Spanky
“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”
? Frank Herbert
And for the 2015 Colony Glacier Dog Camp the story stopped on September 2 when 26 dogs and I flew down to the Palmer Airport and our season was officially over. The dogs came down in 2 trips on a fixed wing plane. Gear went back to the lodge by helicopter in multiple loads. Including some impressive sling loads. We had been packing and sending down as much as we could in advance to make the take down easier. But with 32 dogs and 2 people there was a lot of gear and supplies that we needed until the day we left. In spite of that we made quick work of tear down when the time came. My co-worker Gus Gunther and I were joined by our friend and fellow Iditarod musher Justin Savidis on the last few days and it was great to have his company and the extra help.
I am back on green ground with the dogs taking a break and relaxing before we start up with fall training. There is plenty of work to be done, and the clock is ticking (Only 172 days!) so I better get on it! The plan was to write a huge long blog about glacier life, but current life is demanding. So for the moment I am going to let the pictures do the talking. Here are some photos from the last days of dog camp. They really do not do justice to the place ~ it was amazing, and extreme. On glorious days with sun resonating all around and bluer that blue skies it was as beautiful as it was unforgiving in bad weather and storms.
Dog Camp as seen from the helicopter as I fly down for my days off.
The dogs and I had a great time meeting so many guests to Alaska and introducing them to the sport we love. Want to thank the Knik River Lodge, Peter & Eva, for giving me this opportunity. Also have to say that Tanalian Aviation has great pilots! Josiah, Abby, Mark, you are awesome. But Jairus Duncan* was our main link to the world and we came to depend on him for everything from news and fuel to chocolate and coffee. And along with his responsibilities as Helicopter Pilot he also did a great job of handling mushers and dogs when needed, Mush Thanks. Justin Savidis & Rick Casillo also get mush thanks for stepping in and making ‘days off’ a reality. And to my co-worker extraordinaire Gus Gunther, can not thank him enough for all he taught me about living on a glacier, and his total commitment to doing right by the dogs. He works like an animal and has this ability to always make you laugh at the right time. And when I was down on ground after my surgery I worried about my job, the stress I was causing my boss, and Gus having to deal with everything while I was sick. But I never worried about the dogs, cause I never doubted that Gus would take excellent care of them. Thank You Gus.
*he is also a great photographer and has shots of the dog camp this summer on his facebook page.
**And speaking of photos:
Moon making her first appearance of the fall.
Wizard talking to me.
Gus in camp.
Relaxing in the evening after dinner.
Where we lived.
Yuki, Sue, & Chase Um
Getting ready for tours on a brisk morning.
The sleds we used, the main sled with 2 seats and a tag sled pulled behind it.
Took some work for me to convince Sparrow to share the cot.
It wasn’t always gray, these were taken a bit earlier on what we called a ‘bluebird day’.
“Glaciers are delicate and individual things, like humans. Instability is built into them.” Will Harrison
“It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are… than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise.” Henry David Thoreau
“To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.” John Muir
- Thanks Y’all ~ it was a great summer!
