Last year was a big year of change and growth here at Miortuk. The continuous development in developing a team to be competitive in the Open Class Sprint Race Circuit in Quebec. 
This lead to the addition of the Hobbit Litter with Frodo,Merry, Pippin & Sam, all of which have developed into fantastic sled-dogs with Frodo & Merry showing great Leader potential. Darth & Yoda are also showing signs that they will develop into enthusiastic  pullers. Yakuk & Tepeu are ready for entering the next phase of their development in running in a team.
The addition of Bergen (experienced Leader), Perle (Point  and now running Lead) & Lena (an incredible Wheel Dog).
All these changes plus the dogs I already had should make for interesting races this season and several seasons to follow.
All these changes would not have been possible without the assistance & support of my good friends Valerie & Laurent Gonsolin.
We have increased the training miles to 12.5 mile runs and the dogs are showing no fatigue due to this increase in mileage. It will take a few more of these runs to get them into the performance level that they are capable off & demonstrated in their 8 mile runs. I have been holding them back a little on their speed for the first two thirds of the run and then let them open up for the final third. I also intersperse fast 4.5 mile runs to keep them happy & enthusiastic.
This week, I also introduced both Frodo & Merry to running at the lead position. We placed them in lead for the last 11/2 miles of our training run with Max, a solid Leader. They both performed with excellence and absolutely astounded me with their speed, enthusiasm and confidence in the lead position. They are going to be great leaders in the future.
This week, I also ran Perle & Indigo at lead in the "A" Team, very impressed with their speed & compatibility. They will definitely be my race leaders of the future.
I would also like thank Franziska & her mother & brother for their continuous support through the BARK sponsorship program. Your support & thoughts are greatly appreciated. 
All in all, it has been a great year here with great promise for the future.
I am one very happy Musher with all that is going on in my life!
May you all enjoy a great 2014!
Until next year.......... 

Overall this week , we received 2 feet of new snow and we are receiving more today. The training trail is looking good due to the constant grooming. However, the lake trail is a different matter! On Saturday, we went out to lay down the trail on the lake, the Snow-machine was literately floating through the deep snow (2 feet) & slush/overflow (water under the snow). We were only able to safely lay down a 6 mile trail out of the desired 10 miles originally planned. We need another extreme cold spell to freeze up the slush on the trail. Unfortunately, we are expecting another 12" of snow today. 
The dogs are all running great & the training is going well with the exception that we desired to get in some 10 mile runs this coming week and that doesn't look like that is going to happen.
We still have 3 three weeks to prepare the team before the first race (12 miles). They are currently ready to race 10 miles.
A new video on the Training Page showing the on the start of a run & then the return of the training run.
Until next week............
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL THE GANG AT MIORTUK KENNEL!

Monday through Tuesday, we received 12" of fresh snow. Thursday through Saturday, frigid temperatures with morning readings of -34 to -37 Celsius.
The puppies enjoyed playing in the new, deep snow with Julia & Cecile.
We were able to get three days of training this week. We had to keep the runs short due first to the long layoff (4 days due to icy trails) and then the frigid temperatures. The result, we only were able to get in three days of training. 
However, all the runs were of high quality with very enthusiastic dogs enjoying their outings.
Both Julia & Cecile decided that they wanted to experience camping overnight outside. So, they both built shelters along the lake preparing for their night camping out. Both decided it would be prudent to wait until it warmed up a little.
There is a new video on the training Page.
Until next week........

The weather here again this week was erratic. Starting with cold temperatures & plenty of snow; then ending with rain on Thursday. The temperature dropped early Friday morning turning the trails to icy hard pack. The good news is will have a good base on the trails when we get new snow. The bad news is there is no snow in the forecast until Monday.
The dogs had good 8 mile runs on Monday & Tuesday with both the "A" Team & the "B" Team running the longer distance. Due to the poor trail conditions, the dogs received 4 days of rest.
Wednesday was devoted to our monthly shopping trip for supplies for the dogs & ourselves. We left here at 7 am and returned at 7 pm. This makes for a long exhausting day in civilization. 
It was great to get back to the peace and serenity of the forest. 
The off days were spent loading the dog boxes into the truck, finishing another dog house and further clearing the kennel of the old housing.
The above photos show Yoda & Darth playing the snow last Sunday ( photos provided by Julia King & Cecile Hue).
Next week Yoda & Darth will spend the day time in the kennel with the adults.
There is a new video of Mondays run on the Training Page.
Until next week.......

What a great week here at Miortuk with plenty of new snow, good training and a visit with great friends!
Firstly, we received over 12" of new snow here this week & that coupled with frigid temperatures made for grooming beautiful trails. 
Although we have the new snow, we don't have a good enough base to use the sled as the snow hooks won't hold yet. The snow hook serves the same purpose as an anchor for a boat. We have now converted from using a Quad to using the Skidoo.
We were able to get in another 4 days of training with two 12 dog teams each day. The teams are looking good and very enthusiastic for each run.
On Thursday, Valerie & Laurent Gonsolin came here for a visit & to run dogs. They trained two teams of 14 dogs on both Thursday & Friday.
Friday was a busy day running 4 teams starting at 9 am & finishing by 12 noon.
Secondly, it was the first time this season we had to deal with such a large volume of snow in one drop. We had to cancel our shopping trip on Wednesday, as we only got as far as Saint Michel  after driving through, or should I say plowing through, a foot of unplowed snow for 36 km. After returning to the Chalet, I spent the next several hours plowing out here.
Thursday Cecile & I ran an emergency trip to Joliette to get food for the dogs while Julia stayed here preparing a sumptuous US Thanksgiving Feast.
That night was a great time indulging in fantastic food, the company of good friends and lots of interesting "musher" conversation. 
There are also updates on the Handler/Trainee & Training Pages.
Until next week.......