Ask the Musher - KARIN HENDRICKSON

[Moose]

I was hoping you wouldn't mind a little intro humor, Karin. There's just something about stories of snow hook fails and near fails that gets the heart pounding, the brow sweating, and the mouth formed in a painful "Oooh" or a relieved "Phew". Hook stories and smashed sled stories--yours are some of the best.

Okay. Since we're talking about handlers, are there generalizations you can make on male vs. female handlers? Not necessarily as housemates, but when it comes to the dogs?

Though there are exceptions, there's something about sled dogs generally that has always fascinated me. Most live in the boonies without much opportunity for what more urban dog owners call socialization. Yet from a distance they appear to be accepting, accommodating, resilient. They're examined, poked and prodded by multiple vets, hauled for miles in sleds behind snow machines, they dodge armored vehicles on training runs, and--my favorite--they're photographed peacefully sitting in sacks in propellered Iditarod air force planes flying between checkpoints. Is it temperament you breed for or is it training that results in their seemingly easy malleability?

[intensekarin]

I'm back for more...
"a little more about you and your life outside of racing sled dog". Funny thing is, I really don't have a life outside of dogs anymore. I don't have kids, or any plans for them. My husband, Varan, and I were married in 2006. It was a small ceremony, just us, 3-4 close friends, our mothers, and 30 or so dogs. We drove out to the big birch trees at mile 3 on the Iditarod trail on a frosty January day. Great pix on our website! Varan and I both work full time, year-round, so we really rely on having good help, and we are both pretty good at putting off sleep until Spring. More on Varan in a later answer, but he is a heck of a musher and an equal part of this dog team. I spoke earlier about my job. We live north of Willow, and my job is in Wasilla - it's a 55 mile drive each way. Between the commute (believe me, I don't let snow and ice and blizzards slow me down much), and my job, I only have a few hours each day to get anything done. I generally do 2 hour runs after work, and long runs on weekends. You'd think we'd relax and do more fun (other fun) stuff in the summer, but that is the only time we have to get in firewood, do household maintenance, equipment repair, etc. Here's my master list of "Must Do" for the summer - just what I've thought of so far:
rebuild dog boxes on trailer
6 cords firewood, felled, bucked, hauled to house, split, stacked
four wheeler and snowmachine maintenance (oil change, brake adjustment, etc)
repair fourwheel drive on Foreman
Strip, stain, and seal logs (exterior of house)
cut and replace 3 stanchions on race sled
order new sled and sled bag
order new boots
get the septic pumped!
repair boiler
build new whelping box
rebuild fence on bitch pen
install water filter
write trail notes for Iditarod 2013
sponsor proposals and outreach

geez - I better get off this computer and get busy!

[intensekarin]

"Curious to know how your kennel has grown and progressed since you first started it? How many dogs do you now have?"
My kennel is pretty static. That means I keep dogs around. So I almost have all the same dogs now as I did my rookie year. A few of my dogs have moved to retirement homes, and we lost Scooby last year to cancer, and Azure to a freak infection. We have a few new pups, and I borrow fewer dogs now than I used to, but mostly, its the same dogs. I currently have 33 dogs total. One is a pit bull (he is not much good at distance, but boy does he believe with his heart and soul that he is a sled dog!). Three are 8 month pups. Three are just over a year and shouldn't have been on my race roster, but made it anyway by virtue of being amazing athletes! I have a few dogs that are getting up there in age (Alis just did her last race - she is almost 10 and she deserves to retire). If you figure usually about 1/3 of dogs will have some injury or other during the season, that means you really need at least 24 active race age dogs in training at the beginning of the season to have 16 in March. That doesn't leave you with any spares or options. I guess what I am trying to say is, a few more race dogs would be a good idea, sports-wise. Money-wise, well, it wouldn't be wise.

[intensekarin]

"wondering if Varan plans to run the Iditarod in the future and if both of you will run it together someday"
Varan helps train the team and puts lots of miles on the sled and four-wheelers. He has also done quite a few mid-distance races. He is great with the dogs and really athletic on the sled. But he doesn't really enjoy racing, so I doubt he will do many more races except in support of getting the team ready. He says he isn't crazy enough to run Iditarod.

[intensekarin]

"Did you work at Martin's kennel when you moved to Alaska? Did you work at other kennels?"

My first year in Alaska, I handled for Vern Halter. That was the last year he raced Iditarod. I worked really hard, got to run yearlings, had to figure most things out on my own, and learned to drive a sled - sort of. I became intimately aware of many of the trees on that trail.

The next year I handled for Diana Moroney. That was the last year she raced Iditarod, too. I'm not too sure what to make of that. I worked really hard, got to run dogs a lot, and learned more than I could have hoped for. I got to run the Tustumena 200.

The next year I realized I couldn't afford to keep working for free, dogs were too expensive, and mushing would take over my life if I let it. I tried to go straight. It was awful.

My fourth year in Alaska Varan and I made a very carefully thought out decision to build our own kennel.

[intensekarin]

"do you have a personal preference for the Northern or the Southern Iditarod Route? Does the Race Route for a particular year affect your planning, training, drop bag contents and dog selection for the differing Mid-Race"

I have traveled over the Southern Route 3 times now, but have only seen the Northern Route once. The routes are pretty similar actually. Leaving Ophir you travel a long way over rolling hills and open valleys to either Iditarod or Cripple. From there, you climb steep hills towards either Shageluk or Ruby. Then there is a long river run back to Kaltag.

But I do think I like the Northern Route better. The trail between Cripple and Ruby is spectacular. The river is broken up into smaller segments on the Northern Route, which is good for mental health (mine and the dogs). And going down wind on the river is a huge advantage. Although I only saw wind on the river once, it was more than enough to convince me that a tail-wind is a wonderful thing. (That was my rookie year in 2009 - the wind played havoc on teams all up and down the trail, turned Jeff around on the sound, and changed the outcome of the race)

In my race planning, I break the race up into various legs, based on how fast I think we will travel over a given section and how far it is between checkpoints. Being a tiny bit of the techie-geek persuasion, I have it all plugged into a spreadsheet, so I can play with different speeds, distances, and rest times. Anyway, the plan doesn't change too much regardless of route.

I have a really limited selection of dogs. By the time I get to March, I usually only have a few alternates to choose from anyway, so I don't have to worry about picking the right dogs for the conditions or trail. I just pick the dogs I have left.

[intensekarin]

"are there generalizations you can make on male vs. female handlers?"

I don't think I have seen any real differences, in terms of work ethich or connnection with the dogs.

[intensekarin]

regarding dogs "Is it temperament you breed for or is it training that results in their seemingly easy malleability?"

I'd say it's both. Most of us don't breed dogs that are obviously spooky or agressive.

But mostly it is just experience. Many people think sled dogs live in isolation and aren't socialized, but the opposite is true. They live in large, well adjusted packs of dogs. Yes - well adjusted. They have to be, or it would be non-stop mayhem. Our dogs are frequently let loose to run around, play, and interact.

Even when they are on their chains, they can play and interact with dogs near them, and are completely aware of everything going on in the lot. If a dog steps over its chain, every single dog in the lot will pitch a fit. Even those on the opposite side of the kennel are completely aware of what is happening with their pack-mate.

We go to races where they interact with sometimes literally thousands of strange dogs, and they have to know how to get along there too. Compared to the average pet dog, who has to adjust to only one or a few pack members, and maybe learns to cooperate with a handful of others if they go to a dog park, a sled dog is much more well adapted to social interactions with other dogs.

The same is true when it comes to being handled by strangers or traveling or coping with strange new situations. This is the norm for a sled dog. They take their cues off each other and from me, and they learn to take everything in stride.

Another thing that helps these dogs adjust to things easily probagbly has to do with how they are perceived and treated by their mushers. I take my responsibilities for my dogs very seriously, and I provide them the best care available. I love them, with a bond that I have never felt with any pet dog before. But I don't consider my dogs to be my 'babies' or my 'children'. They are team mates. I don't coddle them. These guys? Come on! They are tough, determined, stoic sled dogs. To treat them as pseudo-infants is insulting. I know they can deal with new experiences, and my confidence that they will be fine means that they generally are. If I were to soothe and encourage and fuss over them each time something potentially scary happened, it would just confirm to them that something scary was happening. Being matter of fact and trusting them to be fine tells them that they are fine. Not to say I don't spend plenty of time babying my dogs if they are sick or hurt or something truly scary has happened. See my January 15, 2010 post on my website for more soap box on this subject...

[mira]

Thanks for your great and lengthy answers

I'm really impressed you are able to do what you do, full time job with that long commute, training the dogs, running Iditarod.

Regarding Iditarod (2013), what was the worse and best moment/experience?

( and just have to mention, I read your bio at iditarod.com that you used to do telemark skiing previous dogs.. that was a surprise.. it's nothing like some nice turns in good snow condition )

[intensekarin]

"Regarding Iditarod (2013), what was the worse and best moment/experience?"

Worst part: hearing the crunch of stanchions shattering, and the stress that followed as I tried to figure out if I could salvage the race. My mind was racing as I tried to figure out if I could cobble things together. My mind was really spinning out, all while I worked frantically. It was pretty grim.
Best part: managing to patch that sled up and make it all the way to Nome. fter a few hundred miles I quit worrying about it. I'm still not worrying about it - I haven't replaced those stanchions yet, and we're still running dogs.

Worst part: running in the rain on the way to Eagle Island and watching the dogs stagger through the punchy, cratered trail. I was soaked and miserable as I tried to sleep in the tent for a few hours, and I had to drop 3 dogs due to injuries from that trail. I do NOT like running in the rain!
Best part: hmmm - not seeing a best part on this one!

Best part: watching my dogs perk up and pull harder across the dismal Norton Sound every time I sang to them.
Worst part: having to sing for HOURS to keep them happy!

Worst part: dragging my dogs into shin deep, then knee deep, then thigh deep, then crotch deep creeks, then unsnarling the huge mess on the other side
Best part: watching the dogs turn into crazy energizer freaks, rolling and writhing around on the other side, so excited by their ice-water baths and full of energy that I almost couldn't hold on. They didn't want to get wet, but oh boy they were wildly happy after their baths!

Best part: The people on the trail, from villagers who helped me with more hose clamps for my sled, to long time checkers who great you like long lost friends, to the other mushers that you run with and learn from. This year I got to run quite a bit with Linwood, and that was such a treat.

Worst part: having so few dogs that I had to add in Elway, a 14 month old pup who wasn't really old enough to make the team. I planned to let him run until he got tired. Once he quit having fun, I planned to send him home.
Best part: Watching Elway as he led us through the final miles into Nome

Best part: That lump that I always get in my throat when we top out on Cape Nome and it's so close we can almost taste it. That lump is 1 part overwhelming beauty of the land, 1 part sorrow that it's almost over, 1 part total fatigue, and about 10 parts pride in my dogs

Best part: kind of the whole thing? I love being out there, I love running those trails, I love spending that much concentrated time with my dogs, I love the people on the trail.