Bonfires and picket lines: it's either dogsledding or a union meeting.

I had planned on posting this on Sunday, after the run, but I was awaiting some photos from a friend. I have finally had some time to upload them, and so here, a few days late, is the Sunday Post. (sounds more lofty and important when I say it that way.)

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It occurred to me today - too late, as always - that I don't have enough gangline. I have spent the past few weeks making stuff for the dogs: sled, drop- and picket lines, and new bars for the truck. I can now tie out eleven dogs on each side of my truck at the same time, and I can go camping with eighteen dogs at a time with my new picket lines, but I have no way of getting that many to the site, since I don't have enough gangline. So, I guess that will be my next job: make more gangline.



Despite my lack of gangline, however, we managed to go for a fun run and campfire near a lake north of here today. James, his girlfriend Monique and her daughter Emilie came over and since we have two toboggan (no matter how I spell it, it looks wrong) sleds still, I drove one and he the other; each sled loaded with partner and kid, gear and food.

James, Monique and Emilie, set to return to the truck.

James has been a handler for a friend's dogteam for a while and this winter he has been focusing on other things, so he hasn't had an opportunity to get out with a dog team. I have every confidence in his ability to drive a team, so it was no problem to hook up the team and leave ahead of him. At least, that is what we should have done. Instead, we hooked up beside each other, and I had his dogs over top of my team, and my dogs over top of his team and it was a big mess. Next time we hook up together, it will be with more between us than three feet.



We managed to get everything sorted out and I left just ahead of James since he wasn't familiar with the trail. I'd look back now and then to make sure he wasn't too far behind and I have to say, it's a unique thing to see your dogs being driven by someone else and gaining on you.



Although fun, the ride up to the lake was uneventful and once we arrived, I tied down our sled and strung out the picket lines for my team and James's. Once the dogs were off the gangline and working on digging beds in the snow, James, Jenn and I set about making a fire, getting the food ready and collecting wood; Monique was stuck with the uneviable job of entertaining hungry kids. James may have been a bit overzealous: he was hauling back birch logs that had been felled by beaver this summer. I'm not sure how long he was planning on staying, but I'll bet he hauled almost a cord of wood to the campfire.

Some of the wood James found.

Pretty soon the fire was going and the kids were roasting hotdogs by the fire. By 'roasting' I mean they'd ram a weiner on a stick, point it near the fire for a second or so and then eat it off the stick, cold and raw. Us adults were not much better, though, since we'd put our hotdogs on a stick and set it by the fire to roast and then forget to turn it, so it'd be black and nearly inedible on one side and, as you may guess, cold and raw on the other. We managed to nearly finish off a pack of them this way, however, so it wasn't all bad. Next was the highlight of the meal: s'mores. I've never much liked graham crackers, so I just ate the chocolate. We finished off the meal with a nice mug of hot chocolate and packed up, making sure to dump our extra water and a few pots of snow on the fire.

The family shot.

We returned the way we had come although James went out first this time. I think everybody had a good time in the fresh air and mild temperatures.

Below are some more photos of the day.

Lined up and waiting. These are the new and improved drop bars I have had made for the truck. I STILL can't weld, so I had to appeal to a friends talents. I also have just finished making the drop lines that run front to back. They seem to be working here.

Another angle of the truck and maybe a better view of the drop lines. I don't think Hope will be one of our more photogenic dogs.

See? 100% goof.

The above three shots are not very good, but I included them just for the lake and the nice open area we were able to find.

Chili noticing the hotdogs being pulled out of the wrapper.

Dora, too.

Jenn and Hunter poking the fire with a hotdog flavoured, marshmallow encrusted stick.

Jenn displaying her fine sense of bush-craft.

And, finally, the toughest crowd in the house: Hunter and Emilie.