Iditarod Musher Eric Rogers - R North Bound Dogs

IDITAROD 37
March 7th, 2009

::: Part of the Team, Part of the History, Part of the Greatness ::::

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The Journey Continues
November 10, 2006

Leslie and Bonnie sporting the latest in cold weather fashions,
while telling Balu and Basil what a good job they have done.

Cold is a funny thing. My first trail assignment as Iditarod Communicator was Eagle Island in 1995. When we landed it was -10 degrees with a clear blue sky. That night it got to -50 and never warmed up. I dressed in my insulated underwear, Wal-Mart snowsuit, down parka and went for a walk on the river. After and hour I was back in the warm cabin just a little disappointed. It just didn’t seem that cold out.

Later that week the entire staff came down with an intestinal bug. Let me tell you climbing out of the warm sleeping bag for the midnight run to the outhouse at -50 when you don’t have time to dress properly puts a whole new meaning to brrrrr. Let me make it clear; you don’t sit there and read the paper.

Eric is ready to run. The day was only a little warmer,
but the run was a lot shorter!

During the Don Bowers it was -35 degrees at Deshka Lodge. They had a tent with a propane heater for the mushers to sleep in, but at those temperatures the propane expanding from liquid to gas freezes the pressure regulator and shuts off the heater. I was very comfortable in my arctic gear driving the dogs to the checkpoint. I was comfortable in my arctic sleeping bag in the unheated tent. But getting out of that bag and getting dressed to continue the race was one of the harder things I’ve ever done. I couldn’t get the sleeping bag in the stuff sack with my gloves on, and almost frostbit my fingers when I took the gloves off.

So this week when the temperatures have been flirting with zero shouldn’t be a problem, right? Funny or not, the coldest I have ever been is sitting on the 4-wheeler driving dogs. On the sled you are always moving; shifting weight from side to side to steer, peddling or running up hills, or something. On the 4-wheeler you just sit with your thumb on the throttle. Think about sitting outside at 0 degrees on a chair with a fan blowing softly in your face. Now think about doing that for 2 to 4 hours.

Balu and Mocha ready to run at 0 degrees.
Balu is professional and has seen this all before.
Mocha has all the enthusiasm of youth!

At first you feel warm from the exercise you got getting ready to run. After half and hour you are cool but still comfortable. Then your feet start to feel cool. Next your hands feel the chill. You get off and walk up to the leaders telling everyone what a good job they have done. The dogs need the mental break, right? But you are really trying to get some circulation back in your summer soft body. It helps for a while, but now your hands are cold. You already added hand warmers to your gloves and you slide them into the arctic mitts you brought. Your body is starting to feel cool and you wish you had another layer. After an hour and a half your hands are really cold, and then they start to hurt. If you don’t get them warm the pain becomes intense. Then you loose feeling and flexibility. It is amazing how much more attention the dogs require at these temperatures. Any excuse to get off the 4-wheeler and walk around.

Bonnie put heated handgrips on her machine and that helps, but does not fix the problem. Add a pair of handlebar mittens and the world is much nicer. It feels pretty silly to get out all your arctic gear just for 0 degrees, but that is where we are going. Leslie hasn’t acclimated yet and she got very cold Tuesday. It took 20 minutes sitting in the car with the heater going to stop shivering. Smart girl though, she took her boots and parka off in the heated car. Insulation only helps maintain the temperature you are at. If you are warm you stay warm, but if you are cold…
On Thursday Bonnie brought extra gear for Leslie and that helped. Bonnie has several friends from warmer climates that are very impressed with Alaska and its cold reputation. She loves to take them from Anchorage in the south to Fairbanks or Whitehorse and show them real cold. So she has lots of gear in various sizes because it’s not nice to freeze your friends.
The dogs handle this much better than the people, but I can tell they are still summer soft. After feeding half the dogs climb back into their dog houses and their straw beds. Sometimes when I walk around afterwards all they move is their head. They tuck their feet up under their bodies and curl their tail over their nose. I’ve was surprised during Iditarod to bootie warm feet after a cold checkpoint, so it really does work. Other dogs seem to have anti-freeze in their veins standing around in the cold looking for excitement.

Most of the dogs are doing well. Thyme and Dijon cut their pads on the ice three weeks ago. Dijon just ignored it and has been running with protective booties, but Thyme is less mature and has been on three legs. I’ve had her sleeping in the house trying to help her heal faster. Monday she started to use the sore foot, so Tuesday I bootied the foot to protect it. Then I loaded her in a crate on the 4-wheeler for the first half of the run, and let her run the second half. I’m glad you didn’t hear what she was saying when the team started running carrying her in the crate. Her mother would have washed her mouth out for sure. When I finally let her run she was all go, digging in harder than ever. We will do that for the next several runs because she missed over two weeks and I want to bring her back slow and happy.

The dogs were a little flat last week, so we backed up and gave them an easy week. Two 5 mile runs, followed by a 10, 15, 20, and back to 25. In general the attitude is back up. You don’t improve your fitness when you train hard, you improve you fitness when you rest after you train. This “easy week” is part of that program.

Dijon isn’t feeling well and I carried him the last 5 miles of the last run. I don’t know if the thyroid supplement hasn’t fully taken effect, or if he has an intestinal bug. Dijon is the new “sleeping in the house dog” and seems to enjoy it.

Keep ‘em Northbound
Eric
© 2006 All rights reserved

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Have you ever wanted to be part of the Iditarod adventure but didn't
know how? Help support Eric Rogers Iditarod team by joining the
2006-2007 season Rogers Rangers. Just $30 buys you a bootie worn by the
team, a 2005-2006 Rookie season musher card, and a signed certificate of
membership. All funds go to support Eric's 2007 Iditarod. For your
convenience we now take credit cards through PayPal. All donations
gratefully accepted.

Thank you for your support.

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