Luckiest Girl in the World

I feel so lucky.

I am so blessed.

I wake up every morning, albeit much too early, and think to myself,  'today is going to be a wonderful day.'
And why wouldn't it be?

A supportive loving family (even though some of you are so far away).
Incredible friends from all walks of my life (again some of you are too far away!)
A fantastic job with the best co-workers ever.

There is a roof over my head that doesn't leak,,,well,,, most of the time.
Food in my cupboard... although at times I think there is more dog food than human.

I have the best dogs ever and we go out together 3 times a week and weekends now that the snow is here building trust and sharing a love so deep that unless you own a dog(s) you wouldn't understand.

The puppies sharing their love.

 

I have put in place a training schedule for the winter... one I think will be easy and fun to keep in place.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights after work we will head out onto our local trails.  We now have access to two of them and this excites me.  

One is our race trail that we do consistently the same way each time so there are no surprises for my pups come race day.   The only difference is the weight we keep on the sled to help build muscle in their wrists and shoulders.

The other is on a friends property... it is a section of farm land that has a series of trails set up to help us build our listening skills and leader skills as I can change directions each time we head out.. a new trail every time.

Weekends are for races or to head into the mountains for longer more exciting and prettier trails.

It is easy to drop a training day.. a Friday if we have race for example.... but it's easy to keep to our runs now that I have a dog truck that all supplies are kept in.  Just load dogs, water and away we go!
On Monday my daughter and I came home from work.. pulled on snow pants, filled water buckets, and loaded dogs into the truck.. we made our way to the race sight..ran the 4 mile trail.. water and snacked the fur kids then headed back home..... the entire process took about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.
I would like to add another 4 miles starting tonight.. so... another 20 minutes or so... nothing in the scope of an entire day. 

I love running dogs... the feel of the runners under my feet... the power of the dogs ahead of me... the silent communication between us all.... the excitement they share before a run and the joy they have across their faces when we are done.
Sharing this sport with my family and friends is top on my list it is not something to be kept secret. 
And with us needing weight on the sled it's a great excuse to share the joy.

I must say my luck this year is also extended to Miss Mother Nature... or Old Man Winter... thanks for the snows and cooler temps this year that have decided to stick around thus far... we couldn't be happier!

I Love Winter

I REALLY love winter.

The crispness of the air.

The way my nose sticks together when it is really cold.

The way the frost builds up on my eye lashes and hair around my face from the steam of my breath.

The snows that fall and quiet the earth.

Everything is so beautiful this time of the year.

And we get to run dogs!!!!

Brianne came with me tonight as my 'photographer' and with the exception of helping me put the dogs into the boxes to go home and the unloading when at home I did it all by myself. 

I used to do it alone a couple of years ago... but the addition of 2 crazy hyper puppies who have spread their frenzied "lets go!!" personalities I've been a little hesitant.
Full of confidence now I am ready to take on anything that comes my way.

I love my new truck boxes (which still need painting!)

 



Supplies are easy at hand.

 

Everyone looks so calm while I get harnesses ready but looks can be deceiving.

 

At the Rosebud Run race trail.  Perfect for short distance training.

 

The sun goes down while we are out on our run.

Newly fallen snow and temperatures of about -15 made for a perfect run.

 

Everyone ran beautifully and deserved their snack of beef laden water... but bad mom here forgot their bowls at home!!!  Thankfully we are only a 5 minute drive from home.. I did my best to improvise..  Brianne offered plain water that was put right into the cooler to the others while they each took turns drinking baited water out of a little bowl.

 

They love their flavored water...

Sorry guys... I'm thinking it's time to purchase a second set of bowls for the truck.

 

Next step in our training... to do the trail twice in one run. 

 

 

 

 

 



Meet the Musher

I have been working hard at writing letters in order to gain sponsors, creating a new Facebook page to show case our training and team, and putting up tid bits here in order to introduce my little team.

It is my turn now to share who I am, but I will admit it seems pointless in the back of my head.  Maybe I feel this way because talking about myself is something I cannot do easily, or perhaps it has something to do with how few people I seem to be reaching in the virtual world.

I can see the numbers here and on Facebook and it is a little discouraging when I feel as though I'm putting myself out there for all to scrutinize.

That is the first thing that you will learn about me, I take everything to heart.  Anything and everything that happens in my life is dissected and analyzed.  I sometimes spend too much energy worrying about what others think.  Although I must admit this last couple of years I have done an amazing job of learning how to let negative situations roll off my back.

*Stepping into the spot light, adjusting the hem of my shirt*

*clears throat*

This is harder than I thought... introducing myself... selling myself.... hoping to find people out there who believe in me, want to invest their time and money in me.

If you have read this blog for any length of time you will have learned some of who I am. 
Married for 28+ years.
Two wonderful 'adult' kids.
Work with children in a middle school.  I love my job.
Live in a small rural town in the middle of the prairies in chinook country, only 2 hours from the majestic Rocky Mountains.

The year I run the Percy I will be turning 50 years old.  I do not look, nor do I act my age.  There is no secret to staying  young.
I do not eat extremely healthy, no diet of avocado or sprouts to share.  In fact my diet is lacking this last couple of months.  I really need to eat more veggies for example.
I don't have a routine of facial care to share, no soap or any type of cleanser is used on my face... not because I don't believe in it, it is more that I'm lazy and it takes up time I don't want to waste in the morning. And the only makeup I use is a tiny bit of eye liner under my bottom lashes.

I would say I am a tom boy at heart.
I am more comfortable in a pair of jeans and hoodie than a skirt.
I have long hair that I do hardly anything with... I don't even know how to braid my own hair.
AND I'd rather be playing out in the mountains than going shopping for new shoes.

There are faults.  If someone said they didn't have any they are lying.
My biggest one is how lazy I am.
If allowed I could sit on the couch reading or playing on the computer all day long.
It is easy for me to find excuses to not do something, and I hate that about myself.

Which is why I need to share my adventure with you all...
I love running the dogs... what an incredible experience it is.  Nothing beats the feeling of being on the back of the runners in the middle of the mountains with silence all around you.  The trust between you and your best friends is a strong bond that is not felt in any other situation.
I cannot wait to get on my skis with THREE of my best friends.  I have never done more than two and the feeling I get in my stomach at the thought of three is exhilarating.
We have not had enough snow for me to try this out yet, and I cannot wait.
So I'm not lazy when it comes to my dogs.

My laziness is something that I need to put out on the table for all to see.   I need to have that push to keep myself going. 
I had been running to get into shape.
Made it to a 5K race and was so very proud of myself.

Then the times of the running club changed, my daughter moved back home, and my work hours increased at the end of the day by a bit.
Excuses I made, and no one to be accountable to but myself.
It was much to easy to let it slide.

I want to attend the Percy in the worst way.   I am excited about this adventure.  One that I will be sharing with a new friend, Raija, and can hardly wait for our next get together.
My hubby will be coming with as my 'handler', a support person who has been nothing but positive in this quest so far.
However I am nervous, a deep in the pit of my tummy feeling.. a make my hands sweaty feeling.
I need to be in better shape physically and financially.

This is where you dear readers will be helping me out.  Why I have created a new Facebook page and am blogging here much more often.
I have you to be accountable to.  
I cannot lie... no really.... I am unable to lie, it shows in both my writing and face. 
I also have you to share my story with as I hunt for sponsors to help me get to the Yukon and run this race.

A race that myself and Raija, and maybe a couple others from BC, will be the first women to have entered... there has never been a female skijourer up until 2014.

So please check out my Outback Huskies page if you have not done so already.. subscribe here to my blog.. even subscribe to my Youtube channel (there will be lots more video posted there soon)... and share it with your friends, co-workers, the paper boy, your rich uncle and anyone else you think may be interested or knows someone who would be.

I know this was a lot of reading... but thanks to everyone who comes here and wastes their time with me, it is so appreciated.

And share with everyone!!

Meet the dogs - Elly and Rigby

I still wonder at times what got into me when we said yes to two more siblings.  Yes I needed one more to make a team of 4, but siblings?  Again?  

Training siblings is lots of work, but how could I say no?  We met them when they were 2 weeks old and they were so darn adorable.

 

Naming them was a matter of searching the Internet for names in songs as we decided to go with the theme my son started.  Not sure if anyone has picked up on it yet. 

Beatles songs... Penny (Penny Lane), Rocky (Rocky Raccoon), and Molly was from the song Obla De... Hubba was already named, so we relate him to the Yoko Ono period.

My daughter came up with the idea of Eleanor Rigby... and we loved it.  Here they are at just over 18 months old now.

 

 

ELLY

 

Girls first!   I have to admit it, Elly is probably my favorite as I have become 'her' human.  She loves to cuddle with me on the couch, or the floor, or anywhere I may be sitting.  She is such a sweet dog, but so darn naughty too.

She has chewed holes in the living room and backroom carpets and eats ear plugs any chance she gets.  She also eats poop and I can't pick it up fast enough when I let them out of their runs, I know, disgusting!

We had her spayed as I was not going to have 2 girls in heat at the same time ever again but I believe it has added to Elly's struggle to keep weight off.  She grows fat over night I'm sure of it!   Feeding her is a science to keep the weight from building on her and it doesn't help that she LOVES to eat.

 

When these two were just pups we took them to our friends farm to have them run in a team.  Rick watched the dogs for me and commented that she was pulling out to the side which showed possible signs of a leader.

He was right.

Elly runs so well in lead, she is an amazing little dog with so much energy to burn she and runs like the wind. She also loves to run and screams a high pitch wail when putting her on line.

 

Elly still needs to work with other stronger leaders as she learns her commands but I can see her becoming an excellent skijour dog and I cannot wait to get on skis with her.

 

RIGBY

 

Then there is Rigby.  He is our comedienne of the pack.  Extremely vocal.  Terribly hyper.  Overly naughty.  Crazy focused, or obsessed depending on what he is doing.  Exhausting at times.

If Rigby was a human child he would most likely be on Ritalin as he would have been diagnosed with ADHD... mixed with OCD as well.. when you start throwing his ball he cannot stop chasing and bringing it back, to the point of putting it on your lap if you ignore him.

 

He loves to be loved and to be the center of attention.  Pushing others out of the way so that he can be pet first and solely.  If there is a command chain to the pack order he would be second.  Penny still puts him in his place and he respects her for sure.   If his ball lands right beside her he will wait for her to move before grabbing it.

However he bullies all the other dogs, steals toys and bones from them all, in fact if they are digging a hole he will push them out of the way to take over.

 

Rigby has cost us a fortune in vet bills from his strange disorder called Pica.  He eats non-food items with his favorite being socks.  And not actually just eating them, but swallowing them whole.  He has had colitis and almost died from this.  We have to watch him like crazy and keep an eye on what is laying around the yard or house.

 

But he has been worth every penny as far as I'm concerned.  He is crazy focused and pulls like a semi truck.  He has boundless energy and when running the dogs he hates to stop for any reason.   Fast and strong with a love for running makes him the perfect sled dog.

I just wish he didn't make so much noise.. when we put him in the truck to head to the trails he cries the entire way there, and continues to do so until we actually take off from the truck.

 

Will these two be coming to the Yukon with me...you bet!

 



Facebook Following

I want to thank those that follow me here on blogspot... I love to write and love being able to share here on this site.

There are quite a few followers here, many of whom have chosen to remain anonymous and that is very much okay with me... up until just recently I've kept myself pretty hidden, no name or location shared at all.

However with the upcoming race in 2014 it is time to come out of the shadows and market myself and my mini team.
We are not only looking for sponsors to help us get to the Yukon and the Percy but are looking at gaining a cheering team as well.  The support is what keeps me going and I love sharing and hearing back from everyone.

One thing I started a couple of days ago was a fan based Facebook page titled Outback Huskies... If you are a facebook user I would love it if you could visit us there and like our page. The link above will take you there.... pictures and more of our adventures are shared there regularly (or will be as we get going with our training).

Thanks tons!!!

oh, and happy reading!

Time to Meet the Dogs - Rocky and Penny

PENNY

 

Five years ago we said yes to our sons purchase of three siblings from Richard Smiths kennel.... Five years ago our lives changed.  Five years ago our lives went to the dogs.

 

Penny was one of two females in the litter of pure bred Siberian Huskies, a bi-eyed Agouti with a strong personality.

In fact Penny is our alpha dog of the pack and because of this she can be a bit stand offish when it comes to humans.  She will sit back and wait for the others to come get their hugs and loves and then when she is ready will come for her share.  It is as though she would rather not be in the middle of a crowd, much too sophisticated to be in a muddle, actually I would say a bit of a diva.  Did I say a bit??

 

Penny hated her sister Molly, to the point of drawing blood and we were worried that she was a mean dog until we started introducing her to other non-pack dogs to discover she loves making friends and playing with new dog buddies... she just hated her sister for some unknown reason, and her sister hated her (Molly is the reason for the missing ear tip).   We were told once that female Huskies never forget and never forgive, and this was very true for these two sisters.

Sadly we had to re-home Molly, who ended up back with Richard and is in a happy place now.

 

Penny spent the first couple years of her life living in the same run with Oaky, an older experienced dog from the Wannamakers kennel.  Oaky taught all of her queenly, divaish ways to Penny, in fact  it turns out that Oaky was a great aunt to the three siblings so it was inevitable that we should have a princess too.

 

Penny loves to run, with me on a belt, with a scooter and in front of the sled... loves to run when it suits her... if there is a smell or something that pegs her interest then she will do a quick stop to investigate.  Her leader abilities were learned from Oaky and she knows all her command very well as for being a great leader... well again I say... if there is a smell or something that pegs her interest,,, you know the rest. 

 

Will she come to the Yukon with me... No... I have a feeling she is going to rebel with the distances that I plan to put on the dogs this winter.  She could surprise me, but I know my Penny Shpenny and it would be too much work for my princess.

 

 

 

 

 

ROCKY

 

Rocky my boy, brother to Penny, is a sweet heart.  A bit of a suck and scared of the kitchen floor.  He wishes badly that he could be the alpha dog and 'pretends' with Hubba and Rigby.   It is quite funny to watch as he bounces around them giving orders and trying to hump Rigby, he is usually completely ignored, making me feel kinda sorry for him.

 

There is a regal'ness' to Rocky in the way he sits with his front feet crossed watching the pack.  Or how he stands in perfect show form, his tail all curled up fluffly like over his back.  A tail he is very proud of I might add as no one is allowed to touch it... ever!

 

Rocky has surprised me this year with his running abilities.  Of course he loves to run, very much so.  His face seems to light up and he stands tall in his harness.  He has always been put in wheel and with his stocky build and strength it was a perfect spot for him.  This year however I noticed something in him when running doubles on the scooter with the puppies.  His ability to push them where they are suppose to go and his great listening skills to me when giving commands.

 

So when the snows fell and the sled came out I put him in lead... and guess what?  It is the perfect position for him.  I've been so proud of my boy.

 

Will he come to the Yukon with me?

I am hoping so.   We just have to work on our distance and getting him to eat on the trail, but I have a good feeling that Rocky will be with me in the North.

 



 

The three elders share a quiet indoor moment together.

Time to Meet the Dogs - Hubba Bubba

I don't think I have properly introduced my dogs to you and it is about time you learn who is in our pack.
Everyone has unique personalities with their own strengths that add to our little team.  Not everyone will make the team to the Yukon, but no matter they all have a special place in my heart.

Starting with the eldest dog and working down to the youngest I will attempt to bring you into my world of canine joy.

Hubba Bubba

 

This big boy is from our friends the Wannamakers kennel.  He wasn't a lover of long distance and they thought he might make a better small team or skijour dog.

Well, we've owned him almost 3 years and at 6 years old I'm still not sure what he wants to do.

 

He is a dog who thrives in a peaceful non-violent atmosphere... if anyone raises their voice he gets immediately stressed. 

Hubba lives to please and craves loving.... ALL the time.  His life would be complete if you could pet and stroke him 24/7.

 

As I mentioned already he is a big boy.   Arnold should be his name as he has a rather large chest and shoulders, unfortunately he is a 'tad' over weight too. *I hang my head in shame*

The weight however is coming off with a diet and lots of exercise, so I'm not too worried about him.

 

I cannot decide if he loves to run or not.  He seems to love running in a team and is an excellent leader when the moment presents itself... but he hates, HATES skijouring.  I have yet to have a perfect run with him on skis... now.... I should maybe correct myself here with this... he does skijour with me in a non-stressed atmosphere out in the mountains, but in a race setting.. no way.

In fact he doesn't love to lead in a race either.  He feels the excitement of the day and it stresses him out big time.

However he is an extremely fast dog, especially when he realizes he is heading back to the truck at a race... I've never flown so fast on skis!

 

So will he come to the Yukon with me?

 

Probably not.  He is going to be doing some long distance running this winter, I think he loves me enough to want to please, and in the back country of the mountains where it is a calm relaxed run I'm pretty sure I can get him to run with us.   But to race?  I would have serious doubts he would be happy in that situation... but we have 2 race seasons to sort that out... you never know.

Of Dogs and Butterflies

My stomach is doing big time flip flops.

They call it having butterflies and I'm not sure why.
I think of butterflies as soft fluttering creatures that would almost tickle your insides if that is where they were floating about.
What I'm feeling is more like large toads pushing and fighting their way to find a more comfortable spot in my stomach.

I received an e-mail this morning that gave hint that there may only be 2 of us attending the Percy in 2014.  I understand completely the reasoning for one lovely lady not attending, and then the other 2 as we have never gotten together with any of them as a group yet.

I'm pretty sure I still have 1 partner in crime, and my fingers are crossed this is to be.  However I was also left with the realization that it could be just me attending.... and this is when the toads arrived, along with sweaty palms.

Doubt began to creep into my mind... can I really do this?
It's a huge undertaking for me.
We were suppose to all get together in Kimberly this weekend to learn more about Pulks and Pulka training... I've yet to try one... but they had to cancel the get together and move it to a later date.
I do live close enough to the wonderful family that was going to work with us that I can go up myself one weekend.  Yet still sad as I was looking forward to getting together with everyone.  I don't get much chance to talk 'dog' as I am sure the regular people I normally hang around with get tired or bored with my obsession.

Physically there is much to be done.
Early snows have helped with the dogs.
I just need to get myself to the gym and on my skis more often... I can do that.

Financially it's a giant undertaking.
But we always seem to find a way.

No excuses... I will push through all my doubt... I know I can do this.  I know I can. I will.
It is going to be hard.  This I know.
"It's suppose to be hard.  If it wasn't hard everyone would do it.  The hard ... is what makes it great."

First Team Run in the SNOW! on a SLED!

Finally!!
Snow!  And LOTS of it too.

I've been waiting, and I will add, not very patiently to run the dogs with a sled.  The thought had crossed my mind to take the dogs out on my own this morning, but because I had been told that the trails wouldn't be groomed until evening, I decided to wait.

That turned out to be a wise decision.

It was about 5:30 when Ray was home and able to help load dogs into the truck. 
This is not an easy task when all the dogs are out in the yard.  I usually stand in the driveway while Ray passes over the fence the lighter of the dogs.... yes... you read that correctly.. passes OVER the fence.

Rocky usually jumps up first, then Penny and Elly.   Hubba and Rigby being way too heavy wait noisily for us to lead them by collar to the truck.
It would be easier if we let them out one or two at a time from their runs.. but the noise they make is just not worth it.

Rigby cried all the way to the trails... and cried the entire time we set up the drop chain and pulled the sled down.  We decided to get the lines ready and hooked up to the sled... along with the snub line attached to the truck before letting the dogs out, and Rigby cried the entire time.  And by cry what I mean is a loud screaming bark.
As I was pulling the snub line through the bar on the truck I remember thinking I'm sure this isn't how I did it last year.. but that thought quickly left my mind... silly me.

We dropped the dogs hooking them each to the drop chain.  Rigby and Elly were beginning to get crazy with excitement which only heightened when harnesses were put on each one.

Rocky and Penny were hooked to the front while Ray held them tight.  Elly was put in swing and as soon as she was hooked became animated jumping and barking to get going.
Coming around the truck I thought to myself.. I'll put Rigby on next as leaving him last might cause him to slip his head out of his collar... however I discovered quickly this choice wasn't any better.
Somehow he slipped his harness (not the first time I might add) and I had to grab him around the neck.
Now it would seem an easy thing to just hook his collar to the neck line and then put the harness back on him, and it would have been if he wasn't acting like a nut case.  Who fed this dog speed???
Ray came over and had to just about sit on him so that we could get the harness back on him and hook him up.  All the while the other 4 were barking and going nutty to get going.... Hubba of course crying out with panic and banging the truck as I'm sure he thought we had now forgotten about him.
Hubba was finally hooked to the team and didn't seem all that pleased that he had to be placed beside the crazy dog, Rigby, who was now out of his mind.

Oh... and just a side note... all of the above has happened in the dark... I did have my headlamp that must need batteries because I still could not see very well.

Ray jumped in the sled and I reached down and pulled the quick release.... yelled "hike!" and off we went..... no, wait, we are not moving..... why are we not going anywhere???

I look back and the quick release is caught on the truck... THAT is what I did wrong I put the wrong end through the bar.
So now ALL the dogs are screaming and pulling to go... and I have to now hold on to the sled, trying to keep one foot pressed down on the brake and lean back to pull the quick release through the small opening.
Not an easy to do when all that is running through your mind is, once this is out they are going to shoot off like a bullet and I'm only hanging on with one hand and not close to the sled either.

One of two things was going to happen.
1. I was going to be shot into the air as the team took off and land on my butt as I watched the crazy dogs take off at full speed without me.
or 2. I would still be hanging on but somehow be dragged in the odd position I found myself now... half laying down.

A miracle.. just as I released us Penny and Rocky had turned to see what was going on... I was given a 2 second grace period to stand upright and face forward.

Off we went.... and I'm pretty sure I could hear Rigby giggling with excitement.
Or was that me?

A great run.
No tangles.
Two pee brakes from Penny in which we all had to stop, so on the third one we put Elly in lead, and although she seemed a little hesitant, she did really well.

There is LOTS of snow out there which slowed the sled down a bit.. but was great for a first training run.

*Big smile on my face* 

I LOVE winter... and am so glad we have been blessed with so much snow this early in the season.

Looking forward to heading out with the crew again this morning... craziness and all.

Here I Go

I've been lacking in keeping up with my 'blog' and for that I am terribly ashamed.  *head hangs in shame*

It was decided awhile back that I would use this page to record and share what I have been doing to prepare and train for the Percy that I hope to attend in 2014.
The problem with me, is when I become discouraged, I tend to back away from any form of writing.  Which only reminds me of how little I have done.
However if I am to take you, dear reader, on this adventure with me then I must be true with the ups AND the downs.

The word of the day, week, month(s) is discouraged.

I have been unable to meet up with the running group that I joined back in the spring.  The timing was off and I thought I could do this on my own.
Nope.
I have not been keeping up with my daily runs and although I don't feel out of shape my eating habits this last month have been terrible!!!!  Bad me!

The snows and ice have arrived making running a new experience, one that I plan to work on with 'Yaktrax' under my feet.  I can do this, I WILL do this!
With snow comes the joy of my cross country skis... so although I do want to run at the very least once a week, I also need to get out on the trails with my skis.

As the snow increases (fingers crossed) I will be able to finally take my fur kids out as a team and begin their training in full swing.  It has been hard owning only 1 scooter.. and our little quad has been out of commission... so there hasn't been an easy opportunity to run as a team yet... I'm dying with anticipation for my kids.

The biggest form of discouragement for me is not the physical training (we usually are not in full training mode until now as a rule anyway), but is the financial side of this adventure.

Raising dogs is an expensive hobby as most of you will know and it does not end with feeding and vet bills.    Feeding however is expensive when you have dogs that participate in this form of activity, like any high endurance athlete they need a well balanced diet.  
We have struck it lucky in the meat department this year however and a HUGE thank you must go out to a very wonderful family, the CHAPMANS, with their donation of last years meats from hunting... and a help in finding more from their hunter friends.  Our freezer is nicely stocked and helps our grocery bill towards the dogs tremendously!

AND our vet became our first business sponsor!  A giant shout out to the Didsbury Vet Clinic ... you have no idea how much you helped us out this season.. it's a massive relief in this household for sure.

Unfortunately there is still so much to raise money for.
Travel expenses are on going.  We have no choice but to drive to our training locations... most of which are more than 2 hours away if we want any form of mileage under our runners.   Races are also a day or two travel for us which also means accommodation and food for the humans.
The scariest expense for my big race in 16 months from now is the vehicle itself.  We will most definitely need something newer that we can trust to get us north to Dawson City.

Lines, new skis (which are a big need this year), harnesses, booties for the dogs, clothing gear for me, a pulk, and so much more... all expenses that I have yet saved up for... gulp.

Discouraged... you bet.
I truly need a second job in order to obtain this dream, but if that were to happen I'm not sure when I would fit the training in for myself or the dogs.

So, you may ask, what is your next step?
Letters.

The writing of lots of letters looking for sponsorship in many forms.   It seems to be the only way to get this dream up and running in full swing.
Once my dog boxes are painted we will have a ready canvass to advertise all our sponsors... I will even patch up my coats, ski pants, dog bags.. you name it.. we will be a roving advertisement board!

I love dog sledding and skijouring and wish it was a simple matter of just running dogs.  Racing  is also about business it seems.  At least if you are wanting to go further with your dogs.

Sitting here watching the snow come down, dogs laying around being couch potatoes, I cannot wait for it to build up on the trails so that we can get on the runners again....

Money aside... 

THIS is why I do this in the first place.

 

 

Well... here goes nothing then... the adventure to be blogged.. the good and the bad, it all belongs together. 

Here I Go.

 

signed, Rochelle, (yup, first time my names been mentioned on this sight) of Outback Huskies.