Sab will start this weekend at the Kuskokwim 300.
Today evening we draw our bibs – Sab draw number 16 and me 9, so we can start at 10:30 h and 10:16 h respectively – but we have to be in the starting area already by 6:30 h for the vet check. Yesterday we got some snow and according to the weather forecast we’ll get a cold race as they anticipate temperatures below -30°C.
The dogs will come tomorrow directly to the start so they can have an extra night in their own doghouses.
Today Sab and I only did a small run (17 milles / 27 km) with the dogs which will run in the Copper Basin 300. The wheather is a little bit colder with -22°C and we had light winds, so I was happy that the trainingsrun didn’t lead as passing the magic Mile 8 (there the wind often gets stronger).
Otherwise it was the day of preparation – the big part was already done by our handlers (cutting and portioning meat, packing booties, blankets and the vetkits, etc.) – but there where always things to prepare.
Today Sab sorted the dogs out, after Dave and Andrew left, the teams had to reordered. In all we have now 4 complet teams in training. Then we redistributed the doghouses teamwise.
After noon I got off, in the sunshine by -20°C, for a 34 miles trainingsrun (55 km) with the following team: Skunk – Kritter, Ibex – Onyx, Kali – Lucky, Jack – Franky, Bertha – Ricky, Kiana – Susie, Elliot – Jasper und Nani. The run was almost unspectacular, expect at Mile 3 we saw a moose with her little only about 100 m beside the trail behind the willows.
The moto of today was cleaning. The four sleds needed to be emptied and all the material needed to be ranged again, there was also some “feed maintance” for the dogs on the programm, that means cutting nails and the hairs between the toes.
I also managed to finish the Racereport GinGin 200.
At 10 o’clock Gatean left with the dogs that didn’t run the race for a 90 mile trainingsrun (145 km).
I arrived in Alaska and next weekend my first race is on the plan, the GinGin 200.
If you have any questions – general about huskys, about our race preparation, etc. – then you have the possibility to post it here as a comment.
We’ll try to answer your question here in the blog.
Yesterday Sebastian started with a GIANT CARGO in direction Alaska to set up the camp at Paxson.
Rudi must be in Anchorage the 1 december for the Iditarod Rookie Meeting.
My big race is also approaching slowly but surley. Last week I got a big letter from the Yukon Quest with a lot of race informations and some forms to fill out – so I ordered yesterday my straw for the checkpoints.
No shipping fees in europe for the Blue Kennels fan articles in November for all orders above 20 € (15 £), just use the voucher code XMAS07 (or XMAS2K7 if your currency is £).
I signed in for my first race in the season, the GinGin200 and Sebastian will also be at the start.
Danny Melville announced his lead musher, Jamaican Devon Anderson, will train with Hans Gatt with the goal of qualifying for the 2009 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
