Drake the Bird Dog
/Recently, two teams of Ryno Kennel athletes headed to the White Mountain Recreation Area for a camping trip. The majority of the trip was in darkness, which makes for spectacular Aurora Borealis viewing but not so great for pictures. We managed to snap a shot of the truck on our way to the White Mountains with the sun setting. It was around 3:00-3:15 in the afternoon.
Most of the time running dogs, I let my mind wander, gazing at the northern lights and mesmerizing motion of the dogs effortlessly gliding down the trail. However last night, just as I was getting lulled into the rhythm of dog mushing, I was jolted awake by a sudden burst of speed from the dogs. They could all smell or see something that I could not. Looking around, I noticed deep moose tracks, so my first thought was that a moose was in close proximity to the team. Moose can be extremely dangerous for a dog team, so I was on high alert, searching for any sign of movement. Just then, a burst of motion came flying from the left. I jumped, reaching for my ax thinking a moose was about to trample the team. You can imagine my surprise when Drake (running in the wheel position directly in front of the sled) catapulted into the air and snatched a thrashing grouse right from mid-flight. I had a front row seat to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. SO COOL. And as you can see from the picture, Drake was quite proud of himself too. Grouse is on the menu for dinner tonight!
