Red Shed Racing

As the snow disapears I can look back on our winter with great Joy and Admiration.  The dogs all looked great and focused and strong this year.  I can even say I never "Lost my Team" Yeah!!!  The snow conditions were very low and it was bumpy conditions most of the season.  I took to wearing a helmet and most of the time ran smaller teams to keep things safer.  Well that is except that one time I ran eleven dogs!!!!!!  Ok so I know what your thinking people do it all the time whats the big deal?

So the story goes like this....  Our friend Sean just learned how to run a sled this year.  He is very good with the dogs so I gave him a seven dog team.  I took out a six dog team and left him to follow me around the 7 mile course.  My team is faster by far and after the halfway point I looked back along a straight away and saw his team.  I thought it was weird but there was fresh snow so I thought my team was just running slower than usual.  I teased my leaders and called them slow pokes and encouraged them onward.

One more time along the trail I looked back and saw them, they were gaining on us.  Now I could have been smarter and put two and two together - but alas once again I chided my team and called them snails!  I finished my run and was working with the gear when my team began to look out into the woods where the trail is.  Then I heard lots of barking.  I had told Sean to take it easy and give his team lots of breaks because the fresh snow would make it harder for them.  So I thought  -  oh well they are just taking a long break.

But then the barking heightened into a panic and I could hear ASPEN and TALON especially going nuts like they were hurt.  This whole time, still not doing the math of two plus two, I imagined Sean on the trail trying to load gigantic Talon into the tiny sled and all kinds of other crazy stuff. . .

This barking lasting five minutes now is getting more rowdy so I decide to run four dogs out the trail backwards to help Sean with whatever may be happening. (I had tried his cell and he didn't answer)  So I quickly loaded two dogs in the truck and fixed my sled up for four dogs and put Secrets and Monster in lead and Jumar and Indigo behind. 

I gave Secrets the Haw command to go out the left trail and she did with confidence (even though I was asking her to go backwards!)  We went just about 3/4 mile when we came upon a hysterical team of dogs with no driver!  Aha!  The light bulb finally went on and I realized that two plus two is indeed four - and dogs travel much much faster without the weight of a human!!!!  Although the dogs looked great I couldn't leave them there since Sean hadn't answered his phone - I had to get the dogs to the truck and then work out a plan for finding him!

So the moment of truth had arrived and I took an extra section of gangline out of my sled and hooked it on the front of the team of screaming dogs.  Then I moved two of my dogs over there.  Then I took their gangline off my sled and repeated what I just did.  So now I have eleven dogs seven of which are amped up and crazed to go and four who still want to run the trail backwards!  I then changed the front dogs all around so they would all go forward in the direction I wanted.  I went to pull the hook that was embeded in the fresh powder and I couldnt get it loose without letting go of the sled.  I bet you could guess what happened next!

Off and running are eleven crazed dogs and the sled without a driver again!!  But the hook plunged in and held the team and once again I tried to free it - ahhhhh yep!  I lost them for fifty feet again.  The third time I got smart and set the second hook which is easier to pull.  So I pulled the one and then the other and off we went flying and careening down the trail eleven dogs and me on a little tiny sprint sled!  The sled tipped over and I got drug a fair distance and my helmeted head came very closed to the chainlink fence which lines that stretch of trail.  I finally had to let go as my face plunged into the powder and was headed for some scarry looking shrubs.  The hook plunged in and held them and I gave it one more try - this eleven sprint dog thing is way crazy!!!  This time I managed to drive the team home unscathed and in one piece at lightening speed vowing to remain a limited class sprint musher!

Oh yeah didn't I start this by claiming I never lost my team!  Well technically this was Sean's team right?

I hurried to get the dogs and gear loaded  -  tried to call Sean a few more times - still no answer - I looked and found his cell phone in his truck!  As I was almost ready to leave to go borrow a snowmachine, a very very worried Sean emerged from the woods.  His first words were - Are they all ok? 

He had lost them around the 2nd mile and had walked the whole way trying to find them.  He could have turned around and come to the truck a lot easier but he was more worried they would take a longer route or get stuck out there somewhere so he followed their tracks the whole way!  I guess we'll keep him around for next year cause He does love the dogs!!  But he has to take his cell phone on the trail from now on!!!!