The trees are bare again. The sun sets before 5:00 PM. It’s cold, though not really as cold as it should be for late November. We’ve seen almost every season in this, the year of Covid. While the summer offered some relief, winter is looking increasingly grim. It feels like we’ve come full circle; we’re right back where we started last winter.
All we can do is keep on going.
The only dryland race I had planned on attending was canceled. Instead, I took the dogs to New Hampshire for a training campout with the North Country Mushers. This was their longest trip in the dog truck (in the past, long trips were by van) and their first overnight in the dog boxes. The ATV was in the shop that weekend, so I brought an Arctis cart and ran small teams. This ended up working out well, since I could switch up team combinations and focus more on individuals. The dogs did great, especially with passing in some tricky situations (narrow trails, giant puddles, etc.). They even pulled off some nice head-on passes, which have always made me nervous. Of course, they still have some work to do, but I’m feeling more confident in their abilities.
Once we returned home, I began bumping up our run mileage. We’ve been training at the state forest more, which means waking up early and trucking to the trail. The 6-dog race team has mastered ten milers and my next step is adding more distance. They’ve added quite a few “NO ATV” signs throughout the trail system, so we’re limited in where we can run, at least until it snows. The dogs are just happy to run somewhere besides our home trail.
We’ve been training with a 30-mile race in mind, but as with many things this year, the Can-Am Crown 30 has been canceled for 2021. While I’m confident the dogs could do it, there are so many variables, made more complicated by the virus. The fastest route to Fort Kent is through Canada, which has closed its borders. Interstate travel and hotels are less inviting when a disease is running rampant. Asking someone to come handle for me becomes a challenge. I’m disappointed but also relieved.
There are still a couple races being planned with Covid safety measures in mind. First up would be the Tug Hill Challenge, the local sprint race. This one doesn’t require any overnight travel for me. After that would be the Blue Mountain Sled Dog Race in New Hampshire. We’d run the 6-dog, 18 mile class. It’s not the 30-miler I wanted, but it would still be our longest race to date.
We’ll see if these races can actually go off. Even though mushing itself is very socially distant, the activities off the trail are what harbor super-spreader potential. The history of the sled dog is intertwined with the delivery of life-saving vaccines. This year, it seems survival might depend on staying off the trail.
Stay safe out there, everyone.
