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1/30/2010

"MIORTUK KENNELS MOURNS THE PASSING OF APACHE!"

It is a sad day today as we mourn the passing of Apache. Last night he died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 13 years. He had his supper the night before and was his normal self and enjoyed his petting.
Apache spent 10 years here with me and ran in many races and always performed great. At Fort Kent and Eagle Lake Races, he was the go to leader to get us out of town and pass all the crowds of cheering spectators.
He always enjoyed running loose and visiting all the females in the kennel after a training run.
He ran this season with the team and had a good time running with his team mates. He was basically retired at the end of December.
He will be sorely missed.
Butch, his nearest neighbour for 10 years, gave the most heart breaking howl as we buried Apache.
This is one of worst parts of mushing. It is never easy to say good bye to a companion.
Until next week.......

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1/24/2010

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" EXCITED! YOU BETCHA!"

Here is a photo of Blackie at the start of Defi Taureau showing how excited he is to get going. This photo captures the enthusiasm these athletes have to run.
This has been a very trying week with lots of ups and downs. First, this was a great week for training with some fantastic runs and great trails. However, this week also had its downs with a virus going through the kennel and with one very sick puppy. Lizzy was severely dehydrated from this virus and recovered due ingestion of 9 teaspoons of honey and many small drinks of water with the use of a syringe. She spent the late afternoon and through the night in the chalet. Amazingly she recovered as quickly as she came down with the virus. The next morning she was back to normal eating & drinking without any problems. The other dogs in the kennel are all being effected by this virus. But, luckily none are suffering the same sever effects as Lizzy.
The weather this week was mild during the day with cold temperatures through the night. The forecast for tonight is rain with rain tomorrow and a high temperature of +9 C. Because of this I put in the trail across the lake hoping that after the rain and subsequent cold temperature, the lake ice will thicken making it safer for crossing.
Until next week......

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1/17/2010

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"FOCUSED!"

This photo shows the tremendous focus of these incredible athletes. Here are my leaders Leo & Nanook showing their dedication to the job at hand leading our 12 dog team at the start of Defi Taureau. Without all the efforts of all these athletes, I would not get to enjoy the great experience of riding the sled behind these amazing dogs!
This was a good week for training getting in 3 consecutive days of running. This week, we also introduced Goliate into our team. He is a very fast, smooth runner and in time will become a valuable asset to the team.
This week also ended in very mild weather and with the forecast for more of the same for the week to come.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Markus Schurtenberger for his generous and continued support under the BARK program.
Until next week......

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1/11/2010

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"FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON!"

The first race of the season took place on the 9th & 10th of January at Saint Michel Des Saints (DEFI TAUREAU). It was a great success with a big turn out of mushers competing in 4 different classes: 6 dog x 10 miles, 10 dogs x 19 miles, 6 dog x 6 miles and Unlimited dogs x 12 miles. All these race races were 2 day events with the combined times used to produce the final results. As this was the first race of the season, it was a learning race for team Miortuk as many of these dogs had not raced before. With living in the bush, most of these dogs are not used to crowds of people, the large numbers of other teams with their dogs and the excitement/commotion at a race. This is also a new learning experience for me as I am new to running Unlimited Class Sprint Races as most my racing experience has been in the Mid-Distance category(50 miles to 200 miles).
For me, this weekend was a great success as I felt my dogs performed well with the training I provided. I know, I require a newer model sprint racing sled that is lighter and more maneuverable than my mid-distance sled (in these races a matter of minutes & seconds make a big difference in the final standings). It was amazing to see the rhythm and coordination of the dogs performing in these Unlimited Class Teams (unlimited class is anywhere from 10 dog teams to 20+ dog teams- at his race the largest teams were 16 dogs).
This week the weather was rather mild with extremely cold days for Saturday & Sunday.
If anyone is interested, I have a few nice dogs available for adoption to good loving homes. Please contact me.
Until next week.......

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1/3/2010

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"NATURES BEAUTY EARLY MORNING IN THE NORTHERN FOREST!"

This photo is another example of Natures Beauty along with the peace and serenity here in the forest.
It was a week of extremes here from frigid, windy days to warm sunny days with temperatures around the freezing point.
This week, we started running the dogs with the sled and going for 10 mile runs. It doesn't take too long to get the feel of driving a sled after the long layoff since last season. It felt good to out in the bush with the silence of running with the sled. The dogs also enjoyed the change and showed it with their enthusiasm. What a great way to start a new year and welcome in 2010.
Until next week......

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