Training stories, new puppies and lots of snow!

This past week has brought freezing temperatures of -30°C! We're currently in a strange limbo between using quad bikes and snowmobiles, and (sadly) we still haven’t touched the sleds. A few days last week, we took the snowmobiles out onto the lake with some 10-dog teams. It was beautiful - first in the sun, and later in the sunset. Since then, some “warmer” temperatures (around -10°C) and heavy snowfall have made the lake unsafe again. Joyce told me that sometimes the moose come to the lake and break holes through the ice to reach the water, so perhaps they’re the culprits behind some of the weak spots.

We’re also trying to test new trails so the dogs can run more kilometres (we’re still stuck at 14), but it’s difficult when the snowmobiles can’t go on the roads and we only have one quad bike.

Chubby and I (she's one of my all time favourites)

Tekla

All of the fresh snow means that we're shovelling most days - shovelling pathways around the kennel, shovelling snow off the doggie tables, and clearing doorways, so that our gates can open and close properly. All of this snow is a novelty for our newest puppies - Tekla and Willow (sisters, both 3 months old) - who run around and play in it all day long.

Training Stories

The Broken Gangline.

Last week, we had a group of 33 guests from Singapore joining us for a “husky taster” tour. Each person usually gets a 20-minute ride (about 3.5 km), and we can take four guests at a time in our big wagons with a 14-dog team. We were already frazzled that morning because local hunters had decided to use our usual route, meaning we had to rearrange everything at the last minute. But onwards and upwards! Or so we thought…

Joyce took the first team out with minimal issues. The second team was unhooked from the anchor and ready to go when the gangline suddenly snapped. I watched in horror and despair as the first six dogs began to run forward, completely untethered. The remaining eight were still tied to the wagon, but they weren’t anchored at the front.

My amazing colleagues and I managed to grab hold of both halves of the broken line. I told them, “Wait here. I’ll have to go and make a new gangline. Ten minutes.” My fingers were freezing and my heart was pounding, but I made a brand-new 14-dog line in under 10 minutes - something I’m very proud of.

To transfer the dogs, we first unclipped their tug-lines (so they couldn’t pull and were attached only from their collars), and then moved them one by one onto the new line. I had never heard of a gangline snapping - I didn’t even know it was possible - but now I know exactly what to do if it ever happens again.

The Snowmobile Rolling

Snowmobiling along a groomed trail

This morning, Joyce and I tore off on the snowmobile to check a trail. The one we intended to inspect was great, but I had another idea: to also check a different route we used last season. We were about 500m in when we came across a big dip. We already had a good amount of speed, and the thick snow was deceiving. We came flying up the other side, the snowmobile rolled onto its side, and we landed in a tree.

Since Joyce was driving, she was able to come off easily in the fall. But the passenger handlebars make it nearly impossible to escape quickly, so when I realised I was alive, I also realised my right foot was trapped under the sideways snowmobile. Joyce said I was screaming. I don’t remember. I only remember screaming when she tilted the snowmobile enough for me to wriggle free. She said she felt my screaming in her bones. I was just thankful to be alive - and that my foot isn’t broken! I’m expecting a bruise and a lot of swelling tomorrow. After I got out, we both pulled hard and managed to get the snowmobile upright and out safely.