Trapline Pups
/While Maliko, the race dogs, and I have been busy training for Copper Basin, the trapline crew of Derek, Chagga, Earl, and Frosty have been enjoying the beautiful views of the trapline. Frosty grew up with Matt Hall outside of the small community of Eagle, Alaska, so for Frosty, life on the trapline is heaven. He spends his free-time exploring the forest around the cabin then leads the yearlings when it's time to "work." For Earl and Chagga, it's a great learning experience and gets them in touch with their roots. They get to explore untouched wilderness, breaking trail, moving slow and pulling heavier loads with lots of stopping to set and check traps. In addition to learning patience, they receive lots of one-on-one interaction and quickly learn that if they don't pull hard, the sled doesn't move. When not running the line, Earl and Chagga get to romp and play around the cabin. Oh, and I forgot to mention the final member of the trapline crew- Jezzy! Jezzy gets to run in front and scout the trail. She even caught a marten! Good dog!
Occasionally Derek finds remnants of the trappers of old. Here are a couple videos of rundown trapper cabins that Derek stumbled upon. Interestingly, the majority of their gear and belongings are still left in the cabins. The video on the right is particularly unique because the cabin is located underground!
Here's a video of Derek, Frosty, Earl, Chagga, and Jezzy in action!
