North Wapiti Siberian Husky Kennels
Iditarod 2003 - Tales from the Trail

March 24, 2002

Athabasca River Run

On March 24, 2002 we took a late season, 15 mile run on the Athabasca River. The team is made up of some experienced dogs (Grover, Oreo, Camilla, and Draco), some 2 1/2 year olds (Freya, Kara, and Loki) and some of the up and coming 1 1/2 year olds (Olena, Denali, Kobuk, Nahanni, and Kluane).

01 - We 'launched' (and the term is appropriate due to the quick downhill to the River) from the Athabasca River Runners Snowmobile Clubhouse and headed down upstream. 


02 - You can see some of the yearlings are still learning to stay on their own sides of the gangline. That is Kobuk crowding his brother, Denali. 


03 - The little black dot on the horizon is Mark on his snowmachine. As we don't know the River very well, the snowmachine is a good safety net. 


04 - What a beautiful spring day! 


05 - That is Nahanni and Kluane in wheel. They are wonderful, promising young girls. The black dog in front of them is Olena - the most exciting yearling in the group!! She should be a big contender for the 'A' Team this year. 


06 - Mark patiently waits for us to catch up. 


07 - Time for a quick rest. This is the longest run the yearlings have been on, so lots of breaks are in order. This is Kluane and Nahanni in wheel. Freya and Olena are in front of them. 


08 - Grover grabs a quick bite of snow, while Oreo catches her breath.

09, 10, 11 - Grover loves to roll!

12 - Back under way.


13 - You can tell spring is underway - run off is starting to form on the edges of the river. 


14 - The slushy trail on the side of this run off is good experience for the young dogs. 


15 - Seven and a half miles out we turn around to head home.


16 - Another quick stop on the way home. 


17 - Still wanting to lope this far into the run is a good sign that the yearlings haven't been pushed too hard.


18 - One last breather before the final push to the truck. The buildings ahead are the town of Athabasca. 

Thanks for joining us!

Karen's Diary

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