...the Finnmarkslopet is over for us. Then we are hopefully with happy and healthy dog at the finish line :) But until we are there it is a lot to do. After a busy weekend with driving tourist (maybe not the best preparation before the race...), we packed the booties, cut the meat and prepare the snacks for the race. Most of the things on our to-do-list is finally done. And we received our great depotbags from ManMat!!! They are big and huge and look great. We are very happy that we got them just in time before the race ;)))
The booties are counted and packed Yeah, our depotbags has come :)))))))))))))
And even the last long trainingrun with the dogs is done. I hooked up 9 dogs today - Didi is still not in training, she was a little bit hurt after last weeks race. But she is for sure in my team. It was -26 degrees this morning, so I decided to take blankets and booties for the dogs early in the morning.
After a few hours it became warmer, so I took away the blankets.
A small movie from today. You see at my GPS-watch that this was after 91,5 km
Jörg went out from Jukkasjärvi at 4:12 pm on friday. The trail was more than perfect because of the thousands of snowmobiles driving around Kiruna. He was staying all the way to Övre Soppero on the break to hold the dogs on their "trainingsspeed" and that they didn´t overpace. In Övre Soppero he had to stay a bit more than two hours for the first mandatory rest. Even if this was only the third race for our dogs, they lay directly down on the straw and slept until it was time to move on. All 12 dogs looks good when he left Övre Soppero. It were now 80 km to the next checkpoint Saivomuotka. The first kilometers were well, but then the trail turned into sugarsnow. Very deep and soft and he had to be very careful that the dogs didn´t get any injury. He passed Taisto very soon and came only a few minutes after Milos into the checkpoint. There the dogs got some food and were cheked by the veterinarians - btw the vets did a great job! The dogs slept directly after they ate and Jörg got also 3 hours of good and deep sleep. Then in the morning he had to move on, all the way back to Övre Soppero. The weather was not that bad when he was leaving, but after a short while the light snowfall went into a blizzard. Jörg passed Milos very soon and after a while he didn´t see him anymore. Then on the free areas the trail was completly blown away, but the dogs did a great job and found the trail and broke the trail for about 30 km. In the woods the trail was better and he needed only a few minutes longer on the way back as on the way to Saivo. In Övre Soppero we decided that we scratch. The doggs looked great, they did a great job. But our maincompetiton is the Finnmarkslopet and we wanted to go with fresh dogs to that race. We were a bit afraid that the dogs got tired in their mind if they had to go through the storm to Kiruna. Jörg said that he was impressed how unimpressed Sean and Fränk plow through the deep snow and the storm. This good and positive mood we wanted to keep for the Finnmarkslopet. We had always in mind that our dogs are still young - only 2 ½ years old. And we want to drive them a few more years :) And we are very proud over our dogs. Jörg had Didi, Sean, Fränk, Tchmil, Pedro, Vino, Jaja, Tony, Frederico, Luis, Klödi and Hinault in his team.
We want to thank the Kiruna SHK for that great competition and we hope for the future that the race will grow. Thanks also to Aki Holk who organized and drove out the straw for the checkpoints. The checkpoints were well organized and the vets were experts and open minded.
We fed as kibble Royal Canin 4800 and Vom og Hundemat meat Nr.33 at the checkpoints. The snacks we made out from meat. Directly at the checkpoint the dogs got some super energy-snacks from Royal Canin.
Feeding time a few hours before the start
Mushermeeting :)
Silence before the start
Now they get crazy
The second checkpoint Saivomuotka
Vino and Jaja in their welldeserved rest
Sean and their littermades
All teams are resting
Jörg gives some snacks before he leaves Saivo
Pedro gets some booties
The dogs are hooked up for leaving Saivomuotka
We wanna move on!!!
Milos Gonda, the winner of Tobacco Trail 2012 open class
With this markers it was easy for us handlers to find the well organized checkpoints
Jörg came with 11 happy dogs and full speed into Övre Soppero. He passed Milos Gonda and was leading. The weather was really bad, snow and hard wind. The dogs did a very good job and broke the trail. We decided to scratch in Övre Soppero, we don´t want to take the risk that the dogs get to tired in their head with trailbreaking. Finnmarkslopet starts in 3 weeks, so there we need healhty, happy and good minded dogs. And that we have, the dogs were barking and waggeling with the tales when they came in. Within the next days we will write more about Tobacco trail and also with more pictures. Now we are to tired, the way home from Kiruna with the car was not that easy eather. Thanks for following our blog, we upcome soon ;)
Back in Övre Sapporo. Jörg left Saivo at 8.46 am together with Milos Gonda. They are close together, but like ususal I have no further informations who is leading now. But Jörg left Saivo in a good drive with Fränk and Jaja in lead. He had to left Hinault behind. He has the whole season some problems with the left frontleg and he was limping a little bit now. So Jörg would not get any risk to load him into the sled and left him with me. Now he is laying in the trailer. Just this moment Jörg called me. He is in heavy storm and the trail is completily blown away and the dogs have to break trail. He had now about 40 km, so half of the way from Saivo to Soppero.
In the checkpoint with blankets on Are we moving on now?
So, I´m now in Saivo. Jörg came out in good speed and with motivated dogs from Övre Soppero :) Here it´s a bit warmer, in Soppero it was about -25 degrees. here it feels "only" about -20 degrees. Hopefully Jörg has it not that cold on the lakes and svamps! He was not calling until now, so I guess and hope that everything is fine :) I will sleep now for one hour, they expect the first teams around 2 am. you here from me when I´m in Övre Soppero again on the morning!
Jörg came into Övre Soppero after 3:17 h. He is very happy, the dogs run like hell and he had to slow them down the whole time. Passing of other teams was no problem. At 21:43 he can drive further to the next checkpoint Saivomuotka. It´s about 77 km and there he and the dogs can get a well deserved 6 hours rest. All dogs look great and he can take all 12 dogs with him. I update after he leave Saivomuotka, even the webmaster (and handler) has to sleep sometimes ;)
At 4:12 pm Jörg was starting in Jukkasjärvi, besides the Icehotel in Kiruna! The start went well, he left with Didi and Sean in lead. Until now I didn´t hear anything so I think everything is fine. I´m now in Övre Soppero and wait for Jörg. Here he has to stay about 2 hours before he can move on to Saivomuotka.
Even our raceseason will start on friday. There we drive to Kiruna and Jörg participate at the Tobacco Trail race. It goes from Kiruna on the old smuggler-tracks over Övre Soppero to Saivomuotka at the finish border. Once there, the race goes on the same track back to Kiruna. All together it will be 308 km. The race starts at 4 pm on friday and the winner will be back on sunday morning in Kiruna. For us it will be a trainings-race, Jörg will drive the dogs in the same way we drive them at home. And if they need more rest than the 2, 6 and 6 hours, they will get it. This will be the last test for Finnmarkslopet, from the dogs who are at the finish line now on sunday we choose the 8 dogs for my Finnmarkslopet-team. Jörg will start only with 12 dogs (all other with 14 dogs), but we have no more adult dogs. I prepared all snacks and the other dogfood already on sunday - in bright sunlight :) Old girl Kuchen was helping me and really nothing went into a bag before she tasted it ;))) But that´s an importand job, not that we take some food for the dogs that it not good enough in Kuchens opinion...
As long as the internet work I will try to make updates here on our side during the race. You can also follow the race here www.huskyexpedition.com . I guess it will be only in swedish, but maybe everyone understand a little bit. Under "trail-blogg" you will also get there some updates. Jörg has Bib-number 7, the times and positions of the compeditors you can see during the race under "deltagare/results"
We are very excited that it starts now!!! I´ll be back here at the blogg on friday, so stay tuned!
Today we used our free day very well for driving the dogs. After many very cold days it was finally warmer from yesterday - we had only -15 degrees. And today was perfect sunshine so Jörg hooked up 13 dogs.
Before the start Jörg full speed out of the kennel. You can see Klödi, the black single dog, he seems to lough all over his face ;)
I used the waiting time to drive our puppys in a winter wonderland
Susan got also some motion, running with me and the pups.
...it´s -42,5 degrees this morning. We think that is absolutely not necessary...But it´s a good reason not to be out to often and be in front of the computer for following the Femundlopet instead. There it was also very cold the first day. The teams where checked by the veterinarians to protect the dogs from frostinjuries. On the side www.sjekkpunktet.no you can also find a lot of informations about the race - if you understand norwegian ;) Btw, on the thermometer you see that it´s only 5,6 degrees inside. That´s not the truth, it stands beside the window and there it draws some cold air in. We have about 22 degrees (plus) in the house :))) Our dogs got some extra straw in their houses that they stay warm, too.
Now the real business is starting. Tomorrow at 16 pm the first open sleddog team will leave Röros to start the Femundlopet. So we have a busy weekend in front of us. The whole day in front of the computer, follow the GPS-tracking and the updates of many dogdrivers at their websides. We tablemushers are very happy that there a lot of peoples who updates their blogs and websides. So we have ofter more informations about the race then the folks who are on the race. It will be exciting following the game of the big guys! If somebody else is interested, you can follow Femundlopet here http://www.femundlopet.no/ . But be prepared that the server will crash sometimes - it´s normal because we are not the only ones who follow the race!
The booties are counted and packed
Yeah, our depotbags has come :)))))))))))))
And even the last long trainingrun with the dogs is done. I hooked up 9 dogs today - Didi is still not in training, she was a little bit hurt after last weeks race. But she is for sure in my team. It was -26 degrees this morning, so I decided to take blankets and booties for the dogs early in the morning.
After a few hours it became warmer, so I took away the blankets.
