Manitou Crossing Journal

March 5th, 2005 Jen and her team finished 2nd and is Rookie of the Year!

It is hard to believe the two big events of the winter are already over! The Beargrease team ran beautifully, and we learned a lot together on the trail. It was evident to me on the first few legs of the race that my team was young and uncertain about what we were up to. I had 4 dogs on my team who had never been to a race before and another 3 dogs who were at their second race. I knew I needed to be certain they were confident and comfortable as I guided them down the trail. My patience paid off, and they team became stronger each leg of the race. We stuck to the schedule we made up before the race, and soon found ourselves near the top of the field of teams. This was even more impressive to me considering that of the 39 dogs Blake and I had trained this season, the 18 best dogs were still on the truck in Alaska! I certainly felt this team had the potential to win if they had more experience under their belts. The last day of the race, my team became sick with the "race-bug" which was making its rounds through the teams. The handlers and I took extra care to assure the team remained well hydrated, and I didn't push them as we ran the last two legs to the finish line. They performed amazingly.

If you have never been to an event like the John Beargrease, I highly recommend getting involved. So many wonderful people participated in the event, that I can't possibly say enough about them all. Our handler crew was outstanding! Phil Morrison kept everything organized and assured everything was ready and waiting for the team's arrival at each checkpoint. Blake's parents, Rich and Diane Freking, fed and massaged dogs and always had food and a warm van for me to rest in waiting. Dave Lundberg, Sean Johnson, Walt Brockman and Johannas Roemp rounded out the crew. John Vitek and Darian Wilette had success in the 8-dog 150 mile Beargrease finishing 27th and 24th respectively with all 8 dogs in each their teams finishing. John and a couple other teams had close encounters with a moose, but no one was injured. John met us again at the Finland checkpoint on the way down to help out with the team at the last couple of checkpoints. The hundreds of Beargrease volunteers, checkpoint coordinators, BARC Ham radio opperators, and veterinarians that work together to get the teams down the trail safely and happily were simply amazing. As I traveled throught the checkpoints, I visited with many great friends that help with the Beargrease year after year and made many new friends who have caught the "Mushing Fever" as well.

There is great sportsmanship and comradery among the mushers as well. Many people probably imagine us out there fighting to get ahead of one another, but actually we have a lot of fun together. We often find ourselves running alone with no other dog teams in sight, between the checkpoints, however if we come across anyone in need of a hand we are more than happy to help out. John Vitek spent 10 minutes trying to help a very frightened musher who had just had her sled broken after a moose crashed over it. At the checkpoints, we take a few minutes to share stories and even snack on chocolate chip cookies thanks to Peter McClelland!

My favorite checkpoint was Sawbill. The hospitality of the volunteers truly went above and beyond! After they helped me park my team, they offered a warm breakfast and hot drinks. They were always ready to help the mushers with whatever they needed. The remote checkpoint was so quiet and beautiful. I rested very comfortable in the straw next to my dogs listening to the birds chirping in the trees above us.

The work that goes into preparing for events such as the Quest and Beargrease during the rest of the year is also remarkable. John and Judy Vitek couldn’t be more helpful. John makes the best cable droplines and cable filled ganglines that we have ever used. Judy has mastered her line of special “foot-goo” and makes wonderful fleece blankets and wrist wraps to keep the canine athletes warm and running their best.

Spring is just around the corner and it is time to train puppies and make plans for summer and the next race season. Keep watching the journal for more stories from the trail. Blake in on the road and is expected to arrive back in MN in the next couple of days.

We have souvenir t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, sweatshirts, and prints for sale! Please check out our new secure on-line store. The money will help us pay off our debt from the season and support the our goal of having two 2006 Iditarod teams!

Happy Trails!
Jennifer

2-25-05 Blake Has Finished!

He brought in the Red Lantern in record time! The dogs that made the whole trip are: Deuce, Noor, Inga, Trouble, Fiona, Gonzo, Baldy and Kimber. The ones who contributed greatly to the effort but got dropped due to injuries were: Naoki, Punto, Altoid, Jodi, Bluie, and Telly. More stories to come after Blake gets some rest. Jen starts her race tomorrow! Watch for updates on the Beargrease!
Happy Trails!
Webmaster Cindy

Feb. 22, 2005

All of our sources indicate Blake is continuing to run strong and have an excellent second half of the Yukon Quest. He is currently in 8th place with 9 dogs and is due into Circle City this evening. From Circle City, there is 252 miles to the finish line in Fairbanks. He and the team will be passing over 3650 foot Eagle Summit and 2480 foot Rosebud summit during the next 150 miles.

There are links on our Yukon Quest page to two nice articles that have been published about Blake's race in the Alaska Daily News and the Fairbanks News Miner. We are all looking forward to hearing stories from Blake after the race finish!

We are doing our final preparations for the 2005 John Beargrease Marathon starting next Sunday. We have an excellent crew of handlers for the race. The Beargrease is handler assisted, so the handlers must arrive at each checkpoint before the musher and prepare an area for the dogs to rest and have food ready for the dogs upon their arrival. It makes for a rather sleepless few days for the entire crew, but I've really enjoyed all of my experiences as a handler. It is exciting to watch so many people working around the clock to assure the mushers and dogs have a safe, happy journey down the trail.

In case anyone is interested in the ages and lineage of the dogs I'll be racing, I thought I would give a breakdown. My team of dogs consists of primarily 2-3 year olds. I'll be running four 3-yr-olds out of Northomes Maggie and sired by Alaskan's Nicolaos of Anadyr (Alex): Capri, Dozer, Flint, and Trekkie. Their other brother, Baldy, is on Blake's team. I'll also have three 2.5-yr-olds out of Nokita Grommit of Jedeye and Noekken av Vargevass: Ivan, Bodo, and Lena. These dogs go pack primarily to Igloo Pak lineage. Pepper (Alaskan's Splatters of Anadyr/Alaskan's Nicolaos of Anadyr) and 2-yr-old Mac (Alaskan's Dewy of Anadyr/Moonshadow Biko of Jedeye) round out the youngsters of my team. The 3 older dogs include 5-yr-old Jericho (Shjegge Mann's Jordan/Alaskan's Blackjack of Anadyr), and 4-year-olds Orso (Alaskan's Splatters of Anadyr/Alaskan's Balto of Anadyr) and Ed (Alaskan's Soldotna of Anadyr/Alaskan's Balto of Anadyr). Pepper's brother, Altoid, is on Blake's team. Her two sisters unfortunately are resting since Ziggy stepped in a moose hole and Greenie obtained a cut to one of her foot webs a few weeks ago.

Moose holes are my biggest concern with the moose in our area. When a moose take a walk on our dog trails, they generally leave large holes with their feet, similar to a horse walking through the snow. If someone steps into these holes while running, they can cause significant injuries. Our handler, Phil, went for a nice 13 mile run this morning with 8 dogs and met two stuborn moose in the middle of the trail! It was in an area where he couldn't possible turn the dogs around, and the dogs were very anxious to get closer to the moose. After several minutes of facing off, the two moose decided to move on. We have also been seeing several wolves and lynx in the last few weeks. It is amazing to see the animals. They are generally not afraid of us and the dogs and seem rather curious.

Stay tunes for more updates from the trail. Keep wishing Blake and his dogs a smooth and safe journey!
Happy Trails!
Jen

Quest update:

Blake arrived at Dawson, halfway into the race, at 11:46 pm Thursday in 9th place. There, the mushers must take their 36 hour layover, during which time the handlers, Ryan, Micheal, and John are able to care for the team and the dogs and musher get lots of rest and good food! The team is in excellent spirits and were running strong coming into Dawson. Blake's team is maintaining speeds on the trail nearly the same as the front runners, but he is resting his team longer than the leading teams. The weather is predicted to be unseasonably warm over the next few days. This often slows the teams considerably, however, this team of Siberians showed us last year that they can run beautifully in tempertures soaring above the freezing point during their winning Beargrease performance last March. Blake may adjust his rest schedule slightly so that he can be resting the team during the heat of the day.
The three dogs that have been dropped so far were Bluie and Jodi due to sore wrists and Altoid due to mild rear limb lameness. The first 150 miles of the race were reportedly punchy snow condition causing dogs in many teams to have sore wrists, but Ryan has reported that the dogs are the truck are no longer sore and are anxious to run. Once dropped from the team, however, dogs are not allowed to rejoin later in the race. They will have to cheer on their teammates from the truck!
Keep Blake and his 11 dogs in your thoughts and prayers are they prepare to depart on the second half of their journey around noon on Saturday!!

Back in MN, the Beagrease Sled Dog Marathon is fast approaching. I have choosen the 12 AKC Siberian Huskies that will make up my Marathon team. My leaders are Jericho, Trekkie, and Capri. The other nine dogs are Flint, Dozer, Mac, Lena, Pepper, Ed, Ivan, Bodo, and Orso. None of these dogs were in last years Beagrease Marathon, but most of them are siblings or half siblings to the dogs on that team. I'll write more about the Beargrease team next week!
Happy Trails,
Jennifer

They're on the trail!!
Blake left the starting chute in Whitehorse with bib number 17 at 1:32 pm. His team consists of 11 Siberian Huskies; Naoki, Duece, Fiona, Inga, Trouble, Jodi, Noor, Bluie, Punto, Baldy, and Altoid and 3 Alaskan Huskies: Kimber, Telly, and Gonzo.

2/12/05

Less than 16 hours to the Quest start and our checklist is getting shorter. Seems the toughest part of this race is going to be keeping the truck running for the handlers. I know everything is in place; the dogs are in great shape, the sled packed and ready. If anything has been missed or unplanned it will have to be dealt with later, worrying about it at this point will not help. The only thing to do is await the final countdown to launch the team in Whitehorse, stick to the plan, and the rest will be improvised.p>

It is an amazing feeling to get to this point in the season, knowing we have worked so hard, and had so many friends helping us along the way. John and Judy Vitek have been instrumental in getting us here. The dogs will rest warmly under Judy’s blankets, her wrist wraps and foot ointment will certainly aid in recovery. The ointment has been dubbed “Judy goo” by our crew. John fabricated the cable drop lines for the truck as well as the cables that will be used in Dawson. He also made the cable filled, reflective ganglines and tuglines we will be using, with help from Sean and Gina Johnson. My mother has made sure I will be the best fed musher on the trail by preparing a wonderful variety of dishes, vacuum sealing them, and freezing them. When I am warming water for the dogs I can simply toss them into the hot water and enjoy a warm home cooked meal. Our handlers Ryan, Darian and Phil have been doing a great job and I heard a rumor that Johannes is back in the USA for the Beargrease. Liz Busa has also been a big supporter of the team as well as countless others that are greatly appreciated. I could write volumes on the great people that have helped Jen and I over the years.

Despite the fact that we have fewer miles on the team now than when we started Beargrease last year, they are looking great, and seem much more resilient than I have seen in past years. Credit for this must also be given to the food that fuels them. We are using both the Eagle Power Pack and Ultra products, along with Sea-Pet supplement which we feel gives us the absolute best diet we can offer our canine athletes.

I must be off to rest up for the big event, I will try to call in with a report from Dawson City and updates can be seen at www.yukonquest.org
Thanks again for everyone’s support and Happy Trails!
Blake

Greetings from the crew back at Mantou Crossing Kennels!

Spring-like weather spiked the temperture up to 48 degrees in Northern MN, and the unseasonal weather lasted about a week! Our trails are icy, but training is still going very well. We decided not to race at Bayfield, WI as the weather reportedly reached 50 degrees during the race! It seemed wiser to rest the dogs and train harder as the weather cooled off this week. The dogs did some amazing runs during the weather. It never ceases to amaze me how well they can perform under such conditions. Rather than racing, I loaded 10 of my potential Beargrease dogs who have not done much traveling into the truck and took them for a drive. They are adjusting well to training out of the truck and camping next to it as they will be during the Beargrease.

The Empire Sled Dog Race in Solon Spring, WI was very nice. They always organize a wonderful event with great community support! There was a big snowstorm from Thursday through Saturday of the race, which dumped about 32 inches of snow at the kennel and about 9 inches of soft snow on the race trail in Solon Springs. By Sunday, the trail was much firmer and the temperture had dropped below zero. Due to the conditions, our teams improved their times by about 40 minutes from Saturday to Sunday! My team of Capri, Trekkie, Ed, Orso, Flint, Dozer, Bodo, and Chester finished 8th of 25 teams. Darian and Walt Brockman finished 20th and 19th of 29 6-dog teams. Most of the dogs we were racing had never been to a race before, so our goal was to give them a very positive experience. It was a huge success!

The Beargrease teams are shaping up very well. We have done a series of camping trips with the teams getting them accustomed to our checkpoint routine. We will be having a small Yukon Quest party next Sunday as Blake takes off down the trail on their journey. It is very difficult not to be up there with them!

Stay tuned!
Jennifer

2/05/05

Things are going great here as final preparations are made for race day which is only a week away. We have had a couple viruses make their way through the team which caused them to lose a little weight, but everyone is feeling great now and as strong as ever. I have had a couple great conversations with Gerry Willowmitzer, who has given me tons of info on the trail concerning camping spots, trail conditions and other advice that is totally priceless to a rookie in a race like this. He even assured me that most of it was true and correct.

Training is winding down as we are tapering the last few days before the race to allow the dogs' muscles, joints and minds to totally recover before the big day. I am still training 16 dogs and will not make the final decision on who will make the final 14, for a few more days. Right now it looks like I will be traveling with 12 Siberians and 2 Alaskans. It is a difficult decision to make as every canine athlete is looking great. None seem to be falling behind, even though we have several that have very limited experience in racing and traveling by truck.

We are also doing the final tune-ups on the truck which received a new starter today, we also did a little work on the glow plugs with high hopes that it will actually start when we need it to.

Michael and John will be arriving on Tuesday to make up the rest of our handler crew. Having three handlers will certainly help in Dawson City and make the driving safer for all of them.

I am planning one more journal before race day.
Signing off.
Blake

1/26/05
Greetings from the Yukon!!!

We finally made it. The 2600 mile trip was relatively uneventful. Just as we entered Canada we were in temps around -45F, after another 1000 miles west we were in temps just above freezing and pouring rain. Temps in the Whitehorse area were around -30 when we arrived and have now warmed to around 0.

The trails here are absolutely beautiful. We are currently at around 1200 feet of elevation but the peaks around us are at about 6500 so there is plenty of elevation training on the trails. All this awesome country inspires me to be traveling lots of miles, which is just what the dogs need right now. We see wolves, coyotes and moose on nearly every training run.

Our host is Werner Rhein, a great guy and full of good info on the Yukon area. We are also fortunate in that we are able to run right out of Werner’s yard onto seemingly endless trails, which saves us from having to haul the team to train.

Food drops are off which is always a relief, we had 32 bags of dog food, people food and gear to send out onto the trail. Ryan and I have also been working on a plan for the Dawson Checkpoint. During the quest handlers are allowed to help and we are making plans to make it as efficient as possible and restful for the dogs.

Well, off to take care of dogs and rest up for another day on the trail.

Till next time.

Blake

Manitou Kennels: January 17th, 2005

They're Off!
Blake, Ryan, and 18 Huskies are on the road driving to Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada! It has been quite a hectic week at the kennel as we all prepared for the team's departure. We greatly appreciate all the help from our friends during the past few weeks. A special thanks goes to John and Judy Vitek for their support. John made the cable drop lines and ganglines Blake is using and Judy sewed numerous dog blankets and wrist wraps to keep the athletes warm and comfortable. Their departure was slightly delayed by -40 F degree temperatures causing the water lines to freeze in the bunk house, but their journey north has been smooth and uneventful thus far. The dog truck and enclosed trailer are full with dogs, dog food, and equipment. Once in Whitehorse, Blake will get his drop bags on their way to the checkpoints and continue training in the Whitehorse area.

The dogs 18 dogs who are making the trip to Whitehorse include all 12 of 2004 Beargease Marathon Champion dogs: Naoki, Duece, Fiona, Inga, Trouble, Noor, Bluie, Punto, Kenzi, Ewok, Telly, and Gonzo. In addition, Jodi, Baldy, Trooper, Altoid, Kimber, and Remi have made the team to this point. Of these 18 dogs, 14 will start the race on Feb. 13th. This group includes 14 AKC Siberian Huskies and 4 Alaskan Huskies. There are 10 males, 1 neutered male, and 7 females. There are 7 "gee/haw" command lead dogs including Naoki, Duece, Fiona, Inga, Trouble, Jodi, and Baldy. The dogs have covered over 1000 miles of trail so far this season and will probably run about 1000 more before the start of the race.

Back at the kennel, my Beargrease team is performing very well and Darian and I are planning on running at Solon Springs and Bayfield in the next few weeks. We both are training many dogs who have never been to a race before, so these events will be training events to give the dogs good experiences traveling and racing before the Beargrease.


Happy Trails,
Jennifer

Manitou Kennels: December 24, 2004


MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Snow arrived at Manitou Kennels shortly after our last journal entry, which explains why we have been away from the computer. We started sledding on December 9th, and we now have about 2 feet of snow on the ground. The dogs continue to run beautifully and injury free. They have covered up to 62 miles of trail in a day and been anxious to head out the next day. After Christmas we will begin a series of camping trips with the teams to develop a smooth camping routine.

We have been arranging Blake's drop bags for the Yukon Quest which will need to be shipped to Whitehorse and Fairbanks in mid-Janurary. These bags will be waiting for Blake at the checkpoints, and contain all the food he will need for himself and the dogs for his stay at the checkpoint and the next 200+ miles to the next checkpoint. He will also send supplies such as spare clothing, batteries, booties, foot ointment, and sled runner plastic. We are also working out the logistics of of getting to the team, Blake, and the hanlders to the start line in Whitehorse. Blake, the dogs, and his handler, Ryan, will tenitively begin their drive to Whitehorse shortly after the drop bags are shipped. Time is flying by!

We have some exciting news... Blake and I were engaged on December 21st!

Happy Holidays
Jennifer

Manitou Kennels: December 5, 2004

Snow has been slow to arrive to the Midwest this winter. We have had up to 7 inches on the ground, which helps cushion the dogs’ feet and legs on our longer runs, but isn’t enough to make us comfortable taking out large teams with the sleds. There is a lot of light snow in the forecast however, so if we get an inch of snow every day, we should be on sleds within a week or so! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the northern lights that were dancing across the sky a few weeks ago. The lights were this spectacular at 5pm, and by 10 pm, while Blake and I were out jogging, the entire sky was seemed alive with dancing lights. The dogs are running great. Our only wish is that we were on sleds by now.

We have basically divided the race dogs up into teams. Twenty dogs, who consist mostly of experienced race dogs 3-years of age and older are training for Blake’s Yukon Quest team. Most of the Beargrease champions are in this group.

My Beargrease team will come from a pool of 19 dogs, 12 of which two-year-olds who haven’t been to a race yet. Six of these young dogs a litter out of Nokita Grommit of Jedeye and by Noekken av Vargevass going back primarily to Igloo Pak dogs. This litter is very different in lineage from the rest of our kennel, and we are pleased with how well they have been performing so far.

The other litter in this same age group is Altoid, Pepper, Ziggy, and Greenie who are out of our excellent leaders, Splatters and Alex.
They have been spending a lot of miles in lead and swing and are learning quickly.

We are also very pleased with our other young leaders such as Baldy, Capri, and Trekkie who have already become quite dependable in front of the team.

Our puppies are growing fast and are very sweet and lovable.

The four 7-week-old Soldotna/Altoid pups have been named after currencies: Peso, Kyat, Yen, and Lira. They join us on daily puppy adventures though the woods and down the trails.
The eight 7-month-old Dewy/Duece pups started running in harness with the older leaders very easily with tons of enthusiasm. It is very exciting to watch the pups take off down the trail so happily and eagerly. This litter has been truly delightful to raise and train since very early on. They all earned to sit and wait for their food in just a couple of days. They have always been very responsive and attentive to us.

You may have heard; DHA, an essential fatty acid in omega-3 fish oil, has been shown to be a key in neural development. In light of this new research showing how omega-3 fish ol supplementation can improve trainability of pups, I am sure that the Sea Pet Omega-3 Fish Oil supplement we gave their mother with throughout her pregnancy and the pups since with 3 weeks of age was a great benefit to them. Learn more about this product at: www.sea-pet.com Feel free to email us with any questions!

Please check out the Jedeye Siberian print by Dave Totten that is available to support the teams. This would be an excellent Christmas gift! Shirts are also available soon.

Happy Trails, Jennifer

Manitou Kennels: November 19, 2004
Howdy!

Training has been going wonderful! All we need is a little snow the season will be well underway. The gravel roads that we run on are great for training, but this time of year as we stretch the miles out, we need to reduce speed for fear of injuring feet. Our dogs have always had good feet, but we’ve been impressed with how well the dogs’ feet are looking this fall. This is probably because they live on gravel here rather than the sand we had in Cambridge.

We have lots of Snow Buntings moving through the area. They seem to enjoy flying just in front of the leaders, landing on the trail, and taking off again just as the team gets close. They get the entire team fired up much like the loose leader philosophy used in the early 1900’s. It was not uncommon for musher’s to train a leader to run loose with the team to help increase enthusiasm in a tired team and increase speed in the process. A lot of the younger dogs are beginning to show they have what it takes to run with the main crew and some of them are really showing their natural talent in front of the team.
I was invited to give a presentation at Midwest Mountaineering in St. Paul last weekend and had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones. I talked about general training and racing, and then fielded questions about more specific training practices.
We have something new at the kennel! In the past, since we live off the electrical grid, when we wanted to run water for the dogs, shower, use power tools, ect. we needed to run the generator. We just got our battery bank, inverter and hundreds of other parts that give us the capability to flip a switch and have light in our cabin and do everything things without having to fire the generator. It was two full days of wiring and assembling but well worth it. Now we will have to run the generator once a week to charge the batteries and live the rest of the week in silence.

Happy Trails!
Blake

Manitou Kennels: October 16th, 2004
Greetings!

It is mid-October and the golden leaves are floating from the Birch trees to the ground and covering the roads. The Tamarack trees have turned golden and the maples are still red. We've had many days of beautiful Fall weather with cold morning for training and warm sunny afternoons. Fortunately, Soldotna gave birth to her litter by Altoid just before the weather became rainy and cold. She and her pups are keeping warm and dry in their insulated dog house. I was also very happy she waited until I returned from my recent trip to Down East Sled Dog Club Trade Fair and Seminar in Oxford, Maine to have her litter!

The Trade Fair was great! I enjoyed visiting old friends and making new ones. If you ever have the opportunity to go to this event, I highly recommend it. They have bike-joring, canicross, and rig races throughout the weekend. Everyone had a wonderful time, and there were only a few wipe-outs with mild road rash! I gave a presentation on Saturday about Mush with PRIDE and kennel management. Mush with P.R.I.D.E. supports the responsible care and humane treatment of all dogs and is dedicated to enhancing the care and treatment of sled dogs in their traditional and modern uses. I encourage everyone to become a member and consider participating in the Kennel Certification program. Participating will give you the opportunity to review your dog husbandry with a veterinarian, shows your dedication to good dog management, and gives credibility to you kennel.

On Sunday, I taught a group how to examine their dogs for injuries and illness and encouraged everyone to examine their dogs after every run. I stressed that it is important to identify and treat any injuries or issues early. Most sled dogs are very stoic and their strong drive to run can make identifying problems more difficult.

Back at the kennel, the teams are running strong. They are stretching out to 8 mile runs and were especially anxious to run as snowflakes were flying the other morning! Yesterday, our handler, Darian Willete, and I were running the "girl team" down the grade road when we noticed a black thing along side the right side of the road in the distance. Our German shepherd, "Asia" was free running beside the team and I noticed her hackles go up. We were trying to decide if it was a parked ATV, a moose, or a bear. As we approached, we noticed that the "handle bars" were indeed big ears, and two Bull Moose rose to their feet. It is odd for two bull moose to be buddies this time of the year, but I am pretty sure these two boys are a couple of long yearlings that have been hanging out together all year. I stopped the team and the moose stood for a few moments watching the dogs. Asia was going crazy, barking and running about. I'm happy she didn't try to bite one of the moose on the hock! (She made that mistake with a horse once...) Finally, they turned and trotted down the road ahead of us before making their way out into the swamp. They are truly amazing animals! I always enjoy seeing them and have not had any major problems with them and the dogs yet. I should share the story of the moose with meningeal worm last spring sometime...

I better sign off for now!
Happy Trails!
Jennifer

Manitou Kennels: September 18, 2004
The first half of September has been warmer than August, but the teams are still being trained early in the morning at least twice a week. We are anxious for cooler weather and longer runs, but the dogs continue to look great.

Since the Beargrease is about 6 months away, last Thursday the KBJR Channel 6 News crew came to the kennel and joined us on training run. It was about 64 F when we took them out on a two-mile run. The dogs did very nicely and provided the cameraman with great shots of them cooling off in out doggie-pools after the run. I think KBJR did a great job with the their story about sled dog training in the off season. You can download it at:

http://www.kbjr.com.

We would like to introduce a fine group of Siberian Huskies that has joined the Jedeye Siberians: the Shjegge Mann Siberian Huskies bred by Walt Brockman of Wisconsin. Walt began mushing in 1975 after visiting Earl and Natalie Norris at their Howling Dog Farm in Willow Alaska. He stayed at Anadyr kennels and trained and raced dogs from 1978-1979, returning to Wisconsin with the foundation of dogs that he developed into his line of Shjegge Mann Siberians. He raced extensively on the Wisconsin Trailblazers Sled Dog Club sprint circuit throughout the 80's, becoming the Trailblazers 9-dog Champion in 1983. Due to health problems, Walt has placed his young dogs in our care to be trained, raced, and continue his great line of dogs. The 10 females and 8 males range from 3-5 years of age and are from 5 different breedings. They are a tallented group, whom we hope to give the opportunuty to race in the Beargease 150 and other races this season.
Happy Trails!
Jennifer

Manitou Kennels: September 4, 2004
Greetings everyone!
Fall training is underway, and the dogs are looking great. We've been running the teams 4-miles since mid-August and have been impressed with the dogs' stamina and endurance, even after a few months of summer rest. It is exciting to watch the 15 young athletes joining the 25 seasoned race dogs. Hopefully, their training over the first two years of their lives has prepared them well for this season. We have big plans for their first year of racing!

There have been some big changes for the Jedeye Siberians in the past year. In the summer of 2002, Blake purchased 120 acres north of Finland, MN that would become Manitou Kennels. Over the next year, we built a log home, kennel, and began making trails on the land. The dogs were moved to the new kennel in November 2003. All of the hard work seemed to be rewarded with beautiful performance in the 2004 Beargrease Marathon.

This summer has been filled with exciting changes as well. I graduated from the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine, and began working at the Ely Veterinary Clinic and Lake County Veterinary Clinic. Blake was hired by the U.S. Forest Service and is working from the ranger station in Isabella, MN. In our spare time, we have been improving our facility by building a pole barn and a bunk house. We have also raised eight very promising puppies this summer out of Alaskan's Dewy of Anadyr (leader) and Duece of Jedeye (leader).

We are gearing up for an exciting race season, so I hope you will follow our experiences through this bi-weekly journal and support our efforts to field competitive Siberian Husky teams in both the 2005 Yukon Quest and John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.

In our next journal entry, we will introduce the new additions to the kennel, Walt Brockman's Shjeggemann Siberian Huskies.

Happy Trails!
Jennifer

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