Alaska 2014!

[1stimestar]

Any one is welcome to post in this thread.

Here is last year's thread. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?21545-Alaska-2013 It had 19 pages and 15,986 views. Pretty neat huh?

What do you want to see the most?

Here is this weekend's race, the Knick 200. You can follow the mushers as they are carrying trackers.
http://knik200sleddograce.com/tracking/

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1560725_10152161835178103_1407859347_n.jpg

[Canoetripper]

Thank you ....................... Drop the fish or I will shoot

[LowKey]

Great. Now I have the Fish Shlapping song stuck in my head. Thanks a bunch.
:pinch:
Sharing the pain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoTR8sBGfyY

[Grizz123]

Alaska in 2014 is on my agenda

[DSJohnson]

Thanks 1st.

[Ken]

We do that here, too. :fishface:

[1stimestar]

Alaska in 2014 is on my agenda

Really? Where to?

[1stimestar]

I have permission from my friend Brent to post this. His kennel is Wild and Free. It's a nice video as it shows the dogs going by a wolf kill. The command is "on by" for them to go by something and "gee" to turn right.

Well I don't know why that video wont show up. At first for an instant, the square is black. Then it's white with no video in it. Any ideas on what that's about?

Here's the link to it.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3866366193837

[pete lynch]

When I right-click over the video it says movie not loaded.

[crashdive123]

The forum is not set up to embed facebook videos, only youtube.

[1stimestar]

Bloody grizzly tracks are wake-up call for Denali Park trail users


FAIRBANKS—Denali Park musher Jeff King had heard rumors about a grizzly bear running around on the trails he trains on, but he was dubious until he saw fresh, bloody bear tracks on Wednesday.
"I followed them for about a mile up the Yanert Valley," the four-time Iditarod champion said by cellphone Thursday. "The tracks were heading west down the Yanert River.
"He walked smack in the middle of the trail," King said. "He didn't want to get out of the trail unless he had to."
The fresh tracks made him a bit apprehensive, King admitted. The fact they were accompanied by a substantial amount of blood didn't help ease his mind.
"I immediately turned around as soon as I found a decent spot," King said. "The thought of running into a bloody bear in January wasn't something that appealed to me."

The rest of the story can been seen here. http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/bloody-grizzly-tracks-are-wake-up-call-for-denali-park/article_979387b2-79aa-11e3-b76b-001a4bcf6878.html#.UtDfkdIt7Q4.facebook

[crashdive123]

In the article it talked about bears being out and about this time of the year (winter bears). Is that fairly prevalent, or are most hibernating this time of the year?

[1stimestar]

Most are hibernating this time of year but as the article says, it's not uncommon for one to wake up. Jeff said that it didn't look sick or starving (what wakes most of the winter bears up) so maybe it got woke up. Wolves like to dig them up and eat them.

[1stimestar]

An update on the bear.


Today, wed, the grizzly was seen in upper tang creek. I rode a snogo in to revine creek and found his track coming from the Tang Creek cutoff trail and then hobbling, he is threelegged, down the trail to the fireball cabin. He went past it into the woods. Day old tracks. I then left and rode into Tang Creek and while there he came up out of revine creek and hobbled around the willow area then headed back down into Revine creek. It appears he probably became tri-pawed up the Yanert in a wolf snare. His tracks into Revine showed no blood but after he was disturbed by me the wound was aggravated and he was bleeding a lot as he loped back into Revine Creek. Not a happy camper as there is a pack of wolves trailing him. Be careful skiing on the high trail into Revine creek. A LOCAL REPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY FROM M. SPEAKES.

[Grizz123]

Really? Where to?

Not the South East area, I lived there and dont care for it. So I am open to anyplace else that will have me.

[1stimestar]

Well, the Fairbanks area is considered the "real Alaska" and I love it here. Of course, we have the harsher winters (and summers) but it helps to keep out the riff raff lol.

[Grizz123]

the harsh winters can be hard without someone special to help pass the time and you keep your head on straight

[Rick]

Don't the rangers in Denali handle that sort of thing? On the one hand it's probably natural that the wolves are tracking the bear. On the other hand it's not natural if the bear was injured in a snare. I would think they would want to catch it to see if it's injuries are bad enough to put down and prevent someone from being injured.

[Canoetripper]

Well, the Fairbanks area is considered the "real Alaska" and I love it here. Of course, we have the harsher winters (and summers) but it helps to keep out the riff raff lol.

So who are you? Riff or Raff????????????????????

[1stimestar]

So who are you? Riff or Raff????????????????????

Oh I'm the whole package don't you know?

[1stimestar]

Don't the rangers in Denali handle that sort of thing? On the one hand it's probably natural that the wolves are tracking the bear. On the other hand it's not natural if the bear was injured in a snare. I would think they would want to catch it to see if it's injuries are bad enough to put down and prevent someone from being injured.

Nope, let nature take its course unless he is harassing humans which he isn't. The wolves may get him or he may survive. There is already one tripawd living in the park.

[1stimestar]

Recess at -20.


http://youtu.be/fzVo70rY_lQ

[1stimestar]

Less then two weeks until the Yukon Quest! I can hardly wait to see all my buddies again. I have a new word. Locationships. A locationship is those friendships made at a specific location. I only see some of these people during the Quest, yet many of them I consider great friends.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7OAh_9sXhM&list=UUV2xYJFKf9926VaOLtiylKA&feature=share&index=3

[SlowRide13]

Recess at -20.

Awesome!

I get so frustrated here. They won't let the kids go out for recess if it is below 40--someone might get chilly, ya know.

[SlowRide13]

Less then two weeks until the Yukon Quest!

What brand and type of doggie boots work best?
Thanks.

[1stimestar]

Most of them use either a heavy nylon or a nice fleece. It's really personal preference and cost. Some have them made by a group called the Bootie Brigade.

[LowKey]

Watching a dog with new booties is funny. At least down here where they're not so used to them.

[1stimestar]

Last night my vehicle was stolen. Yes it was. I couldn't believe it either. My pretty princess that I've only had 4 months. I was attending my company Christmas party that had been delayed since we were so busy in December making sure our clients had some semblance of a decent Christmas. So I got to the hotel where it was held about 6 pm. I had my gifts for the gift exchange and my phones (personal and work phone since I am on call 24/7) in my hands. I locked my car as I ALWAYS do. In my job, security and personal safety are a huge issue. The only thing I can figure that happened was when I put my keys in my coat pocket, big puffy winter coat with side pockets, they must have fell out as I got out of the car. So when I went to leave from the party about 8, keys and car were gone. I have full coverage insurance but it doesn't cover the $500 worth of roller derby gear that was in the back. I had JUST told my daughter to get it out of the car so we can air it out inside. She cried and cried last night. She so loves her roller derby. I assured her she could still be in derby. I know her league has some loaner gear.

So after the police came and all that was done, my friend Lori came and picked me up. We drove around for 3 hours looking in all the bar parking lots ect. When I got home I called all the cab companies and offered $100 reward for any cabbie that found it. We have a LOT of cabs up here. This morning I called all the pawn shops and they will be watching for Olivia's derby gear. Today I shoveled out the Rust Princess and that darn thing started with only being plugged in for the hour and a half it took me to shovel her out. Oh how I love Toyotas! It was sitting all winter!

So, that's what I'm doing this weekend. Thanks to my Alaska Karma, God, or my Guardian Angel, this didn't happen a year ago. After struggling so, so much for the last 10 years, I am finally in a place where something like this is not a life changing set back. It's infuriating. It's inconvenient. It's going to cost me I'm sure. But I have some savings. I have full coverage insurance. I have a back up vehicle. I have my health and my kids and a good job. I really am lucky. Well no, luck doesn't have much to do with it. Busting my ***, having good priorities and a tight budget has put me in this half way decent place in life. Sorry, I'm rambling.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1527140_10153696248600697_409485967_n.jpg

There was so much snow on the Rust Princess, I didn't know where to start!

[LowKey]

Oh, man, that sucks. Hope it gets found.

[sjj]

edited.....

[Phaedrus]

That sucks! But it seems like it would be pretty hard for the thief to hide it!

[crashdive123]

Sorry to hear this. Hope they catch the azzhats that stole it.

[LowKey]

Stealing someone's transportation in winter in Alaska is just plain wrong. Guess those types are everywhere these days.

[ClayPick]

The dirty bast !

[Solar Geek]

SO very sorry for your loss and tough time. Sjj is right, check your renter's or homeowner's insurance it may likely cover the derby stuff in the car.
But if you are like us, your deductible will be over what the stuff costs....
Again so sorry for you.

[1stimestar]

They found it! It's fine. The derby gear was in there too! Heck, even my quarters in the cup holder that I use for water were still there. The area they found it in was one of our few trailer parks and a drug infested scumbucket area. Apparently they just drove it there and parked it. Took my purse with my checkbook in it and the keys. I had to have it towed to the dealership and will talk to them tomorrow about getting the locks and tumbler changed.

On another note, I don't think my keys dropped now. I think someone took them out of my coat pocket as it was hung up outside the room we were having our Christmas party in.

[1stimestar]

Oh yea. I can't get renter's insurance. They wont cover you if you live in a dry cabin.

[1stimestar]

And of course, I still love Alaska.


http://youtu.be/IQG1y-5oUhc

I think that was the same night I took this.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/431635_10152186463595697_1366871147_n.jpg

[1stimestar]

ARG! This is a lesson in patience. I recently got an Employee Certificate of Appreciation that said "In appreciation of your infinite patience." But this has driven me to tears! Ok maybe I'm just overly tired. First off, the police called me at about midnight Sat. night to say they found it and to come get it. I call my friend Lori to come get me which she did. We went to where my car was and then the police man suggested I get it towed to the dealership so I can have new keys made (since the keys were stolen too). I finally found a tow truck driver that could come get it within 3 hours but I still didn't get home till 3 am. Then I call the dealership this morning and they can't make new keys since they only go back 7 year and it's 10 years old. Others have told me this is bogus and they are lying. They offered to change all the locks and ignition for about $400. Uh, no. My deductible is $500. It wasn't stolen from home so the little **** head who stole it does not know where I live. I just need new keys. Yes I had a spare in my purse, that was stolen out of the vehicle. They told me to contact the used car dealership I bought it from and get the key code. I did that and they told me they don't keep the key codes or have any spare keys. They told me to call a locksmith. The locksmith is busy but can get to it tomorrow. Then I call the insurance company and go through the half an hour interview about having a stolen vehicle. I realize they are used to dealing with shady people but I am not one of them! Then I call my local insurance person and ask them to add the Toyota back onto my policy so I can drive it. She said they may not allow me to just have it on for a few days and may require a minimum of 30 days. I'm so done with this.

[LowKey]

Not to pile on but,
Is your address on your checks?

[1stimestar]

No, already checked. It's an old address.

[Rick]

You should be able to call the car company and find out how to retrieve the key codes. I seem to remember that was a Ford(?) so call Ford's customer service line. They should be able to help you. Good luck.

[1stimestar]

Well it's getting close to the start of the Yukon Quest which starts next Sat. Feb. 1. http://yukonquest.com/ This year we will have the smallest starting line up ever with only 18 mushers beginning the 1000 mile race. Years ago the purse was up to $140,000 and now is only $119,000 divided up between the top 15 finishers. So this year, basically, all those who finish the race will be in the money. Traditionally a third do not finish. The vet checks were done this weekend as well as the food drops (all the mushers drop bags were sent to each of the checkpoints). My checkpoint, Mile 101 was plowed out and the satellite dishes for the internet were installed. I normally go up Sat. morning but my "co-assistant manager lol" was going to try and drive up Friday night so I might go up then as well. It's better to go up Friday because normally we have a kind of crew party before the race. The mushers will start pulling in around 4 am Sunday. But before they get there, we will have race judges, vets, and handlers coming in. Once everyone starts showing up, it'll be a straight 36 hours of work. So we want to have our partying done on Friday night in order to get some sleep on Sat.

[1stimestar]

Don't remember if I posted about this but finally got it written up and thought I would share it here since there are only two pictures. As someone who moved many, many times growing up and then continued that pattern all my adult life until I got here, this is momentous to me. I've never lived anywhere this long, by far, and have no itchy feet to leave, ever. Maybe I finally grew up. Maybe it's wanting to give my children the stability that I never had. Maybe it is just that Alaska got in my blood as it's been known to do.


Alaska, The Madness
Bloggity Stories of the North Country
JANUARY 26, 2014
10 Years in Alaska

On Christmas Eve 2003, I arrived here with my then 2 year old daughter and my 5 year old son. I had the help of my parents and one of my aunts was our landing spot upon arrival. I was in a rear wheel drive Cutlass Supreme. It’s large trunk and all floor boards were filled with my most precious worldly possessions and the minimum requirements of setting up a bare house hold. The drive was days and days of slippery, sliding, white knuckle driving. But I knew the moment I crossed the state line that I had found my home. I took this picture right near the border. It is the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. "At 13.2 million acres which is bigger than the country of Switzerland, Wrangell-St. Elias stretches from one of the tallest peaks in North America, Mount St. Elias (18,008) to the ocean."

I have hung this photo in every place I have lived in for the last 10 years. It will always remind me of the first time I FELT Alaska. It was powerful. I stopped in the middle of the road to take this picture. There were no cars coming, no rush, no kids fussing in the back seat. It filled me with both peace and longing.

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/img002471.jpg?w=711&h=533

This was also taken on our way up, Haines Junction I believe. I loved the look of the sky; mysterious, mystical, meaningful. It was just the barest of hints of the mystery and magic yet to come. The magic of the promise that IS Alaska.

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/img00237-1.jpg?w=711&h=534

People tell me I am so lucky to live in Alaska. I say to them that luck has very little to do with it. Priorities, a tight budget, and working my *** off has got me here to where I want to be. Of course, a little luck, or as I call it, My Alaska Karma, has helped here and there.

[randyt]

beautiful pictures!!

[crashdive123]

Awesome views with a lot of meaning.

[1stimestar]

Here's the update of the avalanche. The water is moving, slowly. That's a good thing as if it all went at once it would take the road with it.


http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/28/22481494-officials-monitor-lake-created-after-avalanche-cuts-off-alaska-town?lite

[hunter63]

Don't remember if I posted about this but finally got it written up and thought I would share it here since there are only two pictures. As someone who moved many, many times growing up and then continued that pattern all my adult life until I got here, this is momentous to me. I've never lived anywhere this long, by far, and have no itchy feet to leave, ever. Maybe I finally grew up. Maybe it's wanting to give my children the stability that I never had. Maybe it is just that Alaska got in my blood as it's been known to do.


Alaska, The Madness
Bloggity Stories of the North Country
JANUARY 26, 2014
10 Years in Alaska

On Christmas Eve 2003, I arrived here with my then 2 year old daughter and my 5 year old son. I had the help of my parents and one of my aunts was our landing spot upon arrival. I was in a rear wheel drive Cutlass Supreme. It’s large trunk and all floor boards were filled with my most precious worldly possessions and the minimum requirements of setting up a bare house hold. The drive was days and days of slippery, sliding, white knuckle driving. But I knew the moment I crossed the state line that I had found my home. I took this picture right near the border. It is the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. "At 13.2 million acres which is bigger than the country of Switzerland, Wrangell-St. Elias stretches from one of the tallest peaks in North America, Mount St. Elias (18,008) to the ocean."

I have hung this photo in every place I have lived in for the last 10 years. It will always remind me of the first time I FELT Alaska. It was powerful. I stopped in the middle of the road to take this picture. There were no cars coming, no rush, no kids fussing in the back seat. It filled me with both peace and longing.

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/img002471.jpg?w=711&h=533

This was also taken on our way up, Haines Junction I believe. I loved the look of the sky; mysterious, mystical, meaningful. It was just the barest of hints of the mystery and magic yet to come. The magic of the promise that IS Alaska.

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/img00237-1.jpg?w=711&h=534

People tell me I am so lucky to live in Alaska. I say to them that luck has very little to do with it. Priorities, a tight budget, and working my *** off has got me here to where I want to be. Of course, a little luck, or as I call it, My Alaska Karma, has helped here and there.

Fantastic Pic'.......... Thanks

[1stimestar]

Here is a good video of the avalanche and the lake formed by the river.


http://youtu.be/I4YNelnCOZ4

[crashdive123]

Cool vid. I'll bet that pile of snow takes a wee bit to melt off this spring.

[1stimestar]

Yea they are going to get in there with bulldozers and such but are waiting for the water to go down some so it doesn't wash them away when they get close to breaking through. I don't really understand that clearly as there is a small creek's worth of water coming from underneath and one drain pipe emptying the "lake" that was formed. But meanwhile, there is still a full river feeding the lake from the other side. How will those two smallish drainages not only keep up but get ahead? I guess that's why they are dropping explosives from helicopters today.

[1stimestar]

WOOT WOOT! I leave tomorrow for the checkpoint. Yes a day early so we can get a little crew party in AND get some sleep before the 36 hours straight of mushers, handlers, trail breakers, media, vets, judges, and friends come traipsing through. The most fun I have ever had working my hiney off. Here's a post from my checkpoint manager.


We have estimated, considered, debated, argued and planned. Yet we know from experience, that you can throw any plan made in advance of the race could easily be thrown out the window 18 hours after the the dogs start to devour the trail... as they love to do.
Friday evening the remote Checkpoint 'Mile 101' will go into 'full race mode'.
Three trail breakers will arrive. Kerry Barnes, our Mile 101 trail manager, will hopefully be able to check conditions Friday afternoon on Eagle summit before dark.
Mike Reitz, the alaskan YQ trail coordinator and another experienced trail breaker will arrive after dark to backtrack Saturday to Rosebud summit towards Two Rivers. They will try to eliminate any possible problems concerning trail markings.
The '101 com shack' will open up Friday night with never seen before two (!) phone lines and faster than ever remote internet thanks to state of the art modems from Hughes Net (!!!) while the crew will lay out the designated dog lot area, install lighting, split wood for the stoves, start up generators, lay cables, place straw bales, sort the food drop bags, and.... well, you get the drift.
Georgeanne and Kelly will take over the cook shack again .... and feed the mushers. In theory, the cook shack is only available to mushers, officials and selected media in that order, but... it has become a great meeting place everybody visits.
With over 14 years of Mile 101 experience between the two ladies and thanks to the support of Ivory Jack's Bar and Restaurant in Fairbanks they have fed many handlers, mushers, media people and visitors. - However, Georgeanne and Kelly are also in charge of kicking people out of the only publicly accessible cabin at Mile 101. This includes media, handlers, visitors ... and checkpoint crew... including the checkpoint manager.
So, ... if you get kicked out of the cook shack, don't go looking for a higher force to get you back in there. There is none, and to make this absolutely clear: No, this is not a joke.
------------
The first communication from the location at Mile 101 should start on January 31st around 7 pm AKST.
If you have any real questions, we'll try to answer online. Please remember, that this is not an official YQ site !!!
We'll keep you posted !

http://yukonquest.com/

The main event is the 1000 mile race but there is also our Yukon Quest 300 which starts a few hours after the main race so those 300 mushers will also be coming through my checkpoint.

I'll be able to check in while there, yay.

[pete lynch]

So you're a bouncer, too? Outstanding!
Good luck. :)

[Rick]

Have fun and stay safe!

[crashdive123]

Looking forward to following the race again.

[1stimestar]

So you're a bouncer, too? Outstanding!
Good luck. :)

Lol heck yea. It gets pretty crowded in there and some people feel a bit entitled to just camp out in there. We have to have room for the mushers! I also like to have room for the mushers' handlers while they are in there but media gets feeling pretty ballsy and spreads out all over. It's just a small little shack. We are the most primitive checkpoint so we are dealing with hauling and heating water, propane burners, wood stove, generators, etc.

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_54642.jpg?w=711&h=534

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_5543.jpg?w=1089

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/img_5501.jpg?w=1089

[1stimestar]

Oh someone put up an excellent web cam of the start line. Watch the start at 11:00 am AKST.

http://fairbanksalaska.com/secondave/

[Rick]

You guys must not have paid the sun bill. It's like 11:00 a.m. and still dark. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[crashdive123]

Wouldn't it better if there was snow in the streets?

[1stimestar]

They normally have the start on the river but it was melting due to our crazy warm January, and too dangerous to have that many people on the river. So they trucked in snow for the street. I'm back by the way.

[Rick]

Oh, no. I see another Alaskan reality show in the making. Snow Truckers.

[1stimestar]

Oh brother.

Ok. No 101 pictures yet as I'm still working on the story but here are some northern lights I took tonight.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1017364_10153767290805697_356466118_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/1907401_10153767290820697_1278011654_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1908430_10153767290770697_1118427838_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/1800385_10153767290795697_142909297_n.jpg

[crashdive123]

Amazing, as always.

[hunter63]

We were supposed to be able to see some northern lights at our southern location here a while back.............All cloudy, Dang

Thanks for yours.....fantastic.

[1stimestar]

Oh dang it! The end of the Quest is approaching and the two front runners have been duking it out for the last several hundred miles. Allen Moore won the race last year but Brent Sass is the local favorite. He has yet to win the race because the one previous time he was in position to win it, he stopped and helped another musher who was in dire trouble. So this year it looked really good for Brent to win. Last night he probably fell asleep because at this point in the race, the front runners are seriously sleep deprived. Brent fell off his runners and knocked himself silly. He was almost to the last checkpoint before the finish line where there is an 8 hour mandatory layover. They said his dogs still looked really good too. Blarg! Allen's a really nice guy but we all love Brent so much and he deserves to win one of these days!


BRAEBURN, Yukon – Brent Sassʼs race is over.
The 34-year-old musher from Eureka, Alaska, who was running second to Allen Moore in the 2014 Yukon Quest, suffered a head injury after falling off his sled en route to Braeburn Saturday night.
The musher is in stable condition at the Braeburn checkpoint and will be airlifted to Whitehorse General Hospital today.

The rest of the story can be read here.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/yukon-quest-musher-sass-injured-out-of-race/article_4b31065c-91cd-11e3-9a71-0017a43b2370.html#.Uvf5ZvJw584.facebook

[1stimestar]

And that will put my second fav in third place. Matt Hall, the son of the friends I go visit every year outside of Eagle. He'll make Rookie of the Year if he doesn't fall off his sled...

http://www.yukonquest.com/race-central/current-standings

[1stimestar]

Allen stayed back past his earliest departure time from Braeburn to show support for Brent and see him off to Whitehorse. As a true testament to how close this race has been, Allen said "it feels weird not to race out of here". Off he went on the last leg of the race!

[1stimestar]

Allen Moore wins for the second year in a row.

http://youtu.be/gZvH0_ZE-dY


My little buddy Matt is looking at 3rd place which will get him Rookie of the Year. He's only 22.

[crashdive123]

Very cool (no pun intended).

[1stimestar]

Yep, I KNEW he fell asleep on the runners. Here's a message from Brent.


Hi friends, it's Josh Horst writing today. I joined Brent's handlers in Dawson and I'm here now with Brent at his hotel room talking about the race. He wants to share with you some thoughts about the race, but it's easier for me to type on this iPad, so I'll narrate for you.... What a race we were in! We know so many of you were glued to your tracker updates and cheering loudly from all around the world. We hear you!

First, thank you to the 14 Wild & Free athletes who started the race and the 13 who were still charging for the win 8 days and nearly 900 miles later. Brent is so proud of those guys! Next, the humans who get the Wild & Free team onto and down the trail. Wild & Free's fans, family, and friends have been so great. The Yukon Quest organization did a great job, and thanks particularly to race judge Scott Smith for running the team into Braeburn and the vets who looked them over when they arrived. "It takes a village" is a saying Brent often uses, and it's so true. Thank you all.

It's easy to write about how amazing those dogs were doing, but it's emotional writing about the race at this point. We were in it like never before and racing with Allen Moore like that was incredible. Brent kept saying all along how happy he was to have 13 happy healthy dogs and they were feeding off of his excitement. He had a creative and ambitious race plan and was sticking close to it. He had some wild things happen all along the race trail - large sections of glare ice, open water, cold weather, trail re-routes, fending off bull moose with his ski pole, but the dog team stayed strong and we didn't get thrown off our plan.

The run out of Carmacks was a big one for his strategy and overall for the race. It was also the run where the race ended for us this year. Here's how Brent has explained that run to me;

I believe I had a good plan and the team ran well with Allen after taking a couple hours on straw outside of Carmacks to prep for racing to Braeburn. Allen came by after our rest and the team was eager to chase him down. We ran through the night, across lakes, through forest sections, and back across more lakes at about -30 temps. In the early morning hours while crossing the last major lake, we had fallen back from Allen's team, but still felt like we'd be only minutes behind at Braeburn.

In a moment, the race stopped. I was fatigued and nodded off, falling backwards off my sled and hit my head on the lake ice. When I got up, the team was just up the trail probably wondering why I was laying on the trail behind them. I got up to the team and straightened them out, but I was clearly not all there and was suffering from concussion symptoms. I drove the team up off the lake ice to get to a warmer spot and stopped to regroup. I fired up the cooker and fed the dogs a warm meal while trying to figure out if I was ok. I just wasn't. My thoughts were cloudy and it was hard to string together a plan although I could still function well enough to feed the dogs. When I decided to go, I was so slow prepping the team and once we were ready and moving, I was not confident in my ability to drive the team and take good care of the dogs. The dogs knew I wasn't all there, they sensed my confusion and didn't seem to know what to do either. I was worried I could get them hurt by keeping going, so I stopped again and did all I could for the dogs, collected wood for a fire and crawled into my sleeping bag to hunker down for a while. As I drifted in and out, I woke at one point to realize I had my arm and bare hand outside the sleeping bag and just laying on the frozen ground. I knew then that I could seriously harm myself and my dogs if I didn't get help.

I held the spot tracker in my hand for an hour. I've always believed I'd never push the button to call for help. I questioned my decision, my condition, but in the end I knew I just couldn't safely drive that team into Braeburn despite only being 12 miles away. I pressed the button and waited. Soon the Canadian Ranger trail breakers arrived and we made a plan to get me and the dogs to the checkpoint. I was quickly looked after at the checkpoint and was then transported to the hospital in Whitehorse. I later found out that when Hugh Neff came across my dog team with a Ranger looking after them on the trail, he stopped and got his cooker going to make a meal for them and when Scott arrived from Braeburn with more dog food and fresh booties to drive them back, he and Hugh fed them, checked them out, bootied them, and drove them in to the checkpoint together. I can't thank those guys enough for what they did. It feels good to have a couple friends like them taking care of the team.

Back here at the hotel in Whitehorse, Brent's body is sore, but his attitude is as good as you'd expect. It's hard for him to fight the feeling that he let the team down, but as he said to me, "At that point there were 14 of us in the team. If one of them can't go on, they ride in the sled, but when I can't, they don't get to load me up and carry me to the checkpoint. Someone has to drive the team." Brent and the team worked so hard and were so eager to take a shot at the win, but that will just have to wait now for another race. Meanwhile, they've been eating great today (Brent and the dogs) and are being well looked after. Thanks also to our friend Sue Ellis for sticking around to help us give those dogs excellent care and rest. For us, today's a day to believe in the future of Wild & Free and be thankful for the life we get to live and for all of you.
be free

[1stimestar]

Well traditionally a third of the pack does not finish. We started with 18 teams and now 6 are out of the race.


Advisory Re: Cody Strathe
February 11, 2014
Early this morning, bib #10, Cody Strathe activated the help button on his race device around 26 miles outside of Braeburn. The RCMP have been notified and have put together a mobilization team to reach the area as soon as possible. More information will be provided as it becomes...

Dalton Scratches in Pelly Crossing
February 11, 2014
Early this morning, veteran musher Dave Dalton (bib #5) from Healy, Alaska scratched from the race in Pelly Crossing. His decision was made for the well-being of his team.

[1stimestar]

Moose vs. musher is normally a VERY bad deal. Brent lucked out.


http://youtu.be/8dkFPfWtA54

[crashdive123]

Lucked out indeed.

[1stimestar]

Brent must have really done a job on himself as he just withdrew from the Iditarod due to the after effects of the concussion, still has numbness in his hands etc.

Here are a couple of videos I took on my way home from the checkpoint this year. No, it wasn't as slippery as it looked. The roads were actually amazingly good this year, probably as best I have ever driven them in the winter!

This is 12 Mile Summit where 3 separate crewmembers left the road last year on their way out to the checkpoint. It's a real doozy in a blizzard.


http://youtu.be/zo9LBbdGqQE

[1stimestar]

This is much closer to town, Cleary Summit. Not as bad as 12 Mile but still can be scary. Of course, I don't get scared driving much, just a matter of how much I have to slow down.


http://youtu.be/xApQzHvzAv0

There is no radio reception out there so I spent most of my drive enjoying my favorite local band, the Super Saturated Sugar String Band.

[1stimestar]

Yea, that would make me use expletives.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1779189_632157170171013_1450601700_n.jpg


Mother Nature has a cold heart this Valentine's Day.

In Howard Pass, Alaska (map: http://go.usa.gov/BVEC) the cold and wind have combined to produce a wind chill, or feels-like factor, of -92 F this morning. While this is brutally cold, it's even more impressive when you see that the lowest recorded wind chill of record in Alaska is -96 F from Prudhoe Bay/ARCO January 28, 1989. Frostbite can occur in less than 5 minutes if skin is exposed in these conditions.

Howard Pass lies at 2062 feet above sea level, Southwest of Barrow in the Northwestern Brooks Range, an extension of the Rocky Mountains. The region is mostly uninhabited.

Wind Chill Advisories are in effect for significant, though less severe, levels for many communities of Alaska’s North Slope, West Coast and Interior today. For the latest information head to www.weather.gov/Alaska.

[Rick]

Inside with warm fire....not so bad. Outside in outhouse, no way. I'm holdin' it 'till spring thaw.

[1stimestar]

We had a nice solar storm last night. Luckily I don't have to go in to work until 1:00 today.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/l/t1/1912552_10153805124920697_1849819335_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1/q75/s720x720/1508131_10153805127045697_1162519934_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/q73/s720x720/1920576_10153805126405697_437145211_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/q71/s720x720/1948056_10153805125415697_1541583079_n.jpg

And for any of you in Denver, maybe you saw my picture on your news this morning.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1621839_10200670963455077_953192607_n.jpg

[hunter63]

Wow........I be up all night just watching....
Thanks.

[crashdive123]

Great shots. Thanks.

[1stimestar]

I belong to an aurora chasers group. Occasionally someone will get a shot of something they can't explain or something really interesting that is not an aurora. You know, put a couple hundred people out in the middle of the night all over the state of Alaska and you get some pretty interesting shots. We get satellites, fuel dumps, the occasional UFO. But this one had me cracking up bad!



ok this maybe dumb question but we are driving from NP to Fairbanks and there seems to be someting falling very slowly on the sky .... somebody know what is it?



xxx like straight down


aaa Probably diamond dust... All sparkly and smaller than snowflakes?

xxx no lol i mean it would look like airplain or satelite? i dont know if its possible

aaa Sorry... Bright?


xxx yes seems to have long tail


aaa Up very high or down low? Can you get a picture?


xxx sorry cant get picture now its already low, its falling very long time....


xxx what is that? it seems to dissapear now .... weird

Did it look like this?



https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1920114_10201587434708261_1562919716_n.jpg


So, we don't have a lot of high altitude flights going over but this had me seriously cracking up. And shaking my head.

[Rick]

Has to be photoshopped.

[1stimestar]

Awesome aurora party last night. We rented the Two Rivers community center. Two Rivers is a small dog mushing community about 25 miles out of town. It has wide open skies. I got home at 3:30. My friend Mariska took this of me as she was practicing her portraits. I have her permission to share it here.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/v/t1/1620850_10201511563126158_1243149383_n.jpg?oh=b58f 65f0d0943be137e6d2d7f3587fae&oe=5385E545

[rebel]

I watched a show the other day about aurora borealis. They said the ones that shoot up in colums are rare. I was trying to run them over, like rainbows, they would disappear as you came closer.

[1stimestar]

Hm, I wouldn't call them rare. I would say that the curtain formations are the most common though.

[crashdive123]

Cool pic Batgirl.

[1stimestar]

Oh oh oh, I really want this house. I might even want it enough to get over my fear of talking to bankers and real estate agents. I'm not quite where I wanted to be in my savings but dang this is a sweet deal.

http://www.servingfairbanks.com/listing/mlsid/298/propertyid/124475/#utm_source=vision&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emlstalertts/fb/

[Rick]

I love that listing. Two beds, 0 baths. You won't find many listed like that around Indy.

[crashdive123]

Sounds like a cool place.

[1stimestar]

Lol that's pretty common here. Washer and dryer but also an outhouse.

[1stimestar]

Today's adventure. It was a beautiful 33 degrees, sunshiny day. My friend Lori called me and asked about an error code that her Toyo was showing. Toyo's are the stoves that we use for heat up here. She said she woke up to a cold house and the Toyo had an error message flashing on it. I asked her if she was out of fuel lol. "Uhm, probably." We are both single, though her kids are grown and we rely on each other to help out when needed. She is my go to person when I need help and I am hers. It's nice to have a friend you can rely on. She has never put her own fuel in. I will say that her knees are bad and she has some other health issues so I told her I would come over and help her. She doesn't get paid until Thurs. and the fuel truck only services her area on Tuesdays. So she would be a day over a week with out heat. While it was bright and warm out today, it's not likely to stay that way. We are still in winter though the days of our deep cold has probably passed. So I put on my big boots and dug some of my fuel jugs out from under the porch. I showed her where individual can go to get heating fuel. There is only one place in town that sells heating fuel out of a gas pump and not bulk. Score, it was down to $3.60something.

First we had to shovel a path back to her tank. I know that drift doesn't look big and it wasn't really that big, but it's easier to shovel through it then to crawl up over it. Especially since once you break through the crust, it's like lose sand underneath.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/1972419_10202614895347865_1893085450_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1798499_10202614895187861_1037471314_n.jpg

This is not a job for someone with problematic knees. I call this the knee wrecker.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10003546_10202614895307864_1383037247_n.jpg

She has an old metal pool ladder to reach her tank? A pool ladder?!!!! Where did that come from! People don't have pools in the subarctic! It was on the wrong end of the tank for some reason. So I climbed up and shoveled off all the snow that had slid off of her roof onto her tank, only to find, no spout!
https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/1922454_10202614895147860_1161783008_n.jpg

Then I had to dig up the ladder which was half buried in the snow drift and re-position it towards the other end of the tank. This left things feeling a bit more unstable. Especially since the top end was rounded and metal on metal is never comforting.

I started with the little one gallon jug to get a feel for my balance.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/1962776_10202614895267863_403927373_n.jpg

Then I emptied my two and half gallon jug and the 5 gallon jug. I have the smaller ones because the ladder to my last fuel tank wasn't tall enough and I would have to empty fuel one gallon at a time because I couldn't reach the spout.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/559010_10202614896107884_1160376159_n.jpg

Luckily now I make enough I can just have it delivered but for several winters had to do most of my own. It's a pain in the hiney at -40. Really miserable at those temps. But today, it was fun. So we did it twice.

[1stimestar]

Tune in next week for the all new episode of Georganne and Lori's Excellent Adventures. Until then, it's a secret.

[crashdive123]

Glad you were able to help a friend. Looks like the elusive indesius fingerus tried to fly in front of you lens in the first pick.

[Rick]

Will this solve the Toro error? Will Lori have heat? Is that fuzzy blur following Georganne really Bigfoot? Where did the pool ladder REALLY come from? And why is Georganne holding up a container marked gasoline (que ominous music) to put in Lori's fuel oil tank and what's with the diabolical smile?

But first, a word from our sponsor......

[1stimestar]

Hahahaha. HI Larious I say!

[1stimestar]

Happy St. Patrick's Day from a red headed Irish lass in a little cabin in the woods in the middle of Alaska.

Two little simple tunes. Will Ye Gang to Kelvingrove? Cailin Mo Ruinsa.


http://youtu.be/QveThfmCj_A

[1stimestar]

Wolf attacks dog. We hear about this kind of stuff almost every spring.
http://www.adn.com/2014/03/17/3379165/wolf-kills-eats-dog-after-battle.html

[1stimestar]

My friend Susan from Kavik River Camp (and Life Below Zero) is in NYC right now. So fun to see the tourist shoe on the other foot. She got interviewed by Fox. She tells a bit of her bear attack. I know she doesn't like to talk about it as it still gives her nightmares, but of course, it's the story every one wants to hear.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3355386173001/inside-the-hazards-of-life-below-zero/

[crashdive123]

Good interview. Quite a woman.

[Desert Rat!]

I like that girl!

[1stimestar]

Ah dang it. Sue was supposed to be in town for a layover on her way back from NYC but they ended up flying her directly from Seattle out to Kavik. Boo. Oh well, a good visit is still in our future. Shhh. It's always a secret.

And in other news, spring is on its way and so ends another year of dog mushing. Here's a really well done video done by Hank Debruin and his wife. He's a Quest musher.

http://www.dogparktales.ca/videos/sled-dogs/#.Uy9NPKiAqrT

Here's what Eagle Summit looks like.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1982210_10152309575349185_1413435156_n.jpg

[randyt]

interesting thread, I pop in now and then to check it out.

[1stimestar]

So, guess what chickenbutt?

Part Great Pyrenees, Golden Retriever, and Lab.

Want to help me name her?


https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/v/t1.0-9/p526x296/10150763_10201668154487620_1921323415_n.jpg?oh=777 b15f3cde620efed4e788710aab8ef&oe=53968811

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/p180x540/66840_10201679706456412_1323344818_n.jpg

[LowKey]

She couldn't look more like a polar bear pup. LOL.
She's a keeper.

[randyt]

nice pup, how about Cotton? Known a few southerners that went by Cotton but never a pup.

[1stimestar]

Just three weeks old. Mine is the big girl on the right.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/p180x540/397548_10201679915981650_1720189938_n.jpg

[1stimestar]

Daddy.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/p180x540/10009283_10201679941662292_1018958798_n.jpg

[1stimestar]

Mamma.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10153236_10152720195943012_46646127_n.jpg

[Rick]

I thought she looked like a polar bear too. You can call her PB for Polar Bearable. Gonna be tough to find in the snow if you drop her. Should have gotten an orange one.

[crashdive123]

Cute pup. Blizzard?

[1stimestar]

Here's the current top picks.

Ele. Pyrenean divinity of the Roman epoch. (pronounced Ellie)
Lahe. Female Pyrenean divinity of the Roman epoch. (Lahee)
Mari - supreme mother goddess from the Basque region of the pyrenees. (not pronounced Mary.)

Or Luna.

Yep, I like two syllable dog names and ones that end in the long e sound.

[Rick]

Then Innugati - Inuit for companion.

[Power Giant]

Samantha Barksdale (Sam)

[1stimestar]

Lol.

We've decided on Mari, supreme mother goddess from the Basque region of the Pyrenees. Pronounced Mah ree.

[Lil K]

Hey nice playing on the violin back there :)

I also play and enjoy it very much, glad to see others here also!

[1stimestar]

Oh thank you. Those are just some little tunes I learned for St. Patrick's day.

[1stimestar]

Want a job where you literally get away from it all?

http://juneauicefield.com/apply


Some experience in living under adverse wilderness conditions is recommended. All participants are instructed in techniques of safe travel, and group expeditionary living in physically hostile arctic and mountain environments. Experience skiing is not required, and many participants have completed the ski traverse of the icefield having never before skied; however, a decent level of physical fitness is required given the amount of hiking and skiing participants perform and the one to two-day traverses between camps (accomplished while carrying a heavy pack).

Generally, students cover transportation to Juneau and for the return from Juneau, plus personal field clothing, backpack, sleeping bag, ice axe, and cross country skis. There is a basic field fee, $4,950, which covers costs of the eight-week field season, including housing, scientific equipment, food and fuel costs, Atlin Lake boat transportation, and bus and ferry transportation from Skagway to Juneau. Fees are subject to change so you should request an updated statement of fees prior to application.

[1stimestar]

Perfect ROTTW or bug out deal.

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/reo/4406472624.html

[1stimestar]

The Iditarod this year was crap. There was no snow on the trail in many parts. Here's a nice retelling of a portion of the trail and what the mushers went through. The Iditarod Trail Committee really got slammed for not changing the start location to Fairbanks.



From Karin Hendrickson Part Three – More Scary Stuff
We stop at Rohn for four hours and take off around 5:30 in the morning following a pack of about 10 teams who all took off some time after 5:00.
I expect a rough ride – the Burn is always rough. There is not a scrap of snow on the trail, although there is plenty of frozen mud and ice. I leave with all the dogs except the two wheel dogs clipped just to their collars, hoping that will help reduce the power to manageable levels.
Right off the bat Elway breaks his line. The dog is always breaking something, so it is no great surprise. He shoots down the trail, gleefully skipping from side to side, stopping right in the way to sniff and pee, charging at a full gallop down the dark trail, and darting off on side trails. The rest of the team want to go with him on his mad dash, and I have my hands full keeping control on the frozen ruts and roots.
I’m not worried I will lose him, but I have no way to stop and get him back where he belongs. And he is not making the team any easier to handle. We scramble after him for several miles. There is simply nowhere I can set a hook to hold the team while I clip him into the line. In fact, there isn’t anywhere I have enough braking power to stop in the first place. We tear down the trail after him, slaloming through dark woods and then slamming down onto river ice and gravel bars. Finally on the other side of the river I manage to stop the team and snag a tree with my hook and collect the thoroughly pleased Elway back into the team.
I am working my tail off to stay on top of the sled and avoid obstacles. There is nothing but glare ice, frozen ruts, ledges, drop offs, stumps, rocks, logs, gravel, tussocks, uneven clumps of roots, side hills, clumps of roots on side hills, glare ice on side hills… you get the picture. And every bit of it frozen dirt or ice; no snow in sight. The sled bounces off obstacles, slams into holes, crashes over stumps, and batters its way down the ‘trail’.
My brake and drag are almost useless, as there is nothing for them to bite into. I am still slamming them hard, caution to the wind, knowing that one or both is going to be torn from the sled at any moment and make a desperate situation even worse. But I am desperate for a shred of control as my sled careens back and forth, most of the time only on one runner. Like in the Dalzell, it is case of die now, or die later, and my instincts to control my sled has me jumping on the brake.
The dogs are feeling energetic, to put it mildly. We are flying. Not that I need any proof to tell me that we are travelling too fast, but we pass team after team. Many are pulled over, dealing with broken sleds or other problems.
The wild ride just doesn’t let up. There isn’t a single place flat enough to relax for more than a second or two before I am once again clinging to the edge of control, fighting to get the sled on both runners. And once again I am terrified. At the speed we are travelling, a crash into the stumps and rocks is going to cause injury; possibly serious injury.
I am really getting a workout; my heart rate is through the roof, I am gasping for air, and I the sweat is pouring off my face and freezing as it splashes off my jacket. I don’t dare take any of my ‘padding’ off to cool down, so I am completely soaked through with sweat. I don’t dare stop to catch my breath because the hooligans strapped to the front of the sled don’t need any time to wind themselves up into a bigger frenzy and run even harder.
The dogs are learning that “Oh ****” (insert expletive of choice) means the same as “whoa”. This will do me absolutely no good, because right now they are not interested in slowing down or whoa-ing for any reason. Farther down the trail, when the dogs have mellowed a bit, when the trail is not so desperate, when I am not at the edge of exhaustion just keeping the sled on its runners, a cry of “Oh ****” will bring the dogs to a halt. But for now the throttle is stuck wide open and all I can do is hang on.
The trail is littered with runner plastic, water bottles, coolers, and other items that have been torn from, or rattled out of sleds. So far I haven’t lost a thing, but I also have only had a couple minor tip overs, and no serious crashes. After a couple of hours we jump down off a two foot drop onto a gravel bar, skitter across glare ice, and head up the far bank. The bank is steep, maybe three feet high, and has a side angle. Despite the dogs pulling strong, my sled slides off to the right and keeps grinding along the sand and gravel bank that keeps getting higher and higher. Now my sled is nearly vertical and the bank is as high as my eight foot runners. I am not too worried about being stuck because Charlie Benja is not too far behind me and I know he can help me shove the sled up the bank.
The dogs are going to get a short break after all, but then, so am I. And I need it. We are two hours into a long run, and I’m shaking with fatigue, drenched with sweat, and at the end of my endurance. I sip some water and focus on breathing. I am a bit down on myself for being so out of shape, and wonder if it is going to be the reason I get hurt or destroy my sled. Then Charlie comes up and shares the same miseries with me. He is most definitely not out of shape, and I start to feel better about my fitness. Even if it doesn’t make the trail any easier, Charlie’s cheerful help getting my sled over the ledge makes everything seem better.
The trail doesn’t actually get better. It just keeps going on and on and on, at the limits of my abilities, for mile after mile. We tear up the Post River Glacier, a steep ice cliff, and across the rubble of rocks at the top. We fling over the giant dirt humps that always lurk in the buffalo chutes and they actually seem like a friendly familiar face on this horrendous trail. We ping pong over mine-fields of tussocks. We slew around sharp corners on side hill frozen dirt cluttered with roots and stumps. We slam through holes and drops and over rocks.
I need to watch the dogs, watch the trail for what is coming up. But if I take my focus off the trail immediately in front of me for more than a split second, I am in for disaster. I take a micro-glance ahead and see my dogs waver, wobble, and then dart to the left. In front of them is a hole. They swoop around the bank and back to the middle of the trail, and I can see my sled is going to be dragged right into the hole. I jam on the brakes and somehow we stop. I stomp the hooks into some cracks in the frozen mud and take a closer look. This is not a hole, it’s a crater. It’s a sinkhole. An opening in the earth big enough to swallow a minivan, maybe even a school bus. It is huge! It is deep! I do NOT want to drag behind my sled and wind up at the bottom of this hole!
Once we are stopped, I know I have this one under control. Carefully I take one hook and move it forward and to the side a foot. Then I carefully remove the hook holding the dogs back. They jerk forward, but my side-hook holds. I place the next hook up and over, and then creep forward again. We move, crab-wise, a foot at a time, around the edge of the giant grave-hole until all the dogs, the sled, and I are on the far side. Then we take off again at a run!
Somewhere along the line a few hours out, the bed of the sled rides up over a tree stump, skidding along on top of it. On the far side, the stump comes popping out from under my sled and snags my brake. We lurch to a stop, then break free and keep going. For some reason, the brake is still attached to the sled. But now it is cockeyed, twisted off to the side so far that the right hand claw is hitting my runner. It’s not going to do me much good like that. I can spend some time trying to straighten it back out, but usually if you bend metal around too much it will just break. Since I’m already using my replacement brake I’m not too sure what I am going to do, but I don’t have much time to worry about it since I am now left with just the drag matt to keep the dogs in check.

[1stimestar]

Part 2. Sorry, it wouldn't let me paste it all in one post.


The sled skids around an off-camber corner, bounces off a tussock, and shoots straight for a tree. The toe of my boot is caught under the brake claw, which is now in an unexpected place. I am locked in place and don’t even have time to holler before the sled crunches right into the tree. The dogs are yanked up short with a startled yelp. I jump off the sled to survey the damage – a stop that hard can split a sled right in half. But I don’t see a problem. The gangline didn’t snap. The bridle (attaching the gangline to the sled) is intact. The runners aren’t bent. The bed isn’t cracked. The stanchions are in one piece. The dogs are all bouncing around and happy. Gasping, I heave the sled off the tree, and we take off down the trail.
Just a few minutes later, the sled rides up over another stump and the brake snags again. I’m sure that’s the end of the brake; it has taken an awful lot of abuse. But when I Iook down, I laugh as I realize that stump #2 has yanked it back into position. It’s a little twisted and crooked, but it is functional again. Unbelievable!
We round a corner and the trail disappears. Instead, there is flowing water. It flows, knee deep for 200 yards in the general direction that I need to go, and then turns right while the trail goes straight ahead up a hill. I stop briefly to move Bree back from swing – she will never willingly go into water, and she can put the brakes on the whole team. Then I switch out Hatchet for Harp in lead. Hatch is pretty good about water, but Harp almost seems to like it.
By the time I’m ready to ask the dogs to wade into the stream, I realize a team is overtaking us. A fast team. A team with no sled! I quickly hook down my dogs and dash over to the loose team. They are happy to stop for me, and I let them all get a nice drink of water before I tie them off to some small trees. I unhook their tuglines and make sure they are secure. I am not sure what to do at this point. I’m a little worried about their musher, and I don’t want to just take off. I call over to Matt Failor who is camped just on the other side, but he agrees there isn’t much else I can do.
Just as I get ready to steer the dogs into the water, I hear a voice coming down the trail. I call back to say that I have the dogs and they are fine. Rick Casillo comes running up, looking as desperately worried as anyone can be who has lost their team. Once he knows his dogs are OK, he gets a drink from my big thermos, and then heads back to collect his sled.
By now we’ve wasted half an hour, and the dogs have lost their focus. They aren’t even sure which way we are supposed to be heading, so it will be up to me to head them out. I pull my waders on over my boots and bibs, and line them into the water. I only have to lead them far enough for the entire team to be splashing in the chest deep water when Cutter and Harp take over and the team trots by me. I catch a ride on the sled to the other side and then stop the team.
Bree has managed to escape, and is running around on the far shore. She won’t come when I call. She won’t follow Jason Mackey’s team, who charges right into the water and up the other side. She runs back and forth barking, but I am clearly going to have to go collect her. I trudge back to the other side and coax her over to me. She knows I am going to make her go through the water and she is not too happy about it, but once I get all the way to the other side she slinks up to me. I half carry, half drag her back across the icy water and back to the team.
I decide to take advantage of the water and give the dogs a quick drink and some food while I take a look at my sled. As I suspected, the pounding and slamming has caused some damage. It’s a good thing I stopped when I did, because one of the main stanchions is splitting pretty badly. With some hose clamps and hockey tape I get the split under control and prevent it from pulling loose from the runner bracket. I clamp a few more splitting stanchions, but overall things look pretty good. I collect the dog dishes, untangle the dogs from the trees and bushes they are resting in, and after a 40 minute break, we are back on our way.
Not two miles down the trail, I realize I missed something. The bed of my sled seems to be sagging. I stop and take a look. The bolt holding the bed to the forward stanchion has snapped. That is a quick fix. The rivets holding the bed together in the back have also snapped. That is not a quick fix. In fact, I meant to drill them all out and replace them with bolts before the race, since rivets can’t be repaired on the trail. But I didn’t get to that chore, and now I am kicking myself. But once I get the stanchion bolt replaced, it looks like it will keep the bed where it belongs long enough to get us to Nikolai, or maybe even Takotna where I can borrow a drill and do the full repair. So we are off again after yet another pause.
Hours go by. My heart is still pounding, trying to keep up with the oxygen demand. My breath is still rasping in and out. Sweat is still pouring off me. I am still quivering with exhaustion. But there is no choice but to go on. I start to feel that my side-hill dirt skills (something I’ve never developed before) are really improving. I start to think that tussocks aren’t too bad, compared to stumps and roots. Mostly, I am just trying to hang on until the trail improves.
We keep scrambling down the trail. Although our moving speed is too fast, we are jerking and lurching and stopping so often that we aren’t making that much progress. Even after our drink break back by the creek, the dry dirt trail is making the dogs really thirsty. We are starting to see snow. Just a little bit, and just on the north side of the hills, but it is such a relief. I stop the dogs and let them bite the snow and cool their thirst for several minutes. They roll around and celebrate, and I feel like cheering too. Because the rumor is the trail has snow (real snow!) on it after the Buffalo Camp, and I know we must be closing in.
We start to see more hills. Steep, ice-mud hills. The dogs are still pulling only on their collars. But I’m not even tempted to help them out by clipping them in to their harnesses. The little hoodlums have so much dang energy, they can jolly well work a bit extra getting us up these hills.
There are more and more sections of flat dirt, for which I am ridiculously thankful. The trail has to be pretty bad when you find yourself being grateful for flat dirt. Finally we arrive at Buffalo Camp. It has taken us almost eight hours to get there, although that include several rather lengthy breaks for various reasons. The dogs could use a short break. On the other hand, I NEED a few hours to eat, drink, and rest. I decide to stop for four hours. More than they need, maybe enough for me. After feeding and caring for the dogs, I head up the ramshackle wall tent. Jason, who got there just before me, has a little fire going in the smoky woodstove, and it is not a bad place to take a short nap. I lay down on the ground but don’t really sleep. The rest does me good, though, and I am happy to get up and get going again. I’m thinking about moose stew in Nikolai.
The miles into Nikolai are like a dream. There is actually snow on the trail. My brake works. I can relax on the runners without exhausting myself to stay upright. I can even sit on my bucket and take a break. I can get a snack for myself and eat it while on the run. And it is so quiet! After the chattering and slamming on the dirt and ice, the silence of the snow is shocking.
We are swooping into Nik before I know it. Rhodi checks us in, and the first thing she says is, “What do you need?” Obviously, a great many mushers have come in from this run needing tools, materials, or other help. But I can honestly say I don’t need anything but a little rest and food. We made it through some insane trail in good shape. The dogs are fabulous. My sled is holding together just fine. I am tired – tired enough to say ‘screw it, I’m resting’ and stay for six hours instead of a more realistic four. But mostly, we are pretty damn good.
There’s a long way to go yet, and lots more adventures coming up in the next installments.

[1stimestar]

Yay, we got her name. Introducing my daughter, Kiki Kapow! #101

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1.0-9/10151348_10153969343165697_5809661550087847728_n.j pg

[crashdive123]

Woo Hoo!!!!!!




http://www.mariaelita.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/kapow.gif

[hunter63]

So how did ya sneak in here with a new dog and I didn't see it?.......
Just remember what ever name you pick....first name it should sound good when you are hollering for her .......

One suggestion for Bella was Precious....., Now how do you holler "Precious" and mean it.

Congrats, our life has speeded up since "the dog" showed up.....yours will too as they train you.

[1stimestar]

Lol yea, that's why I like two syllables and end in an I. Easier to yell.

[1stimestar]

Small aurora show, didn't get dark until really late. But since this was probably the last auroras of the season, I made a video.



http://youtu.be/FrFpVkKWUfA

[crashdive123]

Great stuff. Thanks for showing us.

[1stimestar]

Ahhh I can hardly wait to get this lil punkin! Still a couple weeks out yet.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/p526x296/10154395_10201751738337164_3667973158072099222_n.j pg

[Rick]

That's a couple of weeks of mischievous plans he can hatch. Cute pup.

[crashdive123]

Mischief would have been an appropriate name.

[hunter63]

Ahhh I can hardly wait to get this lil punkin! Still a couple weeks out yet.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/p526x296/10154395_10201751738337164_3667973158072099222_n.j pg

Be careful for you ask for........Bella is being a diva devil child....lately.......I sure it will pass....I hope

[1stimestar]

So after being dang near deathly ill all week (what WAS that, the ebola virus?), I got a call this morning saying they had found a last minute ride for Maari. So I didn't have time to clean or puppy proof as it was my first day back to work in a week but she is here and oh so full of puppy character. She wasn't supposed to be here till Mother's Day weekend.


http://youtu.be/7v-nokT3gWk

[Rick]

I had that kind of energy once....a looooong time ago. Now I have to take frequent naps to make up for it. She's a cutie!!

[hunter63]

LOL...Congrats....MOM.....
It's a good thing they are cute....or they wouldn't make it alive for 6 months.
Bella is finding all sorts of new stuff out here at the cabin, has the stairs figured out........and all the new sounds, a big wood pile.......Oh ya, LOTS of new stuff.

[1stimestar]

She's already making a good little hiking partner. I don't want to take her too many places until she gets her shots but couldn't resist a little one. I couldn't get her to look up and hold still at the same time and just had my cell camera.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/1926850_10154033923455697_4049489507026525446_n.jp g

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/q72/s720x720/10177979_10154033926005697_1601532634252157969_n.j pg

[1stimestar]

Alaska, the number 2 place to visit according to the top 10 places to visit from Lonely Planet.

Funny since I was there when some of these northern lights were taken.


http://youtu.be/5hUMypK1qLI

[Rick]

I can't imagine any place...any place...more beautiful, more humbling, more majestic, more thrilling, and more reverent than Alaska. It will always be #1 in my book.

[crashdive123]

Alaska is the only state I have not been in. Looking forward to seeing it.

[1stimestar]

You guys need to come crash on my couch. I make a heck of a tour guide lol.

[1stimestar]

Guess who just got her first bath? Well, it was really a shower because I don't have a bathtub.

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10256953_10154060204550697_2376116492327733585_n.j pg

[crashdive123]

She's getting big...fast. I guess that means she'll be able to get into bigger trouble now.

[hunter63]

Yeah,, hahaha....she is just waiting for more trouble to get in to......look at those eyes.

[1stimestar]

She's getting big...fast. I guess that means she'll be able to get into bigger trouble now.


Yeah,, hahaha....she is just waiting for more trouble to get in to......look at those eyes.

Yes and yes. She's a fun, crazy, messy, handful!

But in other news, that pump that I bought this winter just worked to pump water from the truck up into the barrel in the house! Yay. Now I'm going to buy a bigger tank for hauling it in and move away from the 5 gallon jugs. Ohhh getting so fancy here lol.

[1stimestar]

Here's a crappy cell phone video I took of my drive home on Friday night. It's about 10 pm. You can see our light is coming back fast. We are gaining about 7 minutes of daylight a day now. Yay.


http://youtu.be/HuiUBRBKwOI

[1stimestar]

An Alaska hunter killed a nearly 9-foot-tall grizzly bear last year that was officially named on Friday the largest ever bagged.

Larry Fitzgerald, 35, was out hunting with friends near Fairbanks when they spotted the behemoth and tracked it for three hours before Fitzgerald took it down with a single shot to the neck from 20 yards.


'We knew it was big,' he said. 'It was a rush.'

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/05/07/article-0-1DA1963D00000578-92_634x640.jpg

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2622124/NINE-foot-tall-grizzly-bear-bagged-Alaska-hunter-named-largest-killed.html

[hunter63]

Wow that there is a bigazz bear.......
One shot to the neck....Man, I hope it wasn't with a .22.....we would never hear the end of it.

[Rick]

Let me be the first to say....it's all about shot placement.

[1stimestar]

Look who can sit after only about 15 minutes or less practice.


http://youtu.be/nKUcGZuXq8A

[hunter63]

Bribery does help........LOL .....Outstanding.

[crashdive123]

It's all a ploy to make you think that you're in charge. Dogs are smart like that. Among other dogs the conversation usually goes......you should see what I've got my human doing. If I bring her this ball she keeps throwing it....cutest thing you've ever seen.

[Rick]

And then there's the conversation that goes something like......."Oh, yeah. I heard them talking. I'm going to be tutored tomorrow."

[crashdive123]

and........there must be another dog that I don't know about. I hope I don't meet it. She keeps calling it bad.

[1stimestar]

Hahhaha oh I have no delusions of being in charge with this one, yet.

[hunter63]

Cartoon I saw once in a "Keep on Trucking" (I think) comic book.
Lady, "does ems haffta go out, does ums?.....does my ittby bitty puppy haffta do potty out side, does ems.....humph?

New puppy....Aw crap humans can't be this freeeking stupid, can they?......I mean OF COURSE I GOTTA GO OUT!

[1stimestar]

Lol well I might admit to a "bit" of puppy talk but nothing that idiotic.

[Rick]

Have you asked the dog's opinion?

[1stimestar]

Oh please, please, let that one tiny whine at the door to go outside not be a fluke!


And in other news...



Sitka newcomer watches helplessly as bear devours dog

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/05/14/3470214/sitka-homeowner-watches-helplessly.html?sp=%2F99%2F188%2F#storylink=cpy

http://www.adn.com/2014/05/14/3470214/sitka-homeowner-watches-helplessly.html?sp=%2F99%2F188%2F

[crashdive123]

While tragic, I think having a dog in bear country that looks like a chicken mcnugget might be a bad idea.

[ClayPick]

I watched some people let a little dog go swimming in Muskellunge water once. Lucky little girl you have there! My dogs do two tricks, they bum food and don’t come when there called.

[1stimestar]

Lol Clay. I hear ya. Potty training is going great! She still does have an occasional accident but I think that is just a matter of US not letting her out soon enough such as when Olivia and I are gone all day and my son being clueless about remembering she needs to go out!

We are working on "come". She doesn't seem to know her name yet even though we use it often. Guess that may be part of that Pyrenees stubbornness I read about. In other news, her and the cat are now playing. She is already much bigger and heavier then the cat so often overwhelms her with her puppy exuberance, but kitty is able to get away or bite an ear or nose when needed. She was declawed when I got her so doesn't have that defense.

And in other news, bear babies are here! I really don't understand why they are calling this heroic. I mean, what would anyone do? Walk out to get help as long as you are able. Now if she had gone back in to save someone, THAT would be heroic. As it is, it's just your general, run of the mill survival. Sure, it was a scary situation. Sure, she was in pain. Being scared and in pain is not heroic. *shrug


Woman's efforts after bear attack on Anchorage military base called heroic



Posted: Monday, May 19, 2014 10:22 am | Updated: 12:41 pm, Mon May 19, 2014.

Associated Press |


JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - A woman attacked by a brown bear on an Anchorage military base struggled to walk 2 miles on a windy, uphill path to get help, officials said Monday.

The woman's efforts to get aid after a 7- to 8-foot bear swiped at her were nothing short of heroic, Mark Sledge, base conservation law enforcement officer, said at a news conference.


The woman, who has asked that her identity not be released, suffered lacerations to her neck, arms and legs and was hospitalized in stable condition at the Alaska Native Medical Center, Maj. Angela Webb told The Associated Press.

Sledge said the woman is lucky to be alive and adds that her will to survive is "just amazing."

The woman and her soldier husband were jogging late Sunday morning on the northern part of the base when they became separated. The woman happened upon the bear, which had two cubs with her.

"They had essentially startled one another," Webb said.

The bear swiped at her once. A passer-by picked up the woman and took her to the base hospital. She was later transferred to the Anchorage facility.

"It was very quick, and she didn't remember much," Webb said of the attack and what the woman could recall.

Base officials have closed recreational areas around the part of the base where the attack took place, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson police are asking anyone to come forward if they witnessed the encounter


http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/bear-attacks-woman-on-anchorage-military-base/article_7aaca17c-df82-11e3-b2ae-0017a43b2370.html#.U3pSLdBntAM.facebook

[1stimestar]

The road into Denali National Park is 90 miles long. It is closed to personal vehicles in the summer and only open to mile 30 in the shoulder seasons, after the snow is cleared and before the park buses start to run. So on the last day it was open to mile 30 last Sunday, my friend Lori, Olivia, and I went for a little drive. It's still early spring in the park so no green up yet. We saw lots of wild life.

Moose and Dahl Sheep that were pretty far away.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/q87/s720x720/10277071_10154133625320697_7101735018822825646_n.j pg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/10363632_10154133625290697_6547990566945795895_n.j pg

Eagle.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/q77/s720x720/1660210_10154133625370697_5091289456974048939_n.jp g

Teklanika River.
https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/q77/s720x720/10330437_10154133625465697_5422748797865064323_n.j pg

Caribou.
https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/q84/s720x720/10372781_10154133625750697_7004841104812814543_n.j pg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/q83/s720x720/10402391_10154133625950697_4904451507846028411_n.j pg

Mew Gull.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/10152465_10154133626220697_1534248154734806442_n.j pg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/q80/s720x720/1517572_10154133626325697_2400563191380950840_n.jp g

Ptarmigan in the process of changing from his winter white feathers to his summer brown feathers.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/q71/s720x720/1505547_10154133626395697_4808807752593264834_n.jp g

Wolf and caribou tracks in the snow.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/q83/s720x720/1395369_10154133626525697_961428442194717969_n.jpg

Here's a tiny vid of the snow.


http://youtu.be/ufIJ0DHAxF0

[crashdive123]

Great views. Thanks for letting us have a look.

[hunter63]

Hey very cool.....thanks for the trip pic's.

[1stimestar]

Just bought a used aluminum canoe. Guess I'll be teaching myself how to do that this summer. Next summer, Eagle to Circle on the Yukon, the Mighty Mighty Yukon! 154 miles. WOOT WOOT!

http://www.nps.gov/yuch/planyourvisit/floatingtheyukonriver.htm

[crashdive123]

Sounds like an awesome trip. Looking forward to your pics.

[1stimestar]

Oh it is awesome. I'm so tickled! I can't wait to get it out there. Gotta wait till another pay day to buy life vests, oars, rope, etc.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/983684_10154150597480697_908242213706883819_n.jpg

[sjj]

Nice. Be safe.

[Rick]

There is an amazing solitude gliding along in a canoe. It should be a terrific trip.

[hunter63]

Congrats....doesn't have to be fancy, just float with guns and ammo aboard......LOL

Looks like a Grumman?.......

[crashdive123]

Awesome!!!!! One piece of advice......seats with backs.

[1stimestar]

Yes it's a Grumman. I like the seat back idea!

[hunter63]

Yes it's a Grumman. I like the seat back idea!

Good heavy duty boat that will last a lots of years of tough duty.......Congrtas.

[Rick]

Yes, yes. Most definitely. Seats with backs. It makes all the difference in the world.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

I just bought a 17 ft. Grumman myself! It was my cousin's who sadly passed on to a better place last year. I couldn't watch it leave the family. I probably paid too much at $800. Curious what yours cost ya, you can PM me if you like. Also a neat fact i learned from my little girl today. Alaska was purchased from Russia for 2 cents an acre or, 7 million dollars.

[1stimestar]

I just bought a 17 ft. Grumman myself! It was my cousin's who sadly passed on to a better place last year. I couldn't watch it leave the family. I probably paid too much at $800. Curious what yours cost ya, you can PM me if you like. Also a neat fact i learned from my little girl today. Alaska was purchased from Russia for 2 cents an acre or, 7 million dollars.

Wow ironic! This boat came from a guy who had a rental. The person who was renting passed away and it took his family a few months to get up here and clear his belongings from the place. The owner didn't charge for rent during that time as he knew the family in the lower 48 couldn't afford it and felt bad they lost their family member. So the family gave him the boat. I only paid $300 for it so it was a really good deal. I think $600 is about the going used price, when you can find them!

[Canoetripper]

Cool canoe! That is a good deal also. Some dry bags would be nice and I third the seat backs.
Have fun and be carful and tie everything down. Just trust me on that one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hunter63]

Well at least Old Town style caned seats........easier on the buttocks.....I aslo added a removable portage bar as the center support, that can be removed for big gear.

$300 bucks is a very good price these days.....Good for you.

I did pay $200 for 2 canoes, .....1998.......a Colman fiber glass $125 and a 15' no name aluminum $75 bucks, beat up canoe at a yard sale......sold the alum canoe (paid for both) before I got home and gave the Colman to DD and SIL.

[1stimestar]

Cool canoe! That is a good deal also. Some dry bags would be nice and I third the seat backs.
Have fun and be carful and tie everything down. Just trust me on that one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea I was looking at dry bags big enough to carry my fiddle in. Ouch that's gonna hurt.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

Turns out mine is manufactured by Lowe. I was mistaken.

[1stimestar]

No worries. I notice it also has a flat bottom, that's nice.

[Rick]

You probably know this and it won't come as a surprise that aluminum canoes are noisy. Mine is a thermo plastic or resin material and the drawback is they scratch much more easily than aluminum. Google canoe paddling and you'll learn some basic paddle strokes that will come in pretty handy. They are a hoot no doubt about it.

[Batch]

Definitely take advantage of Rick's suggestion on paddling techniques. Learning the correct paddling techniques will keep you in a straight line and help you use core muscles that will keep you rowing longer due to less fatigue and frustration.

I added 3 canoes over the last year. I put the feelers out that i was looking for a good canoe. I didn't see any great deal and so bought a thermal plastic canoe on sale at Dick's. Then I was at a co-workers warehouse and he had an old fiberglass canoe that needed some TLC. $25 later I carried the canoe to my warehouse.

Then another co-worker had a buddy getting rid of another fiberglass canoe. That canoe may well be the ugliest canoe I have ever seen. But, for $50 how can you go wrong. Once we get settled into our new warehouse, we are going to put some fiberglass on them. I have to weld up an aluminum piece for the bow. Then we are going to repaint the two fiberglass canoes and another one that belongs to my friend.

Redneck Regatta II!

[1stimestar]

Redneck Regatta II!

Lol you want to see a Redneck Regatta, check out our local Red Green Regatta named for the Red Green Show. At least one roll of duct tape must be used in the construction of the craft.

https://www.google.com/search?q=red+green+regatta&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS542US542&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3S2KU7r5Dc3goASEmIDYCA&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=653

[hunter63]

You probably know this and it won't come as a surprise that aluminum canoes are noisy. Mine is a thermo plastic or resin material and the drawback is they scratch much more easily than aluminum. Google canoe paddling and you'll learn some basic paddle strokes that will come in pretty handy. They are a hoot no doubt about it.

Pissst, Rick, It's the guns that make it noisy.........
How much does it weigh?

[Rick]

Ours is a 14' Mad River. My son has a 14' Old Towne. The Mad River weighs something like 80 lbs. Here's a pic of the rig. The red one is ours.

http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q348/safe_zone/bob2.jpg (http://s348.photobucket.com/user/safe_zone/media/bob2.jpg.html)

[Batch]

Lol you want to see a Redneck Regatta, check out our local Red Green Regatta named for the Red Green Show. At least one roll of duct tape must be used in the construction of the craft.

https://www.google.com/search?q=red+green+regatta&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS542US542&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3S2KU7r5Dc3goASEmIDYCA&ved=0CEwQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=653

Looks like a good time. We have some boats like that in the Columbus Day Regatta and then there is the naked women and beer! LOL

[hunter63]

Looks like a good time. We have some boats like that in the Columbus Day Regatta and then there is the naked women and beer! LOL

Yeah, what could possibility go wrong there........

[Rick]

Naked women....beer.......naked women.....beer. Uh, is the beer cold?

[1stimestar]

We had/have a huge wild fire going on in the southern part of the state (where I took that big trip last year).




Human remains discovered by crew battling Kenai Peninsula wildfire
Nathaniel Herz|


June 2, 2014



A crew working on the massive Funny River wildfire on the Kenai Peninsula found unidentified human remains Sunday near the community of Sterling, according to the Alaska State Troopers.

There were no identifying items discovered with the remains, which appeared to be several years old, according to a dispatch from troopers, who flew to the scene in a fire crew helicopter.

The troopers are waiting for information from the state’s medical examiner on the age and sex of the remains, said spokeswoman Megan Peters. She declined to provide more information about how the remains were found.

Related:
Wolf pups orphaned in wildfire find forever home


Peters said troopers are reviewing cases in a missing persons database to help with identification.

“We have a lot of unanswered questions. We want to know why this person is there,” she said.

“We don’t even know if it’s a suspicious case or not, because we don’t know who the person is,” she added.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140602/human-remains-discovered-crew-battling-kenai-peninsula-wildfire

[1stimestar]

http://www.avo.alaska.edu/images/dbimages/display/1401755988.JPG


The Alaska Volcano Observatory has upgraded Pavlof Volcano to RED / WARNING status. An eruption is occurring and pilot reports indicate ash has reached 22,000 feet.

According to the AVO, seismic tremors increased today starting about 3:00 p.m. AKDT today. Recent satellite images show a plume extending over 50 miles / 80 km east of the volcano.

High and low altitude pilots and marine traffic should continue to monitor this situation.

The Anchorage National Weather Service will send advisories or alerts if ash is expected to impact Alaska communities.

More information from the AVO can be found here: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Pavlof.php

Watch www.weather.gov/Anchorage for more information.

[1stimestar]

Woot woot! Guess who is coming in from Kavik on Friday and staying with me?

Look out Fairbanks!

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t1.0-9/p843x403/1000713_10201436779109337_2075497989_n.jpg

[Sunset Sam]

Rotro, Reorge!

[crashdive123]

Y'all have fun and behave.........well, at least have fun.

[1stimestar]

I think we could get bail pretty easily if needed.

[Rick]

Who's going to arrest you? When you get to playin' the cops will be dancin'. Enjoy life. Have a ball!

[hunter63]

Looks like a good time to me.....Enjoy.

[1stimestar]

Guess who is playing at the Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest? This gal! WOOT! and scary!

We're playing Flop Eared Mule and a couple other things.


https://www.facebook.com/events/1466646416905000/?ref=br_tf

[crashdive123]

Have a fiddling good time!

[Rick]

Good for you!! Show 'em how it's done.

[1stimestar]

Ohhhh the plans we are making. There are very exciting things in the making. Good times, good friends, good beer, Stella's Cider.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/1531714_10154185761835697_2003229819131030629_n.jp g

My friend Lori, me, my friend Mike, Susan, photobombed by the owner of the Howling Dog Saloon, Ralph.

[crashdive123]

You've got to love a saloon named The Howling Dog.

[1stimestar]

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10402432_10154199755040697_7947289112297526618_n.j pg

Do you have this magazine where you live?

[crashdive123]

I've never seen it........but I lead a sheltered life.

[Rick]

Debris shelter, tarp, tent, back of truck. Very sheltered life.

[1stimestar]

http://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/me-and-sue.jpg?w=474&h=282

I leave tomorrow for Chicken and Eagle. My brainstorming post will have to wait for my return but it has something to do with this chick.

[Rick]

Have fun and stay safe!!!

[crashdive123]

Have fun and don't do anything that we wouldn't do.

Of course if you do some of the things we did 30 years ago you may want to have the phone number of a good bail bondsman.

[1stimestar]

There are no police in Chicken.

[crashdive123]

The you should be good to go.:innocent:

[Tokwan]

One of my dreams is to hike in Alaska. I have cherished a few dreams that I wanna do...such as:

1. Hike in New Zealand -DONE!
2. Ride the Baja-Texas trail on a dirtbbike -DONE when I was 28.
3. Ride across Sumatera -Done when I was 35
4. Surviving Alaska...-not yet...

Need to save some money and do that one day before I kick the bucket! Malaysia is getting expensive......and I simply doubt when I will have enough money to go to Alaska...

[1stimestar]

Well let me know if I can be of help.


I'm back, with no bail required!

[Tokwan]

Well, some information on:
1. Costs (food/initial lodging and going around)
2. Where is the best place to go.
3. Dos and don'ts
4. Where can I buy some outdoor stuff (I doubt some things can be on the plane , if I go there), like alcohol for stoves, MREs, a knive or two. Bear sprays?
5. What would I need.
6. Would I need a guide (costs)
7. When is the best time (when Alaska is not at its coldest period).

I am thinking of a two week stint there, but I do not know when this will happen.

[1stimestar]

Oh fun questions Tokwan. As Alaska is such a big state and you only have two weeks, first you would need to narrow down the area you want to explore. You would only HAVE to have a guide if you wanted to do some hunting. The place you want to go would also dictate when you would want to go. Most people love the south east part of Alaska the most as it has the most spectacular views etc. Unfortunately, I live in the interior, near Fairbanks so wouldn't know the where and how tos for the southern part of the state. But I could help you with general stuff like no, you can't take bear spray on the plane. Do some searches for hikes in Alaska and you will come up with a ton of information so you can start narrowing down your plans. I love the interior and the great open expanses of tundra but most people are looking for majestic mountains. You can easily hike in Denali National Park and I can help you with that of course, but it is considered pretty tame hiking for real hikers, though you are sure to see some grizzlies.



Hey, here is a baseball game interrupted by a black bear.


http://youtu.be/tIg5ZEYeoSc

[Tokwan]

Nope...no mountains for me...tundras or almost flats with streams are ok.

[1stimestar]

Well one of the best things about hiking here is the fact that there are few trails. You can just take off hiking across the wilderness. Here is a nice place accessed off the Dalton Hwy, search for the Finger Rock area on Google for more info.

https://cloud9doula.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/599430_10151967273540697_797706669_n1.jpg

I'm not sure I can post this even though it is in answer to a question because it is to my blog which we are only allowed to post in our signature but here is my backpacking trip to an area called ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge).

If you want actual trails, you can look up Angel Rock Trail, Granite Tors Trail, Wickersham Dome Trail.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/1stimestar/FAHC%20Wickersham%20Dome%20Sept%2004/IMG00010.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/1stimestar/media/FAHC%20Wickersham%20Dome%20Sept%2004/IMG00010.jpg.html)

Of course, I recommend going into Denali National Park. Fairly safe as you have to go through a few steps to get your back county permit such as watch a video and talk to a ranger, file a trip plan, etc., spectacular views, a range of hiking opportunities from easy to advanced. Here are some of my pictures from Denali hikes.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/1stimestar/library/05%20Aug%205%20Denali%20Back%20Country%20Trip?sort =3&page=1

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/1stimestar/library/04%20The%20Great%20Denali%20Adventure?sort=3&page=1

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/1stimestar/library/05%20July%201%20Denali%20Backcountry?sort=3&page=1

[Tokwan]

Awesome....ok, will save enough money....I will be going on a bike trip as my bike has not traveled for ages, so talk to u guys when I come back next week. I am going the Southern most tip of Asia.....

[1stimestar]

Wow, very cool. I'd love to see some pictures.

[Rick]

You are correct. You can't post it and you can't refer to it so I had to delete it.

But I can do both. You can search her blog for APRIL 24, 2010 Brooks Range Trip, ANWR.
http://cloud9doula.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/brooks-range-trip-anwr/

Now we're legal.

[1stimestar]

Sorry Rick and thanks.

[1stimestar]

Sorry Rick and thanks.

So just about every Sat. that I am home, I go to this road house, The Howling Dog Saloon. This weekend they had Foodstock, to raise food for the community food bank. For once I came home early as I was just danced out. But I so love my drive home. It's light out, but a very soft light. I love it. This is about 2:30 am.


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[1stimestar]

Happy Solstice my friends. This is a momentous day for the north country.


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[crashdive123]

Days will be getting shorter now. Next thing you know it, it'll be winter.

[1stimestar]

I know. But on a good note, I just had to buy another deep freeze for all the caribou Sue sent me.

[1stimestar]

Caribou, it's what's for dinner!!!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/p526x296/10479155_10154253004450697_1234328218150556632_n.j pg

[1stimestar]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/1907366_10154253188395697_60689214329764373_n.jpg

Wow, the most tender meat I've had in a while!

[1stimestar]

And of course, the first pack of meat I took out was a caribou heart. Someone's dog is getting some sweet treats. I'm just not hungry enough to eat heart out of the freezer. Perhaps if it was over an open fire next to my very own kill, but out of the freezer, no.

[1stimestar]

I know it's sideways but this is my kid teaching herself to juggle at Chickenstock. She continues to amaze me!


http://youtu.be/m2T-erzb-Cg

[1stimestar]

There's been a lot of animal activity in the news lately.


http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/slana-man-walks-for-help-after-bear-mauling/article_85b0833e-fcd5-11e3-bab7-001a4bcf6878.html#.U6ubzIXqak4.facebook


Slana man walks for help after bear mauling

Posted: Wednesday, June 25, 2014 5:59 pm | Updated: 6:00 pm, Wed Jun 25, 2014.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A 66-year-old rural Alaska man walked 900 yards back to his home after he was mauled by a brown bear.
Alaska State Troopers said Andre Siegenthaler suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the Tuesday incident near the village of Slana, located about 250 miles northeast of Anchorage or 100 miles west of the Canadian border.


Siegenthaler was reportedly in stable condition Wednesday at a Wasilla hospital, Anchorage television station KTUU reported (http://is.gd/aslhNd). Officials at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center refused to release any information about Siegenthaler to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The attack happened Tuesday afternoon as Siegenthaler went to pick up some nails from a neighbor, Ed Bullock.
Bullock said he got his information after speaking to Siegenthaler's wife, Briggita.
"The bear attacked with no warning from behind a spruce tree, and even though Andre was carrying bear spray, the attack happened faster than Andre could react," Bullock told KTUU. "Within two bounds the bear was on Andre."
Siegenthaler suffered bites to his right hip, both shoulders and arms, and had damage to both cheeks and an ear, Bullock said.
He was able to walk home after the bear broke off the attack, and his wife called 911. Troopers did not respond to the incident other than to arrange a medical transport, spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said.
Troopers don't plan to locate or track the bear.


Apparent wolf attack that killed dog a lesson on what to do during an encounter
Alex DeMarban
June 24, 2014

A Fish and Game biologist said a trio of gray wolves appear to have killed a dog and then pursued the owner during a hike in the mountains near Anchorage. The episode offers a textbook look at what to do -- and what not to do -- when you are among wolves, he said.

Dave Battle, assistant area biologist in Anchorage, said he could not definitively confirm animals that killed the dogs were wolves, and not coyotes. Based on the descriptions and knowledge of the dog owner who reported the June 3 stalking, it appeared it was very likely a wolf encounter.

That owner, who went back the next day and found the carcass of his Jack Russell terrier, did not want to be interviewed.

Reports of encounters between dogs and wolves are rare in the Anchorage backcountry. The most serious incident in recent memory occurred at Fort Richardson and along Knik Arm nearly seven years ago, when a pack in the winter killed three dogs and injured others in a series of attacks, officials said.

Matt Wedeking, Chugach State Park’s chief ranger, said he has no confirmation it was a wolf that attacked the dog. But he believes there are wolves in the park and people should be careful.

“Keep dogs and children within eyesight at all times. Travel in large groups and make lots of noise.”

In the recent incident, the hiker had started at Prospect Heights trailhead and was traveling along the ridge before the final ascent toward Wolverine Peak, hiking with the terrier and a heeler mix that were off-leash, when he noticed the terrier had gone missing. He started shouting and looking for the dog.

“He talked to some hikers coming down to see if they had seen her,” said notes provided by Battle, who took the report two days after it happened. “They hadn’t, but … mentioned they thought they heard something in the valley below, like an ‘altercation.’”

The hiker dropped into the valley and saw what he thought was a coyote about 100 yards away. He soon realized it was too large to be a coyote.

“He quickly realized it was a wolf, and then realized there were two more near the first,” Battle said in the report. “They saw him and after a minute or so they started approaching and he started retreating back up toward the ridge at a slow walk.”

That’s when the wolves picked up the pace and started trotting toward him, Battle said. The man jogged away. Two wolves approached together and a third circled toward the hiker.

When the wolves came within 10 yards, the man stopped and turned, waving his arms and shouting. The wolves stood their ground.

“After about 20 seconds he turned and started walking away again, looking over his shoulder,” Battle’s report said. The two wolves stayed where they were, and the third had disappeared. By the time he reached the ridge, he turned and saw the last wolf leave.


Wedeking said neither the park, nor Fish and Game, had posted warnings of wolves in the area. “If we don’t have confirmation we don’t usually post anything,” he said, referring to park officials.

Reports of wolverines and coyotes are more common in the area – people hear the coyotes yipping across the valley, said Wedeking, who’s worked at the park for 11 years. What he hasn’t heard about are coyotes killing dogs.

“But people lose dogs a lot,” he said. “At least once a month, people post signs of dogs getting lost. But we don’t know if they’re found.”

The owner went back on June 4, a Wednesday, and found the dead terrier in the valley below the ridge, according to Battle’s notes. The wolf had apparently grabbed the terrier around its neck and shook hard, penetrating the rib cage and causing significant damage, Battle said.

“It hadn’t been fed on, so it was probably protection of a den or territorial,” Battle said.

Battle said the dog owner initially did the wrong thing by running from the wolves. But he ultimately did the right thing by standing in place, waving and shouting at the wolves.

You can’t get away by running away from a predator like a bear or a wolf, Battle said. All that does is stoke their instinct to chase prey.

“There’s no way you’ll outrun something with four feet,” he said. “There’s a point you might have to fight back, but standing your ground initially is always the thing to do.”

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140624/apparent-wolf-attack-killed-dog-lesson-what-do-during-encounter


Cupcake-craving bear crashes Juneau birthday party
Alaska Dispatch June 25, 2014

Party-crashing bear trashes Juneau toddler's party: A black bear crashed a toddler’s birthday party in Juneau on Saturday after it climbed onto the roof of a house, then burst through a skylight and landed in the living room. Fortunately, the guests hadn’t arrived, the Juneau Empire reports. Alicia Bishop and Glenn Merrill, homeowners in the neighborhood of Starr Hill, expected guests at any moment when Merrill “heard this crackling” coming from the skylight, he told the newspaper. Merrill and his 1-year-old son, Jackson, both saw the black bear fall into the home. Those in the house fled to adjoining rooms as the bear quickly recuperated, spotted Jackson’s birthday cupcakes and started licking the frosting off them. The bear was inside the house for several minutes but did not wander back into the woods until Merrill deployed bear spray, according to the Empire, which also reports the bear may have been the same one that entered a nearby home the same day and was shot by Juneau police.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20140625/ak-beat-cupcake-craving-bear-crashes-juneau-birthday-party

[pete lynch]

Never a dull moment, eh?

[1stimestar]

Never. Gads I'm getting tired and looking forward to winter hibernation already...


https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/10480200_776578005707599_6438744349365536085_n.jpg

[1stimestar]

The Rust Princess rides again! Sure am glad I kept this old hoopdie around. With only Olivia's help I didn't want to take a chance on scratching up my pretty Ford for the fist time loading it. I had just put the insurance back on it when Sue was in town so she could drive it. Handy that I forgot to take it off again. Ok, off to the lake for our maiden voyage! Wish us luck.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t1.0-9/p526x296/10460134_10154266351880697_23201232962488366_n.jpg

[Rick]

Good luck. Pics or it didn't happen.

[crashdive123]

Have a great time!!!!

[1stimestar]

Yes I really thought I knew how to tie the proper knots. I grew up with my dad tying loads down to drive cross country all the time. I've tied lots of loads down myself. Luckily when I pulled over 5 miles down the road because I could tell it was sliding backwards a bit, I had some straps in the junk box in the back. Those worked much better then the ropes. I need to get some ratchet straps though.

We went to check out our new Chena Lakes park. I must say, they did a great job of fixing up this old gravel pit area into a beautiful little park place. They just opened it a couple of weeks ago while I was in Chicken. There's an non motorized boat launch, a sandy swim area, a separate picnic area with a covered pavilian. It's the first place like this that we have here. I see it getting much use by town folk and I am happy for them.

At first Olivia was sitting on the seat but figured out really fast that she was not comfortable up there so got on the floor which made both of us feel a lot more stable. I think we did pretty good for just learning. It doesn't have a keel so we were blown around a bit when the wind came in. It just gave us that much more experience for learning. We went across the lake and back. Loading the second time was still not as smooth as I know it can be. I'll have to watch some more youtube videos to remind myself how that is supposed to go. I think for the most part it would go smoothly with someone taller and able to pick up one end. Olivia can't carry her end very far yet. Eh, she's just 12.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10419456_10154266712920697_425089547987084108_n.jp g?oh=56ded6b835a280dc9f73419d096a6961&oe=54293D6D&__gda__=1410790663_ba049e9600fc7bb3cb23089b3ac9058 6

Swimming area.

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https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t1.0-9/10347790_10154266713170697_9104642137881942157_n.j pg

That's our vehicle on that far shore there. We hit the beach right as it started to rain so loaded in the rain.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10478575_10154266713240697_4576100192303724775_n.j pg

Over all, this is going to be great! I can't wait to learn more.

[Batch]

Looks great!

[1stimestar]

This is our sky at 2:30 am.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10425034_10154267754475697_8664128406881772952_n.j pg

[crashdive123]

Glad that your maiden voyage went well.

[pete lynch]

I had the same kind of "fun" when I first started using canoes again. The wind is a friend and a foe when I'm in my canoe. Depends on which way I'm heading. Straight into it I get low and centered and just paddle on one side until I'm blown off course and then I switch sides to correct my course.
I use a cross between a modified J-stroke and the old fashion paddle and twist of the wrist. I don't paddle on arm strength alone; I stick the paddle forward and sorta thrust forward with my back and hips. That will save my arms when it's windy.
It's easiest, of course, when you have the wind at your back and you just sit up straight and sail. lol :)

[hunter63]

Congrats on the voyage......

I like rivers much better than lakes....but I did buy a low profile ended canoe at the time to help with the wind blowing the ends.
Especially solo.....

Do a little research on paddling, and practice different kinda of strokes....much easier on your body.
Each image when will lead to the page it came from.....

https://www.google.com/search?q=canoe+strokes&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=MBuwU6TTJMi1yATAm4HQBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=498

Also practice getting back in after a flip.......much easier to do it when its warm out......

http://www.canoeingbasics.com/canoeing10/when-you-flip/

[1stimestar]

Yes I'm practicing different strokes. I can't wait to get on our rivers but they are all in flood stage right now and even our mild little Chena River that runs through town had a rescue from canoers last week. Maybe by next week they will go down enough for me to be willing to give it a shot. I've floated down it in an inflatable raft and my old paddle boat but that thing was so stable you couldn't flip it if you tried.

[hunter63]

".........my old paddle boat but that thing was so stable you couldn't flip it if you tried......."
Hear that boys.....gonna be needing one of these for firearm transport.

[LowKey]

I betcha it would flip if you stacked all your firearms on one side...

[1stimestar]

I betcha it would flip if you stacked all your firearms on one side...


Yea, I'm going to hate it when that happens.

[1stimestar]

She's not even 4 months old yet (July 4th) and is 32 lbs.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10428553_10154274609290697_7511811202820080345_n.j pg

[1stimestar]

Weighed Maari today. She turned 4 months old on the 4th of July. She's 36 lbs. Yea, it's getting a bit fun to weigh her as she's all wiggly legs.

Took this tonight about 10 pm. This is the Alaska Range. At the end of this range to the right is Denali (or Mt. McKinley). It was visible due to the clouds but the rest of the range was gorgeous.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10391437_10154321449265697_670991778446644109_n.jp g

This is about 4:30 am yesterday. Crummy cell phone pictures.

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[1stimestar]

Aaaand a rare picture of my 15 year old and his neck beard! Gads I hope that thing grows in a bit more....

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/1559567_10154278674650697_8893281550330631561_n.jp g

[crashdive123]

Awesome view of the Alaska range.

[1stimestar]

Hey look at what I scored today for free. I needed a tie out rope for the canoe. Now, if it would stop raining enough for our rivers to get out of flood stage level, I could take it out!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10383902_10154331093825697_1339332247773302897_n.j pg?oh=525aa0fb615c8bda49861de72ad99c9e&oe=5452AAB5&__gda__=1415046880_5ae268efd41853b20e9da6cbf5a6357 b

[1stimestar]

I normally wouldn't post a picture of myself like this or messy house but wanted to show how big she is in perspective.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10449467_10154332247990697_5715286859757126771_n.j pg?oh=03b95e2b85b88b5268754e1d0086ee43&oe=5439188B&__gda__=1415212766_a6eb44741278e48df7cb03b2de99c36 4

From a little cabin in Alaska, where cook books and hammers DO belong on the same shelf.

[crashdive123]

She's getting big.......and aliens have taken over her eyes.

[Rick]

That pup ain't a pup. She has grown.