Montana Dogs are Tough!
November 3, 2002

Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs--Seeley Lake, MT
Jim Gallea reporting

Cecil and Don are both veterans of the 2001 and 2002 Iditarods.  They are strong candidates to run in Cindy's 2003 team.

While I visited Montana last week, my mom and I took her Iditarod dogs out for a run.  My mom, Cindy, has been putting a lot of time and energy into her team for the 2003 Iditarod, and her work is quite obvious--especially when you hook fifteen of her dogs to a four-wheeler and let them pull you over the mountains of western Montana.  I really enjoyed being able to watch our family's dogs in action once again.

Using two four-wheelers, we ran all 29 of her racing dogs simultaneously.  We like to run two teams at once because this allows the dogs to practice passing and leading each other.  During the course of the 10-mile run, we passed each other numerous times, including one "head-on" pass.  I must admit that the head-on pass didn't go as smoothly as the rest of our exercises because Otis, the wheel dog that I turned into a leader in last year's Iditarod, tried to run through the oncoming team rather than around it; but that's what training is all about!

The "ring around the collar" on my coat is very noticeable.  The dust is to blame--not the years without washing.

The training run reminded me of how tough Montana sled dogs really are.  I noted two major factors that contribute to this toughness.  First, Montana dogs are used to running in warm (~55oF), dusty conditions.  Although the temperatures have been quite cold lately (daytime highs in the 40's), literally no rain has fallen in western Montana since September.  This means that the trails are incredibly dusty--so much so that both musher and dogs return completely covered in a fine, tan powder and sporting smiles accented by a fine grit between teeth much like the mortar between bricks.  The lack of rain also means that the ditches and water holes are dry, so the dogs don't get a drink of water or a way to cool down during the runs.  Incredibly, the dogs really don't seem to mind.  They are amazing athletes, and they respond to this added difficulty with excellent attitudes and great vigor.

The second reminder to me was not a normal training condition, but rather an interesting discovery we made while I was visiting.  As I have described in some of last year's updates, we start training at very slow speeds with the dogs pulling very hard and gradually increase the speed and distance during September, October, and November.  This year, my mom has been training the dogs following the same concept, but she has noticed that her dogs haven't shown the same speed as last year.

The four-wheeler

When I was on the training run with her, I observed the same thing.  I also noticed that the four-wheeler seemed to be geared much lower than the four-wheelers we have up in Alaska.  At first I thought perhaps the dogs were not pulling very well, but a quick glance at the team told me that the dogs were working as hard as they could.  Next, I tried shifting the four-wheeler to higher and higher gears, and this worked; the dogs started to go faster and faster.  This made me realize that the problem was not with the dogs--it was the four-wheeler.  At some point in the last six weeks, someone shifted the transmission into LOW RANGE , effectively doubling the resistance.  My mom's dogs have been pulling twice as hard as they normally would have, but their attitudes are better than ever!  In my opinion, Montana dogs are just tough--that's all there is to it.

Needless to say, I am very excited about the team!  As for my mom, she's happy to know that the dogs were running slowly for a reason, and she has decided to put the four-wheeler in HIGH RANGE for the remainder of the fall.  We'll check in with Cindy in another week or so to find out how the dogs like it.

Reporting for Ultimate Iditarod,

Jim Gallea
11/03/02

© 2002 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
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