|
February 24, 2009:
This weekend was the running of the UP 200 and Midnight
Run, both classic sled dog races out of Marquette, MI. The UP200, a 12-dog
race, starts in downtown Marquette covers 240 miles of the remote forests of
Michigan’s Lake Superior shore-line. The Midnight
Run, an 8-dog race, covers 100 miles of the same trail and runs concurrently
with the UP 200.
Daughter Whitney ran the B team in the Midnight Run. This was the first
time she had run a big race since her race injuries 3 years ago. Riley and
Lizzie in lead took her out of the start chute looking like they would never
slow down. The trail headed out of Gwinn and paralleled CR 553, a busy
highway.
Click to enlarge
Whitney at SledDog
Lodge
We
spotted her soon after the start while we were driving to the layover point
in Deerton, 50 miles up the trail. Riley, while crossing one of the many
crossroads, darted the team onto the cross road heading for the busy
highway. Spectators grabbed the team and pulled them back. This was a
little alarming and brought back bad memories of her racing injuries a few
years back.
Shortly after where the highway cuts through a high hill, I saw a leader
poke his nose over the edge while running, eyeing the easy-going down on the
highway. A moment later, the whole team followed the leader over the edge.
The sled was barrel rolling down the steep slope with the musher holding on
for dear life. The dogs were in disarray. It was awful. I stopped the car
and ran to help the musher.
It
was Whitney! She was mad enough to kill Riley and I cannot say I would have
felt much differently. I helped Whitney pull the team back up the steep
hill and we exchanged leader Riley for Eric. Eric is much slower but a
solid and reliable leader with much race experience. Whitney and team left,
shaken, bruised, and battered. It was up to her to recover her composure,
and get the team settled and back into racing mode. I new it would take
many miles to regroup mentally but it was up to her. I was a little
worried.
Twenty miles ahead, the teams would cross the main roadway. I waited to see
how she was doing. She was ok but moving more slowly than I expected with
Eric in lead. She had overcome the early adversity but had lost any hope of
a high placing finish. Our racing philosophy is to race hard but when
things go wrong, fall-back to a training run mode and run for a controlled
finish.
Several hours later into the Deerton checkpoint for the mandatory 5-hour
rest of the dogs, they were running near the end of the pack. Eric and
Lizzie were performing well, but were holding the speed down. Whitney slept
while I fed and bedded the dogs with warm coats and straw. The Vet checked
each dog for signs of fatigue. The team was fine and barking and jumping 5
hours later when they left the checkpoint in the dark at about 6am.
She
finished in downtown Munising, MI near the back the field, smiling and happy
for accomplishing a long race. Unless you have done it, there is no way to
explain just how far it really is. A hundred miles behind a dog team in the
backcountry is a very long way. Way to go Whit.
Click to Enlarge
Whitney at Finish of
Midnight Run '09
Scott Doepker also ran in the Midnight Run with one of our dogs, Stormy, on
his team. They ran well and beat Whitney handily. He had a good run and
was happy with his finish.
Click to enlarge
Scott and Vet Checking
Dog Before Midnight Run
Tom Roig ran in the UP 200 with several of our dogs. He was hoping for a
respectable finish (Training for the dogs) and was running for fun with a
great season already behind him. Things were going well but snows came,
12-18”, for the last 60 mile leg. The dogs performed marvelously slogging
steady ahead. Tom finished reportedly smiling more than he had in weeks
with dogs smiling too with wagging tails.
(Pic
from Tom coming)
It was a great weekend with weather in the single and double digits.
Dogs and drivers had a great time. The UP 200 and Midnight Run racked up
their 20th year, a grand accomplishment.
Jan 21, 2009: Trouble at the SledDog Lodge:
Much has been happened with Tahquamenon Sled Dog Race and the Seney 300 now
history. Overshadowing all has been the breakdown of my Chevy truck, going
on 4 weeks. The same week, the GMC van and back up for the truck ifor hauling
our dog trailer, lost the transmission, a terminal failure for the old
truck. We are without hauling capability and have been relying favors from
others to meet our commitments.
The
truck is a 2003 Chevrolet 2500HD with a Duramax diesel engine, the type that
people expect to run up to 300,000 miles. Well, on the way North to SledDog
Lodge, I stopped at a GM dealership in Houghton Lake, MI to have the strange
acting engine checked. It was bad.
The
short story is an injector had failed and will be paid for by a special
recall/warrantee and was a big relief. But, upon testing the repair there
was found cylinder damage. The engine was junk. Repair, a new engine, was
to cost nearly $12K.
Now
would you believe, even though the injector failure caused the damage, GM
has told us the engine repair would be ours to fund. We are asking for a
review on this decision after other GM Dealers have told us this is not
consistent with previous actions by GM. We are waiting for a reply but our
disappointment has caused us to begin to prepare for litigation.
Readers should pass this story on to others who are thinking of buying GM
to be sure they shop around and buy from a company that can be trusted to
stand behind it’s products.
At
the moment we are sharing one car between three people in different
cities. Thankfully, we have friends and family to loan us a vehicle.
We can't thank them enough.
Does
anybody have a good truck available to buy?
December 25, 2008:
Christmas Day. Axel and Maggie, if they could, wishes all a Merry
Christmas.
 
Axel
and Maggie click to enlarge
Axel
is one of our younger dogs just 13 months old and gets his name from one of
Grandpa Swenson’s relatives, a man with rich history. Axel is unusual in
that he watches and avoids the goofy actions of jumping, running and
barking. He will be a great sled dog judging by his performance. At only a
year old already he will run in lead reliably, a very good sign.
Maggie is named after Grandma Swenson and has become another rising star
among the yearlings. She is tough and always is willing to do what is
asked without hesitation. She runs in lead with Axel as well.
Whitney is here at SledDog Lodge and now will dive into training for
Midnight Run in mid February. Her challenge will be to regain her sled
skills as will and demonstrate ability to handle an 8-dog team in a
competition environment. This will be a lot of work in a short time.
She
is disappointed and had hoped to purchase one of her grandparent Swenson’s
cars after her old van failed recently. She was looking forward to visiting
with Grandparent’s too during her semester break, a special treat. She must
have transportation in hand to efficiently travel to her Nursing assignments
while in college.
December 21, 2008:
Sunday morning at SledDog Lodge with the only sounds the
pop of the wood heater. A new snowfall has again blanketed the forest. As
dawn arrives, I can see a few sleepy dogs sitting and looking at something
interesting in the nearby forest.
I
had been absent for a full month yesterday when I entered the dog yard to
reacquaint myself with my left-behind friends. I can not tell for certain
what is going in their furry little heads but their responses were pretty
clear. They had missed Jim. Sure, they are happy to see me when I enter
the dog yard with a food bucket or arrive with gear for running. However,
one must be careful to read that as ‘happy with the event about to occur’
not happy with the delivery person. This may deflate some egos.
Scott had already fed dogs and cleaned the yard. As I walked to the dog
yard, some recognized me instantly and started running and jumping with a little
barking. Others watched a while, a little skeptical, before reacting. When
I entered Eric’s circle, they all knew it was ‘Jim’. He had come home. All
was right with their world. They were very happy.
Eric
could not stop jumping long enough to be petted. Gracie ran to me, leaped
up hugging me tightly with her front legs while she gave me one big wet kiss
and would not let go while dancing on her back legs. Clara ran to me and
stood quivering while I rubbed her neck and talked to her.
Some of the puppies were most interesting. They are hardly puppies at 13
months old now and nearly fully-grown. They were not sure how to respond or
if it was really me. Normally I demand a disciplined reaction of them when
handled. Today I let them be dogs and display their own actions. Axel
looked at me curiously and stood still sniffing my gloved hands while I
offered him affection. When I turned to leave, he ran around his circle and
slammed my leg with his shoulder. He never has done that before. I took it
as his affection to me.
Wheatie was almost berserk. He would come to me for about a second then
jump clear over his house, make a half circle and slide sitting back to me,
over and over. I grabbed his chain and held him for a couple of moments.
He was beyond control so I let him go
Dove
watched the commotion but did not offer to come to me when I called to her
when I stopped in the edge of her circle. I moved to the next.
Fudge was comical. He ran to the far side of his circle when I entered.
When I called to him, he leaped in an attempt to land standing on the top of
his barrelhouse, his favorite location to receive attention. With too much
enthusiasm, he overshot and instantly tried again, and missed. Three times,
he overshot. I grabbed his chain and assisted him onto the house. Not good
enough, he jumped off and tried again, missed, and plowed into me in full
flight. I caught him, almost falling on the slippery snow. I held the big
furry crazed kissing animal. He had his front legs around my neck with his
claws digging firmly into my back. His big wet tongue was licking my face
like a lollipop. Picture a big, 60 pound, full-grown dog acting like a
goofy puppy. When I let him to the ground, he ran uncontrollably around his
circle wrapping me in this chain causing me to fall sitting on his house.
He reversed direction and wrapped me again. Once free, I made a quick move
to escape his circle. As I left, I told him, “Geeze Fudge! Settle down
before you hurt someone.”
Fudge had set the bar on welcoming ‘Jim’ back to the dog yard. Thanks
Fudge, you made my day. The full month of nonstop 10-14 hour days faded
quickly into the past. I really needed that welcome from the dogs. Life is
good.
Click to enlarge. Photo by Shannon Miller
Fudge
December 20, 2008:
SledDog Lodge: The
first light is showing over the dog yard at -18°F. This is excellent
weather for dogs. They love to run in this temperature.
Daughter Whitney is downstate digging out of the 1 foot of snow blanketing
the Christmas tree sales lot in preparation for last minute customers. I
have the tasks of snow removal and dog care here at SledDog Lodge while Tom
Roig and Richard MacAuley are running in Minnesota’s Moccasin Run, Iditarod
qualifier. Scott is departing to his home down state to return to work
Monday after a 3-week stay.
Dog
running will have to wait a few days until I unravel logistical problems
caused by equipment failures during the Christmas tree season. The to-do
list is almost laughable, but has to be processed to clear the deck for
serious dog training.
Bright sunshine is now blinding my view of the computer screen. What a
glorious day in the snow covered northern forest. The day is calling, I
must go.
December 16, 2008:
The target today is the final tasks to tidy up business
operations before departure to SledDog Lodge. I took a few minutes to check
email and to begin sorting though my overwhelmed in-box. I am curious about
what happens with emails that arrive to find a ‘full’ inbox. How timely! I
just heard a news section on ABC about a newly discovered sleep disorder:
Email sent by someone who is asleep, similar to sleep walking. Strange, but
I suppose possible. For me, email is a great tool most of the time but I
shift to triage response in December and still I get behind on some of the
high priority stuff.
My
family is well aware of the December press of work here. I was impressed
beyond words by daughter Whitney’s response this last week on her 7 hour
trip from college. Just as she departed in the snow, wind, and 10°F, the
van started acting strangely. It was another in a series of killer-schedule
days for me. When my cell phone rang, she quickly gave a clear and concise
picture her location and her observations on the van. Immediately I asked
her to turn around, go to a GM dealer and get it diagnosed. Thirty minutes
later she called with preliminary findings: 4th gear was out of
transmission, a major failure. With both of our day in shambles, we quickly
outlined a plan of how to respond. I hung up and began thinking through
details of ‘plan B’. It was a major upheaval for the tree farm during a
major sales weekend. I was going to have to drive 7 hours to Marquette, plus
deal with all the uproar with plans at the farm, simply a big mess and
cost.
Within minutes she called again and reported she had asked the GM Dealer to
finish diagnostic work and report results to my cell phone. She had made
plans with a friend for a ride to home, departing immediately.
Wow!
In mere minutes she moved from “the van is acting strangely, what do I do?”
to “the dealer will call you with information and I will be arriving home by
6pm!” She had dealt with a major problem, formed a positive action plan,
and did it in mere minutes, almost effortlessly, and without soapbox
overtones.
What
a woman! She dealt with major upheaval, solved problems, communicated, and
was back on track within minutes. She did not panic, whine, freak or
otherwise spread her anxiety, although there was plenty. Thank you Whitney
for holding the bar high and demonstrating ‘low maintenance’ in a tough
situation. It is a pleasure to work with you. The medical profession is
fortunate to have you.
With great confidence, I will hand-off the management of the Christmas tree
operation for the last few days to daughter Whitney.
Yep, the good old van is beyond repair and is a major financial blow.
December16, 2008:
Christmas tree sales are winding down and will close soon. It has been
a good year for the farm. Weather was OK with no extremes during the
busy weekends. The young men and women working to serve customers were
able to keep up, much of the time. I cannot say the same for me.
Next season we will have a warming building
about the same size as a medium McDonalds restaurant with plenty of window.
It will have a toasty wood heater and space for wreath production.
We are grateful to all our customers and
wish them a very merry Christmas season.
Jim, Jennifer, Christopher and Whitney
Click to enlarge
December 15, 2008:
Weather is playing a big role again at Warren Homestead Tree Farm. A cold
driving rain on the teeth of a 30 mph wind is pummeling all in its path.
The hard packed snow in the sales yard has turned into a sea of mud with the
trails to the fields looking much like a muddy river. Forecast calls for a
shift to much colder by afternoon but current conditions are just awful and
will stall sales to near zero. The windows are rattling in the farm house
where we live. Weather always plays a big role here where life is lived in
the great outdoors.
I
will shift focus to business items such as payment sales tax, employee FICA
and stacks of bills. Mornings are spent with paperwork, correspondence, and
logistical issues in support of the tree sales yard. With a big hand from
daughter Whitney in the sales yard I can get tasks like the truck repaired
and the trailer wheel bearings packed in preparation for travel and heavy
snows of SDL. Too much is packed into December but I have to manage it best I
can and move on.
Typical days in the December Choose and Cut tree lot on the farm begin for
me 5-6am. A cup of coffee helps me refine a to-do list which contains the
tactical and strategic tasks to keep the operation efficiently supporting
customers. Once sales hours are open, it is a non stop and repetitious
conversation with customers. The good thing is most customers are in a
holiday festive spirit. There are many good wishes exchanged and they are
genuine. The sales day wraps when the last customer finally figures out
they can’t select a tree in the dark, but some still try. Then the wrap up
tasks take until maybe 9pm. It is a long day and the work week runs from
before thanksgiving until a few days before Christmas. It is always good
when it is over.
There are always a few people that demonstrate their mental deficiencies.
One young women with a couple of small children and a boyfriend in tow,
selected the biggest, best, and most expensive tree, $52, on the farm and
brought it up to the sales lot. She proceeded to give me the sorrowful
details of her failed marriage and asked the tree be donated to her poor
little family. I simply said “no.” She then repackaged her sad story and
asked for a 50% discount. Same answer. I added she could leave the tree in
our pre-cut area and select a different tree from the ‘$21 Any Tree' field.
She was indignant and her entitlement attitude was obvious. Yes, she
expected the biggest and best then thought someone should give it to her at
no charge. We donate significantly, but try to avoid those who are
‘entitled’.
Twenty minutes later a man short of time was thrilled to find a tree of such
size and quality and thanked us profusely while he also tipped the workers
with $5 bills. The good thing? I think it is good to see a few people like
that to help keep sharp contrast with the balanced folks.
Ok
so stalling at the computer won’t get much done. Off to the dripping truck
to change a wheel bearing.
December 6, 2008:
Here is a great link to
Christmas tree farm photos and a nice story. Check it out.
http://www.mybaycity.com/scripts/P3_V2/P3V2-0200.cfm?P3_ArticleID=3332
Tom
and Scott at SledDog Lodge dug a hole into the snow and measured a depth of
4 feet on the level. It seems the snow is here to stay this winter
with temperature in the single digits a night and not getting above the 20s
during the day. Not much changes however. People seem to adjust and carry
on normally even if the weather forecasters are screeching dire warnings
including giving the ‘seconds to frost bite’ for exposed skin. I wish
they’d just take a pill and chill out.
Have you noticed you have not heard much lately from the fanatical
preachers from the church of global warming? Can anyone guess why? Don’t
worry, they will be back.
December 1, 2008: Warren
Homestead Tree Farm, rural Linwood, MI: Opening weekend of Christmas
tree sales was blessed with delightfully sunny and crisp weather. It
was a made-to-order weekend for a choose and cut Christmas tree farm.
We enjoyed it as did our customers.
   
Click to enlarge
Today, dawn arrived late with a Nor-Easter
pounding us with heavy wet snow, just what you don't want to have at a
choose and cut Christmas tree farm. Adversity has arrived, we will
persevere.
Click to enlarge
November 21, 2008: Another
pounding with lake effect snows arrived overnight. A warm cup of
coffee is just about my dearest friend as the wood heater comes to life with
the morning charge of fresh wood. The photo says it well.
 Click
to Enlarge
November 20, 2008:
Typical of the Northern Great Lakes forests, heavy winter snows often arrive
early. Lake-effect has dumped a foot on us yesterday, another foot or more
is forecast for today.
It
is tough for the dogs to run in this much snow. They move ahead pushing
snow with their chest after slowing to a slogging gait. A little of this
condition is good for the dogs but it soon demoralizes these high octane
dogs that are born to run. So, all plans for running dogs will take on an
extra chore of breaking out trails. The snowmobile will be checked out,
fueled and tested before running the trails this morning.
As
the dawn softly lights the snow laden pine forests, the distant trees are
obscured by falling snow. Fox and Friends is on the TV and the room is
toasty with a warm orange glow from the wood heater. My coffee is nearly
finished so it is time to get this day in motion. This computer gets into
the way of running the dogs.
November 12, 2008: Well, this day was a mixed bag. I got a splendid
training run on the adult dogs, 40 miles in all. But, the temperature was
38°F, there was about 2” of wet snow on most of the trail, and it was
raining most of the day.
I
got into the dog yard early in the predawn with my trusty headlamp. I
cleaned the dogs (called scooping poop!), gave them a hearty breakfast of
raw beef and kibble, and got the ATV positioned and the gangline ready. I
went inside for a fast breakfast of oatmeal and to make a couple of phone
calls after business hours began at 8am. I was on the trail early with the
18 adults pulling the Honda Rancher ATV and a tiny trailer with all our
camping supplies, dog food, bowls, a bucket and straw for bedding. The dogs
were running hard in the wet slushy snow and seemed to be pretty cool, a
good thing for hard running dogs. I was cold and miserable. There is just
no way to keep warm in the rain. Although I was dry underneath, my hands
were wet and stiff, rain was obscuring my glasses, and even my feet were
cold today. I wasn’t going to relent and shorten the run. The dogs need
the camping runs to extend their distance capability. It just isn’t fair to
ask dogs to run back to back 50 or 60 mile runs unless they are properly
conditioned.
In
few words, I much prefer 30 below to 35 above. I don’t think the dogs
notice.
The
rain was persistent. It is hard enough to run in the rain but the trail
camp is something that takes a lot of patience; I have not been blessed with
much patience.
We
got to the targeted camp-site on time about 1pm. I secured the team,
dropped 18 bowls in front of them, and distributed a couple of cups of
kibble. Then, immediately I returned with a sprinkle of straw over the dogs
for bedding, a big improvement to the wet snow. Then a scoop of water was
placed in each bowl. When I walked away, the dogs were settling down for a
nap. Me too.
I
somehow got a roaring campfire going. Then I reshaped the large garbage
sack containing the left over straw and laid down on it wrapped in my trusty
tarp. Sleep came easily with the steady drumming of the rain on the tarp.
It was good and deep sleep. I was awakened with drips falling into my face.
The campfire was still going strongly and was a real boost to the morale. I
dug into my food bag and found the two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The dogs watched me closely, the ones not sleeping.
My
mind wandered. Here I am, sleeping in the cold rain, miles from anything,
somewhere along the Lake Superior shore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I
was up well before dawn working, then running a high-octane large team of
world class sled dogs on a 40 mile run, alone. Now I can feel the wet
penetrating cold creeping into my body. I will have to move soon and stand
by the smoky campfire in the rain, stalling, while the dogs rest and build
energy for their run back to SledDog Lodge.
I
have been retired for about 8 years. Isn’t retirement supposed to be
sitting in an easy chair with a good book and a golden retriever at your
feet? Right now, that idyllic picture looks very attractive. I hope to
live long enough to do that?
Finally, it is time to snack the dogs for the last time and prepare to go.
They are enthused and want to run hard and fast. We rolled into SledDog
Lodge in almost record time. The dogs were ready for a warm bed and chow.
Dogs are amazing creatures.
Once
again, I am reminded, ‘There is a lot more to Iditarod than the miles of the
race trail.’ If you do not have it in you to sleep in the cold rain on the
trail with the dogs, perhaps watching the Iditarod on TV is a better choice,
maybe, a much better choice.
November 7, 2008: I am sitting in front of the wood heater with the
toasty orange glow of warmth filling the main room at SledDog Lodge. We,
Jen and I, just came in from a 25 mile training run with all of the dogs in
the kennel, 29. On the trail, the weather turned cold and wet with steady
rain mixed with occasional periods of wet snowflakes, 35 F. The dogs loved
the cool and ran hard. The mushers on the ATVs behind the teams suffered
with cold wet hands, and continual mud flying from the dog feet into our
face. Once back in the dog yard, we unharnessed the muddy steaming dogs,
placed them at their houses, and filled their bowls with a steaming mix of
raw beef and high fat kibble. They soon settled down to rest and most
snuggled in their houses, warm with full stomachs. If you are a dog, a
working sled dog, it does not get any better.
Jen
and I finished chores and finally got out of our soggy rain gear and stepped
inside the cabin just at dark. Soon the aroma of warmed over roast beef
filled the cabin while the warmth from the wood heater made me very
sleepy. Our daughter Whitney called from college and left a voice mail.
She made my day with a simple, short voice mail.
Have you ever thanked God for the simple things of life: A warm dry place
to sleep, a cheerful message from a daughter, and warm food to eat while
numb hands are warming from a very wet and cold day in the forest? I did.
Again, a voice deep within reminds me, there is a lot more to Iditarod than
the miles of the race trail.
October 30, 2008:
The
frosty dawn finds the dogs, Jen, and me at our Warren Homestead Christmas
tree farm in rural Linwood. The dogs are getting a well-deserved time to
rebuild after an extended period of rigorous training. With a cup of
steaming coffee in my hand, I looked out the kitchen slider door, across the
deck and lawn, and to the silent and motionless dog yard. No kidding, there
was no movement; every dog is sleeping soundly. I guess they needed the
time off.
Fall dawns are wonderful here at this special place. Across the fields of
Christmas trees, the dim light shows a distinctive frosty hue. The
harvested cornfield across the road has nearly a dozen deer feeding within a
few yards of the safety of the forest. The wild turkeys are down from their
tree perch, checking out the open field behind the dog yard. Falcon, a lone
sentinel is now sitting atop of his house keeping guard intently watching
the turkeys.
Today, Jen and I will finish business here and return to SledDog Lodge early
tomorrow to resume dog training.
The
coffee is almost gone. It is time to fire-up and charge. Life is good.
October 7, 2008: The northern hardwoods are in full color, the air is
crisp and clean and the dogs are in great form. Jennifer is running a
second team and is enjoying her time off immensely. The dogs are getting a
special treat and seem to greatly enjoy their time with her.
We
are training 29 dogs, with 11 of them puppies, only 12 months old. The
‘puppies’ are doing very well and are learning much from the adults. They
seem to be a superior group and are fun to run.
Patches, always a standout dog, is growing into a powerhouse and never
seems to tire. Close behind is Fudge, somewhat of a slow learner, who is
about the same size and form as patches although a month younger. They both
run in lead, unusual for a puppy.
A
nice surprise is every last dog in the kennel runs in lead. Sure, some are
great leaders and follow the voice commands reliably, and some are just
willing to run in lead not paying much attention to commands. It still
works because the whole team responds to the directional commands and pulls
them in the correct direction. Our challenge is to give more of these
leaders extra training so they become reliable under all conditions.
Jennifer Resting the Dog Teams on The Trail
click
to enlarge
October 2, 2008: In the predawn at SledDog Lodge, the temperature is
34°F with periods of heavy rain mixed with occasional wet snow. I am
writing with a toasty fire in the wood burner and a hot cup of coffee near
my right hand. The daylight is slowly pushing back the wet, cold,
darkness. I will don he rain gear soon and feed the dogs a warm broth of
raw beef and premium high fat kibble. The wet cold numbs the hands. This
is a tough day to get motivated to hook up the teams and run the dogs.
The
dogs are a big boost to the spirits. I wonder if they are remembering the
oppressive heat of the summertime and are enjoying the cool. I would like
to think they are excited to see me. To be honest, I think they are simply
happy to see the food bucket as it travels in my hand to their food bowl. I
am just incidental, not the focus. However, it is good for my spirits to
think they are happy to see me. Their smiling faces and wagging tails are a
good thing on a morning like this.
The
northland forest has been in splendid dress sporting bright colored
foliage. It has been warm, actually a little oppressive to the running
dogs. We stopped to cool often, and found puddles on the trail to run
though. Sometimes we stopped for the dogs to drink or lie down to cool in
the muddy water. This is part of the early fall training and the dogs must
endure. Today will be a big change, wet and cold. The dogs will love the
run.
September 29, 2008: Training of the sled dogs is progressing well at
SledDog Lodge with weather cooling nicely and fall color is in full
display. Temperature is 45°F and overcast with steady rain forecast for
afternoon. I must get moving to get the planed 12 mile run finished before
it starts.
SledDog Lodge hosted bear hunters brother John and cousin Perry Eddy. Both
bagged a nice bear in the first two days of season. Excerpt follows from
emails to 'SledDog Lodge Hunters'.
“Bear hunters are having a good time. The first day the guys, Perry and
John, saw a total of 16 bear. By noon the score was hunters 0, bears 2.
Both had shots, and missed the bears. You should have heard the lame
excuses.
Just after dark, John called the cabin from his blind with a request for
help to retrieve a good bear ‘hit hard’. Perry had just come in so joined
me to help John. Yep, the bear had been hit hard, had flipped over and run
a short distance along a mucky bottomless creek. He then charged across the
water and plowed into a thicket with no more than 4 feet of visibility. We
moved forward cautiously with weapons ready, single file in the dense swamp,
and found a black hulk wedged against a downfall. John had changed the
score to bears 2, hunters 1. Way to go John. The bear was an older sow.
We estimated the weight to be just about 300 pounds, a nice black bear by
any standard.
Getting the bear out was a major chore. We used a big plastic cargo sled,
which helped a lot. Getting the bear up the very steep hill was a big
hassle. Perry tied the end of a long rope around his waist walked up the
hill and around a big tree. John and I together would hoist the sled and
bear about a foot at a time while Perry leaned down hill holding the bear
while John and I regrouped. Jokingly we re-estimated the weight at about 900
pounds sitting there on the top of the hill soaking in sweat. It was a good
day “
Perry followed with a bear of his own the next day:
“It
is midnight at SledDog Lodge. I have to be up by 6 to run the dogs while
still cool enough for them. But, we had to go out and bring in another
bear, Perry's.
Perry said he saw a large bear at the bait and was about to shoot it when
two little cubs came running in to eat. He let it go because it was
presumably a sow with cubs. A few minutes after they left another medium
bear came in, ate and laid down a few feet from the bait. It actually slept
there for a while. With daylight nearly gone, Perry decided to take the
bear. One shot anchored him to his bed.
Well that evens the score, bears 2, hunters 2. John and Perry are happily
skinning the bear in the barn. I heard the comment as I walked away, "Well,
it looks like we beared-out!"
Not
bad. In two days, the combined bear sightings at bait was 20 bears. John
and Perry are to be congratulated for a good job at baiting and selecting
locations to hunt.”
John Warren and Perry
Eddy With Black Bears
Bear
hunters have left. It is time to focus on running dogs to be ready for the
mushing season coming almost too soon.
August
31, 2008: Warren Family Update: Jennifer, my wife, is here with me at
SledDog Lodge for the Labor Day weekend from her place in Albuquerque, NM
where she works for Cabot Corp as a Patent Attorney. She enjoys the work
and we both like Albuquerque. As you can guess, I am thinly spread between
SledDog Lodge in Upper Michigan, the Christmas tree farm in Lower Michigan,
and Albuquerque. A challenge to be sure, but it is a good thing. We will
work on consolidating over the next 2-3 years.
Son, Christopher is now working as a Civil Engineer in the town of Brighton
in lower Michigan. Daughter Whitney is in her second year of Nursing at
Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
Yes,
we are spread around. Does it come as a surprise? It shouldn’t.
August 30, 2008: Life is good. The sled dog training camp is in
operation at the Warren Family’s SledDog Lodge near the Lake Superior shore
in Upper Michigan, near Paradise; yes it is a real town.
You
should plan to visit Paradise and step into the way things should be; a
place where you quickly are known by your first name; a place where people
ask, “how are you?” and mean it. They share with sadness your failures and
celebrate with you your successes. Filled with real people, eking out a
living in a special place on earth, Paradise, Michigan is a place to visit.
Breakfast is served all day at the Berry Patch, a wonderful place to stop
for a few minutes for a coffee to go and an excellent cranberry muffin. Very
small and always crowded, if you want a meal, plan on more than a couple of
minutes. The owners, Carl and Shirley Clark are cornerstones of the
community. They serve as great role model on how to start and grow a year
around business in a seasonal tourist economy. Carl in his wheel chair is
often there and always has a word of encouragement for me. I have a great
respect for him and his attitude. Shirley is always much more exuberant
than you’d expect for someone of her age working as hard as she must. Yes,
a special place with special people. Stop and see them, you will be better
for it.
Click on Photos to View
SledDog Lodge and Guest Cabins |
Dog Yard From Kitchen Window |
Jim After Feeding Dogs |
Jennifer and Patches Talk |
Chris and Whit at Midnight Run Sled Dog Race |
Chris and Ernie after Midnight Run |
Chris at finish of Midnight Run Sled Dog Race |
| 
