Snowhook, Iditarod, Us
As a lot of you know, this blog and many people who come here – especially those energetic Plunderers – are big supporters of Snowhook Kennel up in Alaska, their superb racing dogs, and the wonderfully humane owners, AJ (musher) and Rebecca (CEO). The Iditarod is coming up – ceremonial start March 7 – and here’s a pre-race report from Rebecca. The photo is of AJ and team at the recent Knik 200 (where they placed a very good 4th!) and was taken by Chuck Ashley. Note the names of two of the members of the nation within on the team!
Part of racing is to be nimble and adaptive to your circumstances. It could be a missing drop bag, a broken sled, or a stomach bug—all of which AJ has experienced on the trail at least once. This year, the need to be adaptive not only holds true of what may come on the trail, but also leading up to the starting line.
The announcement earlier this week that the Iditarod restart would move from Willow to Fairbanks due to poor trail conditions was not a total surprise. AJ and the dogs faced down a race for the record books in 2014. While the dogs crossed the finish line unscathed, Snowhook’s musher and sled were beaten, battered, and broken. Not only is the change in the restart location not a surprise; it is the right call to make. With the safety of our family in mind, we find ourselves zigging when we first set out to zag.
Snowhook’s new race strategy is being drafted. Drop bags are being repacked with food and gear for dogs and musher. The details of logistics, budgets, and plans are in the process of being assessed and finalized. We zig. We zag. We adapt. We change.
What has not changed is the time, effort and care that AJ has put into training the dogs this season. His commitment to the dogs showed when the team crossed the finish line of the Knik 200 race in fourth place—not a bad showing for a musher who left the starting line of that race with getting the dogs accustomed to other teams as his main goal. Who was on the fourth place finishing team? —None other than Bernie and Iggy!
I am very proud of AJ and the dogs, very proud. As proud as I am of my musher and mutts, we are honored to have Chet and the Plunderers as part of Team Snowhook again this year.
Tags: AJ, Iditarod, plunderers, Rebecca, Snowhook
This entry was posted on Friday, February 13th, 2015 at 8:11 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
8:19 am on February 13th, 2015
Go Snowhook!! Go Team!!!
8:28 am on February 13th, 2015
Excellent report. Thank you Rebecca and Spence. Go Snowhook!
Good morning all.
8:41 am on February 13th, 2015
Bernie & Iggy are on a winning team!
Good morning to B and everyone.
Except Liz. Good evening Liz.
Off soon to get wonderfluffed ^..^
8:50 am on February 13th, 2015
Good morning, All. Egg-cellent report from Snowhook. Thank for posting it, Spencer and Admin.
We are getting SUPER egg-cited about the upcoming Iditarod. Mom cut/pasted AJ’s updates from 2 nights ago, and needs to read and re-read and commit to memory. So much new to learn. One thing will NOT be new though: Our team is the Very Best Team in the race!!! WOO HOOOO GO SNOWHOOK!
Meantime, we whet our appetites by trying to keep up on the Yukon Quest, and most especially our Siberian Husky Team Tsuga with Musher Mike Ellis. They are doing our Sibe hearts very very proud.
(whispering) Admin and Spence: There are still Snowhook dogs who remain unsponsored. Just sayin’. HEH!
8:56 am on February 13th, 2015
Good morning, Everybody.
Rebecca and Spence – thanks.
Onward Snowhook! We are so very proud of all of you.
8:56 am on February 13th, 2015
Siber-H, Team Tsuga is howling to you!
http://youtu.be/UVq4Ekm8nvM
Makes our hearts beat that much faster. GO TEAM TSUGA! In 10th Place on their way to Forty Mile Stop.
8:59 am on February 13th, 2015
Good morning all except Liz, and good night to you. So nice to hear from you last evening.
Thanks for the report, Spence and Rebecca. Snowhook is doing a lot of zigGing and zagging, on and off the trails! They are adaptable and we love them! Go Snowhook!
9:08 am on February 13th, 2015
AJ & Rebecca Write-up some Fine Descriptions & OFA is a Great Reporter of these.
O’Howlers: Loved the Howling Report with Mike Ellis & Team Tsuga from the Trail.
Our paws are crossed for the Sibe teams.
9:09 am on February 13th, 2015
Good morning, everyone! Nice to have heard from Liz. O’H, mom sings with us whenever there sirens and the harmony is superb!
We are sure it will be a fairly frantic Friday at Snowhook as they zig and zag getting ready for Fairbanks. We just hope it isn’t too frenetic 🙂 (That was a mouthful!)
9:09 am on February 13th, 2015
HOH and SiberH Mom. I was out last night so I did not see the posts until this morning. I do remember Dr. Fishbeck very well — we learned science from him in 6th grade in Albuquerque public schools via the televised broadcasts of his lectures on the local public tv station. He was quite a character. One other local tv star I remember was Dick Bills, who had an afternoon tv show with a tie in to Disney (he showed the Hardy Boys and MIckey Mouse club as part of his show). He also had his nephew perform on the show from time to time — a young fellow name of Glenn Campbell. How about that?
9:11 am on February 13th, 2015
Isn’t it amazing the links that bind us, even with the distances!
10:04 am on February 13th, 2015
Liz, it was nice to hear from you last night!
Awesome, I will be sending you an SDD. Please check when able.
10:09 am on February 13th, 2015
Wose: and it is Nice to Hear from You this Morning!
10:13 am on February 13th, 2015
Good morning all. Hi Liz! We miss you.
We had a coach once who told us “attitude will guide you. If you look at the positive, you will get through things better than if you grumble”.
That coach would heartily approve of Rebecca, AJ and Snowhook. They are ignoring the hardship in acknowledgement of the neccesity. THAT is the kind of thing that makes them winners.
Go Snowhook!
10:15 am on February 13th, 2015
Wookie&Teddy’s Dad: That is Pretty Amazing about the young Glenn Campbell Way-Back-When.
We love watching Old TV Shows. You can see Many Actors when they were just starting out in their Younger Days.
10:16 am on February 13th, 2015
We are channeling our inner Team Tsuga today. It is 5 degrees, with wind chills of -13. Are we coming into the warm house? Not these Sibes, Amigo!
10:25 am on February 13th, 2015
I’m with you Team O’Howlers. I love, love, love the cold weather. Mom and dad not so much. We had wind chills last night around zero, and the next three days are looking wonderfully chilly. Probably not as bad as you though. Although I think Mollypop’s and LouLou’s mom may be getting the worst of it from what we hear down here.
10:36 am on February 13th, 2015
Teddy RR, this cold is such misery. The temps and wind chills for the next few days may set a 50-year record.
10:45 am on February 13th, 2015
Teddy, our mom and pop do not like it so much either. Mom puts her great big Wearguard Coveralls on to go outside. And keeps her Traks on her winter hiking boots so she doesn’t fall. She is a Winter Weenie.
10:49 am on February 13th, 2015
“Winter Weinie”. tee hee
10:54 am on February 13th, 2015
Winter weinie, heh,heh. Mom is one of those too.
11:23 am on February 13th, 2015
My mom uses those trakie things too. She really likes them a lot (Zeta’s mom told her about them). My dad just wears these really great boots called Pajar, made in some place called Canada. They are terrific too.
11:24 am on February 13th, 2015
And me, true to my rough rider heritage, I just go bare paw.
11:28 am on February 13th, 2015
SiberH’s Mom – I am sad to hear that one of distant cousins is now running up in the big snowy fields across the bridge. I am sending you slobbery kisses and paw hugs for the loss of your boy. I think he is up there playing with my brother Cherokee right now.
11:58 am on February 13th, 2015
Tyb, I saw your message from last night about a donation to Snowhook in memory of Siber-H. I can’t keep track of the Whos and the Whats via the web, so if you could, please send an email to:
Snowhookdogs@gmail.com
Please let me know which Snowhook dog you would like to put the money toward. Currently, we have two dogs who are partly sponsored, and in need of more money to be fully clothed. They are:
Race Dog Natty
Otherwise Dog Coach
I will post the link to the full page in case anyone wants to fully sponsor their own dog, in another post. Why? Because we all know the Blog Rules against two links on one post. {sigh}
12:01 pm on February 13th, 2015
Link for the Snowhook Race Dogs:
http://snowhookdogs.blogspot.com
12:02 pm on February 13th, 2015
Link for the Snowhook “Otherwise” Dogs:
http://snowhooksotherwisedogs.blogspot.com
12:09 pm on February 13th, 2015
Spence & Snowhook: Congratulations to Bernie, Iggy and the whole Snowhook Team on your 4th place finish at the Knik 200!
We are all zigzagging towards the Iditarod. Repacking drop bags, figuring out strategy for a race over unfamiliar trail, getting dog trucks ready for a long haul, keep a cool head. Yeep!
LizF: Great to hear from you. Dorg has been reminding me that I promised him an Aussie dog for a friend!
12:18 pm on February 13th, 2015
I am so darn happy that our team has a new to them truck now that this race starts so far away. Can youse imagine if we had to worry about that old truck making it to Fairbanks?
12:25 pm on February 13th, 2015
Here is an article about Damon Alexander Tedford from B.C. who started mushing dogs only last October and is now running the Yukon Quest. I am amazed!
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Vancouver+enters+gruelling+sled+race/10779041/story.html
Meashka: Hooray for the new-ish Snowhook Dog Truck!
12:42 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson, Thanks for posting that article about Damon. I am impressed with that sort of courage.
Allen Moore, one of our favorites, is currently in second place, with all 14 of his dogs still racing!
12:52 pm on February 13th, 2015
Spence and Rebecca, Thank you for the Iditarod report. We are fortunate to have our own Iditarod team in the Iditarod. This is so much fun. Go Snowhook!
Howlers, Thank you for the Mike Ellis video. Howling Sibers do my heart good. I will check out all the Quest 2015 videos later today.
Tundra, Thank You, I know Cherokee and Siber are up there playing in the snow. I have noticed at the dog park that Huskies do like to hang out together.
Liz, Thank you for your kind words last night and it was great to hear from you.
I am also a winter weinie. I am ready for 100 degrees. Remind me not to complain when it gets that hot.
12:59 pm on February 13th, 2015
Awesome, responded to your SDD.
Thanks, Bear!
O’Howlers and Teddy, Count me in on the cold weather, too! All I know is that my hair and I do not like the heat and humidity. When it is too hot, I get what I call the “sweat moustache.”
1:04 pm on February 13th, 2015
Rio, I really, really love you too and your friend and Beau.
Siber really, really, loved you too. You were one of his heroes.
He learned so much from you. He was pretty much up for any schemes and adventures you planned. He was always proud to be able to say that he had a pug as a best pal.
1:32 pm on February 13th, 2015
Researching some of the new checkpoints. Here is Galena:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/17/galena-alaska-struggles-rebuild-after-yukon-river-ice-jam-causes-devastating-flood-149945
2:27 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson, Please check your SDD.
2:39 pm on February 13th, 2015
Here is a good blog to show us what is involved in making drop bags for the checkpoints:
http://www.dewclawkennel.com/blog/?p=3058
2:44 pm on February 13th, 2015
Ve know not vhat ve vill do vithout our dear Siber. He vas not best at big vedding date, but he vas alvays fun. Is true Rose Garden at Palace of Buckingham vill never be same. And is possible some of new puppy Royal Corgis had blue eyes and vore eyeliner.
Natasha has driven second best Porsche to Rainbow Bridge and left keys. Siber alvays liked that von better. Now he can drive very fast to visit friends, and pick up hot vings on vay to game of base of balls.
And Natasha vill be sending tribute to beloved friend to Snowhook.
2:52 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson, the HOH did Galena last year. What are we on the “new” route?
3:07 pm on February 13th, 2015
HOH: Ok, ok, I will stop procrastinationg and do the checkpoints right now!
3:10 pm on February 13th, 2015
Natasha, Thank You! Driving the Porsche to Rainbow Bridge was a fantastic idea. Maybe at Rainbow Bridge premium gas and oil changes are free for Huskies with Porsches. I hope they don’t give out speeding tickets there. I think not.
Siber would want me to thank you for your donation to Snowhook in his memory. All the Sibers from the blog and Alaskan Huskies from Snowhook at Rainbow Bridge will be watching over Snowhook during the race.
3:22 pm on February 13th, 2015
Natty: What a loving gesture for you to leave your Porsche (with the keys in it no less) for Siber at the Bridge.
I knew we did the right thing in sponsoring you in his memory.
3:27 pm on February 13th, 2015
His memory here, of course. We know he is there, driving fast cars (Porsches) on the other side of the Bridge.
3:30 pm on February 13th, 2015
Awesome one. we weren’t complaining about Galena, in fact we are so proud of them with the Yukon River flood and all. Galena is special.
3:36 pm on February 13th, 2015
I like the map of the 2015 route that is now on the Iditarod’s website. It enlarges nicely.
3:40 pm on February 13th, 2015
Checkpoints 2015
Anchorage – WosenGrizz with SiberH.
Fairbanks – C Hobbit
Nenana – Zoe & family
Manley – Annabelle, Dawson & Spencer Quinn
Tanana – Dima & Cherokee
Ruby – Wookie in spirit & Teddy
Galena – In memory of Melanie, Rick & Truman
Huslia – HOH & Kats rule!
Koyukuk – Navajo Code Talkers
Nulato – The Equines & BStover for Brandy
Kaltag – Teddy, Zeta and Friends
Unalakleet – Nana for BearSpiritDog & Masquers
Shatoolik – SiberH for Chet the Jet
Koyuk – Rio, Beau & Friend
Elim – SiberH.
Golovin -Dog Trucks
White Mountain – Gus & Truman
Safety – Jim & Vicki Sutterfield
Nome – AJ & Pixie
Now this is a first draft. There are probably mistakes. If you see any mistakes or if you disagree with your checkpoint let me know as I didn’t have to ask permission individually. I am going to double check and make sure I didn’t forget someone altogether. Thanks!
3:45 pm on February 13th, 2015
Hey Wose! Siber is with you and Grizz in Anchorage. That is so cool.
Dawson, Thank you for all your hard work in keeping track of the checkpoints.
3:53 pm on February 13th, 2015
I am so excited!!!! HRH Bee will be at the same checkpoint as me and the rest of us equines. I always wanted to be mounted by a member of royalty!!!! Oh what grand rides we will have,Bee!
4:01 pm on February 13th, 2015
Annie: I’m looking forward to it!
Dawson: The checkpoints look fine to me.
I’ve mailed my check toward sponsorship of Natty in honor of Siber-H to Snowhook.
4:05 pm on February 13th, 2015
Annie – is so you vill not be shocked. HRH Bee likes to ride vith top down.
Just saying.
4:17 pm on February 13th, 2015
I sent a donation through the bank, use it where is needed. I can’t decide on what doggie to sponsor. They are all special!
4:19 pm on February 13th, 2015
Forgot: Hi Liz!
4:19 pm on February 13th, 2015
Forgot: Hi Liz!
4:20 pm on February 13th, 2015
Whoo hoo, a Double Dawson! Heh!
4:32 pm on February 13th, 2015
CheckpointsHOH: I just saw your post about Galena. You can certainly switch with Melanie, Rick & Truman, who would be more than happy to do so. Shall I consider it done for the upcoming second draft?
Also, I did forget someone, Macy MinPin and the Small Dogs! Sorry guys. Don’t bite my ankles, I will put you back in there with the dog trucks (Golovin) who can give you rides if you get tired.
Admit I haven’t double checked the list I posted yet so there may be more. Let me know if you are missing from the list. I got stuck surfing the net and haven’t done a dam thing.
4:39 pm on February 13th, 2015
Golly, gosh and heck, perhaps the HOH can learn to behave around Kats as well as the POP!
4:40 pm on February 13th, 2015
Awesome one, George Attla’s checkpoint is an honor!
4:59 pm on February 13th, 2015
I worry about the guy who just started mushing in October and is now running the Yukon Quest. I think it takes more time to get to know your team and know how not to “over run” them. Hopefully he is doing a good job.
Liz: it is always so special to hear from our international bloggers.
I remember Siber-H liking this comic I posted about a year ago:
5:03 pm on February 13th, 2015
Natasha, I am glad that Bee is accustomed to riding with the top down. I have no top to put up.
5:08 pm on February 13th, 2015
CHobbit, love the HAD! Heh, heh, heh!
5:08 pm on February 13th, 2015
Thank you BStover. I was hoping you would be okay sharing Brandy’s checkpoint with Abby, Leo, Shiek and a herd of horses. I decided since Brandy liked to run like the wind and so did the horses, they would make a good match.
Now the HOH and the Kats Rule! match-up might be a different story. Meeeeeaow! Pfsssssst! Swat!
As for Melanie, Rick and Truman, they’d like to hang together to watch the Iditarod.
Dima & Cherokee volunteered to consolidate their checkpoints.
Spencer Quinn had nowhere to go and so I put him in with Annabelle and puppy Dawson.
I have double checked the lists and everything else is okay so if there are no further changes I will put the second and final checkpoint list up later tonight. Much later.
5:10 pm on February 13th, 2015
C.Hobbit, That comic is so cute and, well, true. The puppy is adorable.
5:12 pm on February 13th, 2015
Hobbit – hahahahahahaha – that was a good one. Thanks for the laugh.
Dawson – you are indeed most awesome and indomitable! The Iditarod Committee should be sending you flowers. (and a job offer)
5:12 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson: Thank You So Much For all Your hard Work on the Checkpoints!!!
5:13 pm on February 13th, 2015
CHobbit: I had reservations about a person starting to mush in October and running the Iditarod in March also. I thought he would be out within a few checkpoints. But he isn’t. His team is doing well. I will check to see how many dogs he has left.
5:15 pm on February 13th, 2015
CHobbiti: Lol. That is funny.
5:22 pm on February 13th, 2015
Hobbit and Dawson, The new musher trained with the Seaveys, and ran more than the mandatory qualifying races. Mitch Seavey says he is really good and already was a great athletic competitor. We agree that it does sound soon, but he sounds better prepared than many rookies seem.
Excellent job, Dawson. We thought maintaining the dog sponsorships was work, but you really had some finagling with the checkpoints! Thanks for putting Dima with his buddy Cherokee. That checkpoint will be one, welcoming checkpoint with those two sweet gentlemen.
5:26 pm on February 13th, 2015
Mike Ellis, overheard talking to his dogs, “Just 550 miles to go and you guys get to retire!”
https://www.facebook.com/YukonQuest/photos/a.298856894489.145371.49609734489/10153119449484490/?type=1&theater
5:36 pm on February 13th, 2015
Thanks Dawson. GO TEAM TSUGA!!
5:43 pm on February 13th, 2015
We can’t get that video to load. We’ll try again later.
GO TEAM TSUGA!
5:43 pm on February 13th, 2015
O’H, we have sung along with Mike Ellis and his dogs several times today, Mom likes to sing with us too. Oh, what fun!
5:57 pm on February 13th, 2015
Great photo! We could load it on our big ‘puter, but not on our iPaw for some reason.
6:25 pm on February 13th, 2015
Damon Alexander Tedford had 14 dogs coming into Dawson City where one was dropped. That’s not bad.
7:42 pm on February 13th, 2015
A busy day today. The Turtleman and I went to visit a couple who do in home health care for the VA. Talked a lot and toured their brand new home. Now to get Dad there for a visit. As Melanie would say, “Another plot change”.
Now I will go and catch up on the blog and see what you have been up to this day…
7:50 pm on February 13th, 2015
It’s Friday the 13th. Anyone on this here blog suffer from triskaidekaphobia?
8:09 pm on February 13th, 2015
Only on a Friday the 13th. REally funny thing, though, mom’s mom crosed the bridge on a Friday the 13th.
8:12 pm on February 13th, 2015
Siber’s Mom, We couldn’t think of a better Siber to share a checkpoint with. He will be guiding AJ and the team to the finish line.
8:24 pm on February 13th, 2015
Wose wanted to name her checkpoint in honor of SiberH but agreed to share instead because we want WosenGrizz on the checkpoint.
8:29 pm on February 13th, 2015
I like Siber sharing the checkpoint with Wose and Grizz. I know Siber would joyfully approve.
Wose, Thank you for wanting to honor Siber.
8:40 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson, You are doing a great job!
Staff, Question: Would this couple visit or would your dad live in their home with other seniors? Thinking your dad would be going there since you want him to visit them, rather then having them come to him.
9:38 pm on February 13th, 2015
Map!…I am sure glad I did not waste a lot of my precious free pug time creating that Checkpoint Map with the supporters on it….yawn!…I could have lost some sleep over that exercise in futility…heh!heh!
10:03 pm on February 13th, 2015
The old map was pretty straight forward…the new map will be a challenge. Better you than me, says I.
10:10 pm on February 13th, 2015
Maskers!….I have not looked at the new map yet….sniff!…I am upset the start has been changed, but glad if it means safer race conditions. It is such a burden on our team getting there and all that nonsense…grunt!
10:12 pm on February 13th, 2015
Truck!…Praise Dawg the old truck died and they were able to buy a new trustworthy truck. This reaffirms my belief that everything happens for a damned good reason…sniff!…One just has to wait long enough to figure out that good reason…guffle!
10:38 pm on February 13th, 2015
Rio – we have been waiting for YEARS to see the good reason to have those Wrotten Kats living here.
Still waiting.
And waiting.
sigh……
10:42 pm on February 13th, 2015
Yep. They sure need that new-for-them truck for the long drive to Fairbanks. Too bad the snow that should be on the Iditarod Trail is instead in the Royals and Howlers backyards again this year.
10:48 pm on February 13th, 2015
T&G: Now admit it…you know youse would miss those wrotten kats if they were gone.
Speaking of East Coasters, where is MPLL mom with the latest installment from the wayback machine?
10:52 pm on February 13th, 2015
Maskers!…It is Friday night and Mollys Maw probably has a life…sniff!…Like my friend used to before we moved here…grunt!
11:15 pm on February 13th, 2015
Since the checkpoint list I posted at 3:40 is correct except for omitting MacyMinPin and the Small Dogs I don’t think I need to type out the whole thing again. Do you?
I don’t know if MPM is going too far in the terrible weather she is having this weekend.
11:18 pm on February 13th, 2015
But, remember, this is the quiet lull before the big race. Soon enough we’ll be gazing transfixed at those little GPS trackers…one or two in particular…willing them to move. Cheesecake will be consumed and couch cushions destroyed in the process.
11:20 pm on February 13th, 2015
I was thinking the same thing Dawson.
11:23 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson!…If your list is correct, I will print out the New Map this weekend and ‘try” to put the names of all the checkpoint supporters on it…snort! …Thanks for all your hard work on this Agent Noswad. I will recommend you for a Relief of Duty hence forth possibly or maybe coming some point in time….gruffle!
11:39 pm on February 13th, 2015
Relief of Duty!
WhoooHoooo!
I’m outta here.
11:45 pm on February 13th, 2015
Dawson!…She likes to jump the bucket…heh!heh!
11:52 pm on February 13th, 2015
Me too. See youse on the flip side.
12:02 am on February 14th, 2015
Writing!…I found today’s blog post one of the most well written posts – informative and very entertaining at the same time by both authors. Hard to do, let me tell youse!…heh!heh!
12:20 am on February 14th, 2015
Agreed, Rio. Those two have a way with words!
12:47 am on February 14th, 2015
Macy could not walk at all this morning but with a little coaxing on my part and biting on her part she got outside where the warm sun seemed to work wonders. She is back on all wobbly fours and full of dancing I giraffe meds. She still needs some quilt time,
Love to you all
12:48 am on February 14th, 2015
Our Lady is blushing at the praise. Spence seems to have a knack for getting those words in all the right places, but our Lady says sometimes she finds the words getting away from her like a band of Outlaws.
1:22 am on February 14th, 2015
Macy: You should know I make a great pillow.
6:16 am on February 14th, 2015
Thanks for all those lovely hellos, it’s great to see you all, bringing back many memories…
Our local dog kennel lady, where Ruby holidays, is over in Alaska following the race again this year, which amazes me, I don’t know how she can take the cold (going straight from summer and all). It’s good to have a local representative! Wave if you see her!
‘night/morning
8:53 pm on February 14th, 2015
LizF, we are new since you did all your wonderful graphic design. You are da bomb! Hope WE find your friend in Anchorage or Fairbanks!