All Categories - Miortuk-Alaskan-Husky-Kennel

"The First Real Snow Of The Year, A Winter Wonderland Here In The Northern Forest!"

11/30/2024

On Tuesday November 26th, we got our first real snow fall of the season with 4" of the white stuff. Today another 4" of fresh wet snow.
It was great for the dogs and us to get back out on snowy trails. The scenery was beautiful in a Winter wonderland.
All is going really well here and my new Handler, Lilly, is doing a great job and has learned very quickly the harnessing, hook up and the routine. She is also great company and we have had many interesting conversations.
The dogs are all doing well. Saphir returned to running after a week and half off due to a false pregnancy.
Today the lake has finally frozen over.
Until next.......

"The Running Season Has Finally Arrived, Here In The Northern Forest!"

11/22/2024

It took to about the first week of November to start running the dogs here at Miortuk! With the arrival of Lilly Kane, the help that was required was here.
I was amazed the condition of the dogs on their first runs of the season. With the exception of speed t(which is being held back for conditioning) they seemed to be back in form as they were at the end of last season.
In the above video the black dog at Wheel is 13 years old still loving it and is able to run in the "A" Team. All six dogs in this team can run lead.
The weather here has been good for this time of year with temperature highs around +5c and the lows in the -5c range. Mostly dry conditions with the exception of the last two days with rain.
Starting Sunday and through next week some snow.
We are certainly happy to have the dogs back in harness and another season of running ahead of us.
Until the next......

Summer Update Here In the Northern Forest!

7/20/2024

The Spring and Summer here at Miortuk is a quiet time with the dogs relaxing after a busy Winter Season.
The weather here has been unusually wet with almost weekly rains, some serious storms with heavy downpour's, thunder and lightning and very strong winds.
Luckily here all has been safe and no damage.
However, Nature adds beauty with some spectacular Sunsets.
Starting to think about the plans for next running season, including looking for Handler/Trainees for this coming season.
Until the next.......

"The Last Run Of The Season Here In The Northern Forest!"

6/9/2024

I apologize for the late posting.
It was a very good season here at Miortuk with a lot of runs with the dogs starting in early October and finishing at the end of March.
I am so proud of my dogs and their enthusiastic performances on every run.
It was also a great year for training Leaders with Lloyd consolidating his position at lead, Lance continuing to display his confidence at the lead position and finally Levis doing a remarkable job at lead for his first time.
All four dogs of the "L" Litter are leaders showing enthusiasm and speed at lead.
It was also a very interesting season here with training five young people the Handlers Position and introducing them to the Mushing Lifestyle.
They came from Ireland, Austria, France and Germany.
They all were quick learners and a pleasure to have them here.
Soon, I will be advertising for Handler/Trainees for the next season starting in October.
Thanks to the dogs and all the helpers for a great season.
Until te next......

" Leader Training Continues Here In The Northern Forest!"

3/26/2024

One of the exciting and fun times here is training new Leaders.
Luckily, the "L" Litter have all turned out to be leaders.
On this run Levi (Brown & white dog on the left) is having his second opportunity running lead with his brother Lloyd.
It was a great run and both Leaders did a great job!
The black dog at left Wheel is Hok'ee and he is going to be 13 years old this Spring. All the other dogs in the team are from the "L" litter and the smaller female, Lilly, is running right Wheel on this run. Lilly is the top Leader in the kennel.
The weather here has continued to be unsettled.
One week good snow and the next icy.
The first week of April is forecasted for 4 days of snow.
Until the next......

"Can Never Have Enough Leaders Here In The Northern Forest!"

2/28/2024

Training new Leaders is a continuous task here at Miortuk.
When we breed dogs here, we have had good success breeding Leaders to Leaders. The last breeding ("L" litter) proved this with all 6 of the puppies running lead.
Last week, we placed the last of the litter, Levis, up in the lead position and it was a great success! Levis, the biggest male in the litter, took the position as if he had been running there all his life. Speed, focus and enthusiasm was displayed by him!
Levis is the Leader on the right in the above video.
We had a good week of training here getting in four days of running after another week off due to icy conditions.
Yesterday a high of 9c, rain and then a temperature drop to -21c has left all the trails here back to icy conditions.
Crazy weather tis year!
Last Saturday, Blandine had to leave to return to France due to a personal situation. She was of great help here and she will be missed by the dogs and myself.
Until the next......

"Enthusiastic And Ready To Go Here In The Northern Forest!"

2/10/2024

Another great week of running here at Miortuk!
Two teams per day and four days running!
Levi (Wheel Dog on the right) back to running this week after 10 days off to cure an upper paw inflammation on his front left paw. All is perfect!
The conditions here are okay for running, we could use some fresh snow.
We have unseasonable warm weather here Friday and today with some rain. Hopefully the forecast is right as we are expecting some fresh snow tonight,Sunday and Monday to cover the icy sections of trail.
Blandine (new Handler from France) is doing a great job and has all ready leaned to harness the dogs, booty and hook up the teams all in her first week here.
Hoping for snow!
Until next........

"A 4.5 Mile Run Here In The Northern Forest!"

2/5/2024

Here is a short video of todays run here at Miortuk.
At lead (from left to right) Lloyd/Lilly, at wheel Hok'ee/Lance.
It was great day with -15c and nice hard packed trail.
I would like to thank Orla Blaine (from Ireland) who was here handling from September to mid January, Larissa Kanicki and Martin (from Austria) and now Blandine Rousselle (from France) for all their help!
With out their assistance this would not be possible.
Until the next......

"Finally, We Have A Good Trail Here In The Northern Forest!"

1/13/2024

It is either fathom or feast, no snow and now a lot of snow.
So far this week over 60cm of the white stuff.
Love it!
We finally have a good base on the trail for running the dogs.
It was a good week with four days running after a month layoff.
The dogs will take a few weeks to get back in shape.
But, they are enjoying getting back running.
So is the Musher!
Until the next.......

"What A Difference A Day Makes Here In The Northern Forest!"

12/18/2023

Since the last posting, we had a lot of rain, freezing temperatures and little to no snow.
It started to rain again last night and it continues through today.
We have not been running the dogs since the 8th of December due to icy conditions on the trail.
Even with a little snow, the trail had sharp ice spikes and was very slippery.
In the best interest in the dogs safety we now haven't run in 10 days.
According to the long range weather forecast, there is little snow expected for at least another week.
This is very unusual for up here as the weather this year has truly been different!
The video above is of the "A" Team running on the 8th of December.
Awaiting snow!
Until the next.......