demotion

My plan was to run out the same flat westward trail we'd taken on the last run, but try to get a bit further before turning around. I was ready for Norrin to join the team again. I added an extra length of gang-line for him, and didn't harness him until everyone else was on the line and ready to go. Once clipped in, he was focused on the trail and never even tried to reach around and chew his harness.

At the end of our little out-trail to the road, Reese and Billie decided to turn right despite my directions to turn left. They kept trying to pull us the wrong way, but Pepper, in swing, figured it out and pulled left, hauling the two leaders backwards by their harnesses. When this registered, they both turned and pulled the team to the left and we were off. There were no u-turn issues on the road, but we had an identical stall-out at the trail head with Billie wanting to continue down the road, Reese initially trying for the trail then deciding a u-turn was in order. This took some sorting and untangling and hauling-around, but once pointed the right way they took off down the trail with no further problems.

As we loped west down the wide, flat trail I realized that we'd had two near-tangles already, including a significant hauling-the-team-around directional change and Norrin hadn't had a melt-down once. I had him running alone in team, mostly because I figured his power and size would be better served further back in the line and without a much smaller running partner. It seemed that this had inadvertently made him less panic-prone, as he had more room to maneuver when we turned, and nobody else's lines to get fouled up in. Accidental Success!

I had the team take left (and they did) past a big beaver pond, but soon realized this was a bad idea. The trail was broken but not packed, and we were soon floundering in powder and weaving through some pretty thick lowland willow. We went about a quarter mile, where there was a nice wide spot over a pond, and Reese obligingly turned the team around without a problem. I watched Norrin carefully here and saw him take the turn-around with narry a hesitation. Yes!

Back on the main trail, we passed a team of six Siberian-looking huskies and I was super proud of my team as they few by (especially since the other team balled up) - only Devilfish tried to stop for a meet-and-greet, but when I asked him to move on he obliged quickly. We continued west, but as we neared the six-mile point we started passing suspicious looking flagging and several little foot-paths into the woods. I started to think we were mushing past someone's trap line. My suspicions increased when Reese slowed the team down (so may cross trails! we must try one!) doing his classic unauthorized-u-turn hop-and-glance routine, and almost every single dog's nose went into the air in the direction of some of the flagging.  And then again towards some other flagging. I managed to get Reese another half mile before he stopped listening to me and hauled the team around. I didn't catch him in time, and when the sled whipped around I saw the team was perfectly lined out with no tangles and Norrin wagging his tail with his tug line tight, nose straight ahead, I let it go and we headed home.

The only other significant thing from the run was that Norrin, who pulled hard the whole way, flopped down like wet noodle when we returned home. He wasn't breathing hard or distressed in any way - just exhausted. I realized he's only run about two thirds of the miles the other dogs have (they weren't even tired) and I really need to scale back, let his endurance catch up to everyone else, and then keep him in the team from here on out no matter what.

That afternoon, with temperatures finally warmed up to twenty below zero, I went through the yard and clipped everyone's nails. I'm getting better and better at this - and the sled dogs are wonderful, obliging creatures, unlike many house dogs I've had in the past. I managed to clip 132 nails in just a few minutes. Success!

At this point in the season, Pico has essentially been benched from the team. We have never gotten past his (new) unwillingness to pull for more than a couple of miles and the chronic front foot issue that won't go away. More than that, however, is the fact that his awful trail manners make him a liability in harness. With just four dogs to manage, his bad behavior could be worked around but in a bigger team he can cause much more harm trying to take off sideways after an animal, loose dog or another team.  I was glad to have him pull on my little starter-teams of three and four dogs for the last two winters, but this year he isn't going to be running with us regularly, if at all. He has been relegated back to the realm of pet, although it breaks his heart when we leave him in the yard I know this is better - and safer - for all of us.

He is only three and still full of energy, though. That night, as he did laps around the house, I decided to walk down to the creek with him and let him burn off some of his restlessness. He was so happy to be tearing around in the woods, sniffing marked trees and following squirrel tracks around spruce. When we got to Rosie Creek, I was in for a pleasant surprise: the creek ice had risen to the level of the banks. The terrifying drop-offs on either side of the creek were essentially gone! We could run this way now, giving us much quicker & safer access to the trail network. I was elated. 

Pico isn't sure he likes sharing his couch.

Two days later (giving Norrin a break to recover, and all the dogs indoor time in the continuing cold snap) we headed out again. I figured we'd do a repeat run down the flat westward trail but add a few more miles and see how everyone looked. At the intersection of our out-trail with the road, Billie and Reese turned right again. I called them left, but for some reason this time, even though Pepper figured it out first, we ended up with several tangled dogs. I hauled the sled to the side of the road and hooked in, then went forward to sort everyone out. As I did so, Reese started turning everyone around. I pulled him back forward, untangled as I went back ... and as soon as I pulled the hook he gleefully tried to swing everyone around again. We were less than a quarter mile from the house. Stop. Hook in. Pull team back around. On the second try, we started making forward progress again.

But now there was a weird, metallic noise coming from the sled. It took a minute or two to realize that one of the metal stabilizer bars had come loose (for the second time this season - the bolts continue to shear in cold weather and I can't seem to find ones that won't) and the bar was dragging on the road, digging into the snow. As soon as I saw what was wrong, I stepped on the drag mat to slow the team and fix the problem. But as soon as he felt the brake, Reese pushed Billie over to the left for a nice wide u-turn. I pulled the bar up so it wouldn't be damaged, hooked in and walked forward, again, to pull the team around. I got everyone straightened out and walked back to to sled. Before I got there, the team nearly knocked me over, following Reese back the way we'd come. I grabbed the leaders and walked them forward again. As soon as I got the team around and let Reese go, he started to turn again at a dead run. I hadn't even started walking back to the sled!

I was done. I pulled him out of lead and replaced him with Pepper - who had appeared, at least, to take my directions in swing the last two runs. She looked back a few times at first, but gamely ran next to Billie for the remainder of the run.

We passed a truck on a narrow part of the road, just before the trail head. The driver politely came to a stop to let us pass since there wasn't much room, but Billie was afraid to get as close as we needed to and balked. I had to stop and hook in, then go up and hold them out while the truck moved on, calmly reassuring Billie as it passed. Twice on this run we encountered snow machines headed for us on the trail. Billie didn't like these either, but they both gave us a wide berth and he managed to overcome his fear enough (with more success the second time) to get us past the loud monsters without and all-out stop or further tangles. We made it home with Billie and Pepper in lead, a few more miles traversed and in plenty of time for me to shower and get to work.

A couple of other notes from this run: I realized that the snow is finally deep enough - everywhere - for me to secure the snow hook. This has made all the balking and u-turning and mid-run positional switches virtually stress free. It also means stepping off the trail means stepping into knee deep snow, so I need to start carrying snowshoes with us. Also, my Neos overboots came in the mail and I broke them out with my Steger Mukluks on this last run (as well as the hike to the creek.) I ADORE these boots!! My feet were toasty and dry, I felt like I was mushing in (very secure) house slippers, and the traction was superb on loose and packed snow, icy roads and on the runners.

My new Neos!! My work boots don't seem very big anymore.

I'm still not sure what to do about Reese. He is certainly my most responsive leader, but the tangles & u-turns - especially just a few hundred yards from the house - are both frustrating for me and stressful for the team. Pepper seemed to do alright up front on this last long run, but I've had trouble with her starting out from the yard in the past. I feel like we've taken a step back, but am hopeful that we're far enough along as a team to keep moving forward.