and the Highway Never Ends.
OK technically the Highway ends in Cantwell on one end and Paxson on the other. But while you are put there on the Denali Highway it feels like a glorious great expanse. And as we rolled along the chorus from that classic song as sung by The Highwaymen was rumbling around in my mind.
Spent a great deal of time there the last 2 weeks, and the extended training trips we have been doing out there are the main reason I have not been active online. But now we are home for a bit and I am very excited to share with you some of the beauty.
Our first trip was the weekend of Nov 28th. For this trip we took 22 race dogs as one big team, with me on the main sled and the newest addition to Dew Claw, Madeline, on a tag sled. We were joined by good friend Bill Brophy, from Usibelli Coal Mine Inc. and his son Will who had generously volunteered to haul all our gear in by snowmachine. Gear for that weekend as well as the following weekend, which was the Alpine Creek Excursion. The Excursion is the first and funnest race of the season, hosted by the Alpine Creek Lodge. They allow teams to have their gear hauled in, and thanks to Bill & Will we took advantage of that. And since we were hauling gear I decided to go all out, and packed enough for us to stay a few days and get extra training runs in. Not to mention the amazing hospitality of Alpine Creek Lodge post race.
Between the 2 trips we were able to put hundreds of miles on the dogs all the while soaking in some of the most amazing scenery Alaska has to offer. I could not be happier with how things worked out.
OK except for one thing… master planner that I am, I was so focused on making sure I had everything for the dogs to be well fed and cared for, and gear to keep Madeline and I warm and safe, that I managed to forget my camera.
But fear not, Bill is a excellent photographer and documented the entire trip we took together. I know you are going to enjoy his stunning photos! So for your viewing pleasure, the Dew Claw Dogs – proudly wearing their excellent ManMat gear, nutritional support extraordinaire thanks to Dr. Carson’s all natural supplements. Crank up “The Higwaymen” playlist in YouTube and enjoy your virtual journey with Team Dew Claw down the Denali Highway.
***warning LOTS of photos, you may want to freshen up your cup of coffee and settle in for this one***
