I went in and warmed up...I just couldn't seem to get warm. I had a gut feeling that the wind was really roaring on the way to Cantwell, and that thought had me dragging my feet. Wind...ugh! I hate wind...and ever since the 06 Quest 300, when I'd been stuck in 90 mph winds on top of Rosebud, it's grown into a kind of phobia for me. Still, I knew that I couldn't just sit there. So, I girded my proverbial loins and forced myself out to booty.

I'd been in the tent, and folks were talking about scratching. I panicked and thought, "Oh No! Not a repeat of last year!!" That was the impetus I needed to get my butt moving. I got the dogs bootied and hooked up, the vet was on my brake, when I realized I'd left my parka in the tent. Shoot! The dogs at first, weren't too thrilled that we were going again, but when I went to the tent, they started to bark and howl. That made me smile! I signed out, stepped on the runners, pulled the hook...and promptly slid off my slippery drag (it had been buried in the soft snow and got icy). The dogs were moving, but I was dragging on my face...not letting go. Folks grabbed the team, got em stopped. I unceremoniously got up, shook myself off, and with a red face (thank goodness no one could see due to my neck gaiter and hat), got situated and took off again. Or tried. The dogs came to the last straw beds on the way out and stopped to sift through the straw for "goodies." Man! A volunteer dragged the leaders out and we FINALLY got moving.

The wind was howling as we crossed the Big Susitna River bridge and continued to slash at us for 10 miles. We did get a reprieve for about 4 miles, when suddenly a vicious crosswind came out of the south. It whipped and howled at us for a good 5-7 miles. Feather and Dusk were superstars! Here I was, on the back of the sled, crouched down and pulling off to the left of the sled in an effort to keep it on the trail, and up ahead are my two heroes, crouched down, almost crawling through that wind, clawing to keep from getting blown over. At one point, the wind gusted really hard, pitching me and the sled off of the trail. Luckily, there wasn't a drop off, so I was able to manhandle the sled back onto the highway. SCARY! We made it through that doing about 2-3 mph...but hey, it was forward movement, so who was I to complain? I stopped the team in the first sheltered spot and snacked them all, loving on them and praising them. Right on! We began moving at a decent pace....not fast, but we were trotting along. Halfway up one of the never ending hills (my name for these hills that seem to climb forever), Feather & Dusk sat down and told me they'd like a break from leading, please. After all, she and Dusk had led the entire race. Well, I tried Chevy with Feather...but nope, Feather wasn't having it. Then, I saw Zen barking and lunging, wanting to go. I thought, "Hey! This girl knows where we are!" So, I tried Zen with Feather. We went about a mile...but Feather wanted a break. So, I put Dusk back up with Zen (Just was already too tired, and told me so by doing his prima donna act...ask me about it later). That was the perfect combination. Those two dug in and soon had the whole team moving smartly up the hills. I did start giving them little "rest breaks" by stopping the sled for a minute on particularly long climbs. I pedaled and pushed doing my part as well. But by then, the wind was coming at us straight on...it was really taking it's toll on all of us. My saviour, Zen, kept the team rolling and before we knew it, we saw the lights of the finish line. We came loping in at 12:58am....taking us 6 1/2 hours to do that last leg. Phew!!! Jodi and Joe were there waiting, whisking us to the truck, unhooking, unharnessing, putting the sled away. I gave all the dogs one last glyco snack....then Jodi gave them a good feeding and watering. I was wiped, so once I'd saw that all the dogs were fed, I climbed in the truck. Later that night, Jodi and Joe drove the dogs home, as we just didn't want them to spend one more minute in that nasty wind. They'd earned their own houses filled with wonderful straw...their own beds.

We finished 27th overall out of 32 teams. Not a stellar performance by any means....but not bad either, all things considered. Hilti is resting in the house now, recovering nicely. Good prognosis that he'll be back in the team next season...so that's GREAT news! A couple of the dogs are a bit sore, but their getting massages and rubs to help with that. Manny will be taking the team out next weekend to do the Solstice 100 makeup...he should be soooo set up for this race...the team in good condition, ready to go. Sorry for such a long winded post....but folks wanted the "low-down" and I hope I didn't disappoint. It's hard to talk about some of it...but needed to be said. I'm off for some much needed sleep. Take care all. I hope you enjoyed this little journey with us Rogues. More to come as we move forward with the season. Same Bat time, same Bat channel. Until next time....

-Were you a Rogue today?

Change of plans

2008-01-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

The dog yard...resting athletes.

Well, so much for running a back to back today. We checked on the dogs today, and several of them are sore or dinged up. Booger was off on the last run, looking sore in his front end, though I can't find the culprit. He's not limping or anything...Jodi just felt he was "off" during the run. Sunshine had his tail chomped by Chevy...it looked nasty...but a call to the vet put me at ease and let me know what to do. China, Ahab and Zen are all limping...though again, I can't pinpoint the cause. So, today turned into a rest day. We brought these dogs inside, one-by-one, to work on them. They got Algyval rubdowns, massage, I did some physical therapy work on Zen's & China's shoulders and wrists. Sunshine got the hair trimmed from his tail, cut heal put on the wound, vet wrap lightly over that, and now is enjoying digs inside the garage near the heater. Along with the joint/tissue work, we trimmed nails and foot hair, along with vitamins. Tomorrow, we'll finish up the rest of the race team....doing all the normal stuff, like replacing collars, checking for flexibility (thank you Wes Rau for that AWESOME clinic!)....basic race prep stuff. Then, later in the afternoon, I'll take the team out for a short, 5 mile run around the loop to stretch them out and check for injuries. Jodi and I plan to take another long sled run on Sunday, so I want to make sure no one's seriously injured before we go. Looks like they are all just a bit stiff and sore...same as the musher! Man, do my shoulders and calves ache. You really forget how much you use those muscles when you go on long sled runs. Youch!

Tomorrow also means putting the dog boxes on the truck. So, it's up bright and early to get all this stuff done. Somewhere in there, I need to pack my drop bags, do laundry, clean the house, go back to work and begin a new semester...wow...lots to do before Thursday! Later all!

-Were you a Rogue today?

Sled run

2008-01-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

We got our first sled run in with the dogs on Wednesday. My best friend, Jodi came over so that I could get all 14 of the dogs I'm looking at for the Cantwell race out for a long run. Knowing that snow conditions are kind of iffy in places, we opted to split the team up into two teams of 7. We'd planned to do a 50 miler, since the dogs have been doing 30s and 40s on the atv for the last few weeks. I took off first and took it real slow, as our outbound trail has a few sharp turns. I was doing great, til I hit the pond turn. Dummy me didn't let up on the drag quick enough, resulting in the sled pulling right up onto the banked turn, dumping me and sled. Stupid! The dogs, fresh from the yard (which is only about .5 miles from that point) yanked the sled out of my hands. Manny was right behind on the atv, so he stopped the dogs right on the pond. But, my snow hook had caught, so they weren't going anywhere. I shook it off and jumped right back on. No worries for the rest of the run...guess I had to get that dump in right away! Ha ha ha! Jodi thought it was comical, cause she had no idea what had happened. She'd stopped before the turn, then did it flawlessly. She and I had a good laugh over that one!! But hey, never said I wasn't a klutz at times. I tend to overanalyze things...my paranoia kicking in. I have to learn things the hard way...and at times, the painful way. I was so worried about that turn (even Manny bites it on that one from time to time) that I had a negative outlook and that's what I got from it...exactly what I had programmed in my head would happen. This is something I'm truly working on.

We headed out towards the road crossing via the logging road...we'd had reports that the trail leading to the crossing was bad, so we ran on the road. Would've been great, but Feather decided to be bull headed and wouldn't take the trail just off the road, leading to the road crossing trail (safer to cross on the trail...as the road is VERY icy and you just can't hold a team for traffic). Dusk and Just decided that they weren't taking that trail straight ahead of them, marked with 2 markers on either side, either. Well, we spent a good 15-20 minutes circling the parking lot...It was actually hilarious, looked like a routine right out of the Three Stooges! But, Jodi figured out what to do...got Feather and Sunshine (leading her team) off the side so she could hook down and get them turned the right way. At that point, Just and Dusk saw where I wanted them to go, so I coaxed them over and down to follow Jodi. Phew! I'm thinking...sheesh, what a fiasco! What's next? Ya know...one should NEVER ask that question! Ha ha ha!

No problems for a while...but then we remembered that we'd have to take the trail right along CHSR, because a new subdivision is going in where the old trail crossed a field. Ok, no problem. But, I had Just in lead and when we got to Lynn O.'s outbound trail, he took that turn (one turn too early). I realized it too late....so went on in figuring that I'd get them turned around. Luckily, Lynn, Swanny a few other folk were hooking up for a run. Lynn recognized Just and quickly figured out what happened. Bless her, she quickly grabbed the leaders and swung them around to another outbound trail, which let me get back on Pleasant Valley road and then turn on the correct turnoff. Just didn't want to leave though...he looked at me as if to say, "But, that WAS home!" (Just came over from Lynn to become a distance doggy, instead of a sprint doggy). The dogs ran great all the way out to the gravel pit/rifle range...which is where we turned and headed back. There really wasn't too much in the way of overflow...there was nice snowcover over most of it...Colorado Creek had it's normal amount, but it caused no problems whatsoever. Closer to the gravel pit, there's a hump of overflow...but even that was nothing to worry about. The trail doesn't look like it's getting much traffic at all.

We stopped to snack the dogs and upon checking feet, we noticed lots of ice balls, so had to booty most of the dogs. No worries though. After a stop of about 20 minutes or so, we were heading back. But, for some reason, my dogs ALWAYS poke along for about 20-30 minutes after a snack stop at the gravel pit. They hate to go back over the same trail and they let me know it...going slow...stopping to poop or pee...just a general "Hey Ma, we just went over this trail already...do we gotta do it again??!?" kind of attitude. However, they soon stopped their fussing and picked back up again. While we weren't setting any records, they weren't too bad. It had started to snow by then...always welcome; but, my headlamp had a faulty wire or something and kept flickering in and out, sometimes turning completely off. I was beginning to wonder if running this trail was a jinx or something, as I had headlight issues with falling snow the last time we'd run it! I just laughed it off and dealt...after all...that's what we'd do on a race. Better to laugh about it than let it get to you.

Going was REAL slow though, once we crossed the road. The logging road was great fun going out...but coming home, it's all uphill. We poked along at like 5 miles an hour (yeah, probably more like 3 mph!). But, once on the home trail, the dogs picked up again nicely. We finally motored in at like 10pm. An 8 hour run! I was so down....I couldn't believe that we'd taken 8 hours to do a 50. Then, we started talking about it. Jodi was under the impression that our house was only 6 miles to the road crossing, when in actuality, it's about 10-11 miles. We did the math...turns out we did a solid 60 miler with the dogs. And, to top it off, we had bags of dog food in our sleds, with only 7 dog teams. All in all, the dogs really pulled off the run (yeah, we were slow for a while, but I don't really fault the dogs at all), going longer and farther than we have all season. Cool! I gotta give a HUGE thanks to Jodi for running with me...Manny had to pick up Conor from daycare, so we couldn't both go. Jodi, you're too awesome!

Tomorrow (guess I should say later today), Manny, Devlyn & I are going out to do a quick 30-some run with the dogs on sleds. Then, I'll rest them for 4 hours and go do another 20 miler...to get them back into the notion of running/resting/running. We'll do another run on Saturday, followed with rest and a couple more runs before the Cantwell race. While I aim at doing alright on the Cantwell...really, this is just a race that we're going to "run"...not really "race", as I'm using it to gear the dogs up for the Quest 300....which is just a month away. The main goal is to finish. On that note, I really should get off to bed. Have a good one!

-Have you been a Rogue today?

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from Rogue Summit Kennel!

May the new year be prosperous, provide happy times, safe travels

and swift trails to you and yours.

Longer miles...

2007-12-30T23:01:00.001-08:00

Ok, so here I am...a bit frosty. And this was after I'd already started dripping! I took the dogs on a 40 miler on the atv and boy did it get cold down there in the flats! Basically, that's all swampy muskeg in the summers...some very low lying ground. Brrr! Honestly though, only my fingers got cold...but, that was taken care of with some heat packs in my mitts. I have to tell you...that was the LAST long run on the atv...that's just plain miserable. And what a rough run on the dogs! I had to stop and clean feet a few times, as they started getting ice balls. Still, they ran strong and we went across the ponds just a mile from home doing 13-14mph. Cool! The line up for today was: Sunshine & Feather in lead, Chevy & China in swing, Zen & Just, Dusk & Booger, Jericho & Tricky, Hilti & Ahab, and Rocket & Inu in wheel (my wheel boys!). We went all the way out to the trapline loop, then headed back. I saw 4 different teams out there, all on sleds, all running 8-10 dogs. I had a head on pass with Olaf...but he had a little trouble and had to hook down. His hook held beautifully. I came up upon another guy after that, who had a tangle (probably from a head on with Olaf). My dogs were going by nicely (as they do most of the time...they're pros at passing...usually)...then Sunshine for some reason, decided to turn around and say "Hi" to the other team. I hollered at him to line out and he did...so just a small snafu. About 2-3 miles after that, I pulled Sunshine out of lead and put Chevy up front with Feather. These two dogs are awesome together! Chevy has this beautiful flying trot....he even trots at 15mph! He and Feather make a nice team up front and had us doing 10mph up the switchback hill. Nice! It took us 4 hours to do the 40 mile run...but with how hard and rough it is, it's easily equivalent to a 50-60 miler on sleds. We came into the yard and I gave the dogs nice sized fat snacks. They were all wagging their tails and pretty much inhaled those snacks! It's a good feeling to look at those fur kids so happy.

Zen is currently in heat (dang it!)...I'm really hoping she goes out by Cantwell time. It's such a pain to run a girl in heat. But, luckily Zen is all business, as are 'most' of my boys...of course, most of the dogs in our kennel are fixed, so it's generally not a problem. There are only 5 boys out of the 14 dog team who aren't neutered...which means I can move dogs around as I need to.

Wednesday will be a good 50 miler on sleds. We're planning on heading up to Stiles Creek Cabin trail. I'm hoping the trail is in good shape. Last I heard, there wasn't a whole lot of snow out towards the Angel Creek area. We'll see. We're going to break the team up into two 7 dog teams, just to play it safe. Well, I'm off. After 2 days of rough, 40 mile runs on that cold atv..I think I need a nap. Ha ha ha!! ;o)

-Were you a Rogue today??

Cold run!

2007-12-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Devlyn and I took the A team out on a 24 mile run today with the atv. We plan on taking the sleds out tomorrow, if all goes well. But, we had a time crunch, so the atv it was. When we left the house, it was 0F. We live up on a hill, and our temps are almost always 10-20 degrees warmer than low lying areas in the winter time. However, we bundled up and off we went. The dogs ran really well for me. I'm a bit more cautious than Manny, so I kept the team slow on the way out, running about 10-12mph. Dusk and Just were in lead, Feather & Zen in swing, then China & Chevy, Booger & Sunshine, Jericho & Tricky, Hilti & Ahab, and finally Rocket & Inu in wheel. These are some very strong dogs! They pull the atv even with both brakes on. Yikes! Still, I was able to keep them under control, especially with the fresh snow on the trails. We met a beautiful team of siberians on a sled...I think there were 8-10 dogs. I pulled the atv off the side of the trail and our dogs lined out nicely, mostly on the right. The other team balked but their musher was able to call them on and they finally passed. My dogs did great, except stinking Sunshine...he started sniping at the other team until I scolded him...then he stopped. We took off from there and ran down the switchbacks to Anaconda Creek trail. Running through the clear cut was really COLD! The wind was blowing just a bit, but the temps must have been close to -20F. Devlyn & I whipped out the hand warmers and a few times, I had Devlyn get off the atv and walk up and down the dogs, petting them so that he'd warm up his feet and get the blood pumping. It's mighty cold sitting on an atv...brr! My feet got cold towards the end of the run, but I didn't get off the atv except for one time. Will test them with sleds next. It's really important to have quality gear and even more important to try the gear before the races.

Devlyn drove the dog team for a little while. It was pretty cool to see him running the atv with 14 dogs out front. The dogs listened to him as well. Nice! As we hooked back onto the wood cutting road trail, a friend was out with a 10 dog team on a sled. He was ahead of us, but we were going a bit faster, so I called trail and the dogs started a running pass. Very neat! They passed beautifully and I said Hi to Tom on my way by. Then, we started up the switchbacks, which are all climbing. Dusk decided to slow down, which was not cool since we'd just past Tom's swifters...but, I passed an alternate trail that Tom took, so I didn't have to worry about him getting hung up behind us. I stopped to switch Dusk back into swing and put my little Feather girl up front with Just. That did the trick! We ran up those hills at about 10mph. Now that may not sound like much to some...but it is GREAT to have dogs charge up hills like this. That saves a lot of time on races. I also don't let my dogs go flying down hills, as that's when they get injured from pounding on joints going too fast. We did the run in 2 hours, the dogs came in jazzed. Hilti almost pulled me off my feet when I led him back to his house...he wasn't even tired! Sunshine yanked on Manny too. So, hopefully we'll get the sleds out tomorrow and go for a longer run. Cheers!

-Were you a rogue today?

Sponsors are AWESOME!

2007-12-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Here's Conor and I, showing off last year's sponsor gear!
Many folks don't realize what it takes to put together a quality racing kennel. For us here at Rogue Summit, it's a family affair. Manny, Devlyn, myself and soon, Conor, all run dogs. We've worked hard to develop a competitive team of excellent race dogs. We started running dogs back in 1994, with our first siberian husky, Stika. We'd been inspired by watching the start of the Iditarod, while we were stationed in Alaska (Navy). As a girl, I used to pretend to 'mush' with my keeshond, Tasha, before I really knew what sled dogs were about. It wasn't a long stretch to imagine running a team of huskies with a sled...it just seemed meant to be. Well, it wasn't long before we started building our "kennel." We soon had 3 dogs, then 5 that we were tooling around with. We quickly discovered that Washington State wasn't such a great place to run dogs. Off to Montana we went and before we knew it, we had 30 dogs! We'd started with siberians; but, quickly found that Alaska Huskies could far outrun these beautiful, fluffy furballs. It wasn't long before we began to think, "Hey, wouldn't it be fun to do some races?" By this time, we'd already read as much as we could about Irod. Plus, we'd heard about the Yukon Quest and read every single book we could get out hands on. It became Manny's dream to one day run this fantastic race. We knew that if we wanted to be serious about it, we needed to be in a place where we could run dogs right from our home. A place where a musher could learn from other mushers. A place where we could fit in and belong. That's what led us to Two Rivers here in Alaska.

It's been 9 years since we came back to Alaska and Man, what a ride! We are truly blessed to live in such a wonderful place, close to town; yet, with a whole wilderness for our 'backyard'. We've built our kennel from the ground up, gaining experience, slowly working our way to the Yukon Quest. We are just about at that goal now. We have such a fine group of high caliber athletes in the yard. We have direct access to a vast amount of training trails right out of our house. Manny is working hard to train the team for this year's races. We can't wait to hit the trails on sleds.

However, we can't realize our dream alone. Sponsors help make our dreams become a reality. Sponsorships come in many shapes and forms, from Corporate level sponsorships, to individuals who sponsor a dog, even down to folks who simply provide a needed item for races. Even the smallest bit helps. Last year, I ran the Yukon Quest 300 in Whitehorse...but, I never would have made it there without the generous help of sponsors like Cuppachena Coffee, Ginger Stock-McKenzie (Arbonne International), Grubstake Feeds and the staff at Hutchison High School. Some provided entry fees, some provided dog food and meat, others provided booties for the dogs' feet. All in all, they helped to get us down the trail. These folks were instrumental in getting team RS out there on the race trails, gaining experience for our future bid at the Yukon Quest 1000.

This year, Manny and I are both working on qualifiers for the Yukon Quest. Our plans include: Cantwell Classic 200 (Tammi), the YQ300 (Tammi), the Two Rivers 200 (Manny) and possibly the Taiga 300 (Manny). Manny plans to run the Yukon Quest in 2009 and Tammi may run it in 2010. Hopefully, we can make our dreams a reality.

Sponsorship allows folks to be an integral part of our team, even if they can't make it to Alaska to go for a sled ride with us, or race the Yukon Quest. These people receive training updates on their "dog", receive "insider" tips and stories from the trail; basically, they become a part of Rogue Summit Kennel. Folks who can sponsor at a higher level, know that they helped fuel our team down the trail, as their contributions will go to getting the high quality feed the dogs need. A dog sponsor will know that they are providing the necessary gear and supplies needed to help their chosen dog along the trail in comfort. A bootie sponsor knows that they help to provide protection for our dogs' paws; a much needed asset to keep the dogs in great shape. Or perhaps someone provides warm gloves or heat packs for keeping Manny's or my hands warm at -40F while we're on the trail. These folks that help team Rogue Summit make it to the starting line are in essence with us on the runners, rooting us, content knowing that they help get us down the trail. Now those folks are truly AWESOME!

Manny and I also bring our love of mushing into the classroom. I am a High School teacher; therefore, I love the fact that I can bring my two passions together....teaching and racing sled dogs. Manny and I do presentations for students by bringing in our gear, sleds and some of our key sled dogs to the classroom. We are fully committed to education and believe in what we do. This is a blessing for us and allows us to share our knowledge and promote this fantastic sport to future generations.

So, join us on the trails this year and in the years to come, as we continue working our way to the dream that is "The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race"!

Hangin' around the house

2007-12-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

The temps have plummeted outside, it's -20F and dropping here at our house, while in town, the temps are -36F and dropping. Running at these temps on an atv is just plain miserable. Plus, the skinny butts have finally starting putting on a little weight, so we thought it'd be better for the dogs to take a day or two off. So, hangin' around the house is what's doin' right now.

Our house is definitely a cozy, full one! I have to chuckle when I read that folks have one or two dogs in the house. We have 7 of them, plus the cats...but Manny says that the 3 lil' dogs don't count. Ha ha ha! Above, you can see (left to right) Onyx curled up on his bed, with Radar, the GSP curled up next to him. Jaeger is wondering what I'm doing with that flashy thing Again! and Baron is taking up the whole other big dog bed. I made a couple of beds for the dogs, because the ones in the store are either real expensive or just weren't big enough for our pooches. So, I made a few for the furkiddlings. You can see, they sure do love them!

Here, you can see my little Monty Mo (short for Montgomery) and Otto (behind Monty). Monty is cuddled up next to me on the couch, there's his chew toy under his jaw there...yeah, he sleeps with it at times. Monty is a Cairn Terrier/Yorkie mix that a very nice lady needed to find a home for. I've always dreamed of having a "Toto" dog....so it just seemed meant to be. Monty is only 5 months old but has already wiggled his way into our hearts.

Needless to say, we are very blessed to have a full house. Life is good! Now, just 3 more days until finals are over at school...then 2 Wonderful Weeks Off! Wahoo!

Happy Holidays to everyone, from all of us Rogues here at Rogue Summit Kennel!

Snow in the forecast

2007-12-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

Rain wants to know if she can come play, too! She's so silly...she somehow manages to wrap her chain around her pole, even though she does have a swivel. Silly girl! She sure is a happy girl though, and very pretty! Odin's there in the background, romping around. Our dogs here sure do have a good time...though that makes sense, as we like to play with them, love on them and just have fun. Rain and her siblings are still too young for any kind of running in team, but they do like to frolic around the yard and generally just cause a ruckus.

Snow is in the forecast!! There is a snow advisory through tomorrow night and it has already started coming down. About 3 inches are predicted for tonight, with another 6 inches tomorrow. Yeehaw!! Now THAT'S what we're talkin' bout! ;o) I sure do hope Mother Nature treats us kindly and gives us a good dumping. Only 1 more week of school and then we'll be off for 2 glorious weeks of running dogs, spending time with family and just plain having fun. I can't WAIT! Manny, Devlyn and I plan on taking out 2 sled teams the day after Christmas. Conor, who is still a bit small for training dogs with us, will be at his daycare, which means that the rest of us will have several hours to run dogs. Devlyn sometimes runs with me, standing on the runners in front of me while we run a 6 dog team. He enjoys doing this, and so do I; because the way his face lights up with that huge smile after we've completed a run is just awesome! He's looking forward to racing in the 2 dog classes in the Jr Mushers' races this season....he's been scheming and planning which 2 dogs he will race with this year. He's trying to talk us into letting him run Jericho and Sunshine...but he'll really have to convince his Dad on that one. Those 2 dogs are S-T-R-O-N-G and FAST! We'll see what happens.

The A team did a hard 30 mile run today up the Firebreak. Feather and Zen were in lead, followed by Chevy and China in swing. Rocket and Inu manned the wheel position again today. Those two just know what they are doing, for sure. Manny again had to drag the tie off rope behind the atv...it's definitely time to get a new quick release/tie off. The dogs threaded their way down through the trees, crossed the ponds easily. The overflow that was between the ponds has a nice layer of snow over it, making it easy going. The dogs ran a steady 10-12mph up the hills. At one point, he had to stop and clean everyone's feet, as the fresh snow created ice balls on the dogs' feet. He'd stopped the dogs at the base of a steep hill; but, the dogs got anxious and began pull the atv, in gear, up the hill! Sheesh! We definitely don't need to do any more muscle building, that's for sure. Manny said that he hit the 15 mile mark or so and didn't see a turn around. He went a little farther until they started up another steep incline. He decided to just turn the team around at that point, as they were really working hard and he didn't want to push them any more than he was already. That meant that he had to turn the whole 14 dog string around on the trail. Good thing the dogs are good about it! They came in, doing that hilly run in just about 3 hours. That is awesome for dogs who are running with over 800 pounds. The dogs came in a bit tired; but that's definitely to be expected. Manny said that no one had been up there where he took the team, so they were running through some fresh snow.

Well, that's about it for now. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we get all the snow (or more) that the weathermen are saying we're supposed to. Wouldn't that be a Great Christmas present?!? Happy Holidays to all of you! Give your loved-ones (both 2 legged and 4 legged) hugs and kisses! Enjoy!

30 milers

2007-12-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

Sunshine says, "Alright! Let's go running!" And that's what they did. Manny took the team out for a 30 miler today, down into the flats, across the Little Chena and around a loop. He said that the team had to go through 4 glaciated overflows, dry on the way out, but water on the way back. Dusk didn't much like the overflow, but Just yanked him straight through it all. The dogs ran so nice, pulling well. Even Sunshine and Jericho had no trouble with this run....even though they jumped up 6 miles. Manny said that the run was pretty smooth, until he got down to the flats...at which point the tussocks made a bumpy, bouncy ride. Still, the dogs didn't seem to notice. Before the start of the run, they once again popped the quick release, but Manny had a rope tied off as well. He had to untie the rope from the pipe, as the dogs had it pulled so tight that he couldn't get it off the hitch. Manny let it drag until he could stop the dogs a bit further down the trail. He said that the dogs were bending the pipe, they were pulling so hard. Amazing!

Manny saw more wildlife along the trail. He saw another owl, but he wasn't sure what type. He stopped the team and looked for the owl, which had alighted on the top of a spruce tree. Turns out, it was a Great Gray Owl. He found a picture of it online and showed me...what a gorgeous bird! It is awesome to get to have these kinds of experiences in this great land that we live in. Too cool! I told him to take the camera along next time and get some pictures to share.

No Junior races this weekend. We were going to sign Devlyn up for the 2 dog class and Conor for the 1 dog...but they dragged the trail and said that it needs another 6 inches of snow to make it safe enough to race on. Ho hum. Another low snow year so far wreaking havoc on races.

B Team Runnin'

2007-12-09T22:13:00.001-08:00

Here's Balian, wanting to know if we're going running.

You bet, Buddy! Devlyn and I took the B team out for a run today. It was such an awesome day! We got another inch or two of snow, as it came down off and on all day. So, after Manny finished plowing out the drive and the dog yard, we all started harnessing and hooking up. The B team has several young dogs in it, so they have a tendency to chomp on harnesses. This means that most of that team needs to be harnessed then directly hooked up. Then, they don't chew. I was happy to see Zeus, Peiper, Odin and Balian stand there, lined out nicely, waiting to run. Since Devlyn and I were only running 12 dogs today and Manny runs 14 on the A team, we ran Peiper and Zeus each by themselves. They run GREAT by themselves!! Peiper has this beautiful lope, his whole body just stretches fluidly, making it look easy. Too Cool! Balian ran with Odin and those two looked very good together. Balian has a gorgeous trot that is smooth and flowing. Odin matched him stride for stride too. Though Odin likes to run on the right, so at one point, Devlyn had to go up and toss Odin over Balian, so that Odin didn't crowd Balian anymore. Riley and Munchkin were in lead, and they took my commands nicely. Too bad I goofed up and made them run past a turn we were supposed to take. Munch and Riley took it at first, but being the good dogs they are, they listened my haw and on we went. That's when I realized we were supposed to take that turn. That was alright, we took the next one, though it confused the dogs and we ended up with a small tangle. No worries, Devlyn held the atv while I fixed tugs and a neckline. The dogs did really well waiting...no chewing, no snarling, just tail wagging. I made sure to tell the yearlings what good boys they are...Balian is funny, as he rubs his head on you like a cat. Goofy! Off we went flying across the pond. For older dogs and youngsters, they were hauling a good 15mph! :o) Not bad for Riley up front. Banjo and Jenny were running together and were "invisible dogs" meaning they just stayed into their harnesses, heads down, bodies churning, pulling hard. We came back in with the dogs looking spry. Ody and Achilles, who ran in swing, were still barking and lunging. Of course, these 7 year olds have been around the block a few times with me, so they aren't having any troubles doing the shorter miles that the B team is doing. Even Old Torus at 9 years old had no problems. What a nice bunch! Well, I'm off to bed. Another Monday morning will be coming soon. Laters!

SNOW!!! :o)

2007-12-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

You looking at me?! Here's Chevy, waiting for scritches.

Alright!! I was so happy to wake up to fresh snow on the deck, with more of that lovely, white stuff coming down from the sky. We didn't get a whole lot, but at least an inch or three...hey, I'll take that! The weather report says snow on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, as well. Man, I really, REALLY hope the weatherman is right this time...we could sure use it. The dogs are about ready for 30s on the atv already, so it would be nice to be able to get on sleds, to start doing 40s-50s with them. They are having no trouble adding miles at this point, and Manny says that whether he goes out and does a 15 mile or a 25 mile run with the dogs, they come in looking good, pulling well. That's definitely good news and heartening to hear. Honestly, most years we feel that we push the dogs up in miles too early in the season. So, we really focused on many reps at lower miles, moving up the increments very slowly (almost painfully slow...it seemed like at times!), running 4-5 days a week. What that did was give us some well-muscled, well-conditioned dogs who seem to be able to handle hills, ice and fresh snow. Time will tell and we'll see how the dogs perform on the races this year, as compared to previous years.

Dusk and Just led the team down into the flats again today. Manny said that he left a little later, because it was snowing so hard, he wanted to let it lighten up a bit first. It didn't let up for quite a while and he went ahead and took the team out with it still coming down pretty good. He said that the dogs were breaking trail pretty much the whole way, playing through the new snow. What's nice is that they are keeping their speed up, while still being able to power up hills. Manny said that he kept stopping every few miles to check feet, as the fresh snow ould've caused iceballs. He's seeing lots of wildlife on runs, which is pretty cool. Today, he ran past a cow and calf down in the clearcuts, then even saw a great-horned owl in flight! Awesome! Well, take care and keep checking back as we continue training the dogs and preparing for our upcoming races.

A boy and his dog

2007-12-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here is Jaeger and Devlyn. Jaeger is now a year old, and as you can see, a good sized guy! Jaeger chose Devlyn as his "human" not too long after he came to live with us at 6 weeks old. Jaeger always wants to be with Devlyn. If Devlyn is outside, Jaeger knows it and will whine until we let him out to be with his boy. One time, Manny was wrestling with Devlyn, when Jaeger started to bark and growl....he must have thought that Manny was hurting Devlyn! There is truly a strong bond there and while Jaeger does love all of us and listens to us all...that dog lives for his boy. What a lucky kid Devlyn is to have such a faithful, wonderful friend to grow up with. There isn't much that can hold a candle to the love and devotion of a dog. Beautiful.

Upping miles

2007-12-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

The dogs are trucking along, doing wonderfully. Manny upped the miles yesterday and took the dogs down to the flats. He upped their mileage by 4 miles and they did it easy! Guess all that foundation training we've been doing is starting to pay off. They are pulling hard, running well and look great! So today, Manny took the team up the Firebreak a few miles. He said that the trail was so icy, that when he was having the dogs pull up the hills, they were slipping. Not good. He started running the atv up the hills so they don't have to pull and they ran much better, without sliding on the slick trail. He'd planned to keep them at the same distance, but he realized that the first turn around was too short. He ended up going to the next turnaround, which took them 2 miles farther than they'd done yesterday. The dogs had no trouble doing the extra miles and came in looking good. Now, THAT'S Awesome!!! Tee hee hee!

We're feeding the dogs like crazy and they are starting to put some meat on their bones now. We actually have a few fat dogs! Those dogs are the ones we'll have to watch to make sure they don't get wrist or shoulder injuries from pounding on these concrete, icy trails.

In other news, we had a wolf visit last night. He came up the drive and was sniffing around the meat saw, on the other side of the truck. He stayed out of the yard light and stuck to the shadows. The Karelians were going berserk, which by the way, did not even phase the wolf; while the sled dogs all hid in their houses, not making a peep. Manny went out with a headlamp and before he'd even stepped off the porch, the wolf shot off down the driveway. A bit later he came around again, but circled around through the woods and took off. So, while we aren't positive the outdoor light helped, it certainly didn't hurt! Keep your pets locked up at night and make sure you check out any ruckus you might hear outside.

-Tam

Mini "Hulks"

2007-12-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

I snapped a few pics of the dogs this evening and wanted to share a couple. I'm just amazed at how the dogs' bodies have built up. While I definitely want to see a bit more "fat" on the dogs, particularly going into the Quest 300, they certainly don't look bad. I've been so worried about some of the dogs not having that fat pad between the pelvic bone...and couldn't figure out why they weren't putting on weight. Instead, they were building muscle. BEEEAUTIFUL!! We're going to keep feeding like we have been, as most of the dogs are looking great, but we still have a few that need to build up a bit of fat on them. So, we'll keep giving them dual feedings of kibble, along with their meat/rice "soup" at night, and their meat meal water in the morning. In the morning, we also give them psyllium (they had a bug causing loose stools), and corn oil added to their kibble in the pm. It makes more work for us...but our furkids are totally worth it!

Meet Zen. This angle isn't great for seeing her build, but if you look close, you can see how much muscle she's put on. She looks like she has big ole' drumsticks with all that muscle on her thighs. It was hard to get a pic of her, as she just wants to give hugs and kisses.

And here's Booger! It's a little hard to see at this angle, but this dog is bulging all through his shoulders, his back and his thighs!

It's hard to see, but look at those muscles bulging on Jericho. Wooowee! He's just beautiful!

Well, that's all for now. Off to give the 2 legged kiddlings baths and get them off to bed. Monday morning comes early...and it's the start of a brand new week. Take care all and keep on dancin'!

=All of us Rogues ;o)

Muscles building and training

2007-12-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

We took the main team out on a nice run yesterday. Man, it was GOOD to get out and run the dogs! We went out and hooked the team up and I have to say...what a difference from the first few runs...or even the past few years even! It was great...we walked dogs up to the line and they just stood there, leaning into their harnesses, wagging their tails, ready to go. But, they were so calm and quiet! I was really happy to see it. Manny had to replace a couple of necklines, and all he had were poly necklines. We were both thinking that they'd get chewed through quickly...but, surprise, surprise...they didn't chew. Well, Sunshine tried chewing on his cable neckline...but left Booger's poly neckline alone. Yay! I ran up to get the dogs to go straight across our road, instead of turning to the regular trail. We wanted to go down to the ponds, then up to the Firebreak...going this way avoids Oh-My-God hill. Of course, Just and Dusk decided they didn't want to listen, so I grabbed their neckline and pulled them across the road. They got the idea fast as they saw the trail ahead of them and took off. Manny had a hard time holding them so I could jump on behind him on the atv. We went down the trail towards the ponds...the dogs were just flying! There are some very tight turns, a narrow trail with trees all over. Eeek! Ok, so that was girlish...but it was fast! Ha ha ha!

There's a good amount of overflow between the ponds, all frozen over of course, but it makes the trail a bit rough. Manny slowed the dogs on the ice...but that made them slip and slide a bit. Once we got through Times Square, Manny & I switched and I drove the team. They ran so well! We were doing a speed run, so I ran the throttle to give the dogs from having to grind. Booger was off and on...we think the kennel picked up a bug, as there had been loose stools earlier in the week. This run though, all looked fine with no diarrhea....except for Booger going on and off his tug, everyone looked good. After a bit, we took Just out of lead and put Chevy up front with Dusk. Chevy has such a beautiful, flying trot! I loved watching him in lead. NICE! We went up and did a loop on the Firebreak, then came back down to the ponds. This time, we ran the dogs across the overflow and they didn't slip and slide like they had. The dogs came into the yard at a lope...which is very cool! They are definitely doing well.

We have a few dogs I call "skinny butts" and well, you can guess why. Though we've split feedings up to twice a day, add rice to their meat at night, giving them a "soup" and dewormed them with Cestex to get any tapeworms that may be causing them to stay thin, they're still skinny. This means that they don't look malnourished or anything, but when I feel their hips, I don't feel the nice fat pad that I like them to have between their hip bones. However, I hadn't been able to see them during the day for the past few weeks. I go to work when it's dark and come home when it's dark. When I went out to help Manny harness and hook up for our run on Friday, I got a good look at the dogs. Holy crow! They look like little bodybuilders! No wonder they don't have any extra "fat"...it's all been turned to muscle. The hounds all have those bulging shoulder and thigh muscles...the huskies aren't too far behind, either! What lean, muscular bodies they have. Turns out that Manny has been doing a lot of hard pulling runs, which has trained the dogs to work hard on hills. However he hasn't done many speed runs, as he was trying to make sure the dogs were well muscled and conditioned to avoid injuries. So, now that the dogs are so well-muscled, we'll work on conditioning/speed next...especially once we can switch to sleds. I'll have to get some pictures to show the bulging muscles...it looks so cool! I just hope that it doesn't slow them down....but hey, look out for this team if we have tough trails like last year! Yikes! :o) Tee hee hee!

Keep on truckin'! =Da Rogues

Wolves, ice and running dogs

2007-11-28T14:13:00.000-08:00

Life is getting wilder around here every day! This morning, while taking our son to the bus for school, Manny discovered a neighbor's dog had been attacked and partially eaten in the ditch at the end of our road (15 mile CHSR). Turns out that the neighbor had let the dog out with her last night, but the dog disappeared. Manny said that it was obvious from the blood splatters around the scene and the fact that the dog had been torn up and half eaten that the wolves had been there. Another neighbor confirmed that their dogyard had gone off around 11:30pm-Midnight last night...who lives just across the road from us, along the trail. Our dogs were acting very weird late last night and early this morning as well. A lady called me to tell me she'd heard from a parent that they'd actually hit a dog along CHSR....but I'm thinking it's not the same dog. Or, if it is, the dog was injured making it easy prey for the wolves. Regardless...it's pretty clear that the wolf pack is getting a bit bolder. So, keep your pets inside and don't let your kidlings wander around after dark (just to be on the safe side).

The trails are officially ice! Manny took the team out for a good run yesterday, going on different trails. He was heading to the ponds trail, but saw that there was so much ice and overflow, that he decided NOT to chance it (didn't want to fall through rotten ice). So, he took a trail that a neighbor/musher told us about to skirt the ice...he ended up doing a solid run with the dogs up and over the ridge trail and back around the home trail. I guess the dogs were feeling frisky...he said it was so slick that they were hauling the atv, brakes on and all! He said that those dogs were running around 19mph (with the atv in gear!)....then on hills they were doing between 12-14mph. He finally got them down to about 12mph towards the end of the run by making them pull the atv by putting it in gear. Going that fast on icy trails is just asking for injuries. He said they all looked pretty good coming in, except Booger. I guess Booger decided to twist around, jump over his partner, and got himself tangled up for a spell. He was a bit tired. Just and Dusk were in lead and decided they didn't want to turn here, or take that trail there...what a bunch of goofballs! All in all, they must have been feeling good though. Those dogs have gotten so strong that they broke 2 (count them, not one, but TWO) quickreleases at the start of the run! Manny uses 2 of them, just in case one fails, the other quick release tie-off will hold the team/ATV until he's ready to go. He said the dogs were lunging so hard that he heard a loud POP like a gun going off. He didn't worry too much, cause he knew he had the back up. Then, while he was getting his coat on before heading out, he heard another loud POP then suddenly, there goes the team with the ATV! Those dogs were dragging that thing, brakes and all. Scary strong!! He quickly caught the ATV and jumped on...but whew, what a crazy run!

Back out again today with the main team. I'm going to try and head home so that I can get a run in with the B team...but it's not looking likely (staff meetings...ugh!). The dogs are coming along and we'll be upping the miles again shortly. The Tune-up has been officially cancelled, no surprise there with current trail conditions. Still, it would have been nice to have a full racing season! Sheesh! Do your snow dances and hope that the Solstice makes it this year.
=Rogue

No training today

2007-11-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

Dusk wants to know, what's up with this weather??

It's just CRAZY! The season started off with some nice snowfall, making us all hopeful for a good season...then a chinook blows in, melting most of the snow and turning everything into an ice rink. We opted to give the dogs a couple days off, in hopes that we'll get at least a light snowfall to help the trails. We felt it would be counterproductive to run the dogs on ice....definitely don't need any injuries. We'll go back in training tomorrow, trying to keep the speed down. Here in about a week or two, we'll start doing a back-to-back at least once a week. Not a lot of miles, but enough to get the dogs back into the idea of resting/running. We like to keep things (as Conor would say) Spon-TAN-nU-us. ;o) Those of you who've seen "Happy Feet" will understand. We're about ready to do 20s with the A team. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that we get some more snow soon. If not, it's going to be another rough year. Do those snow dances everyone!

=Rogue

Inu

2007-11-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

This here is Inu. Inu came to us from Nenana....he had been a tour dog, but a divorce resulted in Inu desperately needing a new home. Therefore, we went down and brought back Inu along with 2 other dogs: Spike and Scooby (siblings). Scooby is off running sprints with Lynn Orbision, Spike is busy running in the B team; but, Inu has really surprised us in that he is the best wheel dog we've ever had! I really noticed this running the 07 YQ 300...the Yukon had a lot of sidehilling, and this dog was the star! Inu kept the sled up and made my job easier on the sled. Talk about working together! What a dream!! Inu lost a lot of weight on that one race though, bringing to light that he has a mild thyroid problem. We're going to work with Dr. Olsen to see what happens with it. We're trying to avoid meds...but may have to go that route. We neutered Inu and while he isn't chunky, he is holding decent weight now. Inu is a hard working member of the team. He and I have a solid relationship...and that dog knows how much I love him. Too awesome! Ok, I gotta run out and give him a hug...

=Rogue

Training and Chinooks

2007-11-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hi All! Training goes forward here at Rogue Summit Kennel. The A team is getting quite a workout with hard, grinding runs followed by fast, fun runs...sometimes forced due to the warm (read HOT) temps we've been having. Lack of more snow still has us on the atvs and with temps in the 40s at our place, we can't take the dogs across ponds, in case of rotten ice. We are taking it slow and easy in our mileage increments...though I have to admit it does have me chomping at the bit. We're usually doing 25s and 30s by now...but this year, we're doing things just a bit different, so we're not up there yet. I have to keep reminding myself to "stick to it" just like you do on races. It's easy to get sucked into someone else's "plan" and forget your own when it comes to building miles. So...I just keep reminding myself that we're doing fine and the dogs are on schedule. I checked out the Cantwell Classic 200 website and the list of racers is up! Holy crow...I can't believe the names listed on there. Looks like we'll have a full field too...though I already figured that would happen. I'm sincerely looking forward to this race even more, as I'll be racing with some of the best out there! :o) I got to do the same last year...though it was rather short-lived.

Well, I'm off. I'm soooo looking forward to this 4 day weekend to get out and RUN! Yahoo!! I've been lacking in the training department, as I've been working so much (too much!). Therefore, I can't wait to get out and train the dogs. Ahhh...my stress reliever! Ciao! -Tammi

Rockin' Rocket

2007-11-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Meet Rocket. Rocket is a VERY nice dog. He mostly runs in wheel, but if asked, Rocket will run anywhere in the team. We haven't had him in lead, as he used to lead and said that he didn't want to do that anymore. However, with a few years off from leading, we're going to try him up front to see if he'd like to take a turn or two in that position. :o) Rocket is always being goofy and loves to jump up and give me big hugs. Here, he's tossing his head around, telling me to come pet him. I love this dog and he sure knows it! ;o)

Meet the pups at 5 months old

2007-11-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

Here's Storm. She sure is pretty isn't she?!?

Hail is a lover. He's a real sweetheart.

Here's my Rain girl! She looks so much like her mom, Dutchess. I expect great things from this little girl.

Just "Just"

2007-11-11T17:10:00.001-08:00

This is "Just". He came to us over a year ago from Lynn Orbison over at Daisy Acres. He wasn't quite fast enough to do sprinting, so Lynn thought he'd like to try mid-distance with us. He definitely has speed! We put Just in lead and woo! Off he went! Just ran in the 07 Cantwell Classic 200 and the 07 Quest 300. He is VERY stubborn though. If he feels that we should Gee, then no amount of Haw will turn him unless the other leader jerks him over. I can't imagine what other mushers think when I'm calling "Just Gee!", "Just Gee!" Ha ha ha! They probably think I'm exasperated and begging my leaders to just gee already! ;o) He's also a CHOW hound and if he thinks food is around, it takes a LOT of convincing to get him going until he's had a "bite to eat." All joking aside, this dog has become a solid leader who runs through anything. And, he's gotten much better about taking the commands that we'd like him to, as well. :o) He's a character, that one. And a solid asset to the team.

Cantwell is a Go!

2007-11-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

So here is me with the team at the start of the Cantwell Classic 07 last season. That's Torus on the left, Feather on the right and then you can see Ahab (light dog on the left) leaping next to Dusk (on the right behind Feather). Last year, I got caught up in a defeatist type attitude at the first stop and ended up making a BIG rookie mistake. The dogs had looked great, were ready to keep going....but instead of listening to the dogs, I listened to folks around me and we scratched. I should have just slept on it, or put on my mp3 player and ignored things around me and my team. Well, I entered the race to learn and I surely did that. I'm very happy to report that I'm signed up for the 08 Cantwell Classic 200 and I can't WAIT to get back out on that trail. The dogs are already training for the hills and looking strong. The Cantwell website (http://www.cantwellclassic.com/) doesn't have the list of mushers up yet, but I did hear that there are about 27 mushers signed up. The limit is 35 mushers, which I think will happen. This event is a quality race and is a qualifier for both the Quest and Iditarod. The folks in Cantwell work hard to make this a good race, which is saying a lot since they don't have a big pool of volunteers to pick from.

I'm also all signed up for the Quest 300, though they are having difficulties with the website (http://www.yukonquest300.com/) and haven't been able to update it yet. Keep checking back if you are interested in following the race. Manny is planning on racing as well. His first race will be the Solstice 100, which will be a nice 50 miles out to Angel Creek, a 4 hour layover, then 50 miles back to Pleasant Valley Store. This will be a GREAT training race for both Manny and the team. Then, Manny will be racing the Two Rivers 200 in March. He ran the Two Rivers 100 last season and took 2nd place. So, he's already completed the first part of the race. This will help him when he races the 200 miler, as he'll already be familiar with the conditions.

Follow along with us as we move through the 07/08 season. If you'd like to assist us on our journey, please let us know! We could certainly use the help and would appreciate the support.

Ciao!
-Tammi

Dusk

2007-11-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

Meet Dusk! Dusk is a 4 year old male leader. He is energetic and solid in lead. Dusk led for almost the entire run of every race last year, with just a few breaks here and there. He has developed into a great gee/haw leader who will go through anything!

Dusk has been on the Quest trail, leading Eric Butcher's 06 team over Eagle Summit. I will be counting on this guy to get us up

and over the mountains this season. Dusk is the father

of our newest kennel members:

Rain, Storm & Hail (you can see them on our kennel listing).

Dusk is one of our main stars here at

Rogue Summit Kennel!

Alright!

2007-11-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

Those dogs are just doing fantastic! Manny went up Oh-My-God hill with the team on a longer run and they are just pulling nicely. I'm very happy with their progress and thrilled with the leaders that we are able to rotate through. We do have a dog or two available for adoption. Not because they don't run well, but because they either have shorter coats or would fit better in a team not doing the distances we are. Though I think most of them are spoken for.

Dutchess is running with Swanny and his freighters this winter. He needed a good leader and she needed a retirement style team to run in. What a fit! I'm waiting to hear how she does on her first run with his team. Swanny said that they've been doing about the same mileage, so it should work out nicely. Yay for Dutchess!! :o) Wahoo!

Here's Dutchess in lead

Ok, so now, let's keep doing our snow dances and get some more of that white stuff so that we can shake the dust off of those sleds and let the runners hit the trails!!

-Tammi

Meet Zen

2007-11-05T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here is Zen! She is a 4 year old gee/haw leader who was in training for the 07 Iditarod. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to bring this girl to RS Kennel to run with our team. She is a dynamite leader who runs very solid. Zen led our team to a 2nd place finish in the Chatanika 100! Zen is a sweetheart who LOVES to give kisses and get hugs. She is a lover, though all business in harness. Zen is one of the stars of Rogue Summit Kennel.

Would you like to Sponsor Zen?? She sure would appreciate your support! Contact us today for information on

how to be a Dog sponsor for one of these athletes

Today.

Running well

2007-11-05T21:52:00.000-08:00

Both teams were run today, with the B team going out first. Munchkin and Riley were in lead for this run. We like to keep them slower, as we are running the oldsters, youngsters and the rest of the race dogs from the A team. With about 20 solid race dogs, it's just easier to split them up between the two teams. The B team went a bit further today, taking the loop, over a 5 mile run. Balian ran in this team and did really well. We'll keep him in training with the other 3 yearlings, Odin, Peiper & Zeus. Dutchess also ran with the team, even at 9 years old, that girl still has it! She's slowed down some, but still running strong.

The A team went longer today, going up Oh-My-God Hill to run on the logging road toward the Fire Break trail. It was a long, hard pull, but they did it just fine. Just and Dusk started out in lead, with Zen & Feather in swing behind these 2 boys. However, Zen kept trying to pull out and around the boys. Manny didn't want to run her in lead, as she's still in heat..but she was adamant about it. So, he stopped the team, took Just out of lead and put Zen up front. No problems at all! Dusk didn't even blink and Zen was hard into the tug. Definitely good news, as I can count on them to keep their heads into the runs, even when hormones are raging. Right on!! It never seems to fail that at least one of my girls goes into heat on the Quest 300. I definitely don't want any problems like I had on the 06 YQ300, with boys snarling and grumbling most of the way. Though, Feather went into heat on the 07 YQ300, and I didn't have a single issue.

The dogs are looking good and fit. Its very heartening to see them. We are really working on solid conditioning and I feel that we're getting a solid base. Its amazing what these dogs can do.

New addition

2007-11-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week for us, as we made our way through Halloween, got our new atv with a plow and winch (yay...no more shoveling!), Parent/Teacher Conferences for me, then I was a line judge for the Regional Volleyball tournament on Friday evening. That was truly interesting, as I hadn't done that before. I felt all official and stuff. ;o)

We swapped a dog with Jodi. Balian, who came from Lance Mackey, is just a yearling pup that Jodi had taken on. He is a good running dog, but he just didn't have the long leaping stride of her hound yearlings (she's training for sprinting/stage racing). On the other hand, we had Skuuga, a hard-driving sprint dog who we just have not been able to get trotting (she'd run herself into the ground had we taken her on a long run). So, we swapped. Jodi took Skuuga, who is already running well for her and we took Balian. Balian is a beautiful boy that we'd considered getting from Lance...but, Jodi decided she wanted him instead. Guess things work out as they should.

Balian

The A team ran really well today. They had a tough workout, as I rode along with Manny on the run...phew, those poor doggies didn't know what hit them! Ha ha ha! Still, they ran very strong and quickly, came in wagging their tails and pulling us back to their posts. Definitely time to up the mileage. They've been doing 7-8 milers for a couple of weeks, so they are truly solid. In the past, we've jumped up in mileage fairly quickly. However, this year we've decided to really get the dogs able to pull hard and lope coming in, before we up their miles. True, we aren't going as far as some others are at this point...but we feel that the dogs are getting very solid conditioning. They are so strong, that it's scary on that atv going around some of the turns! Wow! On the B team, we've decided that there are a couple of dogs who just aren't up for running the Quest with us, so we're looking for good homes for them. Check out our Kennel listing for more info if interested by clicking here: Rogue Summit Kennel.

I'm off. Work comes early tomorrow. Have a great one, folks!
-Tammi

Happy Halloween from Rogue Summit!

2007-10-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

The pitter-patter of paws on the snow will be heard throughout the world tonight! Watch out for all those ghouls and goyles out there, as they get their "tricks-or-treats" door to door. Don't mind that shadow across the moon...that's just us witches out and about on this lovely night. Ha ha ha haha! Enjoy all! Be safe!

-All of us here at Rogue Summit Kennel

Rogue Summit Kennel

2007-10-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

So, as I stated in the old blog, we've decided to change our name back to Rogue Summit Kennel. In a way, it's like coming back home again to something comfortable, like an old pair of slippers...they just 'fit'. Everytime I say the name, I picture our guy, Rogue. His blue eyes dancing, his fluffy tail wagging as he'd jump up into the truck to go "to work" with Manny. He was truly a "one-of-a-kind" siberian. When he passed, we spread his ashes up at Skalkaho Falls in Montana, where we used to run the team or take hikes in the summer. Rogue LOVED playing in those falls. We thought it'd be fitting for him to rest there. He was a tough guy, he gave it his heart and soul, whether he was in harness or going after a ball or stick. I'd like to think that he's still with us, running the trails, chasing rabbits and seeing what's over that next hill.