Puppy Pictures
/Feast your eyes on these pictures of Feniks, Chagga, and "Earl" Grey.
And so it starts...
/With the temps dropping slightly and puddles galore, we just couldn't help ourselves. It's time to run. The dogs are becoming restless, channeling their energy into less productive activities like digging holes to the center of the Earth, chewing name plates, and eating houses. After a run, it's almost as if there's an audible calming in the yard, as if all is finally at peace. The dogs eat their breakfast, give a slow gentle morning howl, then sit back content to welcome the day. We all feel better after a nice run- it's just good for the soul.
Meet Feniks
/This is Feniks. She just arrived yesterday and is already making herself right at home stealing Jezzy's sticks and chewing on Stormy's tail.
It's Official-- 2015 Yukon Quest!
/Today, I joined 19 other teams in signing up for the 2015 Yukon Quest! Can't wait for the snow to fly!
Nick's Trip
/With Nick's Alaskan vacation drawing to a close, it was time for a trip into the wilds, rain or shine. So rain it was. A few days ago, Nick, Katy, Stormy, and Eider headed up to hike the Pinnell Mountain Trail, a 30-mile trail beginning at Eagle Summit and continuing in a horseshoe shape to Twelve Mile Summit on the Steese Highway outside of Fairbanks. Eagle Summit is the infamous mountain crossing on the Yukon Quest. It's known not only for it's steepness, but also the powerful winds and treeless tundra. The adjacent picture of the first shelter cabin is a fabulous example of the severity of the winds around Eagle Summit. Notice the roof laying far in the background.
Even with the occasional rain storm, Nick, Stormy, Katy, and Eider enjoyed their trip into the tundra. Overall, both humans and sled dogs are enjoying the summer!
Salmon Fishing
/One of Alaska's most amazing aspects is the wild salmon. Every year, the return of the salmon signals a feeding frenzy. Bears, eagles, gulls, and humans flock to the river banks to catch their fill of fish to last the winter. This weekend Cartel, friend Mariah, and I made the trek down to the Copper River to catch our winter supply. Beautiful scenery, endless light, plenty of red salmon…doesn't get much better! Cartel rather enjoyed herself too.
Jezzy Loves Birds
/Today I hung up our new poster of grouse and ptarmigan in Alaska. Jezzy, needless to say, was ecstatic. She sure loves her job!
Dog Yard Photos
/Below are pictures of the dogs enjoying their summer of relaxation. Lots of free runs, sunbathing, and romps in the play pen are the activities for the day. From left to right, top to bottom: Lefty, Drake, Belle, Eider, Coot, Fenton, Sally, Kindi, Sally (sunbathing), Rucu, Cartel, and Fez.
Meet Nick
/My older brother, Nick, is visiting Alaska for the summer and helping me take care of the kennel. After years of living on opposite sides of the US or globe, I've been so excited to spend a chunk of time with him. From racing around South America in a mototaxi to working in Ecuador at an upstart tea company called Runa to working with AmeriCorp on land conservation in Boston, Nick has been around the globe. This fall, he will be starting a graduate program at the Yale School of Forestry.
I've been lucky enough to have a stream of family this year from little brother Tom, to mother Katy, to older brother, Nick. Yeah for Team Olson!
Nick and the logs for the new cabin.
