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| The
Journey Continues
November 10, 2006
Leslie and Bonnie
sporting the latest in cold weather fashions,
while telling Balu and Basil what a good job they have done.
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Cold is a funny thing. My first trail
assignment as Iditarod Communicator was Eagle Island in 1995. When
we landed it was -10 degrees with a clear blue sky. That night it
got to -50 and never warmed up. I dressed in my insulated underwear,
Wal-Mart snowsuit, down parka and went for a walk on the river. After
and hour I was back in the warm cabin just a little disappointed.
It just didn’t seem that cold out.
Later that week the entire staff came down with an intestinal bug.
Let me tell you climbing out of the warm sleeping bag for the midnight
run to the outhouse at -50 when you don’t have time to dress
properly puts a whole new meaning to brrrrr. Let me make it clear;
you don’t sit there and read the paper.
Eric is ready to run. The day
was only a little warmer,
but the run was a lot shorter! |
During the Don Bowers it was -35 degrees
at Deshka Lodge. They had a tent with a propane heater for the mushers
to sleep in, but at those temperatures the propane expanding from
liquid to gas freezes the pressure regulator and shuts off the heater.
I was very comfortable in my arctic gear driving the dogs to the checkpoint.
I was comfortable in my arctic sleeping bag in the unheated tent.
But getting out of that bag and getting dressed to continue the race
was one of the harder things I’ve ever done. I couldn’t
get the sleeping bag in the stuff sack with my gloves on, and almost
frostbit my fingers when I took the gloves off.
So this week when the temperatures have been flirting with zero shouldn’t
be a problem, right? Funny or not, the coldest I have ever been is
sitting on the 4-wheeler driving dogs. On the sled you are always
moving; shifting weight from side to side to steer, peddling or running
up hills, or something. On the 4-wheeler you just sit with your thumb
on the throttle. Think about sitting outside at 0 degrees on a chair
with a fan blowing softly in your face. Now think about doing that
for 2 to 4 hours.
Balu and Mocha ready to run at
0 degrees.
Balu is professional and has seen this all before.
Mocha has all the enthusiasm of youth! |
At first you feel warm from the exercise
you got getting ready to run. After half and hour you are cool but
still comfortable. Then your feet start to feel cool. Next your hands
feel the chill. You get off and walk up to the leaders telling everyone
what a good job they have done. The dogs need the mental break, right?
But you are really trying to get some circulation back in your summer
soft body. It helps for a while, but now your hands are cold. You
already added hand warmers to your gloves and you slide them into
the arctic mitts you brought. Your body is starting to feel cool and
you wish you had another layer. After an hour and a half your hands
are really cold, and then they start to hurt. If you don’t get
them warm the pain becomes intense. Then you loose feeling and flexibility.
It is amazing how much more attention the dogs require at these temperatures.
Any excuse to get off the 4-wheeler and walk around.
Bonnie put heated handgrips on her machine and that helps, but does
not fix the problem. Add a pair of handlebar mittens and the world
is much nicer. It feels pretty silly to get out all your arctic gear
just for 0 degrees, but that is where we are going. Leslie hasn’t
acclimated yet and she got very cold Tuesday. It took 20 minutes sitting
in the car with the heater going to stop shivering. Smart girl though,
she took her boots and parka off in the heated car. Insulation only
helps maintain the temperature you are at. If you are warm you stay
warm, but if you are cold…
On Thursday Bonnie brought extra gear for Leslie and that helped.
Bonnie has several friends from warmer climates that are very impressed
with Alaska and its cold reputation. She loves to take them from Anchorage
in the south to Fairbanks or Whitehorse and show them real cold. So
she has lots of gear in various sizes because it’s not nice
to freeze your friends.
The dogs handle this much better than the people, but I can tell they
are still summer soft. After feeding half the dogs climb back into
their dog houses and their straw beds. Sometimes when I walk around
afterwards all they move is their head. They tuck their feet up under
their bodies and curl their tail over their nose. I’ve was surprised
during Iditarod to bootie warm feet after a cold checkpoint, so it
really does work. Other dogs seem to have anti-freeze in their veins
standing around in the cold looking for excitement.
Most of the dogs are doing well. Thyme and Dijon cut their pads on
the ice three weeks ago. Dijon just ignored it and has been running
with protective booties, but Thyme is less mature and has been on
three legs. I’ve had her sleeping in the house trying to help
her heal faster. Monday she started to use the sore foot, so Tuesday
I bootied the foot to protect it. Then I loaded her in a crate on
the 4-wheeler for the first half of the run, and let her run the second
half. I’m glad you didn’t hear what she was saying when
the team started running carrying her in the crate. Her mother would
have washed her mouth out for sure. When I finally let her run she
was all go, digging in harder than ever. We will do that for the next
several runs because she missed over two weeks and I want to bring
her back slow and happy.
The dogs were a little flat last week, so we backed up and gave them
an easy week. Two 5 mile runs, followed by a 10, 15, 20, and back
to 25. In general the attitude is back up. You don’t improve
your fitness when you train hard, you improve you fitness when you
rest after you train. This “easy week” is part of that
program.
Dijon isn’t feeling well and I carried him the last 5 miles
of the last run. I don’t know if the thyroid supplement hasn’t
fully taken effect, or if he has an intestinal bug. Dijon is the new
“sleeping in the house dog” and seems to enjoy it.
Keep ‘em Northbound
Eric
© 2006 All rights reserved
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Have
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but didn't
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by joining the
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Thank
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