This is certainly turning out to be a peculiar winter. Next to no precipitation, and if ever it does come, it's accompanied by mild temperatures and strong winds. Friday evening's feeding of the dogs took place in what the Vadsø airport weather report described as light sleet. I would rather call it a mixture of rain and saltwater, blown straight from the fjord. My eyes were stinging from the salt!

There is no absolutely no chance of being able to use the sled from the dog yard before the turn of the year, and it may be well into January before I get that chance, if at all. There is just enough snow further inland for some mushers to have started sledding, but the rest are still on their quad bikes and carts. The only half-decent area for training seems to be on the plateau towards Alta, but that's an awful long way to travel, especially if the roads are dicey. I think the situation is the same for the whole country, but it's not much consolation.

I'm working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as usual, but then have a full week off. It should have been the perfect time to do some intensive training with the dogs, really increasing the mileage and speed, and just generally spending lots of time with the gang. I can still do this, but it looks like it may involve a good deal of travelling, either back and forth to Nesseby/Tana, or all the way to the cabins at Suolovuobmi, between Alta and Kautokeino. If, however, the home trails don't turn to sheet ice, I may just stay here!

Seasons greetings to all followers of Prospect Huskies! And in the words of the song, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Winters can be full of snow.  Winters can be very cold.  Winters can also be like this one - late to start, with swinging variation in temperature, little precipitation and strong winds.  A day after my last entry, we had severe gales, with the occasional gust at storm strength.  The west coast of Norway has just endured Storm Berit, with winds up to hurricane strength, and there's another storm on the way.  The severe low pressure at the weekend gave rise (literally) to high sea levels.  The water in Vadsø harbour was inches below the land, and actually cut off one of the roads to Kirkenes hospital for some time.  I registered a low pressure of 961mb, but it could well have dropped lower.

There have been a couple of chances to get out a sled and take a handful of dogs for a quiet spin, but the main training surface isn't yet safe for sledding.  The snow chains were put on the quad bike some time ago, mainly to prevent slipping on ice, but they're now staying on.  I'll continue to train with the quad bike until it's impossible to use, and hope for snow in the meantime.  I hope this winter doesn't turn out to be like that of 2005-06.  Back then, I was at the kennel in Nordreisa, enduring weeks upon weeks without new snow, and using spikes under my boots when the temperature flipped between plus and minus.  I really do hope we don't have such a winter again, not least because that winter's Finnmark race was one of the coldest (if not the coldest) on record. 

On the house front, it was good to get the outdoor steps in place before winter arrived.  I've managed to confuse the house dogs, though, as the steps are now at a shallower angle than before.  Dogs are creatures of habit, and they still make a beeline for where the steps used to start!  We also managed to finish the drainage around the house before the ground froze.  The whole project will be completed in the spring, once the earth has had time to settle.  Work on the downstairs bathroom is a week behind schedule, but it will get finished, I suppose.  Just a shame that the work is totally unnecessary....  I'd twice measured dampness below the floor tiles, but once the bathroom had been stripped of fittings, tiles and floor, it was shown to be bone dry.  Oh, well.  It's only costing a small fortune! 

The dogs are still happy and full of fun.  I let them loose in the yard before and after each training run, plus on their days off.  I now put the dogs in the team in reverse order, starting at the back, and sometimes in the order that the dogs come to me.  There's now a small group of dogs who hold themselves at the top end of the yard, waiting to be put at the front or near front of the team.  Without exception, Milla and Riku are amongst that group.  I can occasionally shift Milla back to point, but anywhere further back in the team and she roots herself to the spot!  She waits until I've put the 11th dog in the team, then trots contentedly up to the front, ready for the off.  Milla's now decided where her rightful position is, and that's that! 

Trouble always seems to strike in threes.  The trick is knowing how far you've gone in the sequence.  For instance, is this the first or the last incident of three? If it's the second incident, what was the first?

Last Thursday evening, I came home from work to the sound of running water throughout the house.  Nothing new in that - the flat tenant downstairs is allowed to take a shower or wash clothes when he wants.  But running water for SO long a time?  Must be something wrong.  Best to check....

.... I opened the door to the room where the hot water and central heating system lives.  There was water over half the floor, and more water gushing out from the central heating boiler.  Water gushing out is a bad sign.  Water gushing upwards is somewhat worse. Bear in mind that the central heating system is named Captain Nemo within this house, it's so ancient and full of piping and dials.  First thing -
turn off the electricity supply to the system, then ring the plumber.  It was a job to turn off the mains water, but it was reduced to a constant trickle.  If a constant trickle is one litre per minute, then I daren't think how much water flows through the system when everything is running as it should be.

The problem seemed to be a joint in the piping that had failed, just above the heating system.  With imperial measurement pipes, it's not always easy to make things fit with our modern metric standards.  However, the duty plumber was old-school, and wasn't going to be defeated.  After a bit of sawing, filing, dissection and sanding, a new joint was in place, AND IT HELD WATER! 

There's a fair bit of work being done on the house at the moment - drainage around the cellar, new outer steps, and a new bathroom to come for the downstairs flat.  I think I've got a kennel of huskies, somewhere out there in the autumn darkness....

Fantastic autumn feeling.  Beautiful range of colours - all yellows, browns and everything between.  The green fields, where the cattle graze, really stand out.  I've finally got the quad-bike back from the workshop.  Poor thing - it must have been sick - it certainly cost me enough for its treatment....  Still, it works like a dream, now, and it means I can get going (yet again) with the dogs' training.

The list continues to grow of mushers who have put their names down for the Finnmark race.  I'm hoping to race, but there are other priorities, too.  Those that stand out are BIG.  The wall in the cellar has been found to have 45% dampness, and the floor tiles in the downstairs bathroom are also loose.  In other words, the house needs drainage all the way around, and the bathroom needs a complete overhaul.  Here's crossing fingers that the bank are in the mood to help.  I think I'll see how things go before I put my name down for any races.

Meanwhile, there is a new invasion of lemmings.  I hear it's near impossible to see the ground, further to the east.  So far, the dead lemming count in the dog yard is only two or three each morning.  One managed to run for its life, but another wasn't so lucky, and has become the personal property of Milla.  I hope she's not getting broody and wanting pups!

I got going again with training, only for the quad bike to develop a problem and end up back at the workshop.  It will be a week before the parts arrive.  Oh well, no stress.  Back to loose running in the yard, plus other projects.  Meanwhile, a long spell of summer weather led to good drying conditions, so I gave the wooden sleds the once-over with a mix of turpentine, linseed oil and coal tar pitch.  The sleds now smell great!  As for the dog stall in the barn, it took a good while to scrape away the fifty years of sheep muck, but the floor panels are now in place.  The rest of the carpentry shouldn't take too long.

My longest holiday away from the dogs - three-and-a-half weeks in the UK.  I don't like being away from the dogs, particularly as they won't get the same amount of exercise as when I'm there.  However, they are getting fed, watered and visited on a regular basis, so no worries there.  The temperatures at Høyvik don't look to be too hot, either, so it looks okay for my flock.  Strange being away for the longest day and the celebrations of Sankthans.

2 Jun - The last remaining flecks of Høyvik snow have finally disappeared.  A combination of evaporation and melting caused a steady reduction in the enormous snowdrift that had enveloped the pup yard, and today, there was no more to be seen.  Things may have been speeded up by a couple of minutes, had there not been the extravange of a 56% eclipse of the midnight sun.  I was up on the tops with some friends to witness the event.  Some stringy cloud came and went, but we managed some good views through the special glasses that the Norwegian astronomy institute had sent out.  Disappointed that it wasn't a full eclipse (as I'd thought), but there was enough of the sun covered to fool the birds into settling down.

6 Jun - It has taken under a week for the grass and trees to turn from 'nothing in particular' to 'rich green'.  It is therefore time to play the celebratory March of the Mower, and for the lawn to have its first cut of the season.  Things move fast when it's 24-hour daylight!

We know where we live, up here in the frozen north!  Some days are so sunny, still, and relatively warm (let's say 10 degrees) that I can sit out in the garden or dog yard and just relax.  Other times, it's back to wearing the snowscooter suit and a good hat in order to brave hail and snow showers.  There's still a bit too much snow at the top of the lane in order to train with the quad bike, so the dogs are being let loose in the yard, at least once a day.

We're heading towards a bounty summer for lemmings, having experienced hundreds of tundra voles during the winter.  The voles move around in the moist surface growth, then tunnel through snow.  They've left the lawn looking like a mosaic, and the garage full of their droppings.  Riku was the star killer last time it was a lemming year, so we'll see who tops the list this time around.  So far, I think it may be Kippax that wins.  She managed to catch a tundra vole while running loose in the yard, then ate it while the thing was evidently still showing signs of life.  Well, I wasn't prepared to wrestle the vole from the happy hunter, and what would I have done with a half eaten specimen?

Pairs of swans have been observed for the last few weeks, and the kittiwakes are now busy chasing golden- and sea eagles away from their areas.  The grass looks a little greener, here and there, but until the average temperature creeps up, it will be a good while before I have to mow the lawn.

Meanwhile, I'm back to making lists of what dog equipment is a) necessary and b) hoped for.  I intend to rack up individual sleeping stalls in the barn for the dogs, either for use during winter storms or for general use after training.  Each stall will be bigger than a normal kennel, to allow the dogs to stretch right out.  It would have been good to have the stalls looking nice, but I need to save money, so I'll use anything I can find lying around.  Functionality over aesthetics!

A well-earned week's break for me in sunny Manchester, while the dogs had a chance to do absolutely nothing, back in Høyvik.  Yes, it was sunny, to quell any rumours of Manchester being a rainy city.  Balmy temperatures of 19 degrees, even. Everything was so green!  The hawthorn hedges were full of leaves, the blossom being long gone, the sycamore trees were just coming into leaf, and the lawn was just about ready to mow.  Many daffodils were already past their best, but their yellow was replaced by the early flowering of dandelions.  A great boost to see Spring after such a difficult winter.  What's more, I'll get Spring for the second time, later in the year, in Norway.  I'll have to wait until mid-May to see the first leaf buds, and it will probably be June before the lawn needs mowing, but then the summer will turn up like a thunderbolt.

31 Mar - 2 Apr was Pasvik Trail.  280km on the other side of the fjord, in the fantastic, untouched area between Finland and Russia.  There are just two checkpoints in the race, so the legs are quite long - 85-105km, with the longest and most difficult leg coming last.  The team consisted of Susi, Pirjo, Milla, Leila, Ruusa, Katie, Billy and Seppo.

Someone had told me that Pasvik Trail was quite a flat race.  Ha, ha.  I don't think it was even meant as an April fool prank.  Up and down, up and down, some flat bits, up and down, with the occasional up and up....  As ever, I started out quietly to avoid injuries to the dogs, especially in a trail that I've not driven before.  We passed a few teams, but most passed us, as usual.  Billy wasn't showing any form, so on the way to the first checkpoint, I took him out of the team and let him ride in the sled.  The vets check all the dogs at each checkpoint, and Billy was found to have a lung inflammation.  It can be caused by a dog breathing in vomit, but it can happen so fast that a musher doesn't notice.  I had thought that he had a problem in one of his legs.  Anyway, he went out and spent the rest of the race in the luxury of a campervan! 

So, seven dogs for most of the race.  Nearly five hours' stop at Vaggatem, then on towards Neiden.  Great trails at the beginning, around the edges of lakes, and through the woods, but then about 50 miles of up-and-down hills, with the snow the consistency of sugar.  Really tough work.  Add to that the monotony of driving alongside the border fence during daylight hours (better when you can't see in the dark!), and I ended up pretty downbeat.  It was also much milder than I'd anticipated, and I was, of course, wearing too much clothing.  I found out later that we were 4 dog teams within minutes of each other, but the only one we saw was that of Australian, Sam Walmsley.  He gave both me and the dogs a bit more motivation, and was within sight for the rest of the leg.

A longer rest at Neiden than I'd planned, to make sure that the dogs were motivated enough to tackle the last leg.  The initial vet check also made me worry that I might be down to 5 dogs for the last stretch, but when I got them checked again after the rest, they were all passed fit to continue.  Fed, rested, and with an extra bowl of water each, it was a different team that left Neiden.  It was also later in the day, so the trails were great and the temperature was fine for running.

What stunning scenery along the last leg!  We must have been only 3 miles parallel to the Finnish border, but the landscape was totally different.  Small stretches of lake or river, short hills, lovely narrow valleys, and sunshine!  I was mathematical about dividing up the long 105km leg into chunks of 20km, stopping regularly to give the dogs a snack.  We had started out of Neiden just 3 minutes before the last musher, Knut, but we never saw him.  It then wasn't until we'd gone about 65km before we overtook the team in front.  The military were on hand to man the road crossings, and they'd done a good job of re-laying parts of the trail. 

In the end, we reached Kirkenes at 0116, in the early hours of Saturday morning.  The winner had arrived on Friday afternoon, a little over 9 hours ahead of us.  But hey, a finished race is yet another finished race.  My detailed race times can be found here.

Both Seppo and Pirjo were a bit stiff in their ankles at the finish, but with a couple of nights of massage, they're now fine again.  Billy has another week or so of antibiotics, but he seems right as rain, otherwise.  Ruusa is now a Pasvik Trail veteran, having missed out on the Finnmark race.  Susi also got to the finish, after I'd dropped her for the last Finnmark leg.  Most of the four-year-olds ran both Finnmark and Pasvik last year, too, but I was pleased to see how well Leila coped with completing both.

So, that's the end of the race season for me.  It's now beautiful Easter weather, just in time for me to disappear to the UK for a week.  The dogs have earned a good rest.  If there's any snow left when I get back, I'll take them out for enjoyment's sake, but the way the snow is melting now, there may not be much to drive on.  And the summary for the season?  The wrong type of training, I think - too many shorter trips without enough intensity.  It will be a different training program for next season.  I've had three racing years of being tough, and I'd now like to have it a bit easier!

Meanwhile, I've raised just short of £400 for The Christie Charity, mainly through the generosity of the St John's Thornham parishioners.  I don't know how much I've raised for Norwegian Cancer Care, if anything.

First, the ever-faithful Middleton Guardian, who ran a piece on me, despite me not really realising I was being interviewed!  I thought I was just having a natter!

And then on Monday 28 March, at 1145 UK time, BBC Radio Manchester (95.1 fm)will be interviewing me live.  Tune in!

Meanwhile, handler Fritjof wrote a piece for this morning's local radio broadcast, on his experiences as a rookie handler.  He said on air that he was willing to do the job again, next year, so I'll hold him to it!

Three Finnmark-500 races started, three completed.  I feel more satisfied with this year's performance, even though we're still way down the result list.  But result lists aren't what's important.  In the words of this year's winner, everyone who finishes the race can be called a winner.  It's a whole lot tougher for those that are at the back, both mentally and physically.  The dogs have to pick their way through trails that everyone else has already been through, with deep channels that are just a sled's width, or snow that is the same consistency as sugar.

I have 'read' my dogs better this year.  We've had a more positive experience, and we got to the finish WITHOUT PARKING!  This was my main priority for the race, and for that, I'm pleased.  The dogs should be mentally stronger for it. 

I've made a lot of progress in terms of routines, systems, feeding, illness prevention and treatment, etc.  There's still some way to go before everything is in place, but I'm getting there!  One of the main hindrances is my lack of sleep before the race.  Too much time spent organising and packing the van.  I was lucky to get good handlers this year, but when everyone had to take several days off work, they didn't manage to get to Alta until just before the race.  Thanks to Reidun, to Ragne and to Fritjof for helping me through, and for putting up with my short temper on the occasions that things weren't done as I wanted! 

Thanks also to Mum and Dad for making the long trip to Alta, to be there for the whole race experience.  I would have hoped to have spent much more time with them, but I know that the hotel and the race people took them under their wings.  They even got their own mention on the race website:  Cleggs in town and were there to meet me at the finish line.

03 Mar  Life could definitely be easier.  Since the Bergeby race, the dogs have been a bit sick.  A touch of kennel cough, and some or another virus that's affected their digestive systems.  We've been out for a couple of light training runs, and the dog have also run loose in the yard.  They're okay, but just not in tip-top form.  It's just another worry factor before the Finnmark race. 

For four days last week, there were force 7 near gales from the south-west, combined with temperatures of around minus 15.  The effective temperature was minus 30.  No snow in the air, but because it's been cold all winter, the snow hasn't packed down.  The wind therefore picked up the top level of ground snow and formed snowdrifts everywhere.  Even worse, the sou'westers come straight from the sea, so the salt water mixes with the snow and packs it rock hard.  I'd let the dogs run loose in the yard, Wednesday afternoon, but only a few hours later, I was called to emergency action to grab a shovel and dig Ruusa out of her kennel.  Katie's kennel was the next worst affected, so Wednesday night was time for the two lasses to come into the house. 

By Thursday, the snow had packed between the main gate posts, barring my way out with the van.  There was no point asking someone to clear the snow with a tractor, as it would have filled up again straight away.  Getting to and from work was reliant on other people's goodwill.  Billy was the next dog to join the house party, as the entrance to his kennel had filled with snow. 

Friday morning was time to abandon the dog yard.  Pirjo ended up as the fourth dog in the house, and the eight others were given the shelter of the van, parked in the garage.  Once the dogs are spread around like this, it's a constant round of airing, feeding, airing and resting. 

Supply of provisions came in the form of a visitor from town on the Friday, plus a neighbour running me to the shop on Saturday morning.  By midday Saturday, all the snow was so well packed that it wasn't forming any more snowdrifts, so it was time to begin the assessment and clean-up operation.  The pup yard was covered with a 5m deep drift, there was a metre high drift in the driveway, and the main dog yard was at least 2m deep with snow.  Standing on the main snowdrift, I was on a level with the garage roof.  First priorities - get the driveway cleared, and then at least I could drive the dogs inland to train.  What with their illness and the weather, they'd not been out for a week.

It took two hours of vertical digging to clear the snowdrift from the driveway.  The rest of Saturday was then spent scraping out the snow and frozen straw from most of the dogs' kennels, replenishing with new straw, and getting the dogs back outside.  I managed 10 of the 12 kennels before it just got TOO MUCH and I had to retire for the evening.  Saturday night's house party was for Billy and Seppo.  Up early, Sunday, to sort out Billy and Seppo's kennels before work.  After work, there was another solid two hours of digging, to clear the drift from the start of the trail.  I finally managed a light training run with the ten race candidates.  It was good to get them out, although I'm now conscious that I'm on the lookout for signs of illness. 

At time of writing, Thu 3 Mar, there have been a few days of mild weather in Finnmark.  The race website reports a good deal of standing water on the Karasjok river and around Jergul.  Yet another uncertainty for me, although it may have all frozen again by the time we get there.  The guys that prepare the trail will make sure that everything is safe, even diverting the trail if necessary.  It's such a shame - the trails have been reported to be fantastic, given the amount of snow and the cold temperatures we've had all winter.  There's only one thing to do, and that's to accept the challenge, and try to look upon it as something exciting and new, rather than something scary and uncertain.

Meanwhile, it's blowing a gale out there, so I'm heading home to see what things are like!  Can't promise many more updates before the Finnmark race, but you never know!

17 Feb  A few days of being in demand by the local radio and TV station, to raise the awareness of me raising money for the cancer cause.  I say 'local' because they're based here in town, but they're the local outpost for the main national channel, NRK.  For the Brits reading, think BBC.  First it was the turn of radio reporter, Sidsel, to visit the dogs in Høyvik.  The dogs had just been fed, so most were resting in their boxes, but I could count on Kippax to make an appearance and charm the reporter!  Nice. easy-going interview with a focus on how I combine the dog racing and music.  The result was broadcast to the county on 15 Feb.

I'd mentioned to the radio reporter that I'd like to play an organ version of the music that's used during the Finnmark race - the theme from the film, Conquest of Paradise.  It therefore came as no surprise when the TV reporter turned up to make even more of the case!  More meetings with dogs, some good footage of the dogs in action, then a chance for me to perform the Conquest of Paradise theme on the church organ in town.

The TV report is being saved until nearer the start of Finnmarksløpet, but here's a link to the written-up version of the radio interview.  Sorry for those that don't read Norwegian, but there are some nice pics (check out the snowdrift in the background, taller than the 2m high fence).  If I ever get the time, I'll write up a translation, but don't hold your breath!

Meanwhile, Mum and Dad are working hard to promote my efforts for The Christie Charity, back at home.  I hope that NRK's radio and TV reports have the same effect here for Norwegian Cancer Care.

11-12 Feb  Mixed feelings after the Bergeby race.  I got to put the new race sled through its paces, we completed both legs of 80km in temperatures down to minus 23, and there were no problems getting the dogs to go out after 5 hours' rest.  Milla's wrist was a bit stiff after the rest, so I took no chances, and left her behind for the second leg.  The team had virtually the same race time for both legs, but we were just slower than the other teams, and ended up as 12th of 12.  After some hours of contemplation, I wonder if I've, quite simply, trained the dogs to go too slowly?  I'm now using the last few weeks before the Finnmark race to build up the speed again with some short training runs.  We'll do another intensive training weekend, a couple of weeks before Finnmark, but otherwise, it will just be short runs, with the focus on keeping the dogs' spirits up.

14 Feb  In the tired, sleepless aftermath of Bergeby, and while I was looking around for a 'solution,' I've bought a young male dog from down south.  He's from good lines, and although I won't race him at Finnmark, he could probably go Pasvik Trail at the end of March.  There was another good dog for sale that caught my interest, but I wonder if I've been caught up in panic-buying?  Anyhow, Manus the dog will be here on two months' trial, so we'll see how he fits in.

The club's own Jarfjord Race at the weekend, so my second race weekend on the trot.  Still tired after all the driving and racing last weekend, it was a good effort to get up so early in order to drive right around the fjord.  It was a tough journey, too - minus 31 at times, and with snow swirling all around, visibility was occasionally down to nothing.  I took 8 dogs, with the intention of doing the 80km race, but when I arrived at the start and saw that the temperature was well below minus 20, I decided to rest Riku and Billy, and do the shorter 6-dog race, instead.  The wind can often be fierce on the mountain section, and I didn't want to expose the lads to any more freezing conditions.

Race team - Susi, Katie, Leila, Logan, Pirjo and Ruusa.  I wasn't properly awake at the race meeting, so thought the distance was 50km, rather than the 35km it turned out to be.  I could therefore have paced the team a bit faster.  It's a lovely, wide trail at Jarfjord, with enough space not only to pass other teams with a good margin, but also to stop and brew a pot of coffee, should the need arise.  It was therefore something of a surprise that four of us ended up driving a tactical race.  Maybe you have faster dogs than the team in front, but if you go past, will your dogs then slow down?  Is the team in front doing all the work, acting as a pacemaker for those behind?  That's what happened on the return leg, in any case.  With good, strong and fast dogs, I crossed the finish line as the first team.  However, my team had a start time some minutes before the other finishers, so we actually finished in fourth place of six starters.  Hey ho.  We had a time of 1h 57 for the 35km, so an fast average speed of just under 18km/h (11mph), and it was good race experience for the younger dogs. 

The journey home (224 miles driven, 21 miles raced...) was better than the outward run, but there were gales forecast for the home area.  I fed the dogs in the yard, but the wind was already increasing in strength, so the decision was made to split the dogs between the van (parked in the garage) and the house.  Boy, how the wind blew!  It was the worst wind I've experienced in Høyvik, up to 38 knots (force 8).  The wind subsided enough for me to drive to town and play for the service on Sunday morning (prompting the hymn, O God, our help in ages past), but otherwise, it was gales from Saturday evening until some time on Monday.  The wind combined with the good fall of snow we'd had some days before, sweeping it right around the barn and dumping it in a 10-foot high drift, covering the back gate, the pup yard and the door to the barn.  I trained the dogs in the woods of Nesseby on Monday, but time is now being spent shovelling away the snowdrift, in order to train again from home.  Still, it could be worse!

Meanwhile, the sun should have returned to Vadsø yesterday, but no-one has seen it yet!  Also, a great press release on me from The Christie Charity.

One race down and four more potential races to go this season.  The weekend was spent racing the Alta 2-day race - two stages of 80km, with a 5-hour checkpoint rest in-between.  It's a 300-mile drive by road to Alta, so I started the journey the day before the race, so as not to hop straight from van to sled.  I suppose it helped somewhat, but I was still pretty whacked before starting the first leg on Friday evening.  Road-driving is always exhausting when you're constantly on the lookout for reindeer and elk.

The race route was a straightforward north to south run along the old mountain road from Gargia towards Kautokeino, a long loop round at the southernmost point, then back again.  It was about fifteen degrees below, there was already a fair amount of wind at 'base camp,' and we had been warned that it could be pretty harsh, up on the plateau.  And how!  After the first section, climbing through birch woodland, I was suddenly out amongst the elements.  It was dark, there was driving wind towards the dog team, and lots of snow.  It was bad visibility, and I was glad to have my ski goggles with me.  Not knowing the route, it was time to be sensible and stick together with other dog teams.  I hadn't a clue what type of terrain we we going through, and wasn't even aware that we were climbing until I came back on the return leg.  Every so often, teams would switch positions, to allow another to lead and look for the marker sticks.  Any local teams had an obvious advantage, as they knew the route and the terrain, and could whizz past teams like mine, who were taking no chances in the conditions.  I was certainly glad to have my GPS with me on the return leg, as some of the marker sticks had blown away, and I had to steer the dogs forward and back until I found the trail.  A bit of time wasted there, but all in all, a total time of 5h 48m for the first 80km stage.

The dogs looked in great form when we arrived at the checkpoint.  They had eaten every snack I had given them, and every dog ate the checkpoint food that I prepared.  Very pleasing.  The dogs then had 5 hours to rest, while I stayed awake to thaw out and dry various items of clothing, eat and drink.  It would have been great to sleep, even for half an hour, but in my already tired state, I chose to have dry clothes, instead.  Most other mushers had handlers with them to attend to the nitty-gritty of dry clothes, new batteries, etc, but I wasn't the only musher without a handler.  I just chose the wrong option this time, and went without sleep.

I started the second stage 20 minutes after my scheduled time.  I'd felt a bit unsettled during the rest time, and just had to pay an extra stop to the loo, when I should have been on my way to get the dogs ready.  The dogs were eager to go out, but they were glad of my assistance on the climb through the woods.  I'd finally got going again as the day's light was breaking, and by the time we reached the tops, the sky was a beautiful mix of pinks and blues.  There wasn't the same wind and snow as there had been on the previous stage, and it was now fascinating to the terrain of the trail.

The cold conditions had led to all the dogs' snack being frozen solid, so it wasn't really a surprise when they didn't want to eat their first offering.  Time to adapt and overcome.  Lots of quick stops for the dogs to grab snow, hand-warming pouches in with the snacks, and a bag full of pork bits stuffed inside my down jacket.  By the time that had thawed out a bit, the dogs were back to normal eating patterns.

Driving a dog team by daylight is a completely different experience that driving them by night, especially if the weather is a negative factor.  Travelling the same route, one can have exactly the same speed, but a daylight trip always seems slower than one taken at night.  I knew, however, that our second stage was slower than our first - almost 45 minutes slower.

We came in as number 14 of 15 finishers (although 17 had started), with a total race time for 160km of 12h 22.  It was a good experience for the dogs, and for me, to have raced a new route.  This is also the first season that I knew the dogs could cope with a 160km race at this stage, and it certainly wasn't the easiest weather conditions.  We're getting better and better, but boy, it's frustrating to see that the benchmark is also getting higher for each year!

A few small injuries - Milla, Billy and Seppo with slight stiffness in their wrists, and the two lads mentioned with slight frostbite to their 'undercarriage'.  Nothing that can't be treated.  Meanwhile, we've had a good and welcome fall of snow in Høyvik, so I'm off to train all those who are fit and well!  The next potential race is already this Saturday - 75km in Jarfjord.  Happy New Year, everyone!

It's getting on for 6 years since I first drove a team of huskies, with the then impressive number of 4 dogs.  Not much can go wrong with only 4 dogs in front of the sled.  There then followed a season of tipping, falling, losing the team, breaking ribs, suffering concussion, close encounters with trees, you name it.  I don't think I ever drove more than 7 dogs at a time in Nordreisa, and 6 of them were probably pups. 

There's a whole world of difference, driving 8 or 11 dogs.  It's not just the sheer extra power, but more so the fact that the length of the team is another two sections of gangline.  When the snow first arrives, I always reduce the size of the team to 5 or 6, just to test the conditions.  There's no point taking too many dogs out if it's not safe.

Since I went over to the sled this winter, I've mainly been training 7 dogs at a time - some going several rounds, while others rest.  There had been one trip with all 11, along the straight and wide woodland trails of Pasvik, but home runs had still been with fewer dogs.  It was therefore a small breakthrough for me to add the last section of gangline and test out the length with 9 dogs from home.  It actually felt quite comfortable, so after a couple of days' break whilst I play for several church services, it will be time to hitch up all 11 dogs and go for it.  To those who are used to driving large teams of dogs along safe woodland trails, my achievement may not seem very impressive, but when there's no-one around to help, and the trail winds between frozen tussocks on the marsh, I think I can be pleased with what I've achieved in the short time I've been mushing.

Meanwhile, impressive route-finding and steering from Billy and Leila, locating and following a track that is not only lying under a good layer of snow, but also a track where they've never been before.  The dogs never cease to amaze me.  And then, just when I think I've seen it all, each one of them turns a head to gaze at the beautiful sight of the moon appearing from behind the escarpment. 

A happy Christmas to all our readers!

I went many years without ever seeing a shooting star, but there have been several sightings this winter.  This evening is reckoned to be one of the best meteor showers, with something up to 120 happenings per hour, if I heard correctly the radio report.

The weekend was a bit of a write-off in terms of mileage for the dogs.  I managed to watch City go level on points at the top of the table, before the weather worsened to a sideways blizzard that lasted all evening and night.  The decision was taken to abandon ship and use the barn for the night.  The dogs have been in before, but only after training.  This time, they were a bit sluggish from their meal, but otherwise, full of energy.  The older dogs settled down quickly, but the message hadn't got through to young-gun Kippax, who sought a playmate in anyone and everything.  Time for a quick rush outside, for the dogs to expel from their bodies that which they'd forgotten to expel when we first went in the barn, then back in again.  This time, the dogs were much more settled. 

It's great when you've inherited an old settee that fits just right in the barn!  Coupled with the winter sleeping bag and a message to the dogs that this was my space, I actually had a good few hours' sleep.  But then came the inevitable thumping and drumming of little Kippax-paws, as she joined in with whichever other dog had woken up.  Yep, Logan had used his extra height to pull out the bits of fleece that I had so carefully stuffed round the windows, to make them windtight.  It's no good telling a dog, 'Look here, fella, that fleece is keeping us alive!'  But once the headlight has been switched on, it's a signal to all the dogs that something is afoot.  Another rush outside, run round, tie the garage door that had sprung its hinge, follow Susi's tracks towards the neighbour's house, count all the dogs, wonder who's missing, count again, realise that they are all there....

The wind didn't start to subside until about lunchtime, Sunday.  It was then a mix of bright, clear skies, then driven snow.  On and off, like a switch.  The dogs' boxes were full of snow.  Not worth clearing them until the weather got better.  Eight of the dogs got to camp in the van in the garage, and I retired to the house with Milla, Pirjo and Susi, to catch up on missed sleep.  The rest of the day went to shovelling snow from the driveway, letting the dogs out and putting them back, snow-shoeing up the trail, finding it good enough to train a happy band of 7 females, letting all the dogs run loose, then clean all the dog boxes and change the straw.  What with the usual tasks, I was pretty shot by the end of the day.  BUT I HAD MANAGED TO TRAIN FROM HOME!  We're back in business! 

Again, not much to report, but mostly because it's that hectic!  I took the dogs training in Pasvik at the start of the week, since all we had here was sheet ice.  I'd managed one sled trip from home, then two days of mild weather sent me back to square one, plus a little bit further.  There were a few days when I could train very short trips with the quad bike, but even those days are now over.  There was a blizzard the other night, but as blizzards like to do, the snow was deposited miles away from where I need it, and the top layer of what was left was broken, battered and scarred.  I trekked up the trail this morning with my snow shoes, but apart from a few deep drifts, most of the trail is rock hard, with very little snow.

It looks as though the next training sessions will have to involve transporting the dogs about 30 miles inland, to the wooded areas where the wind doesn't have the same effect as out here.  Training from anywhere other than home is a real extra effort.  A different trail and landscape is good for the dogs, but it takes up several extra hours per training session, time which could have been used doing something else.  Another night of high winds is forecast for Saturday/Sunday, so I'll just have to see what happens.

The 500km Finnmarksløpet sled dog race will be this season's goal.  Even if I don't compete, for whatever reason, it's a good incentive to keep up with the routine of training.

If you can assist with financial support to this season's race, please click on Sponsors

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Målet for sesongen er Finnmarksløpet 50-mil.  Uansett om jeg ikke delta, av hvilken som helst grunn, er det godt å ha et mål for å holde treningen i gang. 

Dersom du kan hjelpe med penger til årets løp, følg linken Sponsorer