January Pooper Scoop

Jim Hajash and Lee Kirkpatrick's entire dog yard took a run on the first 8-Mile Copper Haul of the new year.
Here, Jim takes a corner with four puppies on a training run. Although skittish in head-on passes, when the right wheel, Smith, tied it up in a snowbank, the string stayed taut to be untangled before the final loop.

Tony Radford hitched six Drag-n-Flies to the Risdon Rig he purchased from Dave and Heather Desmarais. Along with testing the agility and flex of the cambered steering rig, right, Tony took it on a crash test with Jeff Diment in the blind corner at the electric fence. Not exactly bombproof, Tony's red racer did earn him a speedy first place start to the new year.

Moderate temperatures, firm base, soft light and snowfall gave Laura Lucas with Jonathan's Grizzly Snowpigs perfect conditions for dog sports. "I groom this trail all the time for the Twister, but hadn't realised how much fun it was on a dog sled, even with only 4 dogs in a 6 dog race."


SPOT test and the Yukon Quest:

Wendy Morrison recruited Twisters Laura Lucas, Claudia Wickert, Jim Hajash, Tony Radford, Cythnia Corriveau and Gunter Glaser to test SPOT tracking devices for the Yukon Quest. As a new sponsor to the 1000-mile sled dog race, SPOT has supplied tracking devices to all mushers who want them. Twisters also tested carrying pouches supplied by SPOT.

"We were brainstorming about how to mount these to sleds and came up with this idea," Morrison said. "We'd like you to test them before we send them down a thousand miles of trail," she told Twisters.

SPOTs tend to work better if mounted so they are unobstructed to the sky, rather than tucked in a jacket. Twisters mounted the palm-sized satellite trackers to the inside stantion, crossbar under the bow, and on the brush bow. All units displayed perfect tracking functions. Help signals will be monitored by the Race Marshall and Yukon Quest staff. The units are optional this year, Morrison said, but they allow the Quest to monitor mushers' progress on the trail in case of emergency.

Mike and Jessica Simon will be trailside, keeping water liquid for Jocelyn LeBlanc, Hans Gatt, Gerry Willometzer and all the other Quest mushers who pull into Scroggie Creek checkpoint. We won't be at the next CHT meet, though. So if you need to volunteer for the CHT, we'll need the help in February. Good luck to all the mushers out there and happy trails.

5 km Kids:
Erin Spicer demonstrates the techniques that have earned her the top spot in the kids league.



And here, Jesse Dougherty zips through the trees to a first place meet finish.



5-km Pets:
This month's pet league seems to have benefitted from the resolve of pet owners across town to spend more time with their dogs. Below Sandro competes in the 5 k canicross:

League darling, Tiramisu, took second this month, after a sit-down strike on last weekend's Carbon Hill Race. Today, "she was really perky at the start and into the final loop, but coming back, it was more of a walk," Pippa Lawson said.

In this clip league newcomers Honzo Balar and Cynthia Friedrich glide into the bushes.

Thanks to Race Day sponsor Oscar's Electric for boosting the purse, and all our prize sponsors: Yukon Agriculture Association, First Mate Dog Food, Yukon Grain Farm, Icy Waters, Yukon Brewing, Yukon Honda, Drury's Elk Farm, and Grizzly Pigs Farm.

Next month, meet on Valentine's Day at 10 a.m. for more Twister fun at Icy Waters km 4, Fish Lake Road. Volunteers encouraged.

posted by Jessica Simon yukonwriter@lycos.com
photos and footage by Mike Simon