First Mush of the Season

This afternoon I ran two different sets of dogs. Since we're at the new house (more on that later), none of us know the trails or area very well. For the first set, I opted for power, not speed, and choose Glacier and BamBam, who are both very large 75 pound dogs.




This is Glacier, he is a Pyrenees and Lab mix. He is modeling an Alpine Outfitters Urban Trail Harness. It is fully padded with fleece and has reflective tape. I like that it has a center pull ring, and doesn't put any weight on the dog's hips.

Glacier was a perfect gentleman and did everything just right. He lined out, pulled well, took directions and stayed on the trail for the most part.



BamBam was a handful. He didn't want to harness up, tried to chew everything, got tangled a lot, and frequently went off the trail to look at something or go pee. BamBam did have his moments though, and took the turns very well.

Our sled is a Laughing Husky 5-foot beginner. It has lived to fight another day...

Sherpa

Sherpa was one of our original "New York" dogs, one of the 5 dogs we drove across the country with when we moved to Alaska.

The Manhattan shelter described him as a Samoyed, but he was most likely a Pyrenees/German Shepherd mix. He came in as a stray from the Bronx and had apparently been outdoors for a long time; his weight was very good, but his coat was filthy and full of dead hair.

Sherpa had a odd personality. He wasn't our alpha dog, but he was definitely The King. He died of prostate cancer (even though he was neutered) in 2005 at the age of 9.

Moose Follies

The moose near our "old house" by Fort Wainwright were very brazen. I reckon this was because hunters can't shoot them in our subdivision, so the moose were able to relax. They walked around like they owned the place, and visited very frequently. Typically, they would stick around the area for about 4 days before moving on. They prefer to show up at 3am and make the dogs go crazy. Forget about getting any sleep.

The Aurora

Here's an obligatory Northern Lights photo. It's real name is the Aurora Borealis, and most people here just call it "the Aurora", as in, "there was a great Aurora last night". The colder it is, the more active it is; sometimes it just cooks right along and goes all across the sky. We're not far enough North to get a variety of colors; it is mostly green and yellow.