Weather leaders are very rare. They are a bit suicidal from a survival point of view, and have to build a strong link with the musher, trusting the musher to know that continuing is a good idea.
]]>While I was in YouTube, I watched the 2011 Quest banquet where the Silver Legacy prize was initiated. Brent Sass was just bawling. I would have been too. I read the Miner’s story when Silver ran his last run, and he really has an amazing history. I’m fairly partial to dogs in general, but Silver is no doubt a special animal with a lot of courage. So glad you reminded me of it. I enjoyed watching the presentation.
]]>It’s the wind they object to, and having a lead dog who can ignore the wind is a major bonus for a sled dog team. The Quest established a prize to honor Brent Sass’s lead dog Silver, because Silver could and would lead teams through monstrous weather to safety and saved multiple other teams because of his willingness.
]]>To what extent do the Inuit still keep their old culture of building igloos? I’m sure they live modern lives these days, but do they build the igloos for hunting, etc.?
]]>It takes a while to get dressed, but you can get warm enough to function. That said, things are changing and it isn’t the Arctic I experienced. We have managed to screw it and the rest of the world up.
]]>It’s the “relatively” part that concerns me. You’ve mentioned your arctic training before, and it always amazes me! Don’t know how you did it, but I really admire people who volunteer to do work that requires it. Hiking up and down the mountains in decent weather is enough challenge for me.
I have a part Siberian husky that would be more than happy to accompany you should you decide to try it again. I swear that girl never gets cold. She doesn’t seem to care much for slick ice though (I’ve noticed this on her forays to do her business). When the back deck stairs get icy, she is not at all interested in going down them. Other than that, she’s your girl for cold weather.
]]>Matt Hall looks like he’ll take ‘rookie’ honors, which is a bit ridiculous, he isn’t just a Quest veteran, he was the winner in 2017.
]]>Sorry to see that the women have fallen back so far,but still in respectable place out of a crowd of 62. Of course, that’s a tongue in cheek remark from me because I am such a wuss that I think it’s dang respectable for people to even show up for this trip. I mean a thousand mile trail with dogs and a sled through the middle of nowhere. It’s not so much being in the middle of nowhere that bothers me (being alone has never bothered me much), it’s being exposed to the elements. I consider 20 degrees to be cold enough for anyone. Below that, I try not to get out except when I absolutely must. If it’s a balmy 70 degrees, you can drop me in the middle of nowhere any time you like.
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