Spring training and summer chores get underway 2008.
As the temperatures start to climb during the day, the mornings are getting earlier and earlier. The body clocks for both us and the dogs are currently on rewind in an attempt to beat the heat and get the dogs out for a short run before breakfast. Oh well its nearly 21st June and winter will be on its way...only a musher could be looking forward to this! The kennel chores, kit repairs and maintenance has kicked off with replacing some of the old panels with galvanised bars, purchased from Canine Kennels.

A little bit of showing and Bikejoring in April 2008.
After much deliberation, we thought it would be good fun to try our hand at a bit of showing at Thruxton Fun Day. Mel showed Loki and Valour. Loki; who for anyone who has met her would know; is a real character and far from the easiest dog to start with, especially when both are as green as each other. Even if a bit bouncy, she did everything asked and let the judge go all over her without insisting on it being a "you can't get me" game, so she did really well. Valour on the other hand was a real pro, it must have been his aging pupils that stopped him being placed, as he really showed me and everyone else how it was done. We had a total role reversal and I just trotted around following his lead, totally in awe of him. He made me look good...thanks Chris! Nigel showed Sven and Echo. Sven was hilarious and although the judge seemed to approve of his angels, formation & gait, was clearly attempting to either not laugh or shout at the fact that Nigel just couldn't stop him doing his favorite thing...running at 20mph in small circles, it was priceless when he decided to pop over the ring rope! Echo got a 3rd place in a the large open bitch class and made Nigel's day, in fact worryingly giving him the bug. Matt did a great job showing Cudos and his puppy Ace. Cudos, who took her first show experience all in her laid back stride, got a 4th place in a large class with some lovely dogs and Ace got a well deserved 3rd. Scooter/bike class happened after lunch, we thought we'd enter some wild cards, Nigel came 2nd with Orso, no gears or breaks. Mel came 4th (and best opposite sex) with Xeva and two flat tyres and Matt came 6th with Fox and a less than well oiled bike. Needless to say, some preparation would have been a good idea, possibly even trying the dogs out with the bikes first, it was great fun, even if it took a lot more effort than expected and the dogs were faultless for their first go at Bikejoring. Oodatt & Zhara showed off in the Agility class (all done on leads), whilst Ward, Elvis & Heidi took the bull in a china shop approach deciding "why go over anything, that you could just knock down?" Results and pictures

Blake breaks the Siberian record and Jen wins "Most Inspiration Musher" in Iditarod 2008.
Manitou Crossing Kennels achieved two very well deserved and prestigious results on finishing Iditarod 2008. Blake Freking broke the record as all time fastest Siberian team to complete Iditarod and Jennifer Freking; finishing her first Iditarod; won "Most Inspirational Musher" award. Well done guys! Running on Blake's team: Jodi, Baldy, Trekkie, Trouble, Pepper, Ziggy, Altoid, Mac, Taku, Takini, Bodo, Steer, Nemo, Domita, Tagish & Peso. Running on Jen's team: Gonzo, Telly, Kimber, Chester, Capri, Lena, Muski, Lorne, Apollo, Mongo, Frog, Remi, Aries, Roland, Wat & Punto. With lots of the team being brothers, sisters, nieces or nephews of Orso, Sven & Ward it was really exciting to watch the race footage and tell our guys how they were doing. For lots of pictures, and their story in their own words...click here.

Training in early 2008.
Whilst the temperatures are still low, spring training has been thoroughly enjoyable. Xeva led the main team through most of the races and is now very reliable and focused. Loki has begun to really excel as a command leader and has shown a lot of confidence and maturity singularly leading the big team. She has become big and fast enough to let the Americans go up a gear, yet still give Mel some security when going around a corner or coming across a rabbit. Ward and Susi have settled in well and are maturing into reliable and focused hard workers. After lots of remedial training and fitness building, Zhara has settled back into running with the team and is enjoying not being left behind, she is keen to show everyone how much they have missed her.

Matt joins Greentrail to Handle.
Matt Bell joins us to handle on some training runs and gain experience. Running his first race at Pink Peaks, coming 4th with Fox and Valour in the 2-dog class, an excellent achievement after a lot of effort. See Mushers Page for more on Matt.

Mel Handles for MCK at the Beargrease 2008.
A thoroughly thrilling and hugely educational experience. Banquets, vet checks, preparations, race day excitement, sunshine, rain, ice, snow, -55oC wind chills, minimal sleep, 110% effort, teamwork night and day, the final push, grande finale, and some more banquets.... and that was just from a handling perspective. The stamina, drive and athletism of all the dogs & mushers was amazing and I can only imagine the extent of their own journey. More to come soon.

Welcome Echo January 2008.
The offer of an experienced and fast leader from a downsizing kennel was hugely welcomed. When we met Echo, we were both taken by her straight away, she was just our sort of dog and has mixed with the pack really well. A big, bold girl, she needs some fitness building but has a real enthusiasm to work hard.

Fun at the Races 2007/8.
More to come soon.

Racing season underway.
Without Zhara in the team the racing has been a bit unpredictable. Xeva has led in her racing debut and all subsequent races so far, achieving some excellent results, including a 2nd place at Culbin (Xeva/Orso in lead, Ward/Sven in wheel), Xeva seems to be thriving on the pressure and her speed is gradually increasing with her confidence and fitness. Orso let us know one day that he wanted to lead and is doing an excellent job.

Poor Zhara 2007.
Zhara, our dedicated, reliable leader, broke two of her weight bering rear toes....dissaster! After 9 years of running what must amount to thousands of miles over all sorts of terrains, Zhara goes and breaks two toes trotting around the yard and stepping awkwardly over a hole! Brave to the core, she sat contently whilst Mel diagnosed the fractures. But with the expert care from vet Gerrard from Wilson's Vets in Bishops Auckland, Zhara has had two micro plates screwed to both metacarpals, fingers (or toes) crossed she'll be back in the team soon. Our most crazy and enthusiastic worker, she has not taken kindly to being left behind, poor Zhara.

BBC Radio Wiltshire: Nigel's talk November 2007.
Nigel happily agreed to do a live interview for BBC radio wiltshire for their warming winter morale discussion on Winter vs Summer. Well its not just the huskies that go all crazy at the first sniff of frost, most mushers get over excited by the onset of winter and eagerly await those cold, bright mornings to get the dogs out, relishing in their added enthusiasm from the drop in temperature. Nigel also chatted about how we manage the dogs during the summer months, training and the importance of hydration, what got him started in mushing and some in depth details about our winter training scheme.

BBC Radio Wiltshire's feature October 2007. (Click here for photos)
Greentrail plays host to BBC radio wiltshire as part of their feature on "The old dear with no fear" Cilla La Bouchere. Having tried Formula Ford and Falconry, Cilla turns her hand to Mushing with Greentrail. Arriving before sunrise, Cilla could not have chosen a more perfect morning; clear, dry with temperatures below freezing. First introductions to mushers and dogs alike with lots of talk and questions and tips on the basics. Cilla helped as the big team was hydrated, dressed and prepared to go. Cilla then hopped onto the Quad with the agility of someone in her twenties, with 12 dogs all hyped up and ready to go, without further ado, Mel called the team to go and both Mushers and dogs left the handling & BBC crews for dead as they accelerated out at 30mph. The dogs worked with added enthusiasm, clearly wanting to show off to their VIP passenger. With everyone's tails low and ears set the first mile went by perfectly and speedy. Cilla did a great job at keeping the quad as stationary as possible when Mel had to hop off at a stop, while the leaders patiently held the team steady. The crisp morning had also attracted a daring squirrel and the front 8 dogs lurched into the bracken when it ran within feet of the leaders. After a few seconds, Mel called Zhara to "line out", instantly popping out of the bush and stretching her team out from its mass of fur and lines, with not so much as one leg over the gangline. Zhara and Xeva did a great job leading the team the 3.5 miles and they powered back to base with the same fury as they'd left with. The dogs we're then hydrated, given treats and lots of fuss by all. After a bit of debrief and a break, Cilla was then given some more instruction and spent a bit of time getting used to the dogs on foot and the handling of the rig. Then all helmeted up, Cilla started off with just Zhara, with Mel trying to keep up along side, soon Cilla was confident enough to have Xeva put in and away they went, with Nigel in front on the quad keeping the girls at a nice steady pace. After making sure Cilla took the first turn smoothly, Nigel dropped a little way behind her and let her get on and experience the silent, thrill of being pulled through the woods by sled dog team. Cilla did a great job at handling the rig, demonstrating her physical abilities by doing a bit of running up the last couple of hills and showed she had really absorbed all the information given to her and earned the respect of the lead dogs. "more from Cilla".

"Ward" and "Susi" arrive from Jedeye Kennels USA October 2007.
WARD and SUSI arrived in the UK with us on Wednesday 3rd October 2007 from Jedeye Kennels in Minnesota, USA. They went straight through customs without a hitch and have started to settle in with the pack. A big thank you to Blake & Jennifer Freking for two more fantastic dogs and for all their help with getting them over hear safely.

Scotland training Summer 2007. (Click here for photos)
Keeping Siberian Huskies fit during the summer is quite a battle. The team headed off to Scotland for some cooler weather and extended light for its summer training program. A rare and excellent opportunity, that included running not only in the forest, but over some wild terrain and along a few remote beaches. The dogs also got some swimming in, with everyone braving the cold North Sea, including the Mushers. The body clocks are now well adjusted to 4am starts and lights out by 10pm! Xeva and Loki have now been fully integrated into the teams, with Loki excelling in wheel and Xeva demonstrating that she is natural leader.

Mel’s trip to Jedeye Kennels, USA in February 2007. (Click here for photos)
Nigel & Mel had both planned to go and handle for Jen and Blake at the Beargrease Marathon, but it was cancelled due to “no snow”.  Mel went a couple weeks later by which time it was well below freezing with bright sunshine and up to 6’ of dry powdery snow….heaven!  "I had an amazing couple of weeks, Jen and Blake made me feel very welcome and got me straight out on a sled. Following in Jen’s wake for about 12 miles was an excellent way to pick up the basics, it was great fun. Next an expedition with Blake. 40miles off trail, hilly, windy, forest/bush, some open water and a huge frozen lake.  It took several 90' turns to get used to cornering the sled, a few times ending up in the snow, gripping onto the sled with everything I had. Jumping a huge rock floored me under the sled, wondering, “Why on earth have I got my mouth open?” as it rapidly filled with snow. After a long, exhausting 7 hours we got back with all the dogs and no injuries, it was the best day of my life and Naoki who lead my team really looked after me! Jen and I then spent a brilliant weekend starting their manic bunch of pups in harness. Some tangles, a few scraps and lots of running alongside the team through 3’ of snow….within about a mile most of them had the idea. That’s blood for you! Whilst at Manitou Crossing I also had a great time experiencing a traditional American festival, Bloody Mary’s with a difference and the delights and frustrations of picking up tons of frozen to the ice, “Freking poo!”  A fantastic trip and the best experience of my life." Mel

Arrival of “Xeva” and “Loki”.(Click here for photos)
The search for a couple of good pups to join the kennel, saw the arrival of  “Xeva” from Sue & John Harkins.  Shortly after; following the recommendation of Chris and Andrew from Azgard; “Loki” joined us from Carole & Dave Williams’ Salazka Kennel.  The two pups have settled into the pack well and are already best of friends!

Mel’s Ski trip to Austria with the Royal Artillery.
I took the opportunity to go skiing, not only for the exceptional military training but also because I knew it would be perfect experience for sled driving. An excellent couple of weeks of strenuous hard skiing on some tough runs including “blacks”, gave me some great bruises as well as the skills, techniques and confidence on the snow I wanted. As a bonus I achieved my Basic Skiing Proficiency certificate. It also made me realise how crazy Skijoring is!

Arrival of our imports.
Despite the complexities of importing; ORSO and SVEN arrived in the UK with us on Tues 14th November 2006 from Jedeye Kennels in Minnesota, USA. We had a wonderful trip and although there was no snow it was very cold. We got to go out many times on the ATV with up to 22 dog teams and see how they dry land mush, US style. Our thanks go to Blake & Jennifer Freking for making the trip both successful and thoroughly enjoyable and of course for providing us with two amazing boys.

And then there were more!
The team has grown considerably, as has the space we need to store all the equipment, but we haven’t got the bug, no not us…yeah right! A few horrific falls, once losing the team, many recreational treks, some camping trips, a few racing seasons, a Merc Sprinter and endless 4am summer starts and what do you have? A totally obsessed sled dog family!

In the beginning.
We started off with a couple of pet huskies and a mountain bike.  From there we had many enjoyable visits to the Azgard Kennel. We can’t thank Andrew Grisbrooke and Chris Barry enough for their continued knowledgeable support, advice and endless help in preparing us and the dogs for the trails. We now have three wonderful Azgard dogs as part of our team.  Chris and Andrew helped guide and supply us with some fantastic equipment including Cudos rigs. They have also provided us with some excellent points regarding showing and allowed us to help out and gain some experience.  Wonderful people and superb friends, we are eternally grateful.

mail@greentrail.co.uk