This has been another very odd winter. It
went from unseasonably warm temps and rain in December, to one
of the coldest winters I remember in a matter of a day. We
do have a little snow, and have been driving 1 hr north to Bear
Notch to get our runs in.
Our first race of the season, the Craftsbury 30
got cancelled due to lack of snow. The second race we had
planned was the Tamworth sprint, which got postponed due to lack
of snow and thin ice. Now we are in luck! The third
race we had planned, Stratford is ON this weekend, Yay!!
Originally Kelly entered the back to back 30 with the race
'veteran's, and me the back to back15 with the yearlings and
race 'rookies'. At the last minute we ended up bumping
Kelly's team down with mine in the back to back 15. Once
we got on sleds our original ideas for our race teams changed
quite a bit. We originally thought Togo & Rainy would make
the "A" team, but they did not. Looks like they need more
mature time. Viper has been great, so he moved up to the
"A" team. Anyhow, the reason we moved down is we have not
had enough back to back training runs, and our dogs were tiring
out.
Let me introduce you to our teams and how they
are doing so far this season:
NorthWapiti's Skor - Skor is so good he gives us
chills :) Karen told us he is a great lead dog, and that
he is! Fast, hard driving, very focused, gees over great.
A very cool dog! We hope his pups grow up to run like him!
A main race leader for sure!
Kelim's Super Dodge, SD, CGC
- Dodge is another main race leader. Hard working,
hard driving, never tires and our best command leader. He
isn't one of our absolute fastest dogs at the start, but over 30
miles he is one of our fastest. His speed is very steady
and consistent. Always one of the best 'moving' dogs at
the end of a run. Has great feet too!
NorthWapiti's Lincoln At Kelim, SD
- Possibly the hardest driving, fastest dog we own. A
leader, but gets distracted by things on the trail. Linc
loves to lope, and when the team settles into a trot, he is the
first one to start loping again. He loves to push the
speed. A cool dog, with a very cute personality. Has
great feet too!
Kelim-Tsuga's Quest - Quest
loves nothing more in life than to run. Hard driven, an
excellent puller with good speed. We see a lot of his dad
in him. He is having a phenomenal season so far. He
is also leading quite a bit and doing great! Quest's only
'problem' in harness is he tears up his back foot pads easily.
Kelim-Thesewoods Tracker -
Tracker gets so excited at the beginning of a run he shivers,
just like Quest. He can't wait to go! He is a very
reliable leader. He is the opposite of Dodge, where he is
very fast at the beginning of a run, but doesn't quite hold top
speed over distance like Dodge can. Still a really good
dog in harness, and a great leader!
Kelim's Dodge Viper - Viper is
by far the Star of the yearlings & rookies. He has a great
no quit attitude, with good speed and drive. Reminds us
VERY much of Dodge as a yearling - without being a leader
though. He is the only yearling/rookie to make the A team
this season.
NorthWapiti's Rainy - Rainy
really impressed us this fall on the ATV. She was hard
working and fast. She doesn't quite have that same speed
on a sled yet with the 'A' team. The more we run though,
the better she gets. This is her real first season in
harness, and we expect great things will happen for her next
season! Right now she is doing an excellent job leading
the 'rookie' team.
NorthWapiti's Togo At Kelim -
Hard driving, with seemingly endless energy. As soon as
Togo is out of the truck he is screaming to go - he can actually
be quite obnoxious - but it's a good obnoxious ;) Like
Rainy, Togo really impressed us this fall on the ATV, but still
needs time to mature with the speed on sleds. He is a
great team dog on the yearling/rookie team.
NorthWapiti's
Myst At Kelim - The youngest team
member at 14 months of age, she is a given for running on the
yearling/rookie team. Myst shows great potential, and we
can't wait for her to mature in the next few years. She is
a very serious dog in harness, and has done some leading as
well!
Kazlo's Stryder of Kelim -
Stryder is a very consistent team dog. A very easy dog all
the way around - in harness and in the kennel. He has a
very nice stride in harness. He has been in lead a few
times, he is not a leader though (not yet anyway). He and
his brother, Flutie, are also just 14 months, so also givens on
the yearling/rookie team.
Kazlo's
Flyin' Flutie - Flutie is very new
to us. So far we really like what we see! He and his
brother, Stryder, are also just 14 months, so also givens on the
yearling/rookie team.
Tsuga's HollyWood of Kelim -
Holly is having a great season! At 8 years of age, she
doesn't have the top end speed the other dogs do, but she loves
to run and is driven to go. She will be racing on the
yearling/rookie team this season as a back up leader.
Sibersong's Decal At Kelim -
Decal has had lots of lead training this fall. Sometimes
great, sometimes distracted and goofy. She will be leading
the yearling/rookie team this season. She is the oldest
member of that team.
Kelim's Fast & Furious - Fury has
good speed and likes to run, but isn't quite as driven as the
other yearlings. She gets distracted easily. Not
sure she will race this season or not.
