2010-2011 Race Season (in reverse order)

Iditarod Impressions:

My (Jodi) thoughts and some memories from my 2011 Iditarod rookie run.

Some photos from Iditarod

My (Jodi) rookie runs make history

Videos Dan took:

The team in the start chute

The team running into Safety

Photo at left courtesy of http://akphotograph.com/

Making the cut, Dew Claw Iditarod 2011: who’s on the team

It is almost time for Dan and the kids and I to head to Anchorage for the start of the 2011 Iditarod, and everyone wants to know who I will be running with.
(photo at right courtesy Helen Hegener, Northern Lights Media)

First let me take a minute and give a shout out to all the students and teachers who will be following this years race in the classroom; may it be as fun and educational for you as I hope it will be for me! And as you follow those of us who set out to run 1000 miles I hope you will think about setting your own challenges and trying something new and exciting. As a told a dear friend and teacher recently,
“Let the kids know that they can do anything they set their hearts to if they are willing to work hard and take risks. Let them know failure isn't fatal, but sitting around on your butt will kill you.”

Now onto the team (read more here)

The long overdue Yukon Quest recap

We have been home and getting life back to ‘normal’ for a few days. The dogs are all happy and healthy, and Dan and I are getting back onto a regular sleep schedule. Lets face it after going on 3 hour naps and having days blend together for 1000 miles your just not used to a regular bed time and full nights sleep. I (Jodi) wanted to share with you some of my thoughts and impressions about my rookie run in the Yukon Quest, and need to get it done now. As very soon I will be beginning my next challenge, the Iditarod. The paperwork and logistics are already upon me. So while it is all fresh in my mind here are some of the moments and experiences from my race.

First I have to take a minute and thank our sponsors, because a small kennel like ours could not even dream of taking part in world class events like the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod without the very generous support of sponsors like: Halliburton, Usibelli Coal Mine, Fort Knox – Kinross, and TJ’s Landclearing.  Also our kennel was greatly helped by Bailey’s Farms who provided excellent quality freeze dried meats for our race team. And Tanka Bars who’s delicious natural snacks were a staple of our trail diet. Lastly I have to say once again THANK YOU to the many friends and family who were so supportive and encouraged us along the way.

Read more about my rookie run here

Yukon Quest results by musher for Jodi Bailey

Flickr photo slidehow

Finish Line Interview:

Countdown to Yukon Quest:
We are headed to Whitehorse on Feb. 1.

Quest Drop Bags Done!!!

The drop bag madness continues, but progress is being made. When I (Jodi) finally packed up all the meals, snacks and gear into my labeled rice bags for the Quest there was a real sense of accomplishment. Both of us are happy with what we have put together. Now all that hard work has paid off, and the bags will be sent out to the various checkpoints on the Quest trail; waiting, ready for us to come through and use all the supplies we worked so hard to prepare. It felt great to turn in our drop bags to Yukon Quest officials. For more photos click here.

Now I am working on the Iditarod drop bags.

Thanks to Mrs. Kobles class at Roosevelt Elementary, Mankato MN, for the wonderful artwork and words of support!

Drop Bag update
or let the insanity ensue

As we plan, prepare and pack the drop bags for both teams in the Yukon Quest and my team in the Iditarod this is a time of great activity at Dew Claw Kennel. The amount of gear, dog food, and supplies that will be sent out for these races is HUGE. These drop bags will contain everything we will need for our thousand mile journeys. Here Whiskey oversees the counting and sorting of booties for the race drop bags.

One thing that plays a key role in our ability to mush long distances is our dog care. And a big part of dog care is feet. Booties are used to protect the dogs feet. And we also use special foot ointment to care for our dogs feet, it helps condition them and also has ingredients to help heal any small splits or rough spots that dogs may get. This year we have been very lucky to work with Mrs. Koble's 3rd grade class at Roosevelt Elementary School in Mankato MN . They made us an extra large batch of our foot ointment, that will be used on both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod. A huge THANK YOU to all the students who took part in the project. The ingredients were purchased by members of Dan's family in the Mankato area, including Betty and Fred Porter, and we want to express our thanks to the family as well.

Along with the ointment the students did another special project, that I am very excited about.
Read more and see who our Yukon Quest team members will be here.

More Drop Bag Photos Here

Copper Basin 300

I must say both Dan and I are very happy with the teams performance at the 2011 Copper Basin 300. Both teams in the top 20; Dan 6th Jodi 18th. Read more here

Photo at right: Jodi at the start of the Copper Basin, courtesy of Theresa Daily

It is official: Dew Claw will have 2 Teams in the Yukon Quest!

Dan and Jodi will be both be running the Yukon Quest from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, and then Jodi will take on her next challenge the Iditarod. This will make Jodi the first rookie to attempt back to back 1000 mile races in the same year.

But first we are taking 2 teams down to the Copper Basin 300, check out the race at their website http://www.cb300.com/

We ran our Copper Basin teams on a fun 80 mile training run January 3rd and everyone had a great time. Dogs are looking good. And the sky was amazing! When we left it was sunny and warm. After sunset we were treated to a dark star filled sky, and I even saw 3 shooting stars. The last leg home we were treated to the Northern Lights dancing above us. A beautiful run to be sure.

The rest of this week is short fun runs, and packing for the race. For this years Copper Basin we are excited to have Alyson and Jamison as handlers, and I hope to talk one or both into taking the digital camera and getting some action shots.

With races planned and drop bags happening there is lots to do. So it is safe to say things are busy around here, very very busy! After the Copper Basin Dan and I will be working on drop bags for both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, as they all need to be turned in before we leave for Whitehorse. We have been getting lots of encouragement and support. A big Thank You to Linsey Owen Shrader and TJ Shrader for the Hot Hands. And to my co-workers at Interior-Aleutians Campus for the Cold Spot gift certificate. Judy & Orren Brownson surprised us with a Critterwoods Snowhook for Christmas. Dan's mom Meg Thornton has sent us even more booties. And Melanie Hennigan joined Team Dew Claw.

Or course there is still lots to be done, and we invite you to join Team Dew Claw for this historic adventure.

See Yukon Quest profiles for Jodi and Dan

Holiday Camping Trip &
sewing dog leg gaiters:

The holidays have been very busy, with excellent training runs and kennel projects.

Christmas Eve was spent running to a cabin in the White Mountains behind our house for an overnight adventure. Along with our friend Joel, Dan and I were able to take the entire race squad. A week of -30ish F temps had ended and we were looking at -9 when we got ready to go. But with the weather change to warmer temps also came winds. Lots and lots of winds. The open areas that are often wind blow were drifted and you could not see any hint of a trail, and the lower areas were drifted deep and covered. The dogs preformed like real champs finding trail and busting their way through, it was excellent training. And the trip home was more of the same. At the cabin we had a wonderful meal of moose steak, baked potatoes, and broccoli with cheddar cheese. Ice cream and cream puffs for dessert. Dogs had a big meal and bedded down on fresh straw, we all slept great.

After the trip was a rest and recovery day for the dogs. Which meant time for us to work on projects, and get errands done in town. After a day of picking up food for the dogs, parts for Dan to rebuild a sled, and gear for the kennel I got to visit with my friend Sarah. Sarah has been kind enough to work on sewing our dog leg gaiters. These gaiters are an important part of the gear we carry to better care for our team. They protect the skin on the back of the dogs legs, which can get worn in bad trail conditions. We had actually been testing some on our Christmas trip, and were tickled pink with how well they preformed. Even in the deep and difficult snow conditions. Again Thank you to Sarah for the time and effort, and to Seattle Fabrics for the fleece we are using to make them.

You can see some photos from the trip, including dog modeling the leg gaiters. And some of Sarah hard at work.
Photos: Click Here

Holiday Greetings, Wishes, and Thanks:

Been a very exciting month at Dew Claw, and the holiday wishes and gifts have made for some exciting trips to the post office. We have also been lucky enough to have students and teachers following us as we prepare to race, and even sending us some gifts we can use on the trail. And as I (Jodi) prepare to take a sabbatical I am reminded of how wonderful my co-workers are. Meet some of the members of Team Dew Claw, and see the many projects they are helping us with. Read more here...

Been a bit nippy lately:

Learn about how we handle and train in the cold temperatures at Dew Claw Kennel. Read more here...

Exciting Kennel News!:

Dan is returning to his first love, the Yukon Quest:
Dan has signed up for the 2011 Yukon Quest. After a wonderful run in last years Iditarod he is returning to his first love. He is looking forward to seeing the trail again and visiting with friends on the Canadian side.

Jodi is welcoming new Iditarod Sponsors:
Very excited to welcome new friends to Team Dew Claw, Halliburton - Alaska, and Usibelli Coal Mine. Also after looking all around to find a great source of quality meats for our dogs we have found Bailey Farms. How perfect for a Bailey to be feeding Bailey's meats, and the dogs love it.

Sponsorship efforts continue, as we still have a dream. Interested in learning more, please feel free to email us.
And of course your sponsiorship supports our goal of providing our team with the absolute best in quality feed and gear for the upcoming race season.

By Popular Demand:

We have recently received so many emails from friends* of Dew Claw asking, "what does Dew Claw want for Christmas?" (*here at Dew Claw we have no fans, just friends) Now for the dogs that is an easy question to answer, "more Redpaw Please". I hesitated at first, but now by popular demand, I have published the
Dew Claw Holiday Wish List.
Much thanks to all our friends who asked for it, and please remember that as always your kind words of support and encouragement also mean so much to Dan and I.

Got Snow :)

And as if fresh snow and breaking trail with 3 beautiful teams is not enough to be happy about...

Let me take a minute to publicly thank Lexi Hill for her very generous donation of Alaska Frequent Flier miles. They will allow me to fly to the Iditarod rookie meeting Dec 4-5, saving me 2 days of driving that I can now spend training out on the trails with the dogs I love.

If you have Alaska Air frequent flier miles you would like to donate, please contact us: we can use them to offset the cost of flights from Nome for me (Jodi) and Dan to allow him to be at the finish and help me care for the dogs after the race.

Great trip to the Post Office:

Seattle Fabrics has arrived!

Was so excited last week when I got the notice in my PO box there was a package. And what a great package it was! Windstopper Fleece from Seattle Fabrics! This is the exact fabric Dan and I had been looking for to make our custom leggings, worn by Dew Claw dogs not just to be fashionable and cool. These leggings actually are a very important part of how we care for our team. The protect the delicate skin on the backs of dogs legs which is prone to a condition mushers call 'chicken skin'. This is where the hair get worn by snow and rough trail conditions. But it a worry for us no longer, as we will be able to sew a complete set for the team and extras to be sent out to checkpoints. Huge Thank You to Seattle Fabrics! We are very pleased to be able to make these for the Dew Claw dogs, going the extra mile for the dogs that go the extra mile for us.

New Photos and New Four Wheeler

Been pretty busy and an update is long overdue:

Still not enough snow for sleds, but we are working hard four wheeler training to keep the dogs running and the miles are adding up. Life threw us a curve ball when our dear four wheeler went and broke down. Ladies and Gentlemen I do not need to tell you this was not a good time for this. But never fear, a new one has come into our lives and the training continued without a break. We named the new four wheeler Oliver, for his olive green color, loaded him up with and airline kennel and gangline, and he was on the trails the first day we brought him home.

The dogs are loving running. Below is a team photo from the trails behind our house, and Dan harnessing Cook. (who is so excited she is jumping into the harness)

As always Dan' mom Meg Thornton will be sewing a huge amount of booties for the kennel, and with the help of Arrowhead fabrics materials are now in her capable hands. We are very excited Paw Partners, a volunteer group that supports Iditarod mushers, has contacted us and will also be able to provide us with some of the many many booties we will need this winter. As I mentioned we have also become a participating kennel in the B.A.R.K (buy a round of kibble) program, which allows mushing fans to help support kennels, thanks to Joel Switzer for his generous contribution to our account at Cold Spot Feeds. Sarah McConnell, my Equinox marathon running buddy has generously agreed to help sew the leggings we use to protect the dogs during snowy conditions. And we are very happy to welcome Pendra King to Team Dew Claw. Also a big hello to Mrs. Smiths class at Lawton Public School who will be following the Iditarod as part of their educational adventure.

There is still plenty of opportunity to get involved, either through B.A.R.K (see logo at right) or by using the paypal Donate button, or feel free to contact us directly, we love to hear from friends of Dew Claw.

Training is in full swing~

Teams are looking strong and happy, now all we need is the snow!

Sled building is next on the never ending TO DO list at Dew Claw Kennel. And with the inside of the garage finished and organized this summer Dan has a great place to build in. Gone are the days of sled building in the living room; Yippee.

The race dogs are running regularly now, and the miles are adding up. With so little snow we are riding the four wheeler for all these miles. This is a necessary evil, although the four wheeler is no where near as fun as the sleds, it allows up to condition the dogs early in the season. So that when the snow comes and there is enough to start using the sleds, the dogs are ready and able to get out and have some fun on the trails.

Got some video on my little digital camera, and am trying to learn some simple video editing software. Now please remember this was filmed one handed, with a fairly cheap camera, so it is not great. But I wanted to share a little bit of a training run with our friends.

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