Update From Rainy MN

Update From Rainy MN
Oct 10th 2008
wolfmoonsleddog
Midwest
Location: Finland, MN
Time - 4:03pm
Temperature: 45 degrees F
Conditions: Cool, raining
Forecast: Rainy today, highs in the 40s. Cloudy tomorrow, lows in the 40s, highs in the 50s

Sorry again for no pictures. I have some I want to share but I’m having issues uploading photos. Am trying to figure it out.

Training is going well. This morning I was riding on the ATV with Jen behind the girl team. They obviously smelled a moose and really took off. It was a wild ride and a lot of fun - the dogs were VERY excited! We didn’t see that moose but a little while later we passed a clearing and I saw a large shadowy thing at the edge near the woods. I told Jen “I think I saw a moose back there” but I couldn’t be sure because it was still early morning and pretty dark (the days are getting shorter and shorter). We looped around a while later on the trail and came back the way we had come, as we always do. By the time we came back it was much lighter and we could easily see what was in the clearing. It was not one but TWO moose - a cow and a calf. We stopped and watched them for a minute. They looked at us and then disappeared into the woods. Very neat to see!

Last Sunday Jen and I took the little team out with the Sand Lynx. We had six dogs hooked up - Jackie, Joker, Noor, Calypso, Alex and Lira. Running out of the yard was intense and the rig didn’t want to pull straight. Less than a hundred yards after leaving the kennel, we hit a rock and flipped the rig! We were bruised but okay. The dogs were fine - they probably wondered why we’d stopped! Fortunately we finished the run without further issues but the team is too big for that little rig.

Before it started raining today, Jen and I started Kenzi’s five puppies in a team. We had our six-dog team, the five puppies and another dog named Pepper hooked up to an ATV - twelve all together. We went one mile with this team and they did great! Amazing how fast the pups figured out what to do. When we took breaks they were hammering to go!

Nemo is in his new home in Ireland now. Calypso’s new kennelmates are Biko and Chero, two retired dogs. They seem to be getting along well so that is good.

Well, it seems the rain has stopped. Unfortunately there is no longer any mention of snow this weekend but we checked out the extended forecast and there are two “s-words” in the forecast. A chance of rain mixing with snow on the 21st and on the 24th the forecast is (and I’m pretty sure this is a direct quote) “cold with snow.”

Now that is my kind of forecast!

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2 Responses to “Update From Rainy MN”
Dave Lukosik on 13 Oct 2008 at 5:06 pm # edit this

Glad to read your encounter with the moose was uneventful. I’m sure Jen and Blake know the hazards of moose on the trails. Can you use an air horn to scare them off a trail or will that just make them mad and possibly charge you and your team? Great to read your getting a lot of trail experience. Before you know it the snow will be coming! Happy trails, Dave

wolfmoonsleddog on 14 Oct 2008 at 12:32 pm # edit this

Hi Dave,

Fortunately the moose here are not known for being as aggressive as those in Alaska. In this area they are more of a danger to motorists, especially at night.

Great to hear from you!

Alice