Chet The Dog

Posts Tagged ‘Justin Savidis’

Wonderful News From Snowhook!

“For people new to this blog, Snowhook’s the racing kennel we’re very attached to up in Willow, Alaska,” Spence says. “Rebecca and AJ are  the wonderfully humane couple who run it.”

“Maybe one day we’ll even get up there,” Admin says. “But for now here’s an email from Rebecca. Could it make us any happier?”

“Only if we had pictures of these pups.”

“But no pressure, Rebecca!”

From AJ

Here’s a comment from AJ (Justin Savidis) musher and co-owner of Snowhook Kennel, our team in the greatest sled dog race on earth. It came in late last night and Admin wanted to make it easier to find.

Hello All,

A little over a month ago I sat on my couch for the first time in days with nothing to do for a couple of hours. Well that’s not exactly true, I had things to do but I was watching tv pretending without a lot of success that work and mushing didn’t occupy every spare minute of my life.

What I’m getting at with all this though is that at that moment I couldn’t believe how fast a season had flown by and I was staring Iditarod in the face. And then through quite a race it was over.

Now that I’ve had a chance to recover and before another month passes before I know it; the first order of business is to say a simple and significant thank you to all of you. Rebecca and I are extremely grateful that you share in our collective adventure. We just can’t say enough about what your support means.

Mushing at its heart is about musher and the team. You could say it’s a selfish endeavor. However, from the first night on the trail this race was different in that all of you were there in one way or another. Without getting too sentimental it made this race better knowing you all were there. Thank you.

Looking forward to 2014 we look forward to having you along side us again.

Highlights from this year’s race:

Started out great
Team got sick
Midnight river crossings in waist deep water near Iditarod
Musher got sick
Team and musher pulled it together and finished 27 hours faster than last year
Dogs are just heroic in my opinion
Looking forward to carving out another 24 hours next year
Looking forward to sharing this adventure with you again

See you on the trail….

AJ

This Post Is Dedicated To Justin Savidis (AJ)

From Rebecca, CEO of Snowhook, our team in the Iditarod.

At long last AJ and the team have made it to the White Mountain checkpoint where they will enjoy a mandatory eight hour layover before they can continue.  Seventy-seven miles remains of their race.  Word from a volunteer at a checkpoint is that the dogs are doing well, yet AJ is sick.  How sick and with what, I don’t know.  But, I haven’t time and time again said that AJ is the strongest person I know both mentally and physically for no reason.  They have traveled through unseasonably warm temperatures, slogged through poor trail conditions and have truly plundered on through every trial on the trail.  To say that I am proud of AJ and the team doesn’t come close.  

The rule of thumb is that teams will cross the finish line approximately twelve hours after leaving White Mountain.  The team will leave White Mountain shortly after 5:30 a.m. (Alaska)  C. Hobbit Harris and I will prepare to greet Snowhook under the burled arch early afternoon on Thursday.  We will celebrate under the arch, care for the dogs, and then engage in an activity that is long overdue—rest.  

I want to thank the Plunderers (that includes Spence and Admin) for all your support.  For helping us get to the starting line, for cheering us on in person and in spirit, and for being the best damn cheering section.  Ever.  

Here are two sterling members of the team, Doc and Rio.

Iditarod: Nome, Here We Come!

Reporting from somewhere in southern AZ (and congrats to Mitch Seavey):

Excellent news from Rebecca, CEO of Snowhook Kennel, our team in the greatest sled dog race on earth:

I picked up C. Hobbit Harris at the airport today in Nome.  She decided AJ’s finish line cheering section should consist of more than just me, so she made the trip.  I am honored and thankful for her friendship.  

Shortly after her arrival, we walked to Front Street and watched the first two teams cross the finish line, Mitch Seavey and Aliy Zikle respectively. As for AJ, our team, he and the dogs made it safely off the sea ice between Shaktoolik and Koyuk.  This is much different than last year when Plunderers watched the GPS tracker stray off course, the trail markers were non-existent having blown away in a high wind storm, and the jumble ice created a maze for the team to navigate.  This year the team had a much easier go of it and made the trek in less than seven hours.  

Next stop, Elim!

And here are three members of the team, Orion on top, Quigley and Garrett below.

Welcome Molly; Penny (Jay and Marcia’s new sled dog).