First dusting of snow in the hills.
…it is going to be a fun winter! First snow has fallen; yeah it did not last, sadly the daytime temps still rise above freezing, the warmth of the sun was enough to erase the beautiful white crystals from the hillside… but snow has fallen in Chatanika! Fall is always the time of preparations and stockpiling. And support at this time helps ensure those efforts. To put it in perspective, we will be purchasing 2-3 tons of high quality kibble. All of the dogs (young, old, and race) will be getting wormed and vaccines updated. The dog yard remodel project officially got underway today. The Loader (you remember, Dan and the Art of John Deere Skid Steer Loader Maintenance) it is working. Half the yard is flattened and reshaped into a nice even dog yard. Second half is slated for next weekend. Then hopefully the ground will freeze before the kids can do to much damage to it. Lots of things going on right now to make winter a success.
And the best news is: Snow Falling is not even the best news. We have 3 returning members of Team Dew Claw back with us for another winter!
Intuition Liners – for happy feet
Join me in saying Thank You & Welcome Back to Intuition Liners (to go inside those Neos Overshoes), Sarah and Vaughn Axling, and Connie Lynkins.
So why these liners?
Intuition Liners are made with “(Intuition’s) our very own, specially formulated thermo-forming closed cell EVA foam.” Now to be real honest, I am neither a chemist nor a manufacturer, so the technical description of the foam (read here) kinda goes right over my head. But here is what I DO know. When they say their liners are the lightest warmest you can buy, they are not kidding. Pounds lighter then other arctic boots I have tried. The foam does not hold moisture like felt or wool liners. So they never get soggy, and dry insanely fast. In a pinch you can wipe them out with a handful of booties. *yes trust me I know. When we heard they were going to be joining Team Dew Claw again this year my feet did a little happy dance. Cause I feel pretty confidant that over the past 2 years I have given those liners about the toughest test of Alaskan conditions there is and they have never let me down. Thank You Intuition!
Speaking of feet… how ’bout those doggies feet. Team Dew Claw has THE BEST bootie brigade there is. Dan’s mom has led the charge, making us literally thousands of booties over the years! She has reinforcements, the skilled seamstress Connie Lynkins got matched with Dew Claw Kennel as part of the Paw Partners Iditarod support program. Because the reality is; no one single person really wants to tackle the monumental task of making the 2500-3000 booties Dan and I will use in the Yukon Quest & Iditarod this year alone! Connie has made booties for every one of my Iditarod race’s. You may remember my post about her helping us last year, and the fun messages she had kids write on the booties (read here).
Thank you Connie!
We are so very glad she is kind enough to support us again. Just got an email with this photo of her hard at work in her sewing room, THANK YOU CONNIE!
Side Note: Race booties are saved, and are later washed and sorted so they can be reused for training runs. When training for long distances our dogs wear a booties on every foot every run. So we will use a LOT of booties. Recycling booties for training, as long as they do not have wear or holes, makes sense. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Last but never least, Sarah and Vaughn Axling, once again supporting Dew Claw. Helping and encouraging us is just a small part of what makes her so wonderful. She is also very active in the movement to Defeat ALS. ALS, is better known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” and you can learn more at the ALS Association. We actually met online (was it facebook or myspace? been so long I don’t rightly remember) and I have enjoyed seeing her photos and getting to know her online. It is her strength, determination, and optimism that continues to impress me. Let me share with you the opening of her profile on the “Walk to Defeat ALS”:
“Hello, I am Sarah, the captain for Team Axling. ALS is very personal for me, my husband, Vaughn, was diagnosed with ALS in 2010, that was when we started participating in this walk.”
she goes on the share:
“Vaughn is a Gulf War veteran. He has many stories and photos of his time spent in the Gulf… What you may not know is that veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as those who have not served; that’s right twice as likely. “
With a Positive Attitude and Hope, Sarah and her husband work to raise funds and awareness about this condition. So THANK YOU to Vaughn for his service to our country, and THANK YOU to the Axlings for their support of Dew Claw Kennel & for their efforts to support those living with ALS!
Portrait of Vaughn and Sarah, drawn by Sarah’s friend Miles Johnsson.
At Dew Claw we value all our team members, and want to support Sarah in her efforts as well. I have a request to all the friends of Dew Claw reading this blog, lets get the word out there about Team Axling and the ALS walk
~ Please help share Sarah’s Team Axling fundraising page. ~
The Tacoma Walk for ALS is right around the corner – 10/06/2012 –
