Post by musher on Jan 8, 2013 15:27:24 GMT -6
I just wanted to share a few things on the dog sled trails. The first is that most of my trails are sealed up tight. A couple of heavy, wet snows REALLY screwed everything up. Alders and birch are bent over and the conifers lost lots of tops. Main roads are completely blocked.
Where I had 50 km. of trail (or more) I now have 10 good with maybe another 10 of crappy. You have to knit your way through the trees. It's a great way to get bonked on the head or an eye poked.
I saw 2 moose at close range on Sunday. Usually, moose walk off when you approach. The snow is deep and momma and calf didn't budge. They were maybe 30 feet off the trail. As we got closer mamma put her ears back. My old sphincter gave a good wink at that.
A couple of dogs wanted to check them out but the leaders were good and we hustled by. I spent the next minute or so looking behind! They were gone on the way back.
Today I had a grouse sticking it's head out of its snow hole about 4 feet off the trail. Not one of the 8 dogs saw or smelled it! It flushed behind the sled as we went by.
We were traveling at a good clip but I'm rather shocked that no dog reacted.
My male chessie quit today after 24 km. The alaskans are just too fast. I saw him keel and he gave me a bit of a scare. I cooled him off with snow in the arm pits and belly and he rode the last km. Poor dog was 100% totally wiped. He gave it his all. He couldn't even keep his head up for the first 5 minutes or so.
It looks like, for the first time in about 20 years, I won't have a brown dog on the A team.
I have rarely seen so many lynx tracks. The quota is caught so all I do is throw them the odd goose carcass to keep them fat. One set of tracks belongs to a monster. I'm hoping to get a boo at him one day on the trail. The dogs have acted up around a few fresh tracks that followed our trail but I have not seen a lynx so far.
I hope you are all having as good a time as I am with your mutts.
Where I had 50 km. of trail (or more) I now have 10 good with maybe another 10 of crappy. You have to knit your way through the trees. It's a great way to get bonked on the head or an eye poked.
I saw 2 moose at close range on Sunday. Usually, moose walk off when you approach. The snow is deep and momma and calf didn't budge. They were maybe 30 feet off the trail. As we got closer mamma put her ears back. My old sphincter gave a good wink at that.
A couple of dogs wanted to check them out but the leaders were good and we hustled by. I spent the next minute or so looking behind! They were gone on the way back.
Today I had a grouse sticking it's head out of its snow hole about 4 feet off the trail. Not one of the 8 dogs saw or smelled it! It flushed behind the sled as we went by.
We were traveling at a good clip but I'm rather shocked that no dog reacted.
My male chessie quit today after 24 km. The alaskans are just too fast. I saw him keel and he gave me a bit of a scare. I cooled him off with snow in the arm pits and belly and he rode the last km. Poor dog was 100% totally wiped. He gave it his all. He couldn't even keep his head up for the first 5 minutes or so.
It looks like, for the first time in about 20 years, I won't have a brown dog on the A team.
I have rarely seen so many lynx tracks. The quota is caught so all I do is throw them the odd goose carcass to keep them fat. One set of tracks belongs to a monster. I'm hoping to get a boo at him one day on the trail. The dogs have acted up around a few fresh tracks that followed our trail but I have not seen a lynx so far.
I hope you are all having as good a time as I am with your mutts.
