It was a good week here getting in two days of training, going out for a Moose Burger Supper and having friends over for a "Cabine Les Sucre" brunch.
The work with young leaders continued this week with Tepeu, Yoda, Kira getting extra attention. 
Tepeu and Yoda ran lead together in the 6 Dog Team straight from the kennel on Friday for the first time and did a great job showing strong leadership potential and with very good speed.(see above video)
Kira along with Bergen ran lead starting in the kennel running in the Open Team. The trail was very hard and fast both Tuesday and Friday and it was rewarding to see Kira and Bergen stretching out the team on two very quick runs. Kira certainly loves a fast/hard trail. 
Kira, although being tiny, has a big attitude leaping in the air in anticipation of starting the run. On a hard packed trail, she has great speed and performs with enthusiasm and focus.
On Wednesday night, we were invited to my friend Denis's place for a wonderful dinner of Moose Burgers, salad and fries along with a few glasses of wine. and great company.
Thursday, we had over our friends Valerie & Laurent for our version of Cabine Les Sucre, a Quebec tradition of the celebration of Spring. 
The meal consisted of: Bacon, Eggs scrambled in Maple Syrup, Pancakes, Ham in a maple syrup reduction sauce, Home Made Soup Au Pois (that cooked for 17 hours), Baked Beans with Maple Syrup, Creton (a pork pate), Baguette and Mashed Potatoes. Ofcourse, there was extra Maple Syrup on the table if needed and a nice bottle of French Wine.
Needless to say, no one were left hungry.
Both occasions were  great relaxing visits  after a busy season, for all of us, running sled dogs.  
Well another season is winding down.
"May the sun be on your face and the wind at your back"
Until next week........

The week started on Sunday with 12" of fresh snow and gale like winds leaving the area looking beautiful and ushering in Spring with a late Winter storm. The trails here are pristine making for some nice Spring training. The temperatures are cold early in the mornings and quickly warming by mid-day.
Again this week, we are experimenting with new leaders looking for the special dog that wants to take charge.
This week Willy, Hok'ee, Tepeu, Kira and Yoda had opportunities to run lead. Willy did great the first day and became very distracted the second day due to a number of females in heat.
Hok'ee took over for Willy on Friday and did a great job.
Yoda ran Lead with Cobalt and showed great promise and will get more opportunities to run there.
Tepeu and Kira continue to be rotated every other run at Lead and are showing more confidence with each outing.
The week ended like it started with another snow storm with gale like winds.
Welcome to Spring in the Northern Forest!
Until next week.......
 

Yes, it is hard to beleave the changes that one year makes in the lives of a sled dog. The above video shows Yaluk and Tepeu on their very first run.
 Now, one year later both dogs ran three races this year. 
Tepeu ran one race at lead and two races at Point on Cecile's 6 Dog Team. Yaluk ran her first race at Point in the 6 Dog Team and two races in the first team position on the Open Team. Both of these young dogs showed great potential for their future.
 Yaluk is very strong and built like her father Willy. Tepeu is a little more refined in her build like her mother Angel. Both dogs are very enthusiastic, smooth and focused when running. Speed is not an issue with them and I feel we haven't yet seen just how fast they are. Whether 6 miles or 15 miles, they don't show fatigue!
We have two more dogs that are 6 months younger that are also showing great potential. The female, Yoda, ran her first race at Nicolet in the 6 dog Team. Darth, the male, has finally grown into his body and is proving to be a very fast smooth runner. These four young dogs are going to make a big difference in our teams for next season. 
Along with the expecting puppies from Blue/Bergen, the future here looks good.
This week has been a very quiet week here as we only got in one day of running due too icy trails after the rain on Tuesday night. 
We got a little snow this morning and the forecast is for more through the night. Hopefully, we will have enough to get the dogs back out running this coming week.
Until next week.......

Flexibility is a part of Dog Mushing, as things are always changing. 
This week, the decision was made to not attend the last scheduled race of the season for us. The main reason being that Roxy suffered a slight wrist injury at the race in Nicolet and the decision was made to not run her for the balance of the season to ensure the wrist heals properly. 
Roxy is the dominate  leader in the Open Team to ensure stability in performance.  It is more important here for her total recovery than risk further damage for the sake of one more race.
Roxy's persona was the missing link in the Open Team to ensure us trouble free performances at the races. She did a great job this year and has been enjoying her recovery time in the chalet with us at night.
With this decision, we have been spending more time working with young leaders for next season and getting more running time for some of the young dogs.
Last week, we explored and opened up some new training trails on the other side of the lake. We have a nice 6 mile trail as well as a 10 mile trail. We will use these trails more next season as soon as the ice on the lake is safe enough to cross.
Also with next season in mind, Bergen and Blue were bred this week and if all goes well puppies should be born around early May. The decision to breed both of these dogs in due to their solid performance in the team every time they run. Also Bergen is a leader and has produced leaders when bred at Valerie & Laurent Gonsolin's kennel. There pedigrees are a good match for a line breeding that should ensure good puppies.
The weather finally has warmed up in the later part of the week, making us think that Spring is getting closer. February was the coldest on record here.
Think Spring!
Until next week.......