OK, my well thought out plan to work my butt off this summer has been replaced by a last minute plan to get my appendix out this summer. This is often the case with my plans, they do not always work out the way I envision them, and yet somehow they work out. And even though I am very sad to be missing work days on a short summer season I am forever grateful that I was flown down and got the medical attention I so badly needed*.
Dogs enjoying a sunny day on the glacier
I am also forever grateful to the folks at Knik River Lodge for being so supportive while I am healing. Especially fellow musher Gus Gunther who stayed on the glacier the entire time I was down making sure that my dogs got the same level of care and attention they would if I was there.
Laughter & Good Friends, always the best medicine.
Since I was stuck on ground anyway I decided, hey why not go in person to the Iditarod sign up picnic. To be honest I had not been around that many people in a long time, and was still feeling a bit off from surgery. So I stuck to the edges and was not as bubbly as usual. But even with that, it was great to see friends and I was enjoy feeling the slightly nervous and excited feeling I get in my stomach every time I sign up. The early sign up picnic signals the start of another season of racing. And adding my name to the list of 2016 Iditarod mushers pretty much cements my future plans and goals. No question about what this woman is going to be focused on this winter.
Joanne Potts announcing the draw order for mushers who sign up the first day at the Iditarod picnic
And great news, returning Dew Claw Team Members Deb & Hunter Davis (sponsoring Nome checkpoint) and Carol & Don Hand (sponsoring Galena checkpoint) signed up early to be a part of the 2016 team. And they are joined by Trish Mercer of Georgia Travel Experts, LLC (sponsoring Rainy Pass). Also have to give Mush Thanks to my mom Nancy Bailey, and Aunt Virginia Pond, who have been on my team long before Iditarod dreams and are on board for another year of adventure.
Of course we know it is a long way to Nome, but we get there one checkpoint at a time. And there is room for you on our team, check out our Checkpoint Sponsorship program, or you can easily donate any amount using the secure paypal button on our kennel website. And please excuse me in advance if you are trying to contact me this summer. I have no internet or cell on the glacier and after posting this blog I hope to get back up there with the dogs and be offline for the majority of the rest of the summer. Folks who know me will back me up in this – I always get back to my emails, but in this situation it may take more that a little while until I do.
Also before I go back I wanted to share with you some more of my photos of glacier life. The dogs are really enjoying themselves up there, snow to run on and wonderful guest to dote on them. In addition to my photos I think you will also enjoy this Facebook Photo Album of me and the dogs at work. It was posted by Jarius Duncan, our helicopter pilot from Tanalian Aviation, I think he must have know I was missing the dogs and posted the photos for me to enjoy while I was stuck on the ground, Thanks Jarius!
And now for a few of my shots, enjoy~
Dog Camp on the Colony Glacier
My little home on the glacier.
A spur of the glacier that feeds into ours.
Sue waits happily for the next run.
We clean and groom the trail daily.
Dog lounge around relaxing in the sun.
Loving the dog days of summer at Dog Camp.
*In case you missed the facebook post and are wondering “what is she going on about?” I was flown off the glacier 2 weeks ago for what I thought was a noro virus. But it turned out my appendix was seeping and ready to blow. I was taken right into surgery and then got to spend a great deal of time recovering in Anchorage until I was cleared by my surgeon to return to work. Now cleared and ready to work, I will be headed back up to the Colony Glacier ASAP.
