wolfy

He was the closest a close second could be without being first. Love this dog.

denali

One of my favorites. Crabbed like an SOB, but never looked back. I didn't like him as a leader, but he was dynamite anywhere else. Wasn't a fan of other males, but that could have been easily trained out of him.

He was SUCH a good lookin' boy. He proportions were nearly perfect. He was a giant wuss though...and we all know how I feel about that. He was great in every other way, so I let him get away with it. Honestly, a very sweet boy. One of the group who, if offered, I would have accepted without a second thought.

(MontanaXMaybe. Litter mate to Dotty, Kona, Wolfy.)

inspector gadget

And no, I didn't just post pictures of the same dog. This handsome fellow is Gadget. To the untrained eye, he and Ratchet are identical.

Gadget was just about the most fun dog on the ice. I mean, I loved Dotty and all, but working with Gadget always made my day better! He had this zest and smile that pulled everyone in. Unlike his brother and father, Gadget didn't have a mean bone in his body. I never pushed him with other males, but he never, not even once, went out of his way with a sideways glance or growl towards anyone.

He was absolute hell in the chute, and I always ran him single....but that's just about his only flaw. Great eater, very social and SO loving. This boy gave better hugs than most humans I've ever been around.

He had a weird stomach issue that made him puke after almost every run (mostly due to the fact that he'd eat TONS of snow during hook-up), but it never actually bothered him.

If Gadget hasn't been considered as daddy material, I'd be shocked. Yeah, yeah, yeah....he doesn't lead like the rest of his family, but he's just as driven and has a better attitude to boot.

ratchet

This guy was something else. His demeanor took a turn for the worse by the end of the summer, but I bet cold weather and hard work cleared that up. He was one of my favorite leaders for a while, but when all the girls came into heat, I stopped trusting him.

Ratchet was a fun boy. Between him and Gadget, I know I'll never work stronger dogs. He was an incredibly easy keeper. I don't think his feet even ever went bad. Food in the morning, a run during the day, some love at night.....and this guy would happily and selflessly work his life away.

(Out of CharlieXMarla. Brother to Gadget.)

somethin' sneaky

Helloooooo Teekona. Kona for short. She was adorable, but what a little bitch. Dotty and Wolfy got along with everyone, Kona and Denali were shy towards guests and had less than zero patience with dogs of the same sex. Those four came out of Montana and Maybe...more to come.

Kona was a hard worker, but I never trusted her. I lead her once....the first week of the summer. She pulled great, as long as there weren't any females around her. Yep, she's one of THOSE girls. She wasn't a great eater and was a pretty hard keeper, but she wasn't terrible.

When I got home, Star reminded me of her so much. I can honestly say, little Star face is a MUCH better dog! Kona is faster and stronger, but my Star baby leads and minds her own business!

The litter with Kona, Denali, Dotty(!), and Wolfy(!!) was raised in the house. They are very much loved and Jeff and his family did a great job with them....as with everyone else. That whole team was generally very sweet and honest.

we're going to candy mountain....

This is Charlie. I'm in one of those reminiscing about Alaska moods, so I'm going to post a few good pictures and share a couple stories about some good dogs.

Charlie was an incredible leader, but turned into an untrustworthy pain in the ass by the end of the season. He got lazy and a little mean. He and Maybe caused the biggest (practically the only) fight I had all season. They were both grumpy old men, and I trusted them a little more than I should have.

I'm sure getting off the ice and back into the real world whipped this boy's head right back into shape. I doubt his home kennel put up with the glacier nonsense he was getting away with! Charles was such a goofy boy. He would always roll over to let me zinc and booty him. I can't 100% remember, but I think the cross of CharlieXMarla is where "da boyz" came from. I am 98% sure of this.

They're at it again....

(Photo by Jess O. 2009)










I've been in touch with all my glacier geek friends and the new season is underway! I'm willing to be they've already done their first tour (or its at least fast-approaching)! I just wanted to send a shout out to them and wish them a great year! I am of course bummed that I couldn't make it back up there, but I've still got a few stories up my sleeve to share. I can't wait for updates on "my" team from last summer. Dotty is calling me!! I hear her! :-) When they share fun stories with me, I'll do a little write-up on here so that we can all remember the good ol glacier days.

Marla

The funny thing about Marla is that her name is Maria. I didn't know it until the summer was over and I called her home kennel to check up on the whole crew. I mentioned her name and her people laughed, saying someone didn't spell check her name tag. Thus, Maria became Marla...well, at least for the summer.
She was (is, I'm sure) a very driven dog. Marla was a very solid double lead and a hard worker anywhere. She'd get a little crazy in the chute, but Beaver could handle it. She was super sweet and responsive. She always payed attention and loved to cuddle. She was an all-around good girl. She threw two good boys(more on them later) and only ever caused trouble once (though both she and the other female held a grudge for the rest of summer). I can't wait to hear how she's doing! A new season is underway and one of my friends has that team. I'll remind her to double-check the name tags :-)

"coppertone tan"

Speaking of tan lines....this one was bad!! Seriously, it's just about the most painful memory I have! Honestly, these were like 3rd (or 10th!) degree burns, I swear. Not my face (believe it or not, that color was normal for the summer), just my legs. I couldn't bend my legs because the backs of my knees were so swollen. It took four days to be comfortable and even now nine months later, I STILL HAVE A TAN LINE FROM IT. Yes, a faint tan line remains from a burn that happened in just a few hours. Bad choice in wardrobe by me.

Dotty

Dotty, Jet and I skijoring on my last night of the summer!


On my kennel blog, I've been trying to write a post about everyone. For memories sake, I might start that here.
Have you heard about Dotty?
I would buy her in a heartbeat. This little dog slept not only in my tent, but in my sleeping bag with me. She is the best. I miss her terribly. She's Jeff's 4 year old main (ish) leader, but I hoped all summer long that she was old and retired because I so badly wanted her for my own. I told Jeff that if she ever becomes available through any circumstance, like losing a leg, being swept away in a flood, anything at all, I'd take her without a second thought.

(Out of MontanaXMaybe.Littermate to Denali, Kona, Wolfy)

Tramp Tans

With Iditarod and all, I've been thinking about Alaska so much lately! I'm not going back this summer, but I'll try for next year. Had I been able to miss some school during fall semester, my job would have been waiting....but I decided to be an absolute (Vodka!) loser and not miss any class. Sooooooooo this summer I'll be home (well, in my home state at least), falling back on the watery crutch of those lifeguarding skills I learned at 15. I'll be at a boy scout summer camp demanding buddy checks instead of on the orientation box explaining what the dogs wear on their feet.




I'm sad about not going North this summer, but I've got some dog events planned to keep me occupied, and plus, my tan lines will be a little better this way.
Awkward tan lines are the story of a Heli-Musher's life. We compare them like gang members discussing scars from a knife fight. The sun finds ALL skin. No skin is safe. Thus, the tramp tan was born. (NOTE:these pics don't actually show a tramp tan)



I always get some pretty awesome strap lines during the summers I twirl my whistle and denounce Marco-Polo, but nothing can compare to the sliver of brown us girls all had in common in the great white north. The perfectly tan strip on our lower backs came from our trusty t-shirts shimmying up our backs when we bent over. No, it's not what you think. Bending for a few seconds multiple times per day really added up! Again, mind out of the gutter. While harnessing, unharnessing, booty-ing, un booty-ing, checking feet, cleaning up equipment and the like, that little, whorish landing strip was bathed in sunlight.




The absolute best time to see a fresh tramp tan was down in Juneau....they stick out so much better with the green backdrop.
Anyway, though this summer I plan to became an irresistible shade of bronze, it just wont quite be the same without the tan sliver adorning my lower back. I miss my tramp tan and my tramp tan misses me! The story about the "tan" lines (more like SCORCH lines) behind my knees is for a different day.

Even though these pics don't show any true Tramp Tans, I chose them because they do represent the weather on the majority of the days. Yes! T-shirts and shorts. Yes! One night we played in the lake and acted like it was a beach party. Yes! It was WARM. And, yes! I always wear the same shirt. Every day. (hahahaha these were all taken the same afternoon)