| A
Rookies Journey
February 6, 2006
“Time is much more valuable than
money.
You can always get more money.” - unknown
Eric donning his Parka (Anorak) at the start
of the Don Bowers 300 |
What an interesting two weeks. Let’s
start with the Don Bowers. We had a cold snap before the start of
the race. The forecast kept calling for it to break, but as the race
got closer and closer it just stuck around. When I went to the drivers
meeting the night before the start I saw several areas of -30º
F. At the meeting, people said it had been -40º at their home
that morning and was typically 10 degrees colder on the river. That
gave me a real pause. I saw -50º F on the Yukon River working
communications at Eagle Island for Iditarod, but there is a BIG difference
between seeing -50 from a warm cabin and camping at those temperatures.
Two years ago we had a cold snap that hit -35 on the trail and I ran
dogs in that, but didn’t camp. In 2002 it was -25 at Chistochina
when we stopped there during the Copper Basin 300, but that was a
younger and more foolish man that ran that race. I figure that I could
easily see -50º during Iditarod and need to train for those conditions,
but I was more than a little concerned about it.
Since this was the last tune up before Iditarod the idea was to run
my Iditarod team. I had seriously considered running 15 dogs (you
can start with up to 16) but the last two runs prior to the race Dijon
just didn’t look right. Dijon hadn’t run a race yet this
year because he just didn’t feel well and he needed to run this
race to have a shot at the Iditarod team. I took him to the vet check
and he checked out fine, but with the cold I decided not to take the
chance. If it was warm and he wasn’t feeling well I could drop
him at a checkpoint, but in the cold I didn’t want the extra
stress on a dog that wasn’t 100%. So the race team for the Don
Bowers was Balu, Basil, Bass, Belle, Dash, Dukat, Jewels, Keiko, Lycos,
Mocha, Picard, Platinum, Rom, Sisco. This is currently the team I’m
taking on Iditarod. The cold is also an issue for some of the dogs.
Balu has a thin coat on his groin and Dash got cold camping during
the Knik 200. I brought coats for every dog, but bought special coats
for Dash and Balu to protect them from the cold and they wore them
from the start to the finish.
This is how the Anorak
looks when worn at -25º F. |
Race day dawned clear and cold. It was
-20 to -25º F at the Willow community center where the race would
start and we expected colder on the Susitna and Deshka rivers. The
forecast for that night at Joe Mays (mandatory 8 hour rest) was winds
with chill factors to -55. I was more than a little nervous (these
temperatures can be dangerous to man and dog) but the road to Nome
goes through these conditions. Being nervous is good, but quitting
means you are not ready to go to Nome yet. I had been up until 0130
Friday morning getting packed for the race (just not enough time to
get everything done earlier) and was pretty tired starting the race.
I was a little disorganized for the start, we were scrambling getting
the dogs bootied and ready to go. The handers came by to lead us up
to the line and when the team to our right left I figured we were
next and went to the chute. It turned out to be a typical rookie mistake
– the next team had arrived late without room to park in order
and I took their place in the starting lineup. Luckily this is a pretty
laid back race and they decided to make up the difference when we
did the mandatory 8 hour rest at Joe May’s home. After a quick
run over a couple of lakes and down a subdivision street we hit the
Willow trail system and dropped down Corral Hill and onto the Susitna.
It was cold, but not as bad as I had feared. A quick run brought us
to Deshka lodge to sign in and out and proceed up the Deshka river.
About ½ hour later we left the river and it warmed up to about
-15. The trail off the river was tight winding through the trees and
I crashed the sled hard enough to bend the brush bow (bumper) all
the way back to the sled bed. Luckily Art Church builds a tough sled
and there was no permanent damage. I hadn’t crashed a sled for
a long time.
Balu styling in his new coat
to
protect his groin area where his fur is thin. |
As we left the river the top 2 inches
of trail was soft with a good base under it. We drag a piece of snowmachine
track between the runners to stand on to slow the team down and it
was plowing snow so I lifted it up and balanced it on the brake. That
meant I couldn’t use either the brake or the drag without placing
it back on the snow, but it made the pulling much easier for the dogs.
I had Bass and Dash in lead. The team was working well on this soft
slow trail. Looking at our speed I estimated a 12 hour trip to Joe
Mays (about 100 miles) rather than the 10.5 hour trip I had planned
on and moved our rest stop to 6 hours after the start instead of 5
to be closer to the ½ way point.
I started looking for a camping spot off the main trail, but there
wasn’t much. The low spots were cold (cold air sinks to the
low areas) and the wind was starting to blow. The higher areas had
thigh deep snow to walk through. I finally found a snowmachine track
about 5 feet off the main trail and tried to haw Bass and Dash over
to it. Bass and Dash just gave me a funny look and refused to leave
the main packed trail for the semi-packed narrow track. Any fool could
see where the trail went, what was my problem. I led them over to
the track to camp and they came back to the main trail. I tried again.
Then I put Lycos in lead and tried. I put Bass back in lead and tried.
I walked down the snowmachine track and laid a fresh trail to follow.
I led them down the trail and as soon as I got back to the sled they
jumped back to the main trail. Thirty minutes later I finally got
the dog to go down the track far enough to get the sled over before
they jumped back and decided that would have to do. I drug the leaders
back to the track and set the leader hook to hold them, undid the
tug lines to reduce power and signal a camp and started to fix a meal
and feed the dogs. I had planned a 2 hour stop here, but in the cold
it took me 3 ½ hours just to do the chores (unbootie the dogs,
feed the dogs, feed me, broth the dogs, and re-bootie the dogs to
go). During the Knik 200 where it was warmer and I wasn’t as
tired the same chores took me 1 ¼ hours and I got a 45 minute
nap in my two hour stop. Temperature here was about -15.
We pulled the hook about 10 PM and continued down the trail. About
11PM we passed the Oil Well road tent checkpoint with the dogs looking
very well. One half hour later we crossed a small creek bed with as
sharp drop and turn through the trees. I hit a tree and rolled the
sled. This is starting to become a habit. When you right the sled
the dogs feel the change in resistance and try to go. I knew this
and held on very tight as I brought the sled back onto the runners,
but with the heavy beaver mitts I was wearing I couldn’t hold
on and the dogs pulled the sled out of my hands! This is one of the
worst things that can happen to a musher. Not only are you alone on
the trail with nobody expected for several hours, but without the
musher the dogs and get tangled and dogs can die. I hollered “Whoa”
and the dogs crashed the sled into a tree on the other side of the
trail and flipped it over again. I’m running up to them when
the hit the harnesses and popped the sled back onto the runners and
took off again, only to crash on the first side one more time. This
time the snow hook came loose and stopped the team and I caught them.
They had only gone 100 feet or so. The dogs were fine and I would
recover as soon as my heart rate went back to normal.
The rest of the run to Joe’s was uneventful, just slow and cold
with the wind picking up as we crossed the swamps and ran up the Susitna.
I’ve had problems sleeping in the checkpoints early in the races
I’ve run, but after I got my chores done and stretched out in
my sleeping bag in the room over Joe’s shop I was asleep before
my head hit the pillow. I set the alarm to get up 2 hours before my
mandatory rest was over, but in the cold (about -12) it took 3 ½
hours to do my chores and leave. That is the first out time I’ve
missed in a race in a long time. The cold and lack of sleep were definitely
getting to me.
On the run to Deshka lodge I planned to stop at the same point we
had camped at earlier and rest 2 hours. This time it was easier to
get the dogs off the trail, but once again it took 3 ½ hours
to get the chores done. The dogs were running well and holding up
fine, but the musher was having problems dealing with the cold. When
we got to Deshka we found that because of the slow trail the checkers
had gotten tired of waiting for us and gone home. It was a self service
checkpoint and it was -30º F, which is just flat cold. I planned
a 4 hour rest and changed that to 6 due to the cold. As soon as we
stopped I dug out the coats for the other dogs (Dash and Balu had
already been wearing theirs) and put down nice straw beds. For the
mushers there was a wall tent with Styrofoam beds to sleep on and
a propane heater. But in the cold as the propane expanded in the regulator
it dropped below its freezing point and iced up the regulator. That
meant there was no heat. My -30 Cabelas bag worked well, but I had
a real discussion with myself to get out of the sleeping bag and put
on a cold parka, pants, and boots! I took my sleeping bag outside
to stuff it in the stuff sack (trying not to wake the other sleeping
mushers) and frost nipped my thumb in the process. That really hurt
as it warmed up and I was very glad it wasn’t frozen. Once again
I was late leaving the checkpoint.
We had a nice run past Eagle Song lodge on the historic Iditarod trail.
This was where Susan Butcher got stomped by a moose in 1985 and Libby
Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod. There were signs
up warning of moose in the area, but no tracks. After Eagle Song the
trail passed through several swamps and open areas and had blown in.
They sent a snow machine ahead of the dog teams and the teams ahead
of me marked the trail but it was still soft. I was very proud of
the dogs and they way they just buckled down and worked their way
through the soft busted up trail. We got to Yentna Station and settled
in for our 6 hour mandatory rest. After doing dog chores (about -20)
I went into the lodge for a hamburger (it sure was nice not to eat
my own cooking) and they let me use a bed in an empty room to rest.
I got up after a 1 ½ hour nap giving myself 2 hours to get
the chores done and finished in 1 ½ hours. I finally got my
act together and became efficient and back to my warmer weather routine.
When we got back to Eagle Song we had made such good time they were
not expecting us. Bass found the main lodge and was half way up the
walkway when I got the team stopped. I guess he wanted a nice warm
place to sleep also! We got the checkers up and back out on the trail
about 0130 in the morning. About ½ way down the historic trail
I noticed the leaders (Bass and Platinum) just didn’t look right.
I stopped the sled and checked and the loop at the end of the gangline
where their tug lines are attached had broken and was held by one
side only. The gangline is cable reinforced, but in the cold the cable
failed and then the polyline that surrounds it. Bonnie and I discussed
the fact I didn’t have a spare gangline at the start and she
added one to my drop bag for Joe Mays before she left it. Thank heavens
for that or it really would be interesting. I had heard of ganglines
breaking, but never had it happen to me before. Luckily I was in the
trees so I took the leaders off and used spare necklines to tie them
to trees, then the same with the swing dogs (all this at -15). I took
the snaps off the leader tuglines (because I couldn’t get the
tuglines off the broken gangline, but had two spares), replaced the
broken gangline, the swing dogs necklines and tuglines and put the
dogs back into the line and we were off down the trail. Elapsed time:
30 minutes.
Except for being cold and tired the rest of the run to the finish
was uneventful. I was worried that Heather Moore would catch us while
stopped for the broken gangline, but she didn’t and I took second
place.
I was tired and driving home slow and conservative when just past
the Parks / Glenn highway interchange I hit a patch of ice. The truck
swerved across the second lane and into the guard rail in the median.
The trailer played "crack the whip" and pulled the truck
around and slammed into the guard rail ahead of the truck. The dog
box broke loose from the trailer and landed upside down on top of
the sled. The truck didn't flip, but the front wheels are pointing
in different directions, there is grill damage, the draw bar for the
trailer hitch is broken (1/2" metal bar three inches wide) and
the back bumper is bent way out of shape. I worry the frame may be
bent both front and back. The truck is a '94 Dakota 4x4 with 210,000
miles and, while everything but the tape deck worked well, it wouldn't
take much to exceed the value of the truck. The insurance company
came back and confirmed that the truck is totaled.
The dog box has only minor damage.
The trailer hitch is warped and the
wooden frame I built to mount the dog box is shattered. The trailer
lights were broken off when we put the box back on top to haul it
home. I don't think there is much else wrong with the trailer, but
again need to check the frame for damage. Mostly it will take time
to fix, rebuild the wooden frame and remount the box.
The stanchions on the sled (Aluminum
Art Church sled) and bent but the sled was not crushed. One runner
was resting on the guard rail and holding the dog box up - it is
warped and needs runner replacement (again). I took the sled to
Art Church (who built it) and he said it is not worth repairing
and he wouldn’t trust it in Iditarod if he did.
Jim and Bonnie Foster have loaned me their suburban so I have a
vehicle. Brenda and Bill Borden (checkpoint mortgage) loaned me
a dog box on a trailer. That gets me back on the road and I can
use one of my spare sleds to train. The insurance company gave me
a good settlement on the truck and will cover the sled, dog box,
and trailer. There is a combined $1,000 deductible, but that is
a whole lot better than I expected.
God is definitely watching out for
me. This could have been so much worse. No one got hurt and so far
I've just lost a little more sleep.
Things got a little hectic last week. I had vet check scheduled
for 10 am Thursday the 2nd, but Iditarod couldn’t get the
building there so we rescheduled for 3 PM Friday the 3rd. Just as
well because I couldn’t get to Wasilla until Friday morning
to pick up the dog trailer to take the dogs to vet check.
Vet Check went well and Jan liked the team. She concurred with my
decision not to take Dijon, he is just to immature and with the
lower miles from his health problems not ready to deal with the
race.
The other news is that two weeks ago Java was diagnosed with Mega-esophagus.
This is a disease where the esophagus is enlarged where it enters
the dogs chest and traps food leading to the dog regurgitating.
Regurgitating while running can result in aspiration pneumonia which
is the major cause of death in the second half of the Iditarod.
There isn’t much chance that he will grow out of this, mostly
you have to manage it by having the dog eat with his front feet
raised and continue to hold them up for 5 to 10 minutes after eating
to help the food pass to the stomach. That pretty much means the
end of Java’s distance racing career. I’m not sure what
we will do with him – he is a very smart, high energy, driven
dog that desperately needs a job. For now he is off the race team,
although I will let him run in training, and we will worry about
his long term future after Iditarod. I really miss him and his brother
Dijon on my race team this year.
I have heard Iditarod described as a series of disasters and that
your ability to cope with those disasters determines the quality
of your race. Coping with disaster has never been my strong point
and it’s something that I’ve been working on. The dogs’
performance in the cold and wind is a real confidence builder for
me. Similarly the ability to adjust to the cold (even if it took
a while), cope with crashing into trees, loosing the team, almost
freezing my thumb, breaking a gangline, and crashing my truck and
trailer has increased my confidence in myself. Any one of these
could have been major disasters that stopped my Iditarod dream dead
in it’s tracks, but God is watching over me and thanks to
the help of my friends and supporters I am still on track and I
have great stories to tell the grandkids. (“You think you
have it tough, why back in my day ….. “ ;-)
Keep ‘em Northbound
Eric
© 2006 All rights reserved
|
