Eagle Pack's "Mongrel Hordes" - Dryland Races, Sun Sept 12th

The 4th Dryland outing of the 4th season is at Susie Rogan's/Hans Gatt Kennel at 4pm - off Gentian Lane. Gentian Lane is just south of the Carcross Cut-off towards Marsh Lake (that is south? whatever, it's towards Marsh Lake from the cut-off). Turn down the lane and continue down till you see a dirt road off to the right with lots of orange tape around the entrance - turn in there and just keep going straight (don't turn off) past the container truck, until the road ends at the Kennel/House.

Registration at 4pm, followed by the draw for the DPSAY raffle! Then off to the races - Hans is setting out the trails and may be varying the exact race details slightly - Bring dogs, bikes, scooters (or simply yourself for canicrossing), the trails will be 1-2miles, and the Sled Dog, Pet Dog, Canicross categories will be there as usual - Anyone on wheels MUST have a proper helmet (no wired on dog bowls this time please). Please bring something for the post-race potluck BBQ.

We're racing for EAGLE PACK DOG FOOD, and also prizes from Aurora Booties, Icy Waters Ltd, Muktuk Kennels, and C&D Feeds. Design and Printing of poster: many thanks to Inkspirationz Graphix, anyone spot the deliberate mistake? (corrected before printing).

Race Marshall - Simi Morrison - no arguing (you know it won't get you anywhere and time penalties cost you positions :) ) and no sneaking a peek at the times before the official announcements, thank you!

See you all there!

Those Yukon Meat & Sausage results in full!

1 Mile 1 Dog Caniwade

1 - Kyla Johnson - 17.34

2 - Sandro Bumblebee - 18.34

3 - Maible Boksa - 23.46

4 - Moe Boksa - 24.18

1 Mile 1 Pet Dog Bikesplashjour

1 - Karine Grenier - 13.32

2 - Maren (let's fall over again in the pond) Bradley - 14.51

3 - Janet Keller - 17

Deb Knight - Scratches - quite a lot actually, and a few bruises from the rocks

1 Mile 1 Sled Dog Swimajour

1 - Darryl Sheepway - 7.32

2 - Amil Dupuis-Rossi - 9.43

3 - Janet Keller - 12.01

4 - Deb Knight - 12.25

Robert Sifke - Scratched - dog took the other way home

1 Mile 2 Sled Dog Paddleathon

1 - Darryl Sheepway

2 - Ian Usher

Thanks to everyone for turning out and making it such a fun event, don't forget to buy stuff at YUKON MEAT n SAUSAGE - THE DELI

as well as from Aurora Booties, Icy Waters Ltd, C&D Feeds

Next Race - The Eagle Pack MONGREL HORDES, at Susie Rogan/Hans Gatt's on Gentian Lane, mid September, details coming soon.

Splashing Good Times - YUKON MEAT & SAUSAGE - The Deli Watersports Outing!

What better to do in the sun at +30'C than take a dog or two and go running through lots of water - exercise and fun (amazing that those two words are found in the same sentance!)

15 teams "competed" - well it appears Darryl competed, everyone else had a laugh, Grizzly was heard to comment later - "How come everyone else had so much fun ? all I heard was "Go GO!, NOOOO! don't stop, you can drink later, go, faster, GO!" I want a transfer, my paws are still smokin!"

Photos from Clark Rogers - thank you (erm results will come later - well ok , Darryl won the one and two sled dog (again...boring, and well done), Carine Grenier reprised her victory in the pet dog, and proof that guiding gets you fit, Kyla Johnson beat professional runner Sandro Bumblebee (is that really his name?) in the caniwade, in fact Sandro only just managed to stay ahead of hard-driving 7 year old Maible Boksa)

Canicross at its best

Kyla Johnson takes an early bath

Uh-oh, Big Pet dog starts to tip Maren Bradley in for the third time...revenge for the July Race comment of "ah, she doesn't run"

Just...Fun

Robert Sifke and Decaf (Smokin' Paws) enjoy the trail

Janet Keller and what looks like a small Polar Bear, driving for the next creek

Smokin' Paws 1 & 2 take Deb Knight just before her intimate impact with the local rocks

Ian Usher, with knee and elbow armour...hooray..."sense in action"! now If Deb Knight had that her crash wouldn't have left all those scabs...

"Jeez Darryl, it's not the Percy you know? and I'd like to have stopped with the other guys in that last pond, that Siberian had some good points on the failure of the Russian wheat crop because of global WARMING!"..."It's a RACE Grizzly! GO! GO!"

Grizzly, winner of this week's longest tongue competition

Maible Boksa makes a break past her Mum Moe - or just having fun in the water with dogs

Taking time in the Caniwade with man's best friend...what better way to spend a hot evening, does it get any better?

Yukon Meat n Sausage Race ON, just a bit shorter

Due to unseasonably high temperatures your RM has wisely shortened the 2 mile to 1 mile.

This keeps all the ponds and creeks as they occur in the first half mile of the trail. There are at least 5 places on the way out (and the same five on the way back) where the dogs, and you, have no choice but to go through flowing water. It's not deep but it's nice and cool. At the turnaround, the deepest of the creeks (shin deep). it's advised you let your dogs stop for a drink (and anywhere else they want to cool off) - they'll probably stop there anyway.

YTG Clears Culvert, Ponds magically shrink

News just in from the trail - the 4 or more ponds have shrunk to 1 and a couple of damp patches. There's still plenty of water on the trail, what with the 3 creeks you have to cross twice, so no danger of overheating, and I still recommend a change of clothes as racers/monkeys are going to get at least moist!

Race On!!

YUKON MEAT & SAUSAGE, The Deli - Dryland Race is ON!

Sunday 8th saw an intrepid Hugh Neff, sans any protective gear whatsoever, attach a dog to himself for the first time and get on his new bike, whilst Jon Lucas attached an awful lot of protective gear to himself along with two dogs and got on his bike, and Normand Casavant safely sat on a quad in support - and they took off down Sunday 15th's hot hounds trail!

1) Your hounds will not get hot

2) bring a change of clothes

Within the first 400m of trail there are about 4 ponds (I lost count) that cross the trail, or rather, they are the trail. You can't go round them, as there is no "side" to them as such; they extend way off the sides of the trail. But you can cycle through them, wetly - that was fun (no, it was, honest). The trail becomes hard sand and passes the FN encampment, then a gentle climb, across a shallow creek, then up the big sandy hill - once you are up there it is great, twisting and turning, a little up and down, and another creek, then another one, and then a BIG one with a choice of two routes to cross, take your pick but get back on the trail (in this creek Jon's front wheel stopped on a rock, rather than be hauled off, Jon jumped off, knee deep, nice n cooling), then carry on to the turnaround (there will be a quad and volunteer there for the race), and come back through all that luverly water and sand and race for the finish - except Hugh didn't do that cos his brakes magically got jammed on at the top of the sandy hill, and Jon didn't race very far at all after his rear tyre blew out at the bottom of hte sandy hill - a bike pushing canicross/caniwade back through the ponds. Beware the turn at the bottom of hte sandy hill, it's still soft sand and if you let the brakes off too early the front wheel slides out from under you (well, Jon's did).

Normand ran it on the quad and said later "That is excellent, your dogs cannot get too hot, I am bringing mine down here!"

It really is a fun, interesting trail. I suspect if you try to race it, you'll have more problems and be slower than if you just go and enjoy it. It certainly is not an "out n back" blast like Cadence Cycle's Drag n Fly Kennel trail.

RM is Simi Morrison, Timer Maren Bradley. Don't forget to buy many many DPSAY raffle tickets.

The post race BBQ is at Km 3 Annie Lake Rd, Normand and Carine's place, please bring food and drinks, BBQ will be fired up and ready.

Oh yes, race registartions, race start etc at approx km 15-16 Annie Lake Rd, at the pull-out where the road first meets the Lake.

Many thanks to Sponsors Yukon Meat and Sausage, the Deli, supported by Icy Waters Ltd, C&D Feeds, Aurora Booties, Grizzly Pigs Farm, and Yukon Ag Association.

Have fun, helmets mandatory (apart from canicrossers)

YUKON MEAT & SAUSAUGE - THE DELI, presents the "Three Creeks Dryland Races"

- or slightly moistland after you've been through the three creeks...twice.

Sunday August 15th, 5pm (the nights are fair drawing in) meet in the parking area where Annie Lake Rd first meets Annie Lake at approx km 15/16. The two mile trail starts from the road and runs the Carbon Hill 30 in reverse, for a mile, up the sandy hill, through a small, medium, and slightly larger than medium creek before looping round and returning through the creeks and down the nice hill. The Canicrossers have a nice flat 1 mile trail, without any water crossings, and the two 1 doggers simply go half the distance of the two milers (yes, you get the hill too - but don't forget you come down it as well).

Simple, straightforward, the trails will be well-flagged by local volunteer Hugh Neff. Any possible complaints regarding trail flagging should therefore please be directed to Mr Neff.

Prizes for 1-3rd in the 4 races are delicious cash certificates (ok, the stuff you buy with them is delicious, the certificate itself may not actually be delicious, although I havn't tried it) from the delectable goodies stocked in Yukon Meat and Sausage - The Deli, whilst supporting prizes are kindly provided by Icy Waters Ltd, Aurora Booties, Muktuk Kennels, C&D Feeds (luverly cat treats (ok, I havn't tried this either, but I'm sure it's tasty) I know some of you have cats!), and there's still a most popular T shirt from the Yukon Agriculture Association amongst the prizes.

Following the prize ceremony, Normand Casavant and Carine Grenier have kindly agreed to host the pot-luck BBQ at their kennel at Km 8, Annie Lake rd, thank you Casaventures!

A sample from YM&S, the Deli - to receive the actual certificate just turn up for the race with a dog tied to you and run or cycle very fast...simple! but if you don't want to go fast (nothing wrong with walking in the Canicross, I've done it, the dog likes it), don't worry, there'll be something for everyone; just come out and have fun!