elenamarie Posted March 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Just stumbled accross this picture from the event, how happy do they look!!! [ATTACH=full]41233[/ATTACH] Love it! Siberian heaven! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 elenamarie Dave You might enjoy this vid of Karen talking about her sibes on the trail and some of the differences between the sibes and the alaskan huskies.... (her bloggers call this "a blast from the past" so it's not a recent vid, but informative and interesting. Was on Discovery...) http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/iditarod-siberian-huskies-the-classics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 elenamarie Dave You might enjoy this vid of Karen talking about her sibes on the trail and some of the differences between the sibes and the alaskan huskies.... (her bloggers call this "a blast from the past" so it's not a recent vid, but informative and interesting. Was on Discovery...) http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/iditarod-siberian-huskies-the-classics.html[/quote] Oh I love it! Thank you so much for the link! I'm still thinking about that thread, but my part would be observation and logic as I've no direct experience. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Well it's getting interesting out there. From the Iditarod website: http://iditarod.com/1am-wed-takotna-mushers-rest-in-takotna-for-24-hour-mandatory/ Aliy Zirkle continues to maintain steady pace into Takotna, followed by a determined (dogged) group of front runners. <snip> About 11Pm Aliy Zirkle arrives Takotna, where she is promptly asked to sign the check in sheet. An official asks to check gear. Aliy chats with the crowd gathered to greet the first musher while zipping open her sled bag displaying axe, vet book, booties, sleeping bag, cooker, etc. I was not aware that the musher was required to display a cache of “extra†dog foodâ€â€a change in the rules. Previously, the musher was required to start the run to the next checkpoint with an extra ration, but now one is required for the unplanned delayâ€â€snow storm, lost trail, and other. Thinking about the schedule since Sunday, one believes the mushers to be exhausted. Aliy, however, is sharp as she closes her sled bag and prepares to park the dogs. Someone in the crowd wonders why she has not declared a decision to take a 24 hour break. The rules now do not require a declaration. She merely has to document that she stayed for the required time in the checkpoint. True, mushers are actually different in trail times because they left the starting line in staggered times. Therefore, mathematical geniuses compute the adjustment and add the time to the 24 hour mandatory. Ray Redington (he started number 2) actually has to wait 26 hours plus before departing, while his brother Ryan (he started 67) starts around 24 hours. It’s all been worked out. As leader, Aliy gets to choose the parking spot. She asks to park behind the community center, only fifty steps or so from the entrance. Good choiceâ€â€-the wind is broken by the building, and Aliy is close to a place to sleep and eat. <snip> John Baker, then Mitch Seavey, Jeff King, et al arrive in a tight knot about a half-hour after Aliy. Takotna Parking Service is very busy. John Baker parks above Zirkle, while Jeff King asks to go up the hill on a snow covered road to camp. Back in the checkpoint, I grab a cup of coffee and see a team of trail breakers at the table eating. They are waiting for word from the race judge. If a musher decides to bolt from the pack and continue on the trail to Ophir and then Cripple, they will crank their machines to action and lead the way. Noah Burmeister, one of the trail breakers, is Aaron Burmeister’s brother. He told me they were ready to go, but hoped he could wait to see his brother arrive in Takotna. Lance has dog issues. I can't find the link but I read earlier that Lance pulled into McGrath with two dogs in the basket. If I find it I'll post it. He was 8h 29m from Nikolai to McGrath--an hour or so longer than everyone else on that section of run. ETA: http://www.iditarodforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3262&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=1170 Full transcript of Lance at McGrath Checker: “Welcome to McGrath†Lance: “How’s it going?†Pause Lance: “I’m going to stick around…long term please†Checker: “ok†Kid: “can I get your autograph†as he signs autograph checker asks: â€Âyou got two in the bag, Lance?†Lance: “yeah†Interviewer: “You’re stopping Lance for the wellbeing of your dogs?†Lance: “Absolutely, I race my team first, my competition second, I’m not out for my own personal satisfaction,†Interviewer: “Not to the determent to the dogs†Lance: “I have always said I am not going to win the Iditarod at the expense of my team.†Apparently there's a foot of new snow expected for the interior and Yukon sections of the trail. That's going to affect times. (from the Iditarod forum locals) Current standings for those we're watching: Lance 29 DeeDee 12 Karen 58 Hank 56 Martin Buser 29 Rohn Buser 35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 sutsibe There's a guy on the Iditarod forums insisting that Siberians aren't and never have been good sled dogs. :eek: Guy is making me wonder how much Iditarod Juice he's had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollynDiesel Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 sutsibe There's a guy on the Iditarod forums insisting that Siberians aren't and never have been good sled dogs. :eek: Guy is making me wonder how much Iditarod Juice he's had. He's defo had too much of something... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 'Mushing Mortician' gives mouth-to-snout CPR after dog collapses Read more here: http://community.adn.com/?q=adn/node/160134#storylink=cpyhttp://bit.ly/x1V0Em#storylink=cpy Iditarod sophomore Scott Janssen was making his way down a steep section of the Dalzell Gorge when the dog collapsed. One moment, 9-year-old Marshal was pulling hard at the sled, the tug line taut as a guitar string. The next, the husky was on the ground. “Boom! Laid right down. It was like a guy my age having a heart attack,†said Janssen, who owns an Anchorage funeral home and calls himself “The Mushing Mortician.†Janssen raced to the dog. Marshall did not appear to be breathing, he said. “I know what death looks like, and he was gone. Nobody home,†Janssen said. Dog deaths are a constant fear for Iditarod mushers and boosters. Critics point to the once-common fatalities along the trail as evidence the race is inherently inhumane. But no dogs have died in the past two years, and racers are eager to continue the trend. For many mushers, sled dogs are a some combination of co-worker and employee, friend and family member. “I was sobbing,†said Janssen, who began a kind of mouth-to-snout CPR – compressing the husky’s chest and breathing into his nose. “I really love that dog.†Marshal collapsed late Monday night as the musher navigated a famously tricky section of trail that follows Rainy Pass as mushers exit the Alaska Range. Janssen, who turns 51 on Monday, is running his second Iditarod after placing 42 of 47 finishers last year. Janssen trains with Iditarod rookie Anna Berington, running dogs from 1984 Iditarod champion Dean Osmar’s kennel in Kasilof. Marshal is likely one of the oldest. He has finished maybe half a dozen Iditarods, mainly with Kenai Peninsula musher Paul Gebhardt. This was to be the dog’s last trip to Nome, Janssen said. The musher spent the next few crucial minutes attempting a kind of dog rescue technique taught to him by Gebhardt. Janssen tucked the dog’s tongue into its mouth and held the mouth closed. “I had my mouth over his nose, breathing into his nose as I was compressing and rubbing his chest, trying to work the air out,†Janssen said. After what seemed like an eternity but was likely no more than five minutes, Janssen talked to the dog, he said. “I’m like c’mon dude, please come back.'†“And he did.†The dog suddenly hacked a breath, Janssen said. The musher said he doesn’t know why Marshal collapsed. Maybe heart arrhythmia, he guessed. Janssen carried Marshal in his sled until the Rohn checkpoint about 32 miles from Rainy Pass, breaking a runner along the way. “The vets took a look. Gave Marshal an IV, and he’s heading home,†Janssen said. “He was fine this morning. Standing around, bummed out that he wasn’t going with us.†Read more here: http://community.adn.com/?q=adn/node/160134#storylink=cpyhttp://bit.ly/x1V0Em#storylink=cpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Povodny Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Just stumbled accross this picture from the event, how happy do they look!!! [ATTACH=full]41233[/ATTACH] That is an amazing shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 ADN story on Lance's team: Day 4: While leaders pause in Takotna, Mackey stays in McGrath WEDNESDAY, 8 a.m. update -- Lance Mackey arrived in McGrath late Tuesday night with two dogs in his basket and put his race on pause there rather than chase the lead pack into Takotna. The four-time champion told Iditarod Insider that he'd take his 24-hour layover at the checkpoint, a choice none of the other frontrunners made. "I race my team first and my competition second," he said. "I've always said I'm not gonna win the Iditarod at the expense of my team." Most everyone else who has made it to McGrath has kept going another 18 miles to Takotna, where everyone appears to be settling into their 24-hour breaks. A group of 27 mushers is in Takotna. Aliy Zirkle got there first at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wade Marrs is the most recent arrival, pulling in at 7:01 a.m. No one has left the checkpoint. Mackey, who had been running with the pack pursuing Zirkle, reached McGrath at 11:19 p.m. Tuesday. If Mackey and Zirkle both complete their mandatory 24-hour layovers now, they'd be free to resume racing at roughly the same time Wednesday night, with Zirkle 18 miles ahead of Mackey. Zirkle had two dogs in her basket when she arrived in Takotna. All 66 mushers remain in the race. Besides the 27 in Takotna, three on the trail to Takota, eight are in McGrath, 13 are on the trail to McGrath, seven are in Nikolai, five are on the trail to Nikolai and three remain in Rohn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Wow, this could've been catastrophic for the dogs and the man. Linton is the Type 1 diabetic musher. Oh, and Lance Mackey's leaders decided to have a romantic interlude on the trail, and DeeDee's sled took a real beating. A near-death experience for dog in runaway Iditarod Trail team NIKOLAI -- The easy road mushers enjoyed through the first 48 hours of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog has disappeared. On the drop down the Dalzell Gorge into Rohn on the backside of Rainy Pass, and then on to Nikolai across a section of trail infamous for little snow and plenty of terrain rough with spears of spruce trees, ice and short but steep hills, the race offered a reminder that The Last Great Race is no Sunday stroll in the park. The Kenai Peninsula's Bruce Linton not only had to power himself along the trail for miles after getting knocked off his sled and separated from his team, he also nearly lost a dog in the process. The race's chief veterinarian said the animal might have made it thanks only to divine intervention. And Linton and his dog weren't the only one with problems. Veteran DeeDee Jonrowe from Willow damaged a sled severely enough that she was busily switching her gear to the backup she had pre-positioned in the village just in case. Four-time champ Lance Mackey's problem was of another sort: love. The Fairbanks musher's attempt to bolt out of here for McGrath was brought to a screeching halt when his lead dogs began mating, forcing the front-running contender to stop, wait and watch helplessly as his competitors flew past on the trail north. Seeing this sight as he got his own team under way, Tok's Hugh Neff said it best: “You gotta be kidding me!†Early Monday morning, sometime before 5 a.m., Linton crashed along a rollercoaster-like section of trail across an area once known as the Farewell Burn. The trail there is in many places narrow, the sides lined by small, brush trees that can easily rip a musher off the sled. Tired, as most mushers are by this point, Linton said he didn't correctly maneuver, resulting in a collision with "something" that banged up his shoulder, smacked his head and knocked him off the sled. The team kept going down the trail without him. After the crash, Linton said he hiked down the trail after his team for about 45 minutes or so before rookie musher Josh Cadzow came upon the scene, about two hours beyond Rohn. Cadzow picked up the walking musher, a common Iditarod courtesy. Cadzow, the smaller of the two men, let Linton drive the team while he rode on top of the sled. Linton said they went along in tandem for about an hour until his sled and team were spotted, stopped in the snow. God's looking out for him The sled bag was ripped and poles were broken, but otherwise things looked OK -- Linton thought -- until he got closer to the team. One of the dogs had become entangled in the gang-line and laid motionless with a line looped around its neck. The dog, Linton said, was "lying straight out on the ground" and appeared dead. Fearing the worst, Linton ran up to free the dog. When he disconnected the line, however, he realized with amazement that the dog, which could have choked, had actually been holding back the string of 11 others at the front of the line. Somehow, the dogs had chewed through the gang line. All that kept the rear-team dogs connected to those up front was loose line wrapped around the dog's neck. As it lay in the snow, the dog's harness was tethered to the line attached to the sled. Miraculously, the dog came through the ordeal just fine. "I can't believe none of those dogs are limping," Cadzow said as he watched Linton pull into Nikolai Tuesday. The dogs negotiated a "nasty downhill" on their own, Cadzow said, and with no one to control the sled behind he was a little surprised to see all doing so well, later. So was Linton, in awe that the nearly-choked dog who had unwittingly held the team together was no worse for the wear. "I made it thanks to you, man," he later told Cadzow, shaking his hand as hungry huskies fed nearby. Linton retold the tale of his rough morning to the Iditarod's chief veterinarian, Stu Nelson, who didn't have much to say about the dog's remarkable survival other than "God's looking out for him." A veterinarian who later checked Linton's team said all of the dogs looked fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 From the same news article above: DeeDee's trashed sled With a crash of her own in the area once known as the Farewell Burn -- an area of thick brush, rough trail and the sign of new and recent wildfires -- Jonrowe was surprised to arrive here in 16th place in the race. Her team is fast and strong, she said, one of the best she's ever had and she'd expected to have less company at the front of the pack at this point in the race. Chalk the crowd up to a year with “a lot of awesome teams,†she said as she busily transferred gear into a replacement sled. “I hit a stump and I hit a tree near Tin Creek,†she explained, running her hand over a sled so badly fractured that every layer of wood had cracked. Only the heavy plastic runner applied in Rohn held the piece together. The crash came just after her team had taken off as though “slung from a slingshot,†she said. She knocked her head hard enough in the accident that the lights on her headlamp went out. It might have provided a lesson about listening to your instincts. Friends had encouraged Jonrowe to forget about dropping her spare sled here and instead position in McGrath since conditions along the trail this year seemed so good. But for years Nikolai is where she sent the extra sled, and she chose to do so again for the 2012 race, knowing it can be a rough ride across the old Burn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 An update on Karen Ramstead's all Siberian team....from her FB page, posted an hour ago: The team has left Nikolai with all 16 pretty sled dogs!!! Should be to McGrath around 4 this afternoon..weather dependent. Took 13 hours to get from Rohn to Nikolai. Race plan was for 16 hours with a 4 hour rest at Buffalo Camp which appears she didn't need to do. Planned to stay at Nikolai for 6 hours and she stayed for six and a half. For her placing and average speed of the Pretty Curly Tails (as they are lovingly referred to by those following her!) see : http://iditarod.com/race/current-standings/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Food poisoning for Ramey Smyth's team, again from the same news story. Lots happening on the trail! Oh, and Martin and Rohn Buser left McGrath, blew through Takotna and are moving toward Ophir behind the trail breaker. At this moment Martin is in first place, Rohn in second. Interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 An update on Karen Ramstead's all Siberian team....from her FB page, posted an hour ago: The team has left Nikolai with all 16 pretty sled dogs!!! Should be to McGrath around 4 this afternoon..weather dependent. Took 13 hours to get from Rohn to Nikolai. Race plan was for 16 hours with a 4 hour rest at Buffalo Camp which appears she didn't need to do. Planned to stay at Nikolai for 6 hours and she stayed for six and a half. For her placing and average speed of the Pretty Curly Tails (as they are lovingly referred to by those following her!) see : http://iditarod.com/race/current-standings/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinville Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I believe she does. I just started following her a year ago, and honestly have read the stats somewhere, but can't recall for certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I believe she does. I just started following her a year ago, and honestly have read the stats somewhere, but can't recall for certain. Seems to offer validation for support my contention that the Alaskans just aren't as suited to the trail and such as the Sibes. One team has already dropped three dogs, and team isn't even halfway yet! I think Karen's dogs are gorgeous and well-suited to boot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Oooooo, embarassment! Same dogs that caused the delay on the trail. Lance Mackey waiting for his two lead dogs to finish mating so he can leave the Nikolai checkpoint on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Mackey was forced to wait for 45 minutes before continuing. Loren Holmes photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Time to put the new hard drive in and end the headache that has been my computer for the past week. See y'all tomorrow morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tams Teeko and Keeta Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I was chuffed the other day when one of the kids bought a book about the Iditarod from the book fair. She was dead excited to show me. I think i've created a couple of husky addicts...her and her sister (twins) even begged their mum for husky hats in the winter! They're now my lil pups on a morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollynDiesel Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Oooooo, embarassment! Same dogs that caused the delay on the trail. Poor Lance lol. Gotta be embarrasing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 You might enjoy this vid of Karen talking about her sibes on the trail and some of the differences between the sibes and the alaskan huskies.... (her bloggers call this "a blast from the past" so it's not a recent vid, but informative and interesting. Was on Discovery...) http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/iditarod-siberian-huskies-the-classics.html The lady interviewed in the video (Carol) who likens Siberians to classic cars, is who I got my first dogs from! sutsibe There's a guy on the Iditarod forums insisting that Siberians aren't and never have been good sled dogs. :eek: Guy is making me wonder how much Iditarod Juice he's had. Guess he's allowed his opinion - even if he's a complete idiot... Obviously, he hasn't read any history showing racing stats from the early 20th Century. Sorry I didn't see this earlier - I'm working at my vet's office for a while, Monday - Thursday, and my time online will be rather limited for the duration... Miss my time online, but am very happy to have work! Oooooo, embarassment! Same dogs that caused the delay on the trail. LOL - his leaders don't look very embarrassed - the male actually looks pretty please with himself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Back! Amazing what a new hard drive will do for ya! I have hours of reinstalling programs to go but couldn't wait to check in with the Iditarod and this thread. As of now the mushers we're watching are: Lance 12 DeeDee 18 Martin 5 Rohn 6 Karen 57 Hank 56 I haven't yet caught up on the race stories but will post any good ones I find. A picture of one of Karen Ramstead's teams on a training run, just because it's a great shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 The lady interviewed in the video (Carol) who likens Siberians to classic cars, is who I got my first dogs from! How cool is that! Guess he's allowed his opinion - even if he's a complete idiot... Obviously, he hasn't read any history showing racing stats from the early 20th Century. Sorry I didn't see this earlier - I'm working at my vet's office for a while, Monday - Thursday, and my time online will be rather limited for the duration... Miss my time online, but am very happy to have work! So glad you found something! Don't worry, I'm patient, I know you have a life. Guy says he's a musher. Of course on the Internet anyone can say they are anything and based on his statements about Sibes I'm guessing he's a 15 year old playing like an adult. Ya never know though. . .. LOL - his leaders don't look very embarrassed - the male actually looks pretty please with himself! I've read that Mother Nature has been an issue for several teams this year. A lot of Iditapuppies are coming out of this race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MollynDiesel Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Martin and Rohn Buser are doing really well atm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elenamarie Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Awesome video! From the 2008 Iditarod, mushers talking about the dogs and their link to the Alaskan/Arctic environment. Get through the first couple of minutes about the mushers at Ruby to hear them talk about the dogs' homecoming @ 2:57. 35863816 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.