Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Here we'll stuff all those things we want to keep for later reading. Like the "Ask the musher"-series.

Suggestions for topics to be moved here are welcome!

Moderators: fladogfan, libby the lab, mira, mamamia, sc-race-fan

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby JeanieB » Sun Apr 07, 2013 7:04 pm

Wow, Karin, really enjoying the depth of the answers, also. Along with several other BSSD Buds, was hoping to meet you in Nome in 2010, after being on a Iditarod support group online with your Mom, and running into her in Anchorage in 2008 and Nome in 2010. So sorry that was not to be. I also love the questions asked so far.....Heidi has some that I had also, so look forward to hearing your answer to those.

A couple of others: 1) What do you eat during the race? I know some mushers keep it very simple, while others have amazing meals. And, what tricks do you use to stay awake?

2) Who do you think is the most underrated team running the Iditarod, teams that are not mentioned much in the media but are among the greats to other mushers.

Thanks so much for joining us and taking so much time to feed our addictions! Here is wishing you the best in your training and racing future! :D

JeanieB
"When women reach a certain age, they begin to collect dogs. This is known as "Many - Paws""
User avatar
JeanieB
 
Posts: 1122
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 7:12 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby intensekarin » Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:52 pm

what bloodlines are in your kennels?
My most athletic dog ever is Fly. He goes back through Diana Moroney, to Dean Osmars line, including Red Dog. I have bred him to:
Angel (similar blood lines), and got Chase, Aberdeen, Trouble, Harp and others
a Bill Cotter dog named Amelia, and got 4 of my best dogs, Hatchet, Razor, Cutter, and Chisel
and lately a Paul Gebhardt dog we call Scotch (who also goes back to Red Dog), and got Elway and some other pups that look like they are really going to be superstars

do you train all year round or do you have a few months off over summer for the dogs to rest?
we take the summer off. I think the dogs need time to recover from all those little aches and pains that can develop into chronic problems. I need the time off to get some things done around here! They get bored, but they can't run too far in the summer anyway, due to the heat. We do let them loose in the dog lot to play every day (not all at once!) and I often take a few with me down to the creek.

when do you start your training runs and what sort of miles in what sort of time frame do you look to do?
We try to start at the beginning of September, but it depends a lot on the temperatures. If it is over 40 degrees (F) it seems like they overheat and we spend more time cooling off. At that point it isn't doing much good for conditioning, and we really don't need any practice hooking up. We do 5 mile runs to start. We'll do 2 or 3 runs at a certain distance, and then increase by about 50%. I like to stick for awhile at 10 miles. We take Monday and Fridays off (gotta do the grocery shopping and get my laundry done!). Once we hit 20 miles, then we start running longer on weekends, but no more than 20 mid-week (gotta get to bed).

when training on your four wheelers, what sort of pace/mph do you keep the dogs at?I keep them around 10 mph, regardless of terrain (unless they could risk an injury) It can be really bouncy for me! They aren't pulling a whole lot of weight on the sleds, so I don't think they need to be like body builders out there, pullling like crazy to move a heavy fourwheeler. I'd rather they learn a certain pace that becomes their natural speed. I may rethink this for next year - it worked well for us in the past, but I may need to change things up a bit. We do weight pulls on some days though, where I don't assist them at all, and they even have to pull against the engine.
intensekarin
 
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:51 pm
Location: Willow, AK

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby intensekarin » Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:36 am

what is your favorite checkpoint (for any and all reasons) along the entire Iditarod route? Your least favorite?

I've been waiting for this one!

There are a few checkpoints I really like.

Nikolai - one of the friendliest villages. As soon as you are parked they bring your drop bags, straw, and fuel right to you. They have wood fired vats of water going for the dogs, and a warm meal up at the school, along with a quiet, warm, dark place to sleep. Nikolai is always nice. This year I asked if anyone could find me some hose clamps. Before I even had my dogs fed, a local showed up with 30 or more to choose from. He asked a few questions about the damage to my sled, disappeared, and then a few minutes later came back with a broken ski pole from the trash pile that he though would make a better splint than the branch I was using.

Takotna - I have always taken my 24 here. They treat you like royalty. They have wood fired vats of water in several locations for the dogs. They have several nice places to sleep. They have incredible food. It is generally pretty quiet and low key here, even with all the teams that 24 here.

Ruby - So very pretty here, a picturesque little village perched on the side of the hills overlooking the River. They have made real efforts to make this a nice place to stop, and I felt very welcomed and taken care of last year, when I came in dehydrated and shaky.

Unalakleet - A few years ago Middy Johnson ran Iditarod and saw what other checkpoints were doing. He came home to Unk and made some drastic changes. The markers coming in are vastly improved. There is now a dedicated crew keeping water hot right down by the dog lot. They bring the straw, Heet, and bags right to you. They have great food for mushers - this year the checker told me as I was signing in that Middy would like to know my breakfast order. They have walled off some sleeping cubicles with cots and mattresses. It is really friendly and an easy place to take care of dogs.

Koyuk - It's a great little village and full of friendly people and really interested local kids. They have a quiet dark place walled off with tarps for us to sleep. The thing I love most about Koyuk, though, is that when you get there you are off the sea ice, usually one of the most miserable runs of the race.

White Mountain - It's a good checkpoint. The thing I remember the most is that the checkers here have so much fun. They always have a theme, and the place is decorated accordingly. Last year it was something about Chinese New Year (I think).There were individually decorated rainbow colored dragons hanging all over the community center. One year they made a cake and shared with everyone.

There aren't really any bad checkpoints. There are a few places with 'quirks':
Rohn - the main thing I always remember about Rohn is, as soon as you pull up to your parking spot, the checkers are always screaming at you to get your leader hook and secure the front of your team. They do it to everyone who comes in. Which is wierd, because that is basically the first thing that we do, that we always do, at every checkpoint. Except this is the only place where the checkers seem to think we need to be told to do it. Just odd. Rohn is beautiful. You can choose to walk 1/4 mile, slide down a steep bank to a creek, and haul cold water back. Or you can choose to melt snow. I always melt the snow. This is my third rest of the race, and I always seem to fumble around and I'm really inefficient here. The fatigue is really starting to hit, and it seems like it takes another few runs to start working by instinct.

Shageluk - very comfortable and hot water from a tap in the Washeteria. Lots of friendly kids who are excited to see the teams. This year there was a big festival going on - lots of snow machine traffic, lots of drinking. On the plus side, there was a pretty good band playing most of the night. I've never done my dog chores to live music. I didn't have any trouble with all the local activities, but I guess it was a real challenge for the volunteers to keep things safe for the teams.

Kaltag - it has a reputation for being unfriendly or even unsafe, and there is usually a LOT of snow machine traffic moving at a high rate of speed right near the dog teams. A couple of times the community building where we can sleep was darn cold. I've never had a problem there, and have had several interesting conversations with locals who told me about the teams they had growing up. This year it seemed especially welcoming. As I pulled up the bank off the river, 4 different groups of people came out on their porches or onto the street to welcome me. It was really nice.
intensekarin
 
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:51 pm
Location: Willow, AK

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby intensekarin » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:15 am

What would we be surprised to learn you carry with you on a long race?
I don't think anything is too surprising. Mostly just essentials like anyone else. But... if you really want to know the nitty gritty details, this is something that may surprise a few. Running Iditarod is really hard on the body. For women, you can count on it messing up your cycle completely. So I am always prepared for that, regardless of where I am on my calendar. There - that was pretty gracefully put for an awkward topic. ;)

Who were you most excited to meet for the first time on any of the races you've done?
I think I know just about all the mushers pretty well by now. The only time I was ever sort of 'star struck' is before I ran dogs, and Ray Redington invited me to his kennel and took me out on a 50 mile run the week before Iditarod. We took his final 16 pick, and he even let me drive the team for many miles. It took me a long time to pick my jaw up off my boots.

What other musher has been the most influential in your mushing career and why?
I really learned how to train, handle a sled, and prepare a team for Iditarod when I handled for Diana Moroney. Also, I bought her yearlings and one of those, Fly, has become the foundation for my kennel.

What's the worst advice anyone has given you regarding mushing?
Hands down worst advice EVER went something like this (very knowledgeable race official last year in Shaktoolik): "When you are about 10 miles from Koyuk, the trail will get a little rough, and there won't be anymore markers. You'll be able to see the lights of Koyuk by then, so just head for the lights and you won't have any problems." So I got to a place where there weren't any markers in any direction, and I figured this is it. I headed straight for the lights. It was definitely rough trail. It got rougher and rougher, and pretty soon I was guiding the team in a crazy spiraling curlique between blocks of jumble ice the size of two story buildings, around 30 foot ridges, humongous drop offs, and over terrain that I didn't think it was possible to take a team. All the while, we were working through a white out with the wind howling sideways and shoving the team westward. I wasn't sure what would happen if we ran into open water or an obstacle we couldn't get around. It took us hours, but we eventually came out on the other side. Apparently the trail had taken a 90 degree right hand turn to go around the jumble ice, but all the markers had blown away. I learned a lot of good things about my dogs on that run!

What's the best compliment you've ever received while on a race?
Any time someone compliments my dogs it makes may day!

If you ever take a vacation away from Alaska, where do you like to go?I went to Maui once - I am not good at laying around. I would really like to go skiing - back to Colorado or to Jackson Hole. Dreaming big - foreign travel, almost anywhere. Neither of these things are likely to happen as long as we have dogs.
intensekarin
 
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:51 pm
Location: Willow, AK

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby intensekarin » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:46 am

Do the other dogs ever come in?
All the time. They love it! We usually have a dog-of-the-week during summer. We like them to be comfortable in the house and learn things like windows can't be jumped through, ceiling fans are ok, jumping up on your doghouse outside is good but jumping on top of the counters and tables inside is not, etc. Having dogs inside gives us more one-on-one time. It is great for dogs with injuries to come in where it is warm, and we get lots more opportunities to massage and stretch them. We've had 4-5 dogs at a time in overnight for various reasons. Kind of a zoo!

do you have a "favorite" or "favorites"?
Absolutely. It is always the one I am currently petting. :)

Do ya'll have any other animals?
Nope. I gave up other pets along with all my previous hobbies and sports when I got into dogs.

And I know the general policy is that most dogs aren't race ready until 3-5 years of age, but after your experience with a young leader this year, has your viewpoint on that changed?
I generally won't push a yearling hard, and I base everything off how they are doing and feeling. By the time they are 2 my dogs are usually pretty experienced and tough. I don't think my opinion on that changed much - it just so happened that Elway had a great time and went farther than expected.
intensekarin
 
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:51 pm
Location: Willow, AK

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby intensekarin » Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:02 am

What do you eat during the race?
I've written a novel on this subject (OK, 2 pages ) http://blueonblackdogs.com/documents/FoodandDrinkontheTrailforthemusher.pdf

What tricks do you use to stay awake?
moving around can help (dancing on the runners). No-doze helps, but only for about an hour if I am truly sleep deprived. If I take another one it makes me jittery and shaky and the crash is awful. 5 hour energy has a better, calmer alertness, but does absolutely no good if I am really sleep deprived. You learn to doze on your feet and be ok with it. You can pretty much feel any change in how the dogs are moving or the trail, and that will alert you to pay attention.

Who do you think is the most underrated team running the Iditarod
Jessie Royer. She is always competetive. She is always top 20, sometimes top 10. You hear all about the other top end female mushers all the time, but hardly anyone ever mentions Jessie, even when she beats all the others.
intensekarin
 
Posts: 69
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:51 pm
Location: Willow, AK

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby txbennett » Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:24 am

From Erin on the Iditarod Facebook site:

Iditarod Trail Committee

14 minutes ago.

The BSSD IditaProject Forum invites you to join in their "Ask the Musher" blog with Veteran Iditarod Musher Karin Hendrickson.

Go to: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2643

:D :D :D
User avatar
txbennett
 
Posts: 964
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:03 am
Location: Round Rock Texas

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby tanglefoot » Tue Apr 09, 2013 1:48 pm

thanks for the great replies karin!

can i be greedy and ask a couple more?

ok, so whats your moto, or your manta you run your dogs by? where did it come from and why :)

have you everr tried any other forms of sled dog sport? sprint, skiijor, etc?

the all time funnest story you've either had or heard along the trail :)

thanks again

matt
Believe in your dog team and your dog team will believe in you. – Frank Turner
TANGLEFOOT SLED DOG RACING TEAM
User avatar
tanglefoot
 
Posts: 4570
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:41 pm
Location: cotswolds england uk

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby fladogfan » Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:36 pm

Cool report txbennett and way to go to our Erin too!!! Thanks to you both :D
I Hope some fb folks will come join in the fun.
All my children have four feet and fur.
User avatar
fladogfan
 
Posts: 7388
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2008 10:08 am
Location: Central Florida

Re: Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

Postby Di* » Tue Apr 09, 2013 3:20 pm

Hi Karin,
Forgive me if you've already answered this question...the name of your kennel....I know it is from a Kenny Wayne Shepherd song/album right?
I can't remember where I learned this (our forum maybe?) but after hearing about it I checked out his music and am a huge fan of him now too! :D Can you tell the story of how it came to be your kennel name?
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit with us and answer our questions Karin :)
Dogs...What they lack in manners, they make up for in Sincerity!
User avatar
Di*
 
Posts: 713
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:02 am
Location: Minnesota

PreviousNext

Return to Archive

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests

cron