Trail recon day!

The Dog Powered Sports Association is working on getting a race trail going from Whitehorse to Haines Junction.  It'll be a 100/200 mile race slated to run December 18, 2009. A bunch of us headed out yesterday to check out the "trail" on quads.  It'll run parallel to the highway for the most part so it will be great for support and for spectators! Even if it will be dark for 19hrs or so a day by then. :)

Here is one obstacle of scouting out trails in the summer - not Darrell's hind end, but the fact that the water is not frozen! Soft, spungy ground wreaks havoc on the 4-wheeler!  We ran into this not more than 15 minutes into the trail scouting expedition... lol!  

Trail Crew:

See more about the Trail Expedition 2009 at the DPSAY site!

Onto the dog yard - we've had a bit of a heat wave here, it's been a warm summer!  Thank you Mother Nature, but please kill all the mosquitos. 

It's been so warm that Gracie is becoming an underground cave dwelling dog:

Must be dinner time, or she must feel the need to gnaw on Jack's head because here she comes!

The Queen of her domain.

This is actually quite treacherous for oblivious, awkward humans - you can see between the bottom two holes that the dirt she left on top is VERY thin. I can see through to the bottom. One step on that by me and down I go!  Thanks Gracie.

What did I DO??!! I'm just trying to stay cool in these sub-tropical conditions! These are inhumane conditions for a sensitive dog like me. Sure you take us to the river EVERY DAY and give us frozen fish EVERY DAY, but I shouldn't be forced to live in these conditions.  I need air conditioning in my dog house!  And a daily butt rub.  And don't even get me started on the mosquitos or I'm calling the Humane Society!"

Jeez, she's SO dramatic!

Meanwhile, the other *tortured souls* seem to be doing just fine:

Pooh Bear! loves the scungy ponds!

So does Esther!


Harris! The dog who when he first encountered water REFUSED to get his toes wet! I once had to lead him around a tiny little spot of water at the Yukon river because he could not muster up the guts to go through the ankle deep water. Obviously things have changed!


Kuna swims in the river, he's 12 but still loves swimming when it's HOT out.


Gracie hacks up a furball

Now I'm not saying Lucy is rotund, but when she's wet, she really reminds me of a beaver.

I love how Ivy cherry-picks in the back there, giving herself a head-start even though she totally doesn't need one.  Ha, the boys are all right in front of me, just kind of like "doo-dee-doo, you gonna throw that ball there or what??" Could we GET ANY closer to you!!!!????

And the rest of the gang who "can't-run-loose-because-they-take-off-for-hours-the-SECOND-Stacie-turns-her-back" - or "can't-run-loose-unattended-because-your-name-is-Ripper-and-you-will-eat-the-freezer-if-left-alone-for-more-than-two-minutes"!!

But! They WILL stick around just fine when we are playing fetch. Go figure!