Recent updates on teamGT's BLOG

“teamGT” enter Finnmarkslopet 2010.
Summer 2009 – Spirits are high as teamGT enter the Finnmarkslopet F500 km long distance sled dog race in Alta, Norway, with it comes a more serious state of mind as this season’s training gets well underway.  Mel is really excited to be joining 3 other Brits at the prestigious race and we are even more excited by the fact that this will be the first British Sled Dog Team to run the Finnmarkslopet.
Last season’s long distance work seems to be paying off, as the dogs return to running with more residual fitness, a calmer disposition during stops and a heightened work ethic all round. Follow teamGT's BLOG

Current members of teamGT:
Dogs (8 of) – Orso, Sven, Ward, Dash, Rocket, Pepper, Lira, Susi, Cudos, Xeva, Loki, Charge
Musher – Mel Andrews           
Handler Crew – Nigel Garner,

“teamGT” is currently looking for sponsors and if you or your company would like to get involved with Great Britain’s first Sled Dog Team to be running the Finnmarkslopet then please see our sponsor link for more details and get in touch! 

“teamGT” enter Femundlopet 2010.
Summer 2009 – Excitement & nerves are building as teamGT enter the Femundlopet 400 km long distance sled dog race in Roros, Norway. Mel is the first Brit to enter the F400 and the first British woman to ever enter Femundlopet. There has only been one Brit before at Femundlopet, he successfully ran the F300. teamGT will also be the first British Sled Dog Team to run the race. So no pressure!! Just lots of work & training to make sure we are well prepared. Follow teamGT's BLOG

Puppies arrive on the same day.
Opening day of Wimbledon and the competition starts with both Lira and Heidi's waters breaking together - Lira 3 days late and Heidi 3 days early! As mid-wife I bounced back and forth more often than a wimbledon tennis ball. Heidi whelped 4 healthy pups; 3 males, 1 female, game, set and match before lunch. Lira whelped 4 healthy pups; 3 females, 1 male, however she was rained off half way through and took 7 hours to resume play! Mums and pups are doing really well & we are very proud. We will be keeping all of Lira's puppies for our team. For more click Lira x Orso Puppies or Heidi x Ward Puppies

Launch of GreentrailTV.
We have finally launched our youtube channel GreentrailTV. Although still in its early stages, there are already a couple of photo movies to music, depicting some excellent shots of all the dogs. We are currently experimenting with a variety of software to make sure the video footage is of the best possible quality when it is uploaded later this summer. In the meantime at least one photo movie per month will be uploaded of the dogs in action - at work, play & rest.

Heidi is "Pedigreedogs" Miss June.
Heidi is "Pedigreedogs" Miss June for their monthly photo caption competition. Think you have a way with words & want to take part in the fun?

Distance focus for winter 2008.
This season we have been focusing hard on training the team over mid to long distance. This has meant keeping sprint training and racing to a minimum and concentrating on slower work, with bigger teams for significantly more than a few miles. We have spent time re-educating the experienced UK dogs, teaching the puppies and understanding and developing the small details of managing a large team out on the trail. We've been keen to try some new routines out to better understand when the team excels and reaches its full potential and where we can make improvements. After many excellent treks early on in the winter, we were able to enhance the training with some great sled time, enabling mushers and particularly the puppies to get their footing and gain confidence on the white stuff! We culminated the season's training with a long distance (in short stages) trek of 50 miles.

"Pepper" and "Lira" arrive from MCK Kennels USA October 2008.
PEPPER who led in this years Iditarod and LIRA who ran Iditarod ceremonial start, arrived in the UK on Friday 17th October 2008 from Manitou Crossing Kennels in Minnesota, USA. No glitches in customs ment a swift journey home to prepare for a run that evening. Pepper confidently led the 14 dog team, setting an excellent pace and Lira got straight into working invisably in team. A huge thank you to Blake & Jennifer Freking for two awsome girls and for all their efforts with getting them over here safe and sound. Learn more about Pepper and Lira.

Cudos & Susi puppies arrive Summer 2008.
Cudo's puppies arrived on 24th June and Susi's puppies arrived on 11th July. Both litter were sired by "Orso of Jedeye at Greentrail". We have kept 5 puppies in total, they are all well built with lovely feet and running action and we are looking forward to lots of puppy adventurous training and fun games over the summer. To watch the puppies grow from birth to 2-3 months click the links here, to see more detail about each pup see their individual pages under dogs.

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 all of the old panels with new galvanised bars.

Fun day 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. There is nothing more rewarding than working hard in extreme weathers to help friends. The basic structure is very similar to UK races but the differences are astronomical and I got to learn loads of new things about the dogs and USA mushing, long distance races, Iditarod plans and the work a 12 dog team requires for a 3 day endurance race. With 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 and some more banquets.... and that was just from a handlers perspective. The stamina, drive and athletism of all the dogs & mushers was out of this world and I can only imagine the extent of their own journey.

Welcome Echo January 2008.
The offer of an experienced and fast leader from a downsizing kennel was hugely welcome. 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.
The beginning of the season has flow past so fast, we have had some great fun running in Scottish races this season, meeting lots of new people and running in some new areas has been a very pleasurable experience. The dogs have been able to run further on our distance treks and seem to find the camping more enjoyable in the Scottish Highlands.

Racing season underway.
Without Zhara in the team the racing teams have been very experimental. Xeva led in her racing debut and in 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 was ready and confident, 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 MCK 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 team, 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 skills, it was great fun. Next an outback adventure 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 I had my mouth open as it rapidly filled with snow. After a long, exhausting 7 hours we got back safe and sound with all the dogs, it was the best day of my life and Naoki (Yukon Quest veteran) who lead my team really looked after me! Jen and I then spent a brilliant couple of days starting their manic bunch of pups in harness. Some tangles 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 this year, 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.
As a keen skier I took the opportunity to go to Austria, not only for the exceptional military training but also because I knew it would be great to build up the muscles 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 improved skills, techniques and fitness.

Arrival of our imports "Orso" & "Sven" 2006.
Despite the complexities of importing; ORSO and SVEN arrived in the UK with us on Tues 14th November 2006 from MCK (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.

Update 2005
The pack has grown considerably since the early days of racing and the dream of one day driving a sled dog team across Alaska seems a bit closer. The space we need to store all the equipment has grown too, we have moved house, changed jobs, gone through 3 vans, but we haven’t got the bug, no not us…yeah right! A few painful falls, an endless desire for it to be cold, many recreational treks and camping trips, a few racing seasons, a Sprinter van and endless 4am summer starts...and what do you have? A totally obsessed sled dog family!

In the beginning.
Like many others, we started off with a couple of 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.

Dogs gone by .
We trained English Springer Spaniels to Field Trial standard from 1997, working with some amazing dogs and breeding many working champions gave us a good understanding to build on when we decided to have a Siberian Husky. As we had both competed in mainstream sports and being keen skiers and expeditioners the search for a hobby to combine all our passions didn't take long, with experience handling Alaskan Huskies at a young age the idea of "mushing" was already at the back of Mel's mind, the research on the other hand took months and is still and will always be intensive and ongoing.

mail@greentrail.co.uk