by elsietee » Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:43 pm
Bruce Lee, in Kaltag, says Mitch is dealing with nicks and dings that are slowing his team down - they aren't eating as well as they could.
Joar is having to rely on younger leaders that don't have the same drive as the little female (Missie) that he had to drop.
So there are these little cracks, and the whole game plan is starting to affect the musher. That one key dog that runs 1/4 or 1/2 mile faster over 200 miles, makes a difference. Having to hold up a bit for a dog that's not eating.
They comment that Nic appears to be having that magic carpet ride.
Usually there's something going on, some "reason" why the team isn't doing right.
Says Joee Redington - who just passed and was this year's honorary musher - had a hat that said "Musher hat" and on the side it had "Excuses": "packed the wrong food", "too cold", "stayed too long", "didn't stay long enough"...
They talk about Nic and how he's relatively new to the sport (compared to some of the old timers/mushing families) and that he takes every little tidbit of knowledge from anyone he talks to.
Says Nic puts in a ton of time building rapport with the dogs. Doesn't spend as much time with equipment or a job or building a house of whatever. The dogs' eyes are constantly tracking him, focused on him.
That, says Bruce, to him, gets away from the "science" of dog mushing, and into the "art". Nic has that gift with this group of dogs.
They talk about how those dogs are having so much fun.
Anyone who saw Nic's team coming into Kaltag (at 12 mph. Bruce said it was hands down the BEST dog team he has EVER seen coming into Kaltag) can't say this is abuse.
Apparently Matt Hall is in to Kaltag and his dogs were barking like crazy, wanting to keep going...
"You can't push a 60 ft rope".
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elsietee AT ponyhill DOT org
Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, CA
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