Born To Mush

I, Ashley was puppy sitting Cheva. A puppy!!! Once I played fetch with Cheva.    At night, I plugged the doghouse in so the light would keep Cheva warm.  My brother, sisters and I ran with Cheva.   When Cheva had slack on the leash he picked it up and carried it in his mouth.

Travis Beals introduces his Dog

Travis Beals came to my hometown to give a presentation.  First, Travis had us back up our car, so he could tie his Dog line to our car bumper.   Travis asked if I, Ashley would pass around his headlamp.   I tried it on.   It was heavy.

I dressed some Dogs.   Travis said that he brought some Puppy Dogs to socialize.  Travis also said that its good to pet them because they need it.

I helped Travis hook up the Dogs, so we could go for a sled ride.  I rode in the sled basket and on the runners.   When I came down the hill the first time, I didn’t put on the brake and we went down really, really fast!   The second time, I went down the hill I remembered to put on the brake.

Travis came in second in the Junior Iditarod.  Some of  Travis’s prizes were an ax, scholarship, and a  cooler which he is using  already.

OK, where it all begins is Dan invited me to be a Dog Handler in the 2009 Mayor’s Cup Race.  I, Ashley helped Dan with 3,8, and 11, Mayor`s Cup Racers.  Some of the  Mayor’s Cup Racers headed out with Dan`s retirement teams.  There were two spare Dogs.

Each Musher is separated by three minute intervals only.  Amateurs race.  Most have never set foot on a dog sled!

“Hey, Hey where is the part where you ride?”  “Okay, Okay we’re not there, yet!”

One of our girls crashed at the end.  Her face was all bloodied.  She said her story was that this guy, Dan Seavey, said that she was going to be fine.  She also, said that she was having a good time before she came rocketing in, lost her balance and face planted in snow.  Also,  Heather said her story was one day two rottweilers came up and bit her leg.  She thought she was to be fine, but her hip gave away.  I saw her riding a snow machine because she could not walk.  She hobbled instead.

Another girl said that a stupid chicken thing jumped out and scared her dogs and she fell off her sled.  She was holding a stuffed chicken by the neck!  The other guy did something to his eye.

Ok, now Mom introduced me to Travis Beals.  He came in second in the Junior Iditarod.   He said he would give me a ride.   We looked at the dog sleds and the dogs, now Dan  said, “are you his Dog Handler?”  “I said no, he is giving me a ride.”  Dan said, ” if you come with me you’ll get to drive your own dog team!”  “You’d better go with him!” said Travis.

Dan said I could go on Travis’ sled, too.  Travis said, “Now you’re being spoiled!”  So I helped Travis hook up his dogs.  I rode in the basket half of the way.  The other part, I rode on the runners with Travis.  I think  riding on the runners was the best part of that run.  At the end of my run, he was going to keep going.   Susie, his mother, was putting the dogs in the right direction when the dogs wanted to go the other way.  The dogs pulled Susie over trying to go the other way.

I ran backwards toward the starting line to where Mom, Dad and Dan were.   Dan had came back.  (I don’t know why he came back with a four wheeler.) I helped Dan hook up the dogs.  I started with Hooch.  Mom helped weigh down the sled.  Still the sled seemed to rock when Dan left because Hooch tried to pull the sled out.  When Dan and Dad left. (Dad was in Dan`s sled) When Hooch was supposed go, I yelled, “Hike, Hike”.  Hooch would not go.  By this time, my Mom was yelling, “Hike” and so was my sister!  Finally, Hooch must have understood that we wanted him to go because he started.

Now, we stop because Travis is passing in the opposite direction.  Hooch started sniffing Travis’ team of dogs.  Once Travis had gone, Dan gave me another dog because  I could not get Hooch to move. With two dogs, we were almost too fast.  I sometimes had to put on the brake so I wouldn’t pass Dan and Dad!

OK, now we come to this place where if you cross over a patch of snow you could be on a different trail.  We did.  Here comes my mistake…I didn’t put the brake on.  I  fell off.  Dad caught my team.  Dan and Dad waited for me about fifteen feet from where I fell off.

The second time I hung onto the handle bar and some kind of straight  thing below the handler bar with the dog sled on its side.  The dogs wouldn’t stop. (almost no dogs will stop reliably)  when I got up and everything.  We came to this place where there were barricades made of branches so the Mayor Cup Racers don`t go off on some other trails.  I could feel my body begin to rise, we were going over one of the barricades.  Then, we landed.  Dad said it was fun to watch.

We came to Dan’s house we started back to front unhooking the dogs.  I returned one of Dan’s books.  He loaned me his Mitch Seavey book!

I,  Ashley went to the Start of the Iditarod March 7, 2009.  Dan let me be a Dog Handler.  Dan’s wife, Shirley, gave me an armband for my arm.  Dan’s truck was the last one so when his team left in 1st position, they can take his truck away.

He had some special dog blankets.  I laid out one of the rows.  Then, he had me guard them because he did not want anyone running off with them.

Next, Dan and I wait with the other two dog handlers.  Before we started, Dan said for he and I to run.   OK, Now we turn around. We had a race.  I won not by that much.

OK, Now the boys put on the harnesses.  Dan said for me to help put on the dog blankets.  Dan said for us to put on the dog booties.  I put on one bootie by myself.  The rest Conway helped me with.  OK, the booties are on.

Dan said for me to get in the sled, I was so surprised  (my mom and dad did not tell me because they wanted it to be a surprise)  we went five blocks to the starting line, then Shirley told me  it was time to get off.  I had fun.

Mitch Seavey is a one time Iditarod winner. His son Danny attended a school in my area.  There were more  children in one place than I,  Ashley had ever seen!  Danny brought some dogs with him. I got to put on some dog booties, dog blankets, etc.  I petted some dogs. I played with puppies and held them.  Danny was so kind that every child got a ride that wanted one!

Bruce Linton, a 2007 Iditarod Rookie, had a slideshow with some photos of  the Iditarod, training , etc.  He also talked about how he became a musher and how patient you must be.  He answered my question if you get a belt buckle, he said, “yes, if you finish”.  It took him 20 yeas to get his Dream…the Dream of the Iditarod!

I, Ashley went to Dan’s dog kennel.  I learned about necklines, towlines, harnesses, etc. First, we put on the harnesses.  Next, we told the dogs to stay.  Then, we attached the dogs to the necklines and towlines.  Then, Dan helped me into the sled.  Off we went.

Meanwhile, my sisters and brother were buiding snowmen in Dan’s front yard. When Dan and I came to a place where two trails meet, Dan said for me to yell, “Gee”.  The dogs listen.  The other commands, they did not.  OK,  now we are on the bridge, Dan yelled, “whoa” and the dogs stopped. He said for me to get out of the sled.  I did.

He told me to stand on the runners.  He let me test the brakes.  We came to the house.  Dan and I unharness the dogs.  We started with the back dogs and worked our way to the front. Dan said I could be a dog handler.

I’m tracking the Junior Iditarod as the lead switches many times.    You can follow along here.  There are maps that update how the junior mushers are doing. Each racer is carrying a GPS for tracking. Each musher can have ten dogs. The top prize is a scholarship, two tickets to Nome to watch the finish of the Iditarod.