Ahhh... At last.

Perhaps you can sense my good mood, or maybe you heard my dogs barking and howling way over there where you are.

Our cool temperatures have moderated somewhat. Our week last week was lows in the -30's and highs that never made it much above -18 Celcius. It was awesome, too, because it was about the only nice clear, calm and sunny days we have had all winter. The sun was bright, the sky was blue and the air was crisp... and I was stuck at work thinking about how nice it would be to be running back to the truck with a happy and strong team of dogs, my new sled and an anorak that dares to be challenged. As it was, we warmed up considerably last night: by seven this morning it was -11C and it continued to climb to a high of -3 today.

Taiga

I wasn't about to let this warming up deter me from my perpetual daydream, so I loaded the strong, happy dogs, the new sled and yes, the anorak, too into the dogtruck. Jenn and Hunter were not long following me out of the house. They were also eager to get out and enjoy the day.

Once we were set up, we started hooking up the dogs. We took ten this time and man! they howled and barked and screamed their excitement non-stop until I finally pulled the hook and we were off.

Before I get into how our take off went, let me first say that the new sled is two inches wider than I am used to, and the runners are only an inch and three eighths wide and are equipped with brand new, super slick plastic. Also, let me add that the foot grips are experimental and the handle bow is slippery plastic. So, with all of this as a disclaimer, how'd the take-off go? I just - and I mean JUST - managed to grab the handle as the sled shot out from under me. I pulled the hook and stepped to where I am accustomed to finding a runner but this time, I found only snow. A frantic, reactionary flail with my one hand managed to find the handle bow and latch on and before I could even take stock of the situation, I was being dragged on my upper knees down the trail.

Jenn, not aware of what was going on behind her because she and Hunter were in the basket, asks: "How's the new sled, hon?" What was I to tell her? We were a hundred or so yards down the trail and I hadn't yet driven the thing. Finally, my composure reestablished and control firmly back in my hands, I stood on the runners of the new sled and marvelled at how different, how responsive and how ours the sled is. It handled great; it is effortless to steer, the wider stance is more comfortable and is it ever sturdy. We managed to bash it over a few open creek crossings and a couple of frozen ones, too. I'll have to let my friend know how great it is.

Moxy

We ran on a trail that I used extensively last year. It was nice to be back in the bush again, but it was also a reminder at how behind I am in conditioning the dogs. We ran to a lake that parallels the trail for a while; this lake was just part of the scenery last year as we zoomed past it on our way to distant trails and longer runs. It was easy to see that the dogs were getting tired as we neared the truck today. It was a lot of new work for the dogs because this trail is rather hilly, but also because the trail surface was like beach sand and anyone who knows what loose beach sand is like to run in can symapthise with the dogs.

All of the dogs were great, and Baby continues to impress me. Jenn wanted to put him in lead for the last half kilometer or so, just to see how he'd do, so I switched him with Chili and after a few false starts and a couple of looks back, Baby was as focused a leader as you'd expect for an 18 month old puppy; maybe even moreso.

Baby (l) and Horton (r)

I decided to wear the anorak because I have been dying to do so since I got it. It will be great in the cold weather. It was a bit much for minus three, though. I really like how easy it is to put on; I managed to pull it over my head as we were on the move. Originally, I had stopped the team to get the anorak from the sled, but they wanted to keep going and even though I had my foot on the brake, which was as deep into the snow as it could go, that's what we did: we went. With my anorak over my head and my arms half-way into the sleeves.

Lastly, if you notice a difference in the quality of the pictures, it's because Jenn has a new camera. It's hard to get it out of her hands and she is forever taking pictures or videos with it. It's a Canon A650 IS and it takes great, high quality, high resolution photos. Our old camera, a Nikon Coolpix 2500, also takes great pictures, but the resolution is comparitively lower. I say all of this because we have decided to make the Nikon the DangerCam and by this we mean that we'd rather use the Nikon around potentially damaging or misplacing situations. At least, until we figure out how to comfortably chain the new camera to our wrists.

I love how the dogs stick their noses out of their box-holes, so here are some photos Jenn got today:

Chili

Dora

Hope

Indulge me, a little: these are some more photos of the sled, now that there is daylight to shoot them in. These will likely be the last sled-only photos, so bear with me as I wean myself off the newness of it all. It just about has a new-car smell.