The Lander stage was switched around a bit.  Instead of running out of the Lake Louise only 5 minutes out of town.  There are 5 miles of switchbacks to climb right at the beginning of the race.  The race hasn’t run out of Sink’s since they paved the switchbacks.  There was some concern about snow as the night before we saw high 40’s.   The temp when we got up this AM was 28F and by the time we got to the parking lot it was 36 degrees.  We were warned of a possible inversion, which is when it is hotter at the top of the mountain than at the bottom.  It was overcast so we were hoping this would help keep the temps cool.

When we got to the parking lot it was a sheet of ice and I mean ice skating ice.   We immediately started hauling snow by sled to put around the truck; however, this made it more slippery.  Fortunately, we were parked next to The Redington’s and Erin and Miriam were hacking away at the icy parking lot with an axe.  At first, I teased them and soon found myself hacking away just to keep safe footing.  All the dogs had to be gently lifted to the ground or they would have lost footing jumping from the truck.

Since the trail was new to us we weren’t sure how fast it could be done.  We set ourselves a mark and Bruce was going to gauge things as he went and run his dog team.  Buddy went out right in front of him and he was focused not to let that play into how he ran this team.  We chose to go out with 11 dogs.  The team was led by Sik Sik and Spike followed in order by Cheyenne, Sparrow, Pepper, Spit, Puffy, Utah, Durbin, Stella, Kaloof.  We were very concerned about the team’s health the night before as it became blaringly obvious we had a bug going through the truck.  However, at the morning drop those dogs drank like champs.  By the time we dropped them in the parking lot they were crazy fools.  When I picked up the harnesses they just went mad.  I was truly impressed with their attitudes and relieved at the same time.

The trail was hard and fast going up and at the halfway point it got a little soft and very warm due to the inversion.  The winds were very strong and played havoc with several of the lightweights literally blowing them around.  The switchbacks had some brief sections of pavement showing and Bruce got out on the pavement early on ruining his runners.  The main team charged the climb and ran great.  They went a little flat around the halfway point in the heat.  When it got breezy they picked it back up.  When the first teams started coming in I was timing them and it the fastest times were 3:07 as far as my rough calculation could tell.  Buddy had gained some placements and came in right on Richard Beck’s butt down the switchbacks.  It was great fun to watch that type of finish.   I kept checking my watch and knew that Bruce had to arrive soon to be in the thick of things based on the times that had already come in and then Al-Jo said, “Oh my gosh, there he is!”  I got so darn excited I neglected to check the watch and later had to guess.

The team checked out great.  One dog had the bug show up and he was not a happy camper and there were a few sore feet, but overall they looked great.  Our two yearlings; Durbin and Kaloof were still ready to roll.

Al’s team was led by Darling and Dokken followed by Blackie, Cora, Driver, Lahti, Epson, Tesla, Checker and Vaanta.  Al’s race was a bit more eventful as he had an unfortunate head on collision with Jerry Bath due to our leaders running on the left.  Jerry was coming down the hill fast and the point dogs banged pretty hard.  Thank goodness all dogs involved were ok.  Then at the halfway point he had a dog that needed to be bagged and he had one that fell victim to the bug.  On the bright side, the team was happy when they came in and they drank like pigs.

There were a few stories out on the trail.  Stacy was having a good run and then got blown over by the wind and hit some pavement, which flipped her and she drug for a few ripping up her snow pants.  Erin Redington got sucked off the trail coming down the switchbacks and took out a plastic snow fence.  Overall, she was pleased with the dogs and how they performed.  We heard there was some cramping going on in some teams due to the heat.

On the way to the banquet we got tipped off that Bruce had unofficially won.  We were in disbelief.  When we got the official times it was very emotional.   It’s been 7 years of coming to Stage Stop and we have worked so hard trying to build a team that could run up at the top.  It was overwhelming to know that we were at the top for one day.  We would certainly hope there are more to come, but we will relish this one for a long time!!

Thanks to the entire Magnusson Racing crew that has been a part of helping us get this team the yellow bib today; Al-Jo, Gerhardt and Al you guys rock!

After struggling with warm temperatures for the past two weeks, the weather in Jackson Hole was a system  shocker.  I was dressed for spring and quickly had to add some layers to survive the elements!!  We also discovered a secret just for men to stay warm in the Hole.

Introducing the fur jock strap or as Al-Jo referred to it in her South African way; a willy warmer.  If anyone’s interested, I can send you the name of the store or I bet Erin Redington might make you one!!  Imagine a handmade crotch parka; gotta love it.  Jerry said he was getting one with a removable ruff!!  I’m thinking Mr. Stewart should get one so he’ll wear that damn kilt one day

Friday started without a hitch.  Al-Jo had arrived safely around 11:00PM with a few stories and just in time to drop dogs.  No rest for the travel weary on this crew.  We started our morning with the traditional breakfast at The Bunnery and ran into Denny Albert and Andy Anderson.  We were bummed to learn that Denny’s husband, Mark Nordman, would not be joining all of us this year as Race Marshall.  Seems the Iditarod has him very busy this year.  This was a total bummer as we’ll miss having Mark here.

Vet Check was fun as there are many new faces this year and it’s always a riot hooking up with old friends.  It was a big family atmosphere with lots of hugs and laughs.  Everyone seemed relaxed and ready to get things rolling.  Ryan Redington is ready to rock-n-roll with a hat for every day.  Day one was the Woodchuck hat!!

It was fun to learn the inside poop on all the teams.  Here’s a few tid bits that folks might not know.   Al Borak is driving our 2^nd team.  His goal this race will be to get the young dogs through the race and have fun with no pressure.  If they finish last, that’s fine as long as they get through it with good experiences.  He will only have a couple veterans on the team to help him out in a pinch and for some leadership.  With the exception of a few veterans, most are two years old or younger and there are lots of new unproven leaders.

James Wheeler bought Lloyd Gilbertson’s Stage team and Lloyd flew in to provide race insight for the entire race.   Two of the three Becks made it to the race; Richard and Brent.  One of which has been training in West Yellowstone since December.  Dave Turner had his dogs at Doug Swingley’s all season utilizing Doug’s training and IPSSSDR experience to prepare them for their rookie year.  Charlotte Mooney joined Dave as his handler.    John Stewart will be running the Streeper “B” team this year.  William Kornmuller came without his dad, Bill, and is here to see if he likes this format of racing so the kennel can determine if they will make this part of their normal race circuit.  Baily Vitello will now make history as the youngest IPSSSDR musher ever at the age of 14!    Warren Palfrey is here with his son Sam.  Sam recently graduated from highschool and told his dad he wanted to run dogs this year so he will be running their kennel’s “B” team.   Marco Rivard hailing from Quebec drove some 4000 miles to make it to the race.  This year the race will have two mascots as the Streeper’s and the Anderson’s both have their baby girls in tow.  More gear for these teams to be concerned about; where in the hell is that diaper bag!?!?!

The theme this year seems to be trailers as most of the teams came hauling something.  This is our first year with a trailer and it’s a tad concerning as I only have one trailer gear; “Go Forward”.  If I’m required to go in reverse with this 27’ foot monstrosity; we’re going to have issues.  I was fortune to have Lloyd chauffeur me and Al-Jo to the finish line on Friday night as driving through the streets of downtown Jackson with me at the helm could have been costly.   I can seem me now dragging a few beamers down the side streets.   I’m still negotiating with James on the fee for hiring Lloyd for 10 minutes.  He was thinking 10% of race winnings and I’m thinking a coffee, but negotiating is still not over.

The race went exactly as we planned.  Friday does NOT count towards your cumulative time, but it is strategic in that it determines your starting order for Lander.  We wanted to be in the middle of the pack so it worked just as we had planned with both Bruce and Al going out 10^th and 12th.  It was pretty apparent that many teams were trying real hard to get the early starting order; when you hook down in a 2 mile race the gig is up!

We are on our way to Lander to start more festivities.  We have a little concern today as it looks like the team has caught a bug, which is making its way through the dogs.   Sooooooo we will be doing everything we can to get them on their feet for tomorrow, but this is not exactly what we had planned.

I know I’m not alone when I say that the weather this winter has driven me to the edge and left me agitated and feeling helpless.  So I started wondering; wouldn’t it be totally cool if there were a direct line to the infamous Mother Nature?  Or would it?

1-800-MOTHER-N

“Hello, you’ve reached the corporate offices of Mother Nature; weather is our business.  I am currently busy screwing up someone’s outdoor activities and/or challenging someone’s survival skills; however, your call is important to me.  For English, please press 1.  Para español, presione dos.”

WHAT!?!?  Now I completely understand why the weather is so screwed up; she works for the government.

“If you are calling to inquire about current weather conditions, please press 1.  If you’re more interested in future conditions, press 2.   If you’d like to file a complaint I really want to hear from you, please press 3 immediately.  For all other inquiries; keep trying.”

I can see myself adamantly jamming the #3 button on my phone over and over.   Muttering, “YEEESSSSS, I HAVE A COMPLAINT!  UHHH UH, BIG COMPLAINT !!”

“You’ve reached the Mother Nature Complaint line.  If you’re calling to bitch about the lack of sunshine try #1.  If your ailment is a lack of snow (Yawn) press #2.  If you have an issue with any of the following natural disasters; hurricane, tornado, typhoon or earthquake press #3.  If drought is your chief topic of concern, try #4.  All others, (chuckle) you’re out of luck.”

#2, #2, #2, #2, #2

“Please state your name, city and state followed by your complaint at the tone.”

What a release it would be to then unleash into the receiver.   “This is Monica Magnusson from Cheboygan, Michigan.  It is December and we’ve not seen one flake of snow; not ONE.   I have a large kennel of sled dogs; that’s “SLED” dogs as in they must have snow to pull a sled … those kind of DOGS!  I have been training them since August on an ATV.  My ars hurts and my sciatic nerve is making me crazy. I should be looking out my window to a beautiful white trail of snow, but instead I see grass and its 40 degrees.  I have invested months and months into this dog team and there is no snow for the first race; just ice.   I don’t know what ever happened to you or whoever pissed you off, but you need to quit POURING all your grief out on us snow lovers.   I am sick and tired of you RAINING on my life’s passion.   Please quit SHOWERING us with all your doom and glom.

BEEP …… thank you for calling the Mother Nature complaint line.   Your request for POURING – RAIN- and GLOOMY SHOWERS has been registered and will receive immediate attention; have a great day!”  BEEP

Yeah, well I must have had a direct line the other day as she majorly screwed up.  We arrived in Alpine and there was barely any snow; more like hard ice.  However, like a miracle from the heavens the next day it started falling and we accumulated 1 ½ feet of snow.  The forecasts were calling for snow for the next 5 days and a total accumulation of 2 feet or more.   Saweeeeet!!   Mother Nature was alright in my book, but it didn’t last long.   By the next morning, it was raining a very fine mist.  We had to run dogs and so we headed to the trail head.  Remaining optimistic we assured ourselves the rain would cease.  To our delight it switched back to snow and we proceeded on with training.  Then like a switch it changed to sleet and then to pouring rain.   One and half feet of snow saturated in rain is very wet to put it mildly.  We could barely see as we finished the training run.  We soon discovered that the parking lot was a wet sheet of ice when the dogs pulled the hook out of the mashed potatoes and Bruce and sled went careening on their sides all the way through the slush to the truck.  Fun for me; not so much for him. 

After two runs in this crap, all of us, dogs included, were drenched to the core.  My parka was soaked all the way through and the fur ruff literally looked like someone strapped a wet Pomeranian to my neck.  Not to mention it smelled like hell; wet dead animal is just not a good thing.  My gloves were so wet I could literally wring them out and a lovely brown juice would pour out; imagine that smell.   My hair was a dripping ponytail.  I had on a ball cap with a headband to keep my ears warm and if I pressed on them they would also drip.   My snow pants were soaked through; yes, I just love the feeling of wet long underwear pasted to my legs.   It’s about as bad as putting on pantyhose on a hot day.  We all got in the truck and were assaulted with our funk.  I found myself becoming increasingly irritated with the whole wet mess.   I needed to make another phone call to the Queen party killer.

1-800-MOTHER-N

“Hello, you’ve reached the corporate offices of Mother Nature; weather is our business…

#3, #3, #3, #3, #3 …………………………#2, #2, #2, #2, #2

“Please state your name, city and state followed by your complaint at the tone.”

Monica Magnusson, Cheboygan, Michigan.  Obviously, you didn’t understand my last message.  We need SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW; not rain.  The rain is making everything a WET, SOGGY mess     !  Please quit MIXING this up; we have a race to prepare for.

BEEP …… thank you for calling the Mother Nature complaint line.   Your request for WET, SNOW, RAIN MIX  has been registered and will receive immediate attention; have a great day!”  BEEP

She, once again, didn’t miss a beat.  Day two we watched the weather change every 15 minutes.  Just when we thought we were in the snow zone, it would change to sleet/rain.  The parking lots had become small lakes and we struggled to find high ground to drop dogs.  We drove looking for good parking only to find 6” of slush or water everywhere.

This weather brought on a whole new set of issues we were not prepared to deal with since  mushing was not intended to be conducted in the rain.  It is a cold weather sport that requires snow.  This year I only brought three coats thinking I didn’t need all the others that I usually bring; mistake.  So I have a heavy bubble coat, a mid-weight bubble coat and a fur parka.  None of which are ideal for rain.  It was so wet I literally had to switch coats every time I went out to drop dogs.  If you do the math, 5-6 dog drops a day would mean I was short 2-3 coats.  By the end of the day, this meant soggy, stinky options for outerwear……  Monica not happy.

I brought two pairs of boots; my Lobbens and my King boots.   I didn’t even bother with the Lobbens as the water in the parking lot was literally 4 inches deep and they are not waterproof.  The King boots, on the other hand, are like wearing a pair of KISS boots with 4” platforms and they are great for deep water.  However, they’re a wee bit warm for rain and temps in the high 30’s.   So I had rock star stature with my bad ass boots, but the rest of me was a soggy, stinky, sweaty mess.

At some point we realized that every coat we own, most of the gloves and hats, some boots and all our snow pants were soaking wet and we were in a motel room with no dryer.   So we did what anyone would do in our situation; we draped wet clothing on anything and everything that would hold something.  There were wet jackets dripping from the corners of doors; hanging off the shower rod, on the lamps, on the kitchen table anywhere you could imagine.   Then we threw three buckets of meat in the shower to thaw, turned the heat up HIGH and let things bake.

This created a sauna like effect in our room and not the good type of sauna.   It was every Finlander’s nightmare; no cold beer, no sausage dripping over the hot coals and the grossest funkiest smell you could ever imagine.  The funky steam was dripping down the windows and beads of ooog were collecting on the bathroom ceiling.  While we were basting in the funk; it wasn’t so bad.  I could actually breathe since there was humidity in the normally dry air.  However, at several points we had to leave the room and then re-enter.  HOLY BANANAS, it took everything to keep from hurling.

The humans weren’t the only ones suffering.  The poor dogs were soaked to the bone and every time they came out they got wetter.  They had to eat in the rain and do their business in the rain standing in pools of who knows what.  Then they had to go back in their boxes soaking wet and all their bedding would get wet.   We changed the bedding more in the past 4 days then I normally would for two weeks.

I was at my wits end with the rain.  I needed to make a phone call.

1-800-MOTHER-N

“Hello, you’ve reached the corporate offices of Mother Nature; weather is our business….

#3, #3, #3, #3, #3 …………………………#2, #2, #2, #2, #2

“Please state your name, city and state followed by your complaint at the tone.”

Me again.  Monica Magnusson from Cheboygan, Michigan.  Listen lady, I am a northern chick.  I grew up in the mid-west and spent my childhood in northern Michigan.  I am from Finnish stock.   It was snowing the day I was born and that was in March mind you.  I like wind burn and not sun burn.  I don’t mind not being able to feel my fingers and toes.  I love when it’s so cold it hurts to breathe or when your nostrils stick together or your eyelids feel like they are moving slow.  I love the cold.   I hate the heat and the rain.  I am begging you to please bring SNOW, SNOW, SNOW and COLD weather.  It is not VISIBLE that you took my complaint seriously and are just sucking the WIND from our sails.  SNOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

BEEP …… thank you for calling the Mother Nature complaint line.   Your request for SNOW, COLD TEMPS WITH LOW VISIBILITY AND HIGH WIND has been registered and will receive immediate attention; have a great day!”  BEEP

We woke to at least another 8” of white fluffy stuff.   It was a wet snow, but snow nonetheless.   We headed to the trailhead.   The roadway was slush becoming slick in the colder temps and the snow was coming down rapidly.  Highway signs indicated there was high wind danger and to drive cautiously.  I chuckled at how Ms. Nature had delivered.  We crawled along and got to the site safely, which was buried in a fresh foot of snow.   We were the first ones to the trail head and picked a nice parking spot.  We got hooked up, switched to dry coats and took off in the fluff.  Visibility stunk and you couldn’t even see the trail if not for some fluorescent orange trail markers sticking up along the way.  It was a blinding white blur with snow falling rapidly.  I wondered if I had pissed off Ms. Nature and she was trying to take me out by having me drive off a blind cliff.  I proceeded cautiously.  When we got back to the parking lot I couldn’t believe my eyes.  It was full to the brim with people and snowmobiles and trucks and trailers.  We could barely weave our way with the teams back to the truck only to discover that a few morons had completely blocked us in.  They were parked so tight you could barely open the dog doors on one side.  It was unreal.  Snow had fallen and all the snow ants had come out of the woodwork.

The chaos in that parking lot was like none I had ever seen.   It was like watching hungry wolves descend on a dead carcass.  Since we had absolutely no way of leaving to seek less populated pastures, we chose to run the 2^nd teams.   On the bright side we got a lot of passing practice; head on passing, people passing, dog team passing; snowmobile passing; trak machine passing; skier passing; crazy, pet dog passing and even beer drinker passing!  We are now 100% confident that our leaders will weave through rush hour traffic past bars and past the neighborhood dogs without blinking an eyelash.

I’ve decided that 1-800-MOTHER-N is probably a worthless idea.  I have vowed to never even think of calling her again!

Surprisingly …. today was in the mid-twenties and it was sunny!   The weather was perfect, trails were rocking and we had an absolute great day running dogs!

Post Mushing Stress Disorder or PMSD is a serious illness.    Its symptoms are nearly similar to those from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; however where the two illnesses differ is in their origins or causes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that’s triggered by a traumatic event. You can develop post-traumatic stress disorder when you experience or witness an event that causes intense fear, helplessness or horror.

Post-mushing stress disorder (PMSD), on the other hand, is a type of anxiety disorder that’s triggered by participating in a sled dog event.  You can develop post-mushing stress disorder when you experience or witness a sled dog event that causes intense joy, excitement and adventure.  Mushers that must return to some form of civilization outside of their kennels after a sled dog event are most commonly afflicted.

My husband and I have been suffering from PMSD for 9 years and it has nearly disrupted our lives.   Here is our story and how we came to the conclusion that there was a strong need for Musher Decompression Training to help re-integrate mushers back to civilization after the race season. 

I can still remember the first time I realized I was having a hard time assimilating back to civilian life.  Surprisingly, it was not the overwhelming feeling of dread that washes over most of us as we travel home closer and closer to our final destination; reality.  No, it didn’t really hit me until I was actually done traveling and at home.

We got home that first evening, unpacked and went to bed.   I awoke in the middle of the night sweating and alarmed from a nightmare that I had forgotten to drop the dogs for over 24 hours.   I was so freaked out I woke Bruce up and said, “Did you drop the dogs?”   He flew out of bed in his underwear and ran outside in 0 degrees to check on the dogs only to realize they were not in the truck.   At first we laughed and we laughed hard.  However, on day three when Bruce woke in a startle because he had just driven off a cliff with a 16 dog team, we knew something might be a little askew.  On the 5^th and 6^th day when I could have sworn I heard the dogs barking and ran to the door alarmed they would disturb someone in the next room only to discover there were no dogs, let alone someone in the next room, I knew I needed to take action.

I started to immediately do some research on the internet and found information on PTSD.   As I began to research the symptoms of PTSD I learned I was experiencing them.  According to Mayo Clinic, the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are commonly grouped into three types: intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, and increased anxiety or emotional arousal (hyper arousal).

Undoubtedly, we were both suffering from intrusive memories and flashbacks.   As I started to reflect on that first week I realized we were experiencing symptoms from each of these categories.  Every year, the sequence of events and symptoms are nearly the same.  Upon returning we experience what I would call a complete energy drain.  We are so accustomed to a regimented schedule; up at 6:30AM to drop and water dogs, re-drop 2 hours later, feed at 2:00P, re-drop 2 hours later and, finally, drop before you go to bed.  Everything revolves around dropping the dogs.   So imagine how this messed us up when we had to return to a civilized schedule.   That first day the alarm went off at 4:30AM and it was damn near impossible to get out of bed.  My brain kept telling me it was 2 hours too early to drop dogs and my body was agreeing, but that damn alarm kept going off and some small part of my brain finally remembered I must get up.  I hate that part of the brain.  Getting out of bed was nothing short of torture for days.  

When I finally managed to crawl out of bed, I was barely functioning.  I had been used to having a Red Bull within arm’s reach to help clear the fog in my head.  However, there was no Red Bull and the fog was thick.   I got up and reached for yesterday’s dog clothes lying on the floor and began to put them on when I remembered that I needed to shower.   Going without a shower for multiple days in a row and wearing stinky dog clothes is just not acceptable in civilization.   This realization actually pissed me off; I was in no mood to bathe.   Reluctantly, I drug myself into the shower with my glasses still on and when I was done I actually almost administered toothpaste under my arms.   I needed Red Bull in a bad way.  On the bright side, at least I could see through the newly clean glasses and minty fresh is not a bad smell to start the day with.

After the dreaded bath, I usually start the process of determining what to wear.   This activity always causes major feelings of anxiety and irritability.  There isn’t a damn thing in my closet that is as comfortable as the ski pants, comfy polar fleece tops and slipper like Lobbens that I’ve been sporting around in for the past few weeks.  I angrily flip through the closet full of “professional” clothes and reluctantly settle on some dress pants, a blouse and some shoes to match.  In civilization you must be matchy, matchy; why do you think they invented the Garanimal Clothing line for kids?  It was to start them young.  People cannot be walking around in purple shoes and green polka dot pants unless you are in the mushing world.  If it’s warm, mushers don’t care about matchy, matchy.  I had been wearing red lobbens with army green pants and an indigo blue coat with a red hat for days and I was ok with it and no one even stared.   Anyway, back to the clothes.  So if the matchy, matchy doesn’t make you crabby then the fact that you’ve gained a pound or two from all the roadside dining will certainly blow your mind.  Gosh, cannot wait to put on my matchy, matchy outfit that is too dang tight.   I pour myself into my civilized get up and realize it itches and it’s not even remotely warm to boot.  My feet feel like they’ve grown two sizes and are crammed into these tight little shoes.  I am major crabby and feel the need to cry.  I am most definitely suffering from the increased anxiety and emotional arousal symptoms.  

As if the clothing is not enough to send me over the edge, I must put on makeup for the first time in weeks.   I can hear my pores screaming as I drown them in foundation.   It takes twice the amount of foundation as normal due to the fact that my face is so wind burn it feels like a dried up desert.   I have nearly forgotten how to apply the shadow, liner and mascara as evidenced by my overdone clown appearance.   Within minutes my eyes are watering from the onslaught of the chemical applications and I now look a little like Raggedy Ann.   The hair is not an entirely different matter.  It has grown significantly since I left.  It looked fine under the ski cap, but trying to blow dry the overgrown dried out mess looks like something in a science experiment as it stands on its ends.   Bruce’s situation is no different as he shaves for the first time in weeks to discover half of his face is white and the rest is tan.  He is out of practice in the shaving department which results in several nicks covered by tissue paper.

All dressed up with our ridiculous hair, my clown makeup and his tissue dotted face we jump in the truck to drive to work and I still do not have a Red Bull.  I am foggy, uncomfortable, itchy and bitchy.   I’m also as hungry as a Polar bear because my feeding schedule is totally off wack.  When you are racing you eat what and when you can and the last meal is usually late at night.  There is no food in our house since we’ve been MIA for a few weeks.   So I do what every musher would do when hunger strikes.  Like a dumpster diver I start digging through the back seat looking for remnants of snacks we bought along the way.  It’s like hitting the jackpot when Ifind some leftover chocolate muffin I purchased in Nebraska.  I’m so hungry the darn thing still tastes good even if it is crunchy and stale.

The drive to work furthers the anxious feelings.   One of the first things I notice is the traffic.   Where in the hell did all these people come from and where are they going so fast?  For weeks I’ve been on two lane mountain highways with minimal traffic and now there are four lanes with hoards of cars and trucks.  50% of the drivers are chatting carelessly on their cell phones.   Only days before I was dreading the steep, icy grades and now I’d take them any day over this chaos.

We stop at the gas station on the way into the office and are hit with the lovely odor of CITY; I practically hurl in disgust.  Oh, how I long for that fresh, northern mountain air.   Then we notice that every time we stop we are the subject of many looks.  You’d think I was still wearing my purple, army green get up.  Some of the looks are disgust, some appear to be total disbelief, there’s a few curious stares, there is always fear and then there is, my favorite; the completely dumbfounded look.  Those are fun because they look around to see if anyone else is witnessing what they are.  I half expect them to smack or pinch themselves.  They always look around to see if they can find help to decipher what they are looking at.  We just spent several weeks where folks admire the dog box and want to see inside.  Spectators are in awe at the dogs and how they travel and now we get blank faces and the ever constant question, “Are you the dog catcher?”   PMSD symptoms are very strong at this point as you clench your pants trying hard not to smack the dumbness right out of them.  “No, we are not the dog catcher.  See the logo “Magnusson Racing LLC”, we are a sled dog racing kennel.”   “What’s a sled dog?”   I know, I know it’s important that we are friendly and educate the public, but someone suffering from PMSD should just walk away at this point.

Before we start the truck to drive away, we discover ourselves circling it not once, but twice as we check for the dogs and other stuff that isn’t there.

Typically, when you’ve been racing most mushers are out at their trucks dropping/watering dogs in the AM.  Most say, “Good Morning”!   They are generally happy standing around with their caffeine in hand as they take care of the dogs.   The return to civilization is much less civilized.  We are greeted with unsmiling faces and instead of good morning you receive either a nod or a grunt of some sort.   It immediately begins to suck the energy and happiness right out of our bodies.  We start to experience avoidance and numbing symptoms.

Upon arrival, the ringing of phones almost drives us out of our minds.  Three weeks without a single phone ringing and then you are inundated with ringing, ringing, ringing………….”Monica, why are you sitting on the floor, rocking and holding your ears?”   “It’s the ringing……THE RINGING….STOP THE RINGING!!!!”

We’ve spent 3 weeks living an adventure.  Our heads are full of tales of excitement; lost dog teams, crashing, dangerous roads, wildlife in the trail and dangerous weather etc.  We’ve spent hours with people that truly live life; mountain climbers, Iditarod finishers, deep sea divers, endurance horse races, Iditabikers.  They’ve filled our heads with exciting adventures.   When we return to civilization we find socializing very difficult and very boring.  Folks try to catch us up on three weeks of visiting the mall, cleaning their houses, the doldrums of work and the horrible cold and all the snow they shoveled.  It is almost too much to bear.  We begin to check out and get what they call the blank stare.  Conversations at the lunch table find us completely checked out.  We’ve spent weeks discussing dog stools and other gross subject matter that would go over like a fart in church at the work lunch table.  We have nothing to contribute so we continue to eat and stare.

It seems as if everyone walks around with nothing else to say but, “I hate the cold!”   “It’s so damn cold.”   “When is spring going to be here?”   “This sucks, it’s snowing again.”   The weather forecasters are doom and gloom, “Another chilly day for Detroit folks and no sunshine on the horizon.  Spring will not be here soon enough.”   I envision myself running through the office, “Cold is good, it is invigorating, snow is beautiful and I love it.  Get off your lazy butts and find something fun to do in it or move to flaming Florida where it is hot and humid otherwise just SHUT UP!”   I don’t though.  Instead, I hold it in and become more numb.

The return to civilization brings to the forefront how far society has become removed from our roots of survival and self-preservation.   We are now a land of gun less, non-meat eating, non-fur bearing folk.    Many don’t know the difference between an elk and a moose and have never seen one outside of a zoo.   They are grossed out by the totally kick ass beaver mitts that we bought on our trip.  “Did the person who made these kill the beaver?”  as they skew up their face in disgust.  “Noooooooooooo, I’m not going to put my hands in there?”    They do not understand that some folks carry guns due to the threat of wildlife on the trail.  “What would you do?  Kill it?  Why?  It’s just minding its own business and you are on their trail?”  I accidently wear my fur parka in public and hear the yells, “Animal killer”.      I see all the prima-donnas in their shorty, short coats with fake fur and fake fur boots with skin tight pants running around talking about how they are freezing their butts off and realize I’m near the edge.

We’re in the door five minutes and are greeted by the employee that feels since we’ve been away he/she now deserves a raise.  “I’ve been here for 6 months and I feel I’m worth more.”   “You do, heh?  Well guess what?   We’ve been training and preparing a dog team for a whole fricken year and we thought we were worth more too, but we found out otherwise.   So I guess you’re out of luck too buddy!”

By this point in your day, we both must find an escape.  We cannot socialize and are numb.  So we seek escape on the internet.  Yes, on company time, we are checking race stats, reading blogs and constantly searching for the next big race.  We must get away soon!

Finally, we’ve killed enough time and the day is over so we can head home.  We’re so used to going to banquets that we’re pissed when we arrive home after a long day only to realize that our fridge is empty.  “Maybe, I have something left over in that cooler,” I wonder out loud.

After years of going through the above symptoms over and over, we finally realized we needed help.  I contacted an expert in PTSD who referred me to a doctor he knew that used to run dogs, Dr. Mushnomore.   After extensive sessions and meetings with Dr. Mushnomore he determined that we were actually suffering from PMSD; a non-documented illness.   He felt he had tapped into an undiscovered illness not yet researched in the medical world.  We worked with him to thoroughly research this new psychological problem, its causes, symptoms and cures.  We wanted to help our fellow mushers.  We thought there might be some sort of Decompression Training to help ease us back into civilization.  We were so excited about the research and the hope for a cure.  The day Dr. Mushnomore called us into his office to share what he felt the cure was we were like giddy teenagers.   We sat down on the edge of our seats in anticipation as he told us the following:

“Broosh & Moneeka, it vould appear afta da many years of research dat dere is only vun cure for dis ailmend.   You must move to the voods TODAY!”

We woke to a balmy 26 degrees and overcast skies.   It was very hard getting out of bed this morning.  I have come to the conclusion that Best Western Motels have the BEST beds around so the name is fitting.   YEAH Best Western!!!   We were thankful for the 10:00AM start as it gave us more time to sleep and I woke up with a head cold.   Starting to wonder if I can ever get through a Stage Stop without contracting some sort of illness?  Must be the stress!

We were up late working on dogs trying to make sure we had 12 healthy dogs ready for Evanston.  As you saw in my last post we were struggling with feet issues, but aside from that the team was physically in great shape.  However, we were seeing a different dog team than we have ever seen before.  They are unwilling to come out of their boxes and were just mopey.  We are sure that the condition of their feet has left them demoralized, but we think we have possibly hit a wall based on where we are at in mileage.  The team appears to have peaked too early.  In our discussions with Terry Streeper we trained too much; which is almost hard to imagine since we had 400 less miles than last year.  Then if you look at other top teams and the ones catching up they all were at where we were last year.  It has left us scratching our heads; what else is new! 

We were able to come up with 12 sound dogs for Evanston, which gave us some hope.   We realized that the dogs and us were very down in Kemmerer and that we needed to improve the attitudes for Evanston.  The goal today was to put some fire into the dogs, have fun and NOT carry anyone.  We are a bit superstitious about this stage since we have NEVER had a good run here AND we have never had a run here without carrying a dog.  The stage is known for teams carrying not just one, but usually multiple dogs to the finish line.

All the dogs were eager to come out this morning and everyone was eating/drinking like machines.  Stools looked great and this was a major first for us during this race.  The feet had made some improvements overnight, but we were not taking chances and decided to booty the dogs with the worst feet.  We were the first to arrive at the race start and then the Bath team pulled into next to us.  It’s always fun when the team you are neck and neck with pulls right next to you.  We love competing with folks that love to compete and know how to have fun with it and the Bath’s are our kind of folks.   For the past couple years we have found ourselves in this same situation with the Perrino’s team and this year the Bath team took their place.  As is customary, the teasing and harassing commenced at about 8AM!!   I tried to convince Jerry that this was an 8-dog stage, but I was unsuccessful; that guy is just too quick in the morning.  He must drink Red bulls!

The day started with a bit of excitement when Newton Marshall showed up at the nick of time.  Apparently, he had driven all the way to the finish line thinking it was the start.  He arrived in just enough time to hook up the team and head to the chute.  At some point after hooking up his team the carabineer that attaches the team to the sled, came off.   So when they started to take him to the line, there was basically a team with no sled or driver; Newton was on the sled still hooked to the truck! Thankfully, one of the trail crew saw this and dove for the snow hook and drove it into the snow.  They were able to hook the team back to the sled and avoid a disaster.  Whew!

Our team got jazzed up in the chute and gave us good vibes.  However, as we arrived in the chute our good vet friend, Denny, told Bruce she noticed one of our dogs looked stiff in the rear.  It was our biggest dog, of course!  Bruce told me and I said, “Do you want to pull him?”  He said, “No, he’ll be fine.”   I knew right then and there it was the wrong decision, but what could I do?   This was one of those moments where I had a feeling we would live it over and over and over.

The team left and Bruce said within 2 miles the dog we should have pulled started having issues.   (Insert expletives here)!   Bruce kept easing the dog along as they had an hour climb ahead of them and he wanted to make sure that he didn’t have to bag him until after they reached the top.  He got to the top of the first climb at 18 miles before he had to bag him, but then after the dog was bagged they had the steepest climb ahead of them and the team shut down to a crawl.  Understandably, as this was a 65 lb. dog in the bag.  The trudged along until about the last 8 miles and they started to find a groove again, but it was too late.   When Bruce came in it was evident that he was kicking himself for the decision.  There was nothing we could do, but live and learn.  This is all a part of stage racing.  Everyday is about making decisions; sometimes they are great and sometimes they break you.  Today it broke us.

 We were not the only ones that came in with a dog in the bag and several teams had bad runs; which switched up the leader board significantly.   Jerry had a great run and knocked us right out of 5^th place.  We informed him later that he now has to pick-up the bar tab!!

At the driver’s meeting they informed us that the race was over and that we would not be racing in Park City, but we would be entertaining the spectators instead.  We were a tad thankful given the downward slide we were on it was a concern that we could blow up and lose another placement in the overall standings.  It would be us that had the team that chased the poodle through the parking lot and lost a 12 minute lead.

The race this year was exciting, fascinating and disappointing all at the same time.  We have never seen faster times and it was apparent from day one that the speed had elevated to new levels.  In past years we had always seen the front runners finish first even though they had started last.  This year the back of the pack was often holding their own and coming in one right after the other and the front runners would follow later with seriously great runs. 

We think all the changes we made were, for the most part, good changes.  We have a team that has the athletic ability to compete.  However, it was evident by our downward spiral that we humans are still the weak link on this team.  We have to fine tune the training program a bit.   We are happy with the equipment choices and we are ecstatic with our new diet.   We definitely handled some things wrong, but we have taken note and will attempt to not make the same mistakes twice.  During our ride home we will review this entire race and have what we lovingly refer to as our “Duh Session”! 

One of the funnest things about the race this year was all the new teams that came to participate.  We’re especially proud of how the Mid-west showed up to represent with 6 teams hailing from this part of the country with 4 making the top 10.   Being one of the teams with the most consecutive years attended this year; we can’t help but carry a certain amount of pride for this race.  We are always trying to tell folks how much fun and how competitive it is and it was so great to hear that the new teams were all having a blast.    Many expressed how much fun it was.  They loved the weather, with exception of the bitter cold.  They loved the scenery.    There were comments made about how unique and different and fun it was compared to other races.   They also were blown away by the competition and how fast these teams are moving.   I have said it before and I will say it again, “The Stage Stop is like no other race anywhere.  Where else can you go to run awesome scenery, race 8 days in a row against some of the best competition in the country, learn from the best vets around, meet lifelong friends and win huge money?”   This is the ONLY race that I know that can provide all of that.

I’m not sure who turned off the heat around here, but we woke up this morning and it was -21 F.  Definitely not the type of weather we are accustomed to at the Stage Stop.   The Alpine trail is a well groomed snowmobile trail and it always has a base and can be very quick. It is a 60 miler contrary to what the website says.  Based on the temps the trail conditions looked like they would be hard and fast.   We learned early that morning that there was a dead moose and a dead elk on the trail about 18-20 miles in and that a mountain lion had been visiting the new buffet.   Yeahhhhhhhhh, let’s take our teams and head in that direction! Sorta wished Bruce was packing some heat on this one.

Our pre-race concerns were a little different this morning as we were concerned about protecting dogs from the bitter cold; not something we have to deal with often in Michigan.   Thankfully, we were prepared and I hauled out all the belly coats to protect my houndy pooches.  We already had one female in heat that got some frost bite on her hula the day before and we did not want any more issues.  Then we had to deal with the one question that seems to plague us every year; do we booty or not?   I have to tell you folks that I’ve about had it with this topic as it continues to be an issue for us.  It is known fact that if you wish to win this race, you cannot booty.   Then if you ask 5 different mushers they all do 5 different things to protect their feet.  We have tried them all and continue to have zero success in this area.   The whole topic has us on edge as we battle with what to do every stage as the dogs feet get worse and worse.   This morning was particularly stressful as we had been taught that you should always booty when temps fall under zero.  However, there is contrary opinion out there.   We went with the experts and did not booty.  

The team was healthy and we had 12 dogs ready to go.   The team was led by Houndy and Pepper and supported by Rocky, Cheyenne, Billy, Stella, Utah, Sedona, Perry, Vaanta, Lahti, Mikka.   We were down to the wire getting them to the chute.   They looked really amped in the chute and just tore out of there.  After they left I realized that we missed putting one of our hounds in a belly coat.  I spent the entire afternoon sick to my stomach worrying that he would be frostbit.  The team ran very strong to the ½ way point.   Just as he reached the turnaround he ran into Dawn Breedlove and Ken Josefson who had a huge tangle that covered nearly the entire trail.  Bruce’s leaders didn’t want to take the small opening, but he was finally able to do so after a minute or so.  After the turn around they ran strong for about 40 miles.  At about the 40 mile mark the young leader started to lose confidence and Bruce had to switch out leaders.   He also had a dog in team that he had to protect.  With about 15 miles to go that dog got to ride in the bag and the team starting shutting down on him.   With the team losing focus they noticed the dead moose on the way back and wanted to go visit, but thankfully Bruce was able to keep them moving.   No one else had issues with the moose; however, there were several teams that carried dogs and some had multiple dogs in the bag.

One of the funniest events of the day was Aaron Burmeister’s start.  He pulled into the chute ready to go with cigarette in hand.  We were all standing watching and it started to seem like a really long time, but Aaron was just standing there calmly smoking.  Then we see Buddy, who was directly behind him, come running up and hand him his bib.  Apparently, the countdown had started and Terry yelled, “Where’s your bib?”  They stopped Aaron just as he was about to pull the hook and Terry and Buddy started running back to the truck for the bib.  It was as close to being disqualified as you want to get; no wonder he was smoking!!

When the team came in the first thing I did was run over to the dog we forgot to coat and I checked his package for frost bite!  Whew, he was fine.   However, the team was very down and as soon as I saw their feet I knew why.  They were a mess, but I won’t go into detail.  We had two dogs, one that was bagged, that quite possibly were out of the game.  It was very depressing.   All the dogs checked out healthy except the feet.  We went into research mode again to try and rectify the situation.

The stage was a major game changer.   We actually had a poor run and went up in the overall standings; this only happens at Stage Stop.   It seems like it should be a cause for celebration; however, it is a downer to see your team not run to its ability.  We saw top teams fall back and things really switched up.   Lance Mackey had a very nice run and the team appears to be getting stronger.  The most amazing thing is that Warren claims they only have about 400 miles on them; which is almost unreal to comprehend. 

KEMMERER

We woke up to cold temps again this morning, but we had at least reached single digits.   It felt like a heat wave.   We were dreading this stage knowing that it is usually very punchy and tough and our team had lost some fire in Alpine.   However, we learned at the driver’s meeting that they had actually had the groomer out on the trail from start to finish and they promised it would be hard and fast.  We were hoping that would be the case.

We were able to come up with 10 dogs this morning, but we had several females in heat and had to juggle the line up to accommodate the situation.   Unfortunately, a few of our leaders needed to be rested and it made things more difficult.   So the whole lineup discussion caused some major tension as we discussed our possibilities.  The original line-up included a female in heat with another male in lead.  Yeah, can you believe it?   Surprisingly they had run the Lander stage with no issues; however, since then she had decided she really wanted to breed.   At any rate, I had to run up to the chute to ask a vet something and as I was coming back I see Anna Bjorklund’s team parked to the side with a full on tie in progress.  This cost that team 9 minutes today.   I looked at this as a sign so as soon as I got back to the truck I told Bruce that our lineup was a DUMB idea and we shouldn’t risk it.   He was adamant.  Then at the last minute he changed his mind and we decided to run two leaders that we had never run together.   That’s what I call fun; experimenting during a race when you are currently in 4^th place overall.

The team was led by Max, Sedona and supported by Pepper, Slim, Utah, Houndy, Billy, Della, Perry and Stella.  They seemed in good spirits in the chute.  They ran decent to the ½ way point, but were not climbing well.   This, of course, is the worst stage to have climbing issues.  The team held their own until the ½ way point and then they shut down.  It was at this point other teams started catching Bruce and making time on him.  We got our butt seriously kicked today and are now precariously sitting on the edge of 5^th place with our good friend Jerry Bath chomping at our heels.   Many of us in the race are a bit tired right now.  Several teams have had their fair share of carrying dogs and the ravages of Kemmerer could be seen on the faces of many at the banquet tonight.

Buddy, on the other hand, had a very impressive run today and it was something else to see the team come in driving like a freight train.  Lance Mackey also pulled off an impressive 3^rd place.    We are watching teams pick up momentum as we seem to be losing it.   I don’t think we are on the Stage Stop roller coaster, I think we got on the wrong ride and accidently wound up on the Stage Stop slide.   It’s almost humorous as we had warned some of the newcomers about the emotional rollercoaster that Stage Stop takes you on.  As teams struggled early on, we assured them it would turn around.  Well, no one told us there was an emotional slide.  I can tell ya that the slide is NO fun.   I find myself needing stiff drink.

We will strategize until the wee hours tonight with the intent of coming up with a solid team tomorrow to try and hold off Jerry.  I’m hoping I wake up to a very amped team.

 Big Piney is known as the ice box of the nation and it did not disappoint.  We had anticipated the temperature to drop and it did rapidly.  When we woke this morning it was a brisk -14 below zero and the high was not going to make it to zero.  This was quite a shock to the system after we had been sunbathing the past few days.  In just two days I had gotten soft and didn’t want to come out and play.   I’m glad I did though because a few of us handlers/vets had a riot today waiting for the teams.  Mr. John Stewart livened things up with his IPOD and had us head banging, playing air guitar and doing the Penguin dance.  If you’ve never seen it, envision folks all geared up in their winter gear… it’s -14F…we all have our hands in our pockets and we are jumping as high as we can and wiggling like penguins.  Do you have the mental picture?   It was silly, had us laughing our butts off and we were staying WARM; which is the most important part.  Forget that we looked ridiculous.  Who cares when it’s -14F?

Anyway, back to business.  All of the front runners were running 12 today and so we followed suit; we could not afford to give up any more time.   The team was healthy and ready to go.  Our only concern was that we have 5 bitches in heat on the truck and this team included every single one of them!  It was led by Cheyenne and Rocky (the unguided missile) and supported by Max, Slim, Utah, Sedona, Lahti, Della, Mikka, Vaanta, Perry and Stella.   The females were strategically located in the back of the team with hopes they would go unnoticed!  Our plan today was to lay one down and we had the team to do it.  HOWEVER………….. 4 miles out there was a sweeping, right hand, off camber corner and one of our point dogs stumbled in the punchy snow and rolled down the hill dragging the front end with him.  They were unable to get their footing to get out due to the deep snow.  Bruce, unable to hook down, waded through waist deep snow holding onto the gangline to try and help the dogs.  He was able to get the front four back on the trail and then they pulled him and the rest of the team back to hard ground.   Once they were on the trail he discovered he had the biggest tangle of his life with at least a couple dogs hog tied at the ankles.  After several minutes of sorting the mess out he was finally able to get the team moving again; however, that resulted in him getting drug for ¼ mile or so.   He was having a riot; NOT!

When he finally worked out the issues there was no relief in what the trail had to offer.  Let’s just say there would be no blistering speeds on today’s trail.  This stage is known for having a punchy trail and it lived up to its reputation.  The dogs were in shoulder deep snow with no bottom and the mushers were useless on the runners because every time they tried to help they would fall into their knees.   It was very stressful on many dogs and wore some down mentally.   Our team ran well and kept their heads despite all of the issues.

When the team came in and I heard what had happened my first impression was …. WTF….. why can we NEVER seem to have a clean, fast run when we plan it and need it?  Are we jinxed?   Is it the dogs?  Is it the musher?  Why?  Why?  Why?  I drilled Bruce with questions trying to understand, but at the same time I tried not to blame him.  However, I guess I didn’t do a very good job.  Let’s just say things were a little tense!

Sad as it is we found relief in learning that we were not the only ones being jinxed today.  Stacy Teasley had a horrible day and lived through every musher’s nightmare; losing your team.   She said that ½ mile out she was on a side camber hill and the wind was just blowing her all over so she squatted down and then hit something and flipped.  She got the handlebar in the crook of her arm and was being drug.  She watched her brand new watch get ripped from her arm and it started to tear her skin.  She then attempted to set her hook and at that point the sled was ripped out of her hands.  She immediately  began running and calling them.  She has this fun, crazy bird call she had been using to train the dogs while free running this summer and she was calling and calling to no avail.  Finally Ryan Redington showed up to her rescue.  She was nearly in tears and told him to go on, she didn’t want to ruin his race and he said, “No, get on.  I’ll take you for a mile.”   As they got moving all of a sudden here comes her team heading back to her.  Siren, her leader, must have heard her calls.  She was so elated they had come back, but then she had to stop them.  She grabbed the leaders and this resulted in a huge tangle.  She spent at least 15 minutes undoing the mess and had to cut lines to get things sorted out.  However, she got back on the trail and tragedy had been diverted.  She was especially thankful to Ryan for helping her out!   In addition to Stacy there was another musher that lost his team, but I have no further details on that. 

Lance Mackey also had a hellacious tangle with, ironically, Newton Marshall.  They apparently had a huge jumble during a head on pass.  Mushers were drug, dogs were hog tied and it was a mess; however, Lance must have handled it with super human speed because he posted the 4^th fastest time today.   Lance is running dogs he leased from Warren Palfrey and Newton is running the team he will take to the Iditarod.

There were also a few teams that had to bag dogs on this run so it appeared that the issues were fairly spread out amongst many of the mushers.

We finished 5^th and maintained our 5^th place overall.   This race is still very tight and there are several smaller races within the race starting to form.  

It is supposed to get to -20 F tonight so it will be a chilly one tomorrow in Alpine.

This stage is nice because you get to sleep in an extra hour with the 10:00AM start time.   The weather cooperated and stuck around the teens today, which made it nice running for the dogs.  Pinedale made the decision to have the trail run out of town, but instead of sending teams right down the center of town they took us to a school and ran us from there.  It was much better than running on sidewalks next to a main highway, which we’ve done in the past.   The trail still runs along the highway giving spectators an awesome view of the teams as they cruise along the 33 mile run.   You can literally follow them for almost the entire run along the highway.

It is always our strategy to get through this stage without injuring any dogs or having any problems.  The trail is always punchy, which can cause shoulder injuries and there are at least 3-4 road crossings where the teams haveto cross a 2 lane highway.   There are a fair number of driveways and other areas that can create issues for the teams as well.  At the musher meeting they told us there would be 5 miles of icy trail right away and then it would improve.   We thought about our team, our overall strategy and made a rather unique decision to go with 8 dogs.   The decision raised the tension at the Magnusson Racing truck this AM.  It was evident that most teams were taking 9 or 10 dog teams.  Our original plan was to go with9 and then we went to 8.  I kept questioning this decision as I didn’t want to give up too much time; however, Bruce was adamant and held firm to the decision.  There were several reasons backing the decision, but I was still freaked out.   One, we knew the team was strong and could keep us where we needed to be provided there were no problems.  This would allow us to rest more dogs for later stages.  Two, knowing the power of our team we had concern about not being able to hook down in the first 5 miles and we knew there would be plenty of obstacles that could require us to have to hook down.  Three, we knew the trail would be punchy and often the extra numbers don’t help, they just increase your odds of injuring more dogs.  Once again, we were gambling.

The trail had hard portions and as always it was punchy in many areas, but it was in much better shape than we had ever seen it.  The trail folks did a really nice job with what they had to work with.   Our team was led by Pepper and Houndy and their supporting cast was Della, Slim, Billy, Shiner, Lahti & Mikka.  The team was averaging about 16 mph for the first 8 miles and then we hit the punchy trail and slowed down a bit.  They kept on cruising and then around the 20 mile mark, Bruce had a dog start to neckline.  He had to hold the team up to protect the dog and made the decision not to bag because they were still able to move 13-14 mph and this most likely would have changed with7 dogs and one in the bag.  The team held its own until about 5 miles out when the front runners finally caught him.  Not bad for an 8-dog team.  Buddy had some blistering speeds in tough conditions, which was impressive to watch.   Anna’s team looked good as did Burmeisters.  Bruce never saw Peck.   We finished in 6^th place and maintained our 5^th place overall position.  We are now 11 minutes out of 3^rd and 8 minutes out of 4^th.   The gamble didn’t hurt us too much, but it remains to be seen if it will pay off later in the race.   Tomorrow we run in Big Piney/Marbleton and it is supposed to below zero.

Update on the Big Piney leg was given this evening and they had to shorten the leg to 36-40 miles due to the last sixteen miles of the trail being plowed, which is the toughest section.   This leg can be a difference maker and now it looks like things just got a whole lot easier for a lot of teams.   Had we known this earlier we may have changed our strategy today, BUT…….that’s stage racing!!

DING, DING, DING………LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!

We set the alarm for 6:00AM Sunday morning and we were both up and out of bed before it ever went off.  Racing has a way to do that to you; I often wonder why we set the darn things.   We watered the dogs and headed to the parking lot in hopes of getting a parking spot close to the start.  Mission was accomplished.  We were glad it worked out because the snow banks were 4 feet high and that would have been a bear trying to hook up dogs; mountain climber I’m not.  Teams were all rolling in within the ½ hour.   The Gilbertson crew had bad luck on the way to Lander and their truck died, but they were able to get the horse trailer with all the dogs up to the starting line and will work on getting to Pinedale later.  We were scheduled for a drug test this AM, but there were no vets.  The pooches crossed their legs as long as they could, but when I saw pee streaming from the boxes it was time to drop.   They managed to get the dogs when we dropped just before hooking up.  The Chief Pee Tester jumped right in there and even skipped the glove part; now that’s a gal that takes her job seriously. 

Our team today was led by Max & Della.  Supporting crew in order of hook up was Cheyenne, Rocky, Perry, Billy, Utah, Sedona, Shiner, Stella and Vaanta.  Since our theme this year is to mix it up and do things differently, we decided to go with 11 dogs as opposed to our normal 10.  Max & Della would rank as our 3^rd fastest set of leaders.  We knew they would set a nice pace and keep us within reach, but we didn’t expect to win this one with them in lead.  We are hoping our other sets will help us out later in the game and will be well rested.  Terry Streeper asked me today if I like to gamble and I said, “No!”  I guess I fibbed a little because we gambled today and we’re hoping it pays off later.

The team was amped to go and just going crazy on the truck.  I was sorry we were so close to the start as they watched 7 teams go out in front of them and were practically foaming at the mouth.  I just wanted them to relax and save the energy.  When we got to the chute two of the dogs got in a little scuffle due to adrenaline overload, but all was handled without bloodshed sparing the crowd the ugly side of dog racing. 

The course was hard and fast for about halfway and then it got really sloppy from all the snowmobile traffic.  Temps were very strange today.  They left in the twenties and it kept climbing for the teams until it reached in the thirties.  However, the handlers all saw the temps drop, then the wind and snow came and as we were waiting it got a little miserable; which the drivers never saw at all.   Bruce had a few issues on the run when one of his leaders didn’t make a sharp right hand turn 3 ½ miles into the run and then they wrapped him around a tree in waist deep snow.   Then later he had a tangle after the team was passed.  So it cost him a few minutes.  Aside from that they ran great.  Our new training program really showed the benefits.  We climbed better than we ever have and they had the speed to boot.  The team fared well from the conditions; there’s a little soreness here and there, which I’m sure is attributed to the fact that we had no snow when we left so they are still getting their snow legs.  Overall, we are pleased with the dog’s performance, bummed about the mishaps, but such is dog racing.   We are sitting in a good position after Stage One.

I know many of you have asked me to write about what happened to other teams; however, I’ve not found this an easy thing to do.  I’m just a blogger and don’t have the mindset for in your face reporting.  Sorry, but going up to a musher that just had the crappiest run and then asking them what happened so they have to relive it is just plain cruel.  Most don’t openly want to talk about bad runs or runs they felt they should have fared better and especially not for me to post on FB.  If anyone is willing to share and wants it out there, I’ll be glad to let folks know.   I do know there are a good handful of teams that had bad runs and had hoped to do better.  The reasons varied from conditions, temps, sore dogs etc.  This is typical dog racing except at Stage Stop there is 8 days of this roller coaster.

We’ve heard that Lance Mackey’s truck broke down and they have everyone working to get it repaired in time for the start tomorrow.  Wouldn’t be Stage Stop if no trucks broke down!  As for the Gilbertson crew they made it to Pinedale and I haven’t heard if there is a ride to Big Piney yet; talk about stress, heh!

Pinedale has minimal snow, but we heard we are still running out of downtown.  Temps are supposed to drop to -20F by Big Piney.  Catch y’all tomorrow!