Fair Hill Challenge

I filled out the registration documents for my first official dog-powered race. The Fair Hill Challenge, hosted by the Pennsylvania Sled Dog Club, is December 10th and 11th, in Elkton, Maryland. I'll be competing in the 2-dog bikejor sportsman class.

I'm hoping to add a few more races before December, but details have yet to be posted for any Jersey Sands events. I'll also be picking up my custom-made sled from Arctic Star sleds at Fair Hill!

If anyone is interested in attending a race or checking out a training session, just let me know. There's usually room in the truck for anyone willing to support my weird hobbies.

Edit: The first Jersey Sands Sled Dog Racing Association race is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The second is December 3rd. Be there! If you want. ;)

Tug Hill

Last weekend we traveled 5+ hours to upstate New York for the annual Tug Hill sled dog race. Rob and Dan were nice enough to accompany me for the trip, even though I'm sure there were other things they'd rather spend their weekend doing. Hopefully, some free food and lodging made it worthwhile for them.

The drive up was relatively uneventful, aside for some snow and dark roads. We left Saturday in the late afternoon, and made it to Syracuse around 10 PM. I originally planned to stay at the first cheap hotel we could find. But, we decided we valued our lives, and opted for the Sheraton. The view from our room was pretty awesome.


We ventured out early on Sunday morning for the final leg of our trip, and made it to Winona State Forest at around 10 AM. We watched the 6-dog teams finish, the ski-jores start, and the 4-dog start and finish. I got to see a lot of my Jersey Sands musher friends. I also met up with some Ohio friends (Amanda of Hoof & Howl and Shannon of Diamond Dogs), whom I met through dog forums and blogs. Thank goodness for the internet, or I would never be involved in such a unique activity, nor would I have made so many dog-loving friends.

Dog People

My weekends are quickly becoming consumed by furry, four-legged beasts. This past Saturday, I took photos at the Howling Woods Farm clean up event. I spent the day hidden behind my viewfinder, narrowly avoiding massive dug-out canyons and poop mountains -- both products readily manufactured by the woofers.

Sunday I returned to the Pine Barrens for my second day of mushing -- well, my first real day. I borrowed Bolt and Spirit, the same two leaders as on my first run. Dexter once again took the wheel position -- this time, with no hesitation at all. Rob road with me at first, but hopped off once we hit softer terrain.

We road just under 2.5 miles in about 20 minutes, with our average moving speed just under 7 miles per hour. The lead dogs were a bit tired from their morning run, and I kept a relatively slow pace so that Rob could keep up on foot. Dex also decided he needed a poop break mid-run, so that slowed us down a tad. Our max speed was 14 and 1/2 miles per hour. The take-off is definitely the most exhilarating and terrifying part of the ride.

This Sunday, I'm going to get to the race site as early as possible and have Dexter run with my mentor's full team. I hope he doesn't mind being referred to as my "mentor" -- although, technically, everyone I've met thus far has offered lots of help and advice, and could be considered a mentor.

To conclude this entry, I will leave you with a short video from our Sunday run. This was taken by Rob as he dangled off the back of the cart, and he spent a bit too much time filming my dirty hair and goofy face -- so please, ignore that and enjoy the dog butts.

On My Way

Dog Sled Race in Flin Flon, Manitoba

February 3rd, 1954

I never thought I'd be running a team of sled dogs through the NJ Pine Barrens. But that's mostly because I didn't know people did that. It was only a year or two ago that I discovered "dry land" dog sledding -- which uses wheeled rigs rather than sleds. And I only recently discovered a group that did this in New Jersey.

On Sunday, I drove down to the Pine Barrens with Dexter and met up with the mushers. Laura, the breeder I have been talking to, was there with her team. I hope to get a puppy from her sometime next year. My real purpose for going was to meet with a man named Bryan, who was selling a used gig (cart, rig, etc.).

Let's pause for a moment. I did not intend to purchase a gig so soon. My plan was to train Dexter with bikejoring (dog + bike) and canicross (dog + hiking) for a few months, then eventually add a puppy to the mix. When the pup was old enough, I'd introduce the gig and get them started on some actual training.

Sometimes, unforeseen opportunities arise that you cannot pass up. I found the gig for sale, and for much cheaper than I was anticipating. It needs a tiny bit of work, and maybe some fresh paint, but it's just what I need to get started.

Before buying the rig, I had to take it for a "test drive". Bryan was kind enough to lend me two of his dogs to put in lead, with Dexter in wheel. He also road on the side of the cart with me, so that my first run wouldn't end in too much disaster.

The run actually went pretty well. It was very brief, just a few minutes long, but still exciting. Dex was a bit worried at first -- he kept looking back at me in a quizzical manner. The steering and breaking is a bit unusual, but I should be able to get a hang of it. I managed to avoid toppling over or steering into trees, so I'm happy about that. On the run back to the site, Dexter found his groove and started to run really hard. I'm proud of him -- he looked like a real sled dog (despite looking very little like a husky).

Dexter behaved really well in general -- very calm around the other dogs and even around the horses that passed by us. I was more nervous about his behavior than anything else -- he loves to be embarrassing in new situations. Aside from getting a bit yappy towards the end (I swear, he picked that up from the other dogs right then and there -- he's not usually a barker), he surpassed my expectations and did great.

After we ran, we loaded the gig up and I paid Bryan for it. I brought it back to my parent's house with their van, since I'm not sure how I'll attach it to my car yet. There's no use bringing it to our place at this point, there's no where for me to use it around here. Weather-permitting, I'll head back down on Sunday for another run. All the mushers were extremely friendly and very helpful, so I look forward to getting to know them all.

On a semi-related note, I need to move to the farmlands of south Jersey. It's so beautiful and tranquil. I don't mind the long drive to the Pine Barrens; I love getting away from the congestion of suburbia.