A Year Ago This Time

I had just arrived home from my teaching job in Europe. My dogs had been happily residing with Karen Yeargain of Tumnatki Siberians and I was to reunite with my team at La Pine State Park, Or., where there was a fall warm-up weekend going on. I parked outside the staging area having decided to walk in and see where everyone was, and where I could park a truck and trailer. The first dog I saw was my first Siberian, Storm, on the front of Karen's truck with a couple of the others. He must have spotted me way before anyone else did because suddenly he perked up, started braying and dancing on his front feet back and forth, staring at me as I approached. This immediately got the other dogs stirred up, as they looked at him and then at me, back and forth almost in disbelief as if to say "is it really her???" By the time I reached the truck the noise was deafening as the dogs were hurling themselves at the end of their lines, all trying to be the first to put a paw on me. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even recognize Ellie, that I even walked right past her, because she had matured from the gangly, skinny teenager into a lovely young adult in my absence. After a joyful reunion, fall training started that day, hard and heavy. I was hoping that the kinetics of muscle memory would carry the team through a very fast and furious start to the season, and one I wouldn't recommend on a normal basis. It did, and at this time one year ago the dogs had 31 miles on them in the space of a week. I started an aggressive training schedule in order to catch up quickly and make our goals for the season.

One year later things look quite different. I've added a few new members to the team and retired two dogs to the Solberg Retirement Spa for Sleddogs.

Right now the team has 137 miles (approximately 220 km) of good solid training on them. Our hill runs are presently 7 miles, I've just upped our distance runs to 13 miles, and we are getting out 3 times a week.

So without further ado, and appearing in the order in which they arrived in my life, I'd like to introduce you to the 08/09 team......

Jovo: At 7 years old, Jovo runs in wheel.

Impi: Always the cheerleader! At 5 years old he has been

a main leader since he was a yearling. Impi also runs

point, team and wheel.


Chip: Rookie

leader, 5 years old and will run wheel, team and point.

Ellie: Leader in training, running also team and point.

She is 3 years old

The youngest, River. Running point

Stryder: Happy Birthday big guy!

3 years old, solid wheel dog



Hilda: Main leader, running single or double lead.

She is 7 years old.

And last, but certainly not least, normally main leader KitKat (7 yrs) is currently a healthy scratch and benched for the majority of the season while she raises the next generation of team members!