After a good meal of raw chicken, tripe, and kibble was had, I went down to the river and got enough water for everyone to have a nice cool drink of water. My dogs despise the rain and several would not lie down on the straw that was now fairly damp. Each dog wears a jacket when they rest, no matter the weather conditions. As they worked from the leaders back and found minor sore muscles, I would start to work massaging and wrapping the spots. I had just enough time to get a few raw beef snacks to everyone, grab my massaging oil, wrist wraps, and dog jackets before the vet team arrived.
My team was parked furthest from everything, which is fine with me because that will help them rest. The vet staff is always amazing here, they watch every team come and leave as well as go through every single dog. We arrived as the first eight-dog team into Ollokot, OR, the official checkpoint, where a six-hour mandatory rest is required. This was the farthest he has ever run and his first camping trip, so minor questionings are bound to come up. I stopped the team and walked up to him all happy, stood him up gave him a good pet and went on to tell all of them what good dogs they were. Prince earned a spot as he had been doing so well in training – he learned a lot on the run and I learned a lot about him! He overcame a mental wall about 3/4 of the way into the race where he decided maybe he would just try to sit down for a few minutes.
The team for this race consisted of Weasel and Dietrich in lead, Foxy and Hudson in swing, Sigrid and Tempest in team with Dawson and Prince in wheel. All of my gear was bagged to keep it dry but my sled bag was soaked before we ever left the start! Rain brings so many more challenges and I was so thankful that Wayne was able to bring my rain pants and a not-so-water-proof-anymore REI jacket. It was pouring down rain for the start and continued through the race until the last 40 miles or so. The race went really well overall and the dogs were amazing. Ever wonder what it’s like to run a race like this? Triple Creek Ranch head Musher Gabe Dunham reports from the trail’s end!
#EXTREME RACE SLED WRAPS SERIES#
The Eagle Cap Extreme is a series of dog sled races run through the Wallowa Mountains of Northeastern Oregon.
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