January 19, 2007

was supposed to travel to another town for a doctor appointment today. We were not too excited due to all the snowfall which has happened the last couple days and all the tragic accidents which have happened over the last couple days, so I rescheduled it. We basically only have one highway in and out of our town and it was shut down for at least 5 hours yesterday due to a multi-vehicle accident due to the disgusting roads.

I decided to get some miles on the dogs as I am about a week or more late in getting some real distance on them. I have been training with about 200 extra pounds, so they are getting conditioned anyway. I went and picked up Amy as I am using one of her dogs and I drive to the gravel pit I start from to the trails and the snow was a bit deeper than I anticipated. The 4 wheel drive also did not kick in. I stopped where we stopped and I figured I would go for a run now and un-stick us later.

Poachers had dropped a couple moose without the heads out there and I was pleased that my dogs went "on by" and did not pay any attention to the carcasses. With all the new snowfall and no packing of the trails.. I was pushing at least 12" of snow with my boots while standing on the runners. We did see one shoeshoe bunny...I was not sure but we may end up going cross country through the bush as it crossed right under the noses of my lead dogs.  I only made Amy get off the sled a couple times when the sled plowed into too powdery of a section off the trail (the trail was pretty much being broken by us through the powder) and we 'jumped' over a log once, which I think Amy's eyes got a little large over.

Our trail ended at a deadfall bushy tree which I did not want to cut a path through with the axe at this time, knowing I was going to have to shovel out the truck tires when we got back to the truck.

As always the trip back was over too quickly and I put the dogs away. Oh.. I forgot to mention, "Dutch" is on my bad dog list today as he ate his pawprint on his door and I need to cut, paint and put a new door on the dogboxes after the first time out.

We shoveled, we put boards under the tires, we sped along at 100 mph going nowhere, we stuffed dog straw under the tires, we shoveled.. and finally on the truck to truck log truck radios, I heard my boyfriends voice from 50 miles away. I told him if he was on his way home I was stuck. I was loosing him on the radio, but got that he was heading away from us and for us to call his dad.. umm.. sure.. from WHERE?

But he must have figured that out, called his dad and we had a knight in shining armour driving a green plow truck arrive within the hour!! I was correct in thinking the 4 wheel drive was not engaging. I couldn't back up enough for it to engage and with this truck, every time you turn off the engine, it takes itself out of 4 wheel drive. Thank you for telling me this honey! So we had a parking lot sized area and road plowed for us and a tow strap and we were on our way again.  Well at least I learned this lesson before I was way out in the bush. And thank you R. P. for rescuing us and to the other man in the tan truck who stopped to help us out.