|
|
1. Who is the honorary number 1 musher? - That would be Joe Reddington.
He is the gut who started the Iditarod and is known as "the father of the
Iditarod"
2. Do you have any dogs that can be let off the leash? Yes we have one
dog "Kayla" who is both a house dog and a sled dog. But we do let all of
the dogs off their leash and 5 or 6 at a time and let them run around
and have fun. We do this mostly during the summer, but when we load them
In the dog truck we let them of their leash and the run around a bit
then jump into the truck.
3. Do the dogs keep running no matter what happens to the sled? YES.
The rule is "never let go of the sled"
4. How many races have you done and how far? We have not been able to
run any races this year due to a lack of snow but over the last two
years we have raced in the: Knik 200 (miles), Arctic Arrow 120, Artic
Arrow 200 and the Klondike 300.
5. Is the Iditarod in your future? We hope to do the Iditarod some day
but is takes a lot of time and money. But we will run it when the time
is right for us and the dogs...perhaps in a few years.
6. Have you ever won a race you were in? The best we have ever done
was second in the Arctic arrow 200. Many of the races we run in are the
same races that Iditarod racers also compete in; so the competition is tough.
7. What are the names of your dogs? Lily, Popy and Lark (the 10
month old puppies) then there is Maize, Repel, Snapple, Skeeter, Hoover,
Ann, Betty, George, Kennedy, Kayla, Bubba, Kato, River, Zack, Mr. Big,
Boots, Humphrey, Rooty, Ike, Sweat Pea, and Truman
8. Why did you start racing? Racing is a lot of fun and it’s a chance
for you to get out with the dogs in the wilderness and travel long
distances. We you run a 200 mile race there is nothing but you and the
dogs, everything else in life seems to fade away for a few days.
9. How did you like GV? I love GV. Its a great place.... at the time I
did not really realize how much I learned at GV until later in life.
Enjoy it while you can!!!
10. Will you return to visit or live? I will be back for a visit on
May 26th.
11. Did you take lessons? We pretty much learned by experience and
watching other more experienced mushers.
Period 4
1. Do dogs fight over booties or food? Good question. The dogs never
fight at all. In order to be part of a dog team everyone must get along
and fighting is not allowed, not even for food or booties.
2. How do racers return from Nome? They get flown back to Anchorage
by Alaska Airlines...even the dogs.
3. Are there any penalties if you finish a race with fewer dogs? Most
races require that you finish with at least five dogs in your team.
4. Has Paul lost any dogs? I lost my whole teams two years ago. That I
was running next to a road I stopped to fix something on my sled, and the
dogs took off. I flagged down a car and we drove down the road racing
past the team and cut them off and stopped them
5. Do booties last a long time? They last about 60 - 70 miles
6. How many layers of clothes do you wear on the trail? It depends on
how cold it is, but when it is really cold like, minus 30 I generally
wear three layers, two layers of heavy fleece clothing and an outside
layer of specially made crushed neapream with a gortex shell (its very
warm)
7. What are the mental challenges on the trail? Sleep and making sure
you drink enough water. You can get cold very fast if you get
dehydrated. We are usually running for 5-6 hours, then we stop for 5-6
hours and take care of the dogs, and get going again not much time for
sleeping.
Period 6
1. What is it like living in Alaska? It’s an amazing place if you love
the outdoors. There is always something to do. IN the summer it’s fishing
and hiking and in the winter we spend lots of time with the dogs. The
mountains are big and the valleys are vast and it’s all beautiful. People
here are very independent Alaska is a place where the pioneering spirit
of early America is still alive and you can live that way if you chose
and many people still do.
2. Were the temperature differences hard to adjust to? It was not bad.
The main thing is that you need to have the right clothing and know your
limits and abilities in the cold temperatures.
3. Do you have neighbors? Yes we live in a subdivision of about 20
houses the only thing is that everyone lives on at least 9 acres.
4. How do your water and sewage systems work where you live? We have a
well that provides running water, and we have a septic system for
sewage.
5. What kind of people live in your area? We live in the Farm belt of
Alaska so there are many farmers, but most for the most part there
are just like you.
6. What kind of animals do you get in your back yard? We have moose,
eagles, 5 different kinds of Salmon, foxes, ravens, black bears, Dahl
Sheep (which are like big horn sheep but they are white) to name a few.
7. What is your job? I am an Environmental Scientist for an
Engineering Company.
8. How long have you lived in Alaska? Erin and I have been here for 8
years.
Period 7
1. Have you met any Eskimos? Yes I have met a lot of Eskimos. They
tend to live in Northern Alaska.
2. What’s better about Alaska? I enjoy the open spaces, the wildlife,
and vast wilderness. But it is hard being so far from my family.
3. Do you get lonely? Not really, Erin and I are always busy with our
home, our jobs or the dogs.
4. Do you have a favorite dog? They are all my favorite. I try to
treat them all in an equal way.
5. Have you seen wolves and moose? Do they attack? Yes I have seen
both moose and wolves. The moose are the most dangerous. As a matter a
fact a moose ran right in front of the dog team last Saturday but it
kept on running. Moose are huge animals, larger than a horse and every
year someone gets killed by a moose stomping. The wolves on the other
hand have learned to stay away from people and always run away. I have
only ever seen one wolf.
3rd period:
1. Who is your lead dog?
Well, we are lucky we have 10. They are: Ike, Truman,
Hoover, Rooty, Repel, Snapple, Skeeter, Annie, Kayla, and
River
2. What are the different roles of the dogs?
There are the leaders who hear the commands (gee-right,
haw-left, whoa-stop), the swing dogs who are right behind
the leaders actually follow the leaders and get the rest of
the team to turn, the team dogs are the pullers in the
middle, and the wheel dogs are the dogs right in front of
the sled whose job is to turn the sled.
3. can you explain the training procedure(work/rest
periods)
If you are training for a race you usually run the dogs 4
times a week (example: Monday, Wednesday, Friday &
Saturday). You do runs anywhere from 20-40 miles each day.
During runs of this length you only stop and rest for brief
periods, anywhere from 30 seconds to 20 minutes. On a
long distance race, such as the Iditarod, you usually run
for 4 hours and then rest for 4 hours.
4. do certain dogs race more than others?
Yes. There are better dog athletes than others.
5. how do your dogs react to other dogs?
They usually act very excited and eager to met others.
6. has a musher ever gotten totally lost in a race?
Yes. Paul did on his 1st race. He went about 60 miles out
of his way. This isn't uncommon for rookie mushers because
trail markers are easy to miss.
7. is there a minimum and maximum age for dogs to race?
No.
8. After a long race, how long is your recovery time
for sleep?
Friends of ours who have done long races tell us it's about
1 week or more.
9. how do your dogs react when you come upon another sled
on the trail?
Our dogs usually pick up their pace and pass them as if
they didn't even see them. A couple dogs may bark and wag
their tail.
10. do you run different size dogs at different positions?
Sometimes. The larger dogs are usually in back to help
pull the heavy sled and because they are a little slower.
The smaller dogs are up front because they are usually
faster.
11. do racing dogs improve with age?
Racing dogs are usually in their prime about 2-4 years of
age. As dogs get older they mentally mature and can handle
tough situations better, but they get slower.
12. what is the weight of your heaviest dog?
About 65 pounds.
13. what do you feed your dogs?
In the summer they get dry dog food (kibble) in water. In
the winter they get the same but they also get meat (all
beef w/ vitamins) specially made for racing dogs and
chicken fat.
14. how does terrain influence your strategy?
If it's going to be hilly and you have a heavy sled you are
going to need a few more bigger dogs. If it's flat you use
your faster, smaller dogs. In the Iditarod the beginning
of the race is quite hilly then it flattens out. So, you
have a combination of both big and fast dogs. After you
get through the hilly parts you drop your big dogs that
slow you down and use your faster dogs for the rest of the
race.
15. What is your best competitive time/
Paul did a 200-mile race in approx. 60 hours.
4th period:
1. what do you carry on a racing sled?
There are some items that are mandatory such as: ax,
sleeping bag, booties, snow hook, snowshoes, cooker, and
dog food. Other items you may carry are: dog coats,
extra boot liners, first aid kit, repair kit, headlamp,
batteries and straw.
2. do you serve raw or cooked food to the dogs?
The only thing you have to feed cooked is wild game
(moose) and rice. Everything else (dry dog food, meat,
fish) is just fed in warm water.
3. what are the main dangers on the trail?
Moose, open water and loosing your team.
4. do you breed your own dogs?
Yes. We just did our first litter of pups last April.
We'll be able to run them next fall. So, we'll see how
good they really are in a few months.
5. are there famous landmarks on the trails?
Yes. About 40 miles out the Iditarod trail there is a
sign pointing to Nome saying 1049 miles. There are also
many old homesteads and ghost mining towns along the
trails.
6. has your sled ever broken during a run?
Yes. On a training run Paul got his brake ripped off
after he ran over a hidden stump. We've also broken a
couple of brush bows (piece on front of sled - like a
bumper).
7. what type a.t.v. do you own?
We own a Polaris Magnum 425.
8. has a dog ever eaten a bootie?
Yes, and a glove and an empty dog food bag, harnesses,
necklines, bowls, and the dash of the truck - the list can
go on and on - HA!
9. what’s it cost to outfit a sled for a race?
Sled $1200, sled bag $400, cooker $75, booties $1 x 200,
ax $35, sleeping bag $275, dog food $75 (not including
what is in drop bags), clothing $800, gangline $150, snow
hook $75, dog coats $25 x 12, other misc. gear approx.
$300.
10. what’s the cost of a gortex jacket?
We don't typically wear gortex. We wear a material that is
nylon supplex and it costs approx. $375 for just the shell
without the liner.
11. do you build the sled?
No. Building a sled is very time consuming and our
workmanship couldn't compare with other great sled
builders. It also takes many special tools.
12. has one of your dogs ever saved your life?
One of our sled dogs haven't saved our lives unless you
count that they help us keep our sanity during the long
winter months. But I had a dog, Louie, a lab-great dane
that saved my life in a boat wreck. He barked like crazy
to signal some people down river and then jumped into the
swift moving river and swam beside me until help came.
13. have you ever lost a dog on the trail?(died)
No, thank goodness.
