Winter Diary Extract 2004 - 2005

Each feed per dog weighs 2.8lb. I’d really like to reduce the weight but keep nutritional and calorific content. Weight made up from meat, pure fat, two cups of Nutrience Active, 6% more fat than Nutirence Junior. All vanishes. Each dog gets 750ml of warm water. The breed is susceptible to bloat so if they want extra water they eat snow. This I pile up fresh for them. I rest my dogs again tomorrow and continue to let this nutrition do its work.

Still running Thule upfront despite her first week of another heat cycle within two months. I’ve kennelled her far enough away from the others to give me a decent night’s sleep without my males howling for her favours.

Lots of detail. Cut PowerBar’s into fifths and dowse in flour so segments don’t stick.
Fill chain saw with cooking oil before cutting up 280lb of frozen tripe into fist size feeding blocks. Cutting each 40lb slab threw out 4lb of tripe dust. I collected, bagged and add this to warm water and feed. Sorting out medical kit. Find out about PLB (Personal Location Beacon) that transmits exact location thanks to GPS interface cable. Dogs rest only to occasionally snap at ravens trying to glean an existence by stealing strands of straw with a husk or two.

Ran early on fresh snow, pleasant at around twenty below. Start to this afternoon’s two and a half hour run was truly one from hell. Thule bunched the team before we left creating a monster brawl. She promptly sank her fangs into Nettle’s face. Saxon thought it was a free for all and joined in. I was mad at them for being so horrible to each other. I just cannot afford injuries. I calmed down only to watch Bomber back out of his harness, disregard anything I had to say to bring him closer and he cleared off, towards Inuvik. I wasn’t so much mad as frightened he might get knocked over. Dogs get run over here regularly. I followed him. Soon enough he decided to come to my hand; I hugged rather than penalising him.

Despite the horrendous start to today’s run I definitely felt everyone’s fitness is where I want it to be. Last thing tonight I sewed a cinch strap into Bomber’s harness. No more shedding harnesses for him.

The hardest run yet. Three and a half hours pulling just over 600lb, sometimes through deep powder snow. Boxes of supplies are flown in from Outdoor Designs and include Krakatua mitten and glove liners. Inside my shells I fit large liners into an extra large pair.
RAB Vapour-Rise Smocks and Trail Pants arrive too. My RAB clothing has protected me and been on my back since last summer’s journey. I’ve a new Global System compass from Recta came as well.

I wake and Saxon frightens me. He’s surrounded in diarrhoea and vomit where he’d hurled up last night’s feed. He could hardly walk so I quickly got him inside my place and a sleeping bag. His great plume of a tail was covered in frozen crap. As it thawed I cleaned him. He’s stabilized and now rests beside my oil stove all day.
 

It really bothered me to see his eyes without that sparkle. Though he did perk up after I took him outside for a squirt. It was - 37°C and he splashed what he could with piss. Tonight I fed him rice with a little beef extract flavouring. Rice aids water retention. Last thing I let him out for a pee. He ran around and growled at Piston and Marshall. He’s getting better. I turned my stove down at little so he doesn’t spend the night panting.

Woke with Saxon sleeping on the coldest part of my floor. After he stretched a lot I let him out for a wander. He had a growl or two at the others and a play with Twizzle He looked better so I clipped him back on to his chain. I tried feeding more boiled rice. It stayed put this time.

At the moment my self set tasks, including feeding and training, saturate eight hours. That includes my own running too and lead into long days. Packing for this spring’s journey cannot be rushed. It’s detailed. New gear replaces worn-out kit. Logistically getting stuff here from down south is very expensive and time consuming. Sometimes freight goes missing. This is annoying and frustrating.

I watched a raven chisel into some frozen dog poo. Lean times obviously. Cleaned and sharpened chain saw indoors before cutting up more meat, outside. Mum sent me a lovely letter with some photos. She asked me to, ‘Please look after yourself’. ‘Please’ was underlined.

Woke and ran late. Lately simplest of tasks seem to take forever. I’m tired and considered taking it easy today. Fed Saxon more rice. He’s back on form. Tomorrow I gently introduced his regular feed. Sawed up 200lb of ground chicken.

Ran this evening with Blitz. He’s a lovely chap to run with. Doesn’t try and trip me up and comes when called if he gets sidetracked with something like sniffing a wolf turd.

Ran early in the dark and forty below zero with Blitz. He was a good boy. Last week I paid $95 delivery fee for fresh emergency rocket and handheld flares to be delivered overland. They’re considered dangerous goods and can’t be flown and arrived today with a new personal location beacon. If I must pull the plug in a dire situation this device scrambles the rescue authorities. New data cable from Garmin enables me to wire my eTrex Vista GPS directly to my PLB (Personal Location Beacon) without DC power connection. The PLB will now load and transmit my exact location co-ordinates if ever I’ve the need to be rescued. Last summer bothered me when I was momentarily blinded testing my bear spray. I wouldn’t have been able to punch in a phone number if the situation became dire. At least I could fumble and flip a rescue beacon switch now.

On the radio came news about Inuvik and the proposed Mackenzie Valley oil and gas pipeline. As with any boomtown comes organized crime. There’s talk of Hell’s Angels getting a grip on the community. Twizzle bites through and ruins his collar. He takes the opportunity to bulldoze into everything anticipating food while the others cheer him on. The result? Mess to clear up. Within minutes he has a new collar and is back on his chain. Everything went quiet.

A good run of three and a half hours in bright sun, though cold. Life gets a little tougher from now on. No more thawed meat. Everyone gets kibble and water. Once devoured comes the much prized fat and chicken, frozen. I’ve filmed very little since Christmas. What’s the point? It would be a bit like watching a long distance running train, putting in the mileage over, over and over again.

Formation today:

Thule – Saxon
Marshall – Cream
Nettle – Twizzle
Piston – Bomber (these two no neck lines)

Made some bread dough, left it to rise and baked it late this evening for a treat.
Run on the river with Spoons, who finds it funny to try and trip me up. Made a few mainline and tug alterations.