Beacon's Blog

I PAW flying!

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I love flying! My favorite is the take-off. Zuuuuuuuuuf!!! I am not all sure yet hen we are actually going flying but we just had a big howler: Mille told Disko today, we are not dogsledding out of Clyde River, we are flying!

I mean we are almost always flying when we leave a community, or at least the sled is behind us. I love that kind of flying too, really makes me woof. Sometimes when it is super fast the sled hits something and then it really does actually fly through the air. Baffin told me that. Baffin runs right in front of the sled a lot. He is a big guy—really nice and mellow. Luna is NOT mellow, she sure keeps me on my paws! She is all over it with the ravens. Mikkel has been emptying the sled, turning everything inside out upside down. Not all sure what that is all about, but I am thinking maybe if things are dry it does not weigh as much. Ok, I know that sounds silly but I was talking to Kodiak and he said that when he fell in the water that day we came into this community first he felt very light when he was in the water, but then once he got out he all of a sudden felt so heavy. Water does that to you – makes you feel heavy! So things look wet when Mikkel pulls its out and then it dries in the sun. There is so much sun now and it is so hot now. Actually makes me a little bit sleepy a lot. I figured out a whole system. I lay on one side and it stays really cool on the ice and the other side gets really hot and I turn over. If I do it just right then it is perfect. If it was just not for these ravens and Luna. When Mikkel empties the bags there are even more ravens. Then he leaves, the ravens stay and Luna just does not get that she is not going to get to the ravens, not for lack of trying though! I do like ravens a lot. They always seem to come out of nowhere no matter where we are. Airplanes are a little bit that way too. Just so much bigger. I wonder if it’s a little or a big plane we are going in. Nazca gives me that look when I say this; but I really do think it would be cool if they just once could get a big plane with a way to look out just like in the dog truck.

I guess we will soon be jumping back into the dog boxes on the dog truck to make our way back to the kennel at Expedition Basecamp! We will be back in the trees! It will be summer! I think it is always a bit sad when an expedition comes to an end. Lightning heard Mikkel tell Jake that once we are back home with Mille, he will be going back to this place that sounds like den-bark. A den where they bark a lot!? Jake is super nice. He smiles a lot and I can understand that cause he is with this whole group of really nice dogs that stays right next to us here on the ice. Mille and Mikkel are staying with Jake and very nice Shari who is with those dogs too. I think that is one of the biggest reasons I get a little sad when we have to leave from the expedition, we are leaving so many good things and new friends behind! That’s when Jupiter says that its exactly the same way it is in a classroom. He did spend many moons in a classroom when he was a youngster long time ago, so he would know. I have to ask him, I still wonder if you howl too in those classrooms... Lots of howls ‘till next time!

Polar Husky Inuit Dogs!?

Wed, 27 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Its been really hard to tell where we were all going cause its been so white. I can not tell you for how long cause the sun never sets now – or gets up really. That is one of my favorite things when the sun is just there all the time. It does make it get really hot in the day. Hershey says that is why we changed when we were getting up to run in the coolest part of the day which I guess is like when it is night except it is not dark it is still light like in the middle of the day, but it is really night. Yes, it does get a little confusing, but I love it. It makes it easy to just kind of open one eye to see what is going on all the times around our campsites.

But then when it is all white it is all different. And it was wet too! We even had rain! But mostly it is just almost like you can drink water from the air even though it is not even raining at all!? Sable explained to me that it is when there is a lot of moisture in the air. I guess that is also why it has been all white with fog! And for a while its because it was so windy that the snow was every where. Its hard to see then too. That was the first storm for all the puppies. Sisu did think it was pretty scary to begin with but then I think she learned not to be scared by looking at the rest of us. I told her to just curl up and go to sleep and enjoy the warm snow on top of her instead of trying to shake it off. Silly her.

The dogs around here tell us there is a lot of wind like that here. There are lots of sled dogs here! Rubi told me they are like us but they are not called Polar Huskies; they are called Inuit Dogs. I can’t tell any difference but I wonder if they too speak Inuktitut!? Lots of kids come to visit us and they speak Inuktitut to each other. Kind of like Mille and Mikkel do not always speak English to each other—sometimes they speak the language they speak where Aksel is from. Yep, he was born in Denmark just like Mille. Anyway, as I said, when we are all howling here I can’t tell any difference at all between any of our howls. But then Xena told me that our great-grandfather was from a community here in Nunavut so I guess I am Inuit dog too now! He was from Igloolik. Where we are now is called Clyde River!

For Real!

Thu, 21 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

We almost got a seal! For real! For one split second though Disko was going swimming again. It actually looked like he was going to jump right into its hole in the ice to go chasing the seal underwater too, but then Mille got up there and told him no. He did get to roll in the smell where the seal had been laying on the ice though. Lucky lucky him. I couldn't believe Nazca did not do it too. She was right there next to him. I asked her and she just looked at me like I am crazy? I mean if Disko had jumped into the ocean again that would have been crazy. Mille does not like that we do that. Kodiak was right behind Disko the last time. He said they were just running along up front, Mille was telling Disko "cha chaaa," - that means go left - and next Kodiak knew, Disko was not there. He disappeared under the snow. Kind of like a seal! But then I guess Kodiak and Nazca could hear the water and Disko splashing even though they still could not see him. I guess Mille came up front to make them go left and she was upset they were not moving when she realized that Disko was in the water and he could not get out. She got really upset then! They said she came running yelling and throwing her skies and then they thought she was jumping in the water too!!! But she got on her knees and then her stomach and crawled between them. Kodiak thought that was pretty funny. He said Nazca gave him the 'you are crazy look too.' Before they knew it, alley-oop there was Disko, shaking and smelling different from the water. I love water. When I was little I lived with this really nice couple for a while and they took me kayaking! So I learned a lot about water. I think that is why Mikkel makes me a lead dog every time we have to walk between the ice and the water. Otherwise Lightning has been in lead, but she does not like the water at all what-so-ever, so she gets a little scared. When she gets scared Trigger behind her gets scared too. At least that is what he says. I am not so sure that is how it works, but anyway. I get to go up front and jump over it first!!! Its great!!! We have not had any of them for the last couple of days though. We have been running into the sky on land. For real! Today we were up above the clouds - really - I could look right down on them. They look so soft and fluffy like you just want to roll in them. I like to roll in the snow most though.

Smelly...Me!

Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Seal are sure hard to even catch a close glimpse of. I mean caribou can run really fast, but we can at least get close to them. Not the seals! And I was even running all the way up front this week!!! Yes, I am a lead dog now. Well, ok, maybe not really. I mean, I know a lot of years go into that. I think maybe I just heard Nazca snarl at me. But I am still pretty psyched. Mikkel put me up there with Lightning. She is so smart and very very nice too. I was busy though – its so cool up there – totally different view!

But still, even with no one in front of me, I really had to squint to see the seals, and I have to admit I can’t always tell if it’s a seal or a rock or something else... but since we left that last community they are everywhere! Icebergs too! Huge ones... We were coming up to an iceberg and I kept thinking how many of us it would take for us to stand around it. Thing is, it was actually even much bigger than I thought. It turned out we were really far away from it and it took us a much longer time to run to it than I thought it would. Funny how that works. Sable was saying something about perspective and distance, but I am not all sure how that fits in. I just know it was big far away and even enormous when we got up-close to it. I don’t even think all of us standing head-to-tail and hands-to-paws could make it half-way around it. Not even if we put the sleds in there too.

Can you imagine the splush when that drops in the water? I heard Mille talk about how the icebergs can come off glaciers—That’s like those big pieces of ice we saw on top of the mountains last week, but then I guess some of these glaciers go into the ocean too and drop off these icebergs that then floats around when the ice is not all here. It’s all a little hard for me to grasp, but they sure show up in funky places. Far out, as far as I can see over the ice, and then all of a sudden right next to the mountain sides we are running by. Like kibble in a pan with water. Sometimes they pool up in a pile and sometimes they are floating all over the place. I like sleeping next to the kibble on the sled. It smells good and I know it is right there then. We have not had to sleep next to one of these icebergs yet and I am thinking that’s a good thing as far as I am concerned.

They are sure are pretty though. Do you know they are not all white? The other night we waiting for Mikkel to give us some food, I was sitting next to Qannik and Sunrise and we were looking at the icebergs trying to figure out if they were close-by or far away... Then they were sort of a green blue but then they all became pink and yellow and purple and they were sparkly too! I like purple a lot. Kinu’s favorite color is blue! Her favorite smell is tundra – we ran across some of it the other day coming down from land onto the ice. My favorite smell, well I like to change favorites a lot, but for sure right now it is seal!

At least we can still smell the seal when we come by where it has been laying on top of the ice even though it’s a long time after it went into the ice. I mean, I know that’s just how they look and they really go into the water under the ice. Their smell reminds me of the tasty seal blubber! I bet that is why polar bears like seal too. We have seen a lot of polar bear tracks. They a smeeeelly I tell you. Big too. They are so big both Chitwa and I can get our paws in there – all of them, probably even Goodies too if he would stand next to us and try it out!

Down Down Down

Thu, 07 May 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I think we have just been on top of the world almost! I am not sure how far it is to the top of the world – but first of all there were mountain tops all over and around us and we ran down down down for three sunrises. The sled can get to go really fast, sometimes it even passes us! It is not always easy to see when it is going to go down and how fast. When Nazca is up front it is no help to look at her. She is so good at running downhill that she is no help cause she just seems to run faster and faster when Mille’s voice is whistling through the air telling us to go fly. So is Tucker! Its not always about size either I figured out, cause Baffin is really big, and he sure knows how to go down a mountain side too.

One way to know how its going to be running down is whether or not the guys throw these chains on the sleds. I mean the chains are there all along, but they take them from the handlebar on the back of the sled and swing them over the front of the sled instead. Khan runs right in front of to the sled a lot for really many winters. I have never run there a lot, and never downhill, so I asked him how it works. He said that the sled does fly up in the air and he can feel like a whooooosh behind him, but then as soon as it hits the ground its like a break hitting the front end of the sled when all the weight of the sled comes down on the chain on top of the ground. Sometimes it works so well we can not even pull the sled all of us together, even though its downhill!!!

Most of the down this time was actually super duper easy, like you could barely notice it was just going on and on. But one time I knew it was going to be a bit crazy. I knew the second we stopped and Mille let Sable off to run free. Sometimes they let a whole lot of us go, but this time at first it was just Sable, then several of us were let off our tug line so we were just attached to the neck line! That’s actually kind of fun. You can really almost get up to whoever is in front of you and stand next to them. Domino doesn’t think that is fun at all I guess. He was kind of cranky on me. But then, he had Qannik next to him and she sure is a sweet girl. Aaron and Mikkel and Chris were all working on putting the chains on while Mille was going through the teams. Then she let me off too!

There was a really nice guy there, Jimmy, who we had just met on his snow mobile. Usually if she is in the front team, the first one to spot them is Rubi.. and then Mille goes ..”iiit’s aaaa snoooooooooooooooooooooow moooooobiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIle” and we all run really fast. Not like we are going to catch it or anything. I am pretty sure Mille knows that too, but its fun anyway. This time we did use the snowmobile though! The guys stopped what they were doing when Jimmy said something to them, and next they pulled out ropes and started attaching the snow mobile to the back of the sled!?!? Really!

I heard Hershey talk to Jupiter about whether it was all broke and we had to pull it – but no. It was brilliant. As soon as the sled started gliding down the hill Jimmy would gas on the snow mobile and the sled would slow down, so the sled almost just crawled down the mountain side. The team even had to pull at times. Not me, cause I was free right.

Sable and I found some really cool rocks.

Can you hear me now???

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Howl.
Howl?
HOOOOWWWWWL!

Can you hear me? We are in the park and our connection is

Hellloooooooooooooooo?!

I can't get my blog post to go though to Education Basecamp at the moment. We'll try again later.

Snow Blocks!

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

You know how when you roll around in mud and then it dries and you get it in your mouth, you can taste it? That’s how it taste to have sand in your mouth! I know cause we slept on a sand beach just a few sunrises ago. That is the first time I have ever tried that! Sisu and I were thinking maybe that is why we were training in so much mud this year. That would be just like Mille thinking that we better learn that for this year.

I have to say we did not do enough rocks in training. Its been more bigger rocks than I have ever seen us pull over before. Like whole places of nothing but rocks even up above us. Its funny the guys all whisper then. Tucker even got in a bit of trouble. He likes to be really loud a lot but then some rocks came down and we had to hurry up and go I guess.

Its hard though at times a lot cause its that ice you can look through and see the rocks below. Sunrise even tried to tell me she saw a fish in one spot there--but I don’t know about that one. I tried to explain to her that there are plants in the ice too, but her and Pingo were not listening to me at all. They will learn!

All those youngster sure learned what the rest of us were barking about when the guys had pulled up in a big van and started pulling out bag after bag after bag. They were all there and giving hugs and the nice woman who drove us down to our spot on the river in Pang from the airport was there too. Mille climbed on her snow mobile and they took off.

Disko said they went looking for a way to go. I thought that sounded strange since Disko always knows which way to go! I was right behind Nazca when our sled took off following the sled Disko lead out. She is fast. I am pretty fast too if I do say so myself and I think we made the sled run almost as fast as the dog truck.

There were rocks and ice and the ice got bigger and yes, then there was more than a few snow blocks on the way! And not little ones! Huge. I mean maybe if Goodie, Jupiter, Baffin and Kodiak all stood on top of each other I don’t even think they would be at tall.

And there was water too. Mille was jumping straight up in the air and making big splashes and Aaron was swinging the ax and Chris and Mikkel were helping us pull and it was just so great to be pulling so hard again. Sure have been doing that a lot the last few days!!!

Yummy Seal

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Kodiak has this way he lays on his back with his legs kinda of up in the air. I was trying it this week. Makes me almost dizzy but it is good for looking up in the sky! And I have been looking every plane thinking maybe that would be the one Aaron and Chris was on. If I roll over on any side I see mountains. They are huge. Really pretty too. Qannik keeps saying it’s the prettiest she has ever seen, but then its her first time up here too so she has never seen how pretty it is around here before! I almost thought Nazca was going to try to run up one of the mountains the other day. She gets to run free all the time. Khan is next to me. He is a good guy, but all week he kept making comments about Nazca. I told him just to chill out (no pun intended) because Nazca should be able to run around as she is the mother of many of us here (not me though!).

Have you ever had seal meat? We had seal this week! I still smell like it! Mille and Mikkel showed up just the other day with some seal meat. I heard Mille talking that they received it from a local here in Pang. How nice is that? I had never had it before but its awesome! In fact, although I do like Khan, I had to growl at him a few times – I was afraid he was going to steal my portion. It tasted sooooo good. I don’t really know what to compare it to, but its much better than chicken! I wish there was lots of seals back in the dogyard so we could have it a lot. I think maybe then I would be able to eat more of it too... It was rumbling and grumbling in my stomach lots after eating it, but I just couldn’t help eating so much and Mikkel just kept giving me more! What a great guy!

I actually had to lay down for a long while after all of that. Its warm out now in the sun so I was sort of sleeping, and trying to keep one eye open, but I must have blinked cause then Goodie started barking. Aaron was there! First time I saw Aaron I had just figured out how to get out of my dog house and bark outside. I don’t think I was much bigger than my own head is now! Back then he gave me a ride in his car. I don’t know if he remembers but he took me to these really really nice ladies who took care of me while my Mom Freja was out on an expedition. I learned all sorts of stuff… Like how to fetch, and dig up plants to make their garden really cool.. and how to kayak! I like Aaron a lot, I had to bark a little when I saw him and I was trying to look for Chris too. Thought for a minute maybe he forgot him somewhere but no, I heard Mikkel say “Hi Chris.” He was just smiling so much I could barely tell it was him! He has very nice teeth. I think he likes me too. I swear he is giving me bigger pieces of seals than any of the others. And I heard him say he likes to smell like seal too!!

We were flllyyyiiinnng!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I sure couldn’t tell that was Luna’s first time flying. She was sitting next to me for the whole flight it was really impressive how she was totally cool with it. But then, if I have to say so myself I think it helped a bit that I had been talking about it for many sunrises. I love flying! And this time was really fun cause we all got to sit together! I have never tried that before, and I think I just might like that even more than when we are in our own boxes. Disko was across from me kind of, and he told me he tried to fly this way once before. That was on his first expedition many many winters ago. Well, I mean, Disko is not old like Timber or anything, but he sure has traveled many places. Xena was on my other side. Rubi was laying on my one paw most of the way. I tried to move it a couple of times, but she didn’t like that and I try not to do anything Rubi doesn’t like. Rubi is strong. Plus when I tried to back up a bit I was sort of stepping into Baffin. Really, I think we were all so close that if I had rolled two times to each side I would touch everyone. Didn’t do that though. It is important you stay in one spot when you are flying. Most all of us laid down once we were up in the air. Disko didn’t. He is a really nice guy and he likes to keep an eye on everything and everyone, always the leader. Plus he was next to Hershey who was a little wound up about the whole thing. I guess Hershey really likes his window view. So does Khan. And Mikkel! Everytime I looked at him he was looking out the window too. I guess Mille doesn’t really care about looking out the window, cause she could get up and sit anywhere she wanted to, but she sat on the floor with her back to the wall looking at me most the time. Made me wag my tail – I know she has flown a lot, being from another country and all, but I think sitting there and looking at me maybe made her calm about flying too...

The best part is when the plane goes up in the air and goes down again to land. We took off as many times as I have ears and landed that, plus a tail. I guess the plane needs re-supplies of fuel in communities too – like we pull the sleds into communities to pick up more dog food so we can keep running. I think they remembered all the dog food! Actually I heard we had so much dog food with us that this was why we had to sit in the dog boxes on the dog truck for one more day after we made it to the plane. With the dog food and everything the plane was so heavy and the winds were strong so we couldn’t fly! That’s one problem we Polar Huskies never have. We can go pulling our loads of dog food no matter how windy it is. Well, I mean sometimes we do stop because it is too windy I guess, but that is because the guys can’t see to see where we are going, or because we might loose each other. It might be so windy we can’t see each other from sled to sled so we can loose one another I mean. But never have I tried that we stop when its windy because we can’t pull in the wind. And that even though sometimes it is so windy that it makes my ears bend the other way! I wonder if maybe we could get a job with these airplanes when we are not busy pulling sleds in the wintertime. We will be busy now all right though. It is the most amazing here with snow and ice as far as I can see. And cold winds. My whisker were stiff this morning and I can see when everyone is breathing! I am so happy I have to bark a little a lot! Lightning told me that I guess we don’t get to pull the sleds up any of the mountains around here though. That even though there is a lot of them. I guess, way in the distance it looks like there is an opening between mountains and that’s where we will be heading once the sleds get loaded. She told me she has figured out that the winds seem to come from there! But first we need Aaron back! He didn’t come on the airplane, he took another plane with that nice guy John that came along on the drive. I guess when he comes back now, he is bringing along Chris the ‘people-musher.’ I am kidding, I know Chris is a ‘teacher.’ Nazca keeps telling me cause she gets a bit irritated I guess when I call him a ‘people-musher.’ I wonder if Aaron and Chris each get to sit by a window on their way here?

I love going!

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I am in Canada! Along with the rest of the gang, of course. I know we are in Canada because we stopped at the border when we crossed into Canada. Borders are a funny thing. I guess it is sort of like when Chitwa comes into my circle in the dog yard. I like him to check with me first that it is OK. He is actually not too good at doing that. I mean that is my space sort-of, at least. I do like to have visitors, though! I always try to greet anyone that comes to visit. Same, when we cross borders in the dog truck. Sometimes when we drive into another country, the nice people in the uniforms come through and open up all the doors to say "Hi" to everyone of us. I really like Canada. I have been here a lot, running all over the place.

It is amazing what you can see from inside my box here on the dog truck. Houses, people, cars, trains, all just flies by. Actually today there has been a lot flying-by. The truck has not moved since sunrise. I have not seen Aaron and John either since then? Wonder if they got caught by one of the things you fly in? You know who Aaron is, but you may not know who John is. I didn't know! First time I met him, it was pitch dark and he came up to me, and I tried to see if I could drag him to the truck I was sooo excited. We were leaving!!!! I am pretty good at dragging something or someone if I do to say so myself, but I have to admit this guy really had a hold on me right off the get-go. Pretty sure I did get both his feet off the ground at least a couple of times though!

When I get in my box I try to make as much noise as possible. Just to get everyone really fired up. I just realized maybe Mille does not like that so much, cause yesterday she sure did get a little upset with me, but then I think she was just worked up about all the people looking at us. We were outside this place with a lot of rooms. A lot more rooms than in a normal house, not like the house at Expedition Basecamp - and lots and lots of people... At least one person in each room I think! I saw many of them taking pictures of us, so I tried to look good and bark for them. I did hear Mille mumble something about "sleeping" to Mikkel... Maybe, really, she was not mumbling... We were really being loud. But, sure didn't seem like these people were tired, let alone sleeping, to me!

Now that I think about it, that house they are in is maybe a little bit like our dog boxes on the truck. It's a place people stay when they are not, and going somewhere!? Or just hanging out away from home. That is what we are doing right now. I am not all sure why we are hanging out, but Tucker said something about that he heard Aaron and Mille talk to these nice men about bad weather!? That didn't seem right to me though. We Polar Huskies pulled sleds in a lot less nice weather than what I saw today.

That night when I met John and we left Expedition Basecamp it was not great weather! First it rained and then when we were driving I could see out my box door that the rain turned to big fluffy snow flakes. Then I knew we were going the right way. I knew that as soon as I heard that mighty rumble of the truck starting. I got excited beyond barks... at least for a split moment, then I did bark! We all went really, really nuts, crazy, barking, howling, and jumping around. And, sure enough, that big truck came rolling down the way through the field and parked in front of us. That's when I met John, I guess he likes road trips! So do I. First I did get a little nervous. I have never pulled the dog truck. Not that I wouldn't do it-I mean, I just love that truck, taking us everywhere, always trucking up and down the mountainsides while I get to lie inside, looking out at all the amazing sights. But, still, it's big, with the dog boxes on top and the big trailer being pulled behind it. I heard Mikkel and Aaron talk about 'hooking up the dogs' right as we were leaving. They were outside my box underneath the truck actually!?!? I think I saw them put something on the tires... Then Aaron went inside the truck, and it really grumbled. Mud was flying everywhere but then we finally got going. Rumor has it we are going flying today. I love flying.

Eeeeee nuk shuk

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

The dog yard is buzzing. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. More back and forth than even Domino when he gets antsy! Watching them yesterday forth then back with boxes, bags, more boxes, bigger bags, skies, axes, tents had us going in circles. I mean watching them going in circles made us… well, I guess me at least... go in circles. Timber came down to the dog yard this morning with Mikkel. Now that he is retired he mostly hangs out up by the ‘expedition barn’ as Mille calls it. I guess it is named that because that’s where all the stuff is put that is ready to get loaded on the sleds out on the expedition. That’s where they were running in and out of so much yesterday. The latest woof is that it’s about full! And that they are going to start loading the trailer tomorrow… I am excited beyond barks!! (I sure hope they remember the dog food).

I have to say, I was not entirely surprised. I felt it in my whiskers the other day. Really, maybe more than my whiskers telling me anything, it was because they were taking all these pictures. Actually, they all seem to really enjoy seeing the world through these little machines all the time I guess... So maybe it was because they were taking pictures with the great colorful blankets. They seem to do that every year just before we take off, and also when the expedition is about done! Khan says its flags. He would know cause he got to be part of it all. Yes, I was a little upset at first, cause when I saw that Mille came out to grab some of us I was so excited it was difficult to figure out which paw I should stand on. I did woof, and she did woof back, but it was Disko and Khan who she took down to the place where everybody was gathered up. Well not everybody, but Aaron was there! I had not seen him for some sunrises and I like him. We did our first “first trip” together many winters ago. Four paws and a tail to be exact! That was one long trip. It was one year when we started and it was the summer of another year when we ended. It was fantastic!...

Chris was up there too. This is the first winter I know him but I have to like him cause I hear he is a musher. A people musher that is! He does seem to like nice people a lot. I think he knows a lot of them too, cause every time he comes around he brings new ones along. Even Pingo stayed out to welcome them. I say that because for some reason I really don’t understand, Pingo always runs in to his house when new people come around. Its just really odd to me. Oh no, maybe he thinks everybody wants to play hide and seek!? I have to ask him that, and let him know he is probably better of at least saying hi to people first. Always run to the people! Even if it you are not totally sure if it really is a person: run to it! One of the flags, this really pretty one, I like that one cause it has a lot of color on it. It almost looks like it has a person on it, but its really not! Hard to see though if you are far away from it. We ones like that when we are pulling the sleds and we really never know, so we go for them every time.! Mille gets soooo excited too, she starts yelling eeeee nuk shuk eeeeee nuk shuk eeeee nuk shuk. I use to think it was just a really funny sound she made to make us run faster – she does that. Then Xena told me that this is the name of those and that it actually means "looks like a person." It sure does. Get it? Looks like, but is not, a person! Xena heard that from her mother Nazca. Nazca has chased down a lot of eeeee nuk shuks over the winters! I hope I get to run right behind her chasing for them. Or behind who is behind her. Or behind that one. I don't really care just as long as I get to be in the team! We are really going!

Cranked

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

My whiskers are finally a little brittle again - and I will put my tail down on that I really did see some snow flakes today! I have decided my favorite color is white. Too much brown around here in the dog yard right now. I do like food-crunch-brown! Or Sable-brown! Sable is fun to run next to. She can be really tough. Actually, Sable is always tough and she can be quite strict, but she is also the best to play with. I learned long ago, that as long as I make sure to work hard and not play around when we have harness on, all is good. Else she sure gets cranked up! It was all cranked up here a few sunrises ago - it was a party! I had barely finished my first howl when they started walking in and out, moving tables and being very busy. Lulu and some other cars pulled up with people piling out, and then Mille and Mikkel came in a car. I think Mille might be better at packing a sled than a car, because whichever door she opened, food was falling out. Everyone had been busy all day but now it got crazy - just like it most often does when the team comes together - people in and out and what seemed like an endless stream of boxes. I wonder if we have to carry ALL of that food in the sleds?

Before dinner time Mille and Tiff came out to see us and give us treats! Sable's boyfriend Teddy the Norwegian Elkhound sent us yummies! He and his brother wanted to say good luck and safe travels so they sent us a package of their favorite treats. Duck Strips! And you know what? They were Duckyliscious! We all got two (Sable and I got three don't tell anyone!). We howled our thanks and then they were quick to return back to what they were doing.

It was late night before the chaos settled down, and I was rather amazed by how, at the end, they carried out boxes that looked like those we always pick-up along the expedition route when we get more dog food. They call them "re-supply boxes." We Polar Huskies always get excited when it is "re-supply" time; that means lots of treats and the team members are cranked up happy about it too. I am feeling a little cranked myself and crossing my paws that some of those Duck Strips are in those resupply boxes! Time for a howler!

Wet birds - I mean wet Polar Huskies!

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I like birds. Ravens are my favorite birds. I know they are ravens because Mille will see them and tell us its a raven. Sometimes Lightning sees them before Mille! I think that is pretty amazing how she is looking up in the air at the same time she sees what way she is going. I know Disko told me that one trick is to notice where the wind is coming from, and then just keep it there all day. I guess that way Lightning could be looking around, sure is not that easy though. Disko is pretty cool. He can lead us anywhere I think. He said another way is that he keeps watching Mille and listening to her commands and then figures out what way to run with the snow drifts. Well, actually, its not like fluffy snow drifts like the kind the fluffs all over when I jump into it. That's the best kind to dip you head in. I love those - I can dip my head with my mouth open and its like drinking snow. We Polar Huskies can do that. I know Aaron can't do that. Cause when they make camp he cuts out snow blocks and puts them in the tent and I guess they have to melt the snow inside the tent before they can drink it. Its lucky we don't have to do it that way. We can just eat it! Always have to watch it though... Only eat the white snow!!! Around here there is no more snow to eat now really. Its been so warm the last many sunrises, we can't even go for a run. I heard Mikkel talk about that it is just too warm. He has been out here digging - alot. I love digging too! I wish he would have let me help him cause I am really a good digger if I can say so myself. At first I thought maybe he was getting antsy too, but then I found out what he was doing. He was making small rivers for the water to go somewhere! He likes to make things go somewhere, a lot I think. Chitwa is in the other end of the yard from me. I think if he had put something in the water up by him, it would have made it to me! Well, sort of, cause I do not have any water running through my spot. Baffin does! He just moved into a spot next to me this week, and he is really lucky cause Mikkel dug by him so that Baffin has that water flow right through his spot! It just makes the hairs in my ears stand up how things can move with the water. Air too, like that's how I know if there is something, like caribou around - I can sense their smell that is traveling with the air! That can be a little more difficult with birds. It's a lot easier to see them if you can. Or hear them! There has been lots of loud honking noises now during the last couple of days -- Its the Canadian geese coming through! They are flying to where we are going as well! They don't even need to get on a plane to do that like we do and come time for the snow to melt up there too, we start hearing them above our heads. Wonder if they could actually beat us getting to Nunavut! if they tried!?

Crunch!

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Nazca did not make any effort to hide that she thought I was being silly... Oh well, she can be a little uptight if you ask me. Kind of like my Mom Freja, but then, they are sisters after-all. She is my fast-like-lightning aunt! I am maybe not quite as fast, but I still think I inherited my speed from her - at least how fast I can get in and out of the dog box on the dog truck. I actually do think she is faster than even Lightning! Lightning has been running in lead a lot, I like following her, she is always looking around seeing cool stuff. I bark a little and we try to get to it even though we know we can't. Its fun, get's everyone else thinking maybe we can! Lately not so much though. Mikkel has really been giving a lot of dog food to that machine he sits on when we are out running around here. Maybe he thinks the dog food might make it run better? I was getting a little concerned though. Timber was down in the yard the other day. He had been down in the place where all the food is, and swung by the yard on his way back to the house - He has been keeping an eye out for the dog food to arrive. Lulu came by a while back and she was so heavy with fat for us that I don't think you could have loaded another biscuit on her. Lulu is a car. Jeff and Tiff who are part of the team, they just don't go on the trail with us, they own Lulu. Actually my Mom, Freja went for a ride in Lulu just the other day! She is not coming with us to Canada, and actually, neither is my uncle Lipton. They have both been to Canada a lot I guess! I think my Mom said that she ran her very first expedition there up on the Arctic Ocean, and her second one was running all the way from south to north in Nunavut-and that's where she started learning how to be a lead dog. That is very young I think, but then, she is so brilliant. Lipton is big. He can really eat. He is now staying with Jeff and Tiff, while I guess my Mom was given her whole own couch just a few houses down! I was so excited when Lulu came with the fat, it is delicious, especially on days where the whiskers gets a bit brittle, but I was getting worried cause I like some crunch too! Luckily Nazca was right and Mille had not forgotten after-all. A huge truck pulled in with lots of delicious crunch - like something like as much as paws, ears and tail for every dog outside in the kennel (not counting Timber, Freja, Lipton and Aksel since they are all living with their plush couches. Well, Timber is still with us here at Basecamp, but I heard he is soon off in Lulu as well to be at the Taj Mahal)!!

All for today. Sorry, it's busy around here. Gotta run.....

Puppies...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I was watching Chukchi today. We just came back to the dog yard. We had been out on a long training run. It is warm out around here. Chukchi is right next to me in the yard - he is funny. He is kinda of small - I mean compared to me, not like compared to Xena. That's his mom. He is just not really very tall, but I think he has more hair on him than both me and Kodiak have all together. Kodiak is on my other side in the yard. His ears are so cool. No one else have ears like that. So, Chukchi spreads himself out on the ground obviously thinking we had a pretty big day. I mean he has a very long coat and I get how he gets really hot on days like today when there are small puddles on top of the snow and my head gets really wet when I stick it into the snow bank. I love snow banks. Juts makes me wanna bark a little. Anyway, soon Chukchi and the other pups are in for a big change! It will be really nice and cold again and today's run... well it will seem just like what it is: a training run. I am so excited. I just have to bark a little. We can tell its getting close. It is really busy around here. Today they were setting up tents and taking down tents and setting up tents and taking down tents and setting up tents and taking down tents. That is sort of like on the trail, except when we are on the expedition they take it down once in the morning, put it on the sled for the day, we go-go-go all day and then when we are done running for the day, they set the tent up again. That is some of my favorite time. We have been running all day, and we ate and now I can hear them inside of the tent doing noisy-clanky stuff before soon I know it I start dozing off. I am so excited--We are going to Nunavut!!!! Disko is sort of on the other end of the dog yard from me, and I had heard through the tails-line that we are going to Canada and all, and Disko knows that kind of stuff. A lot of the time he hears it straight from Mille, but lately Timber who is now living up in the house, he has been coming down and hanging out with Disko giving him all the scoops from what he hears inside.. Disko's first expedition many many winters ago went to Nunavut too - and so did my first expedition, about as many winters ago as I have paws and a tail. Wow, I did not know a whole lot back then. Now, if I have to say so my self I am a professional. That's what Mille always call us. Actually, she calls us the Superstars. I love to look up at the stars and watch them bright and twinkle, so I am thinking that she thinks we shine like that - or rather super-shine! I am sure these pups will too. They are not really pups. We just call them that until they have at least an expedition or two under their harness. Wow, I am so excited - have to bark a little more!