Briar's Patch Sled Dogs LLC ...The Team That Dares to Dream...Iditarod Bound, March 2008!

Where Do I Start?

My goal is to train my own dog team to be able to travel competently and enjoyably through the wilderness. So how do you know if you don't try?

That pretty much sums up what motivates me to run and finish Iditarod. I chose 2008 because it's my 50th birthday, and I can't think of a finer way to celebrate it. My own team because I thoroughly enjoy dog training, love being immersed in it, and I learn something each and every time I take the dogs out.

We are learning -- together -- how to be a distance racing team. Briar's Patch Sled Dogs has participated twice in each of the Siskiyou 135, Eagle Cap 200 and the 350 mile Race to the Sky. I am most proud of the fact that we received the “Best Cared For Team” award at the 2007 Eagle Cap 200, in recognition of our season long efforts toward team development, training and care.

Although Iditarod has always been a long term goal, I immensely enjoy the daily training and development of the dogs, both as individuals and as a team. I draw inspiration from the toughness of these dogs as they continue to grow and tap into their potential. Just as I've had to overcome physical challenges ranging from cancer to fibromyalgia and scoliosis, so too the dogs learn to “hang tough” and persevere. No matter where we go, Iditarod or beyond, we live by the motto: Quitting is not an option! Nothing is finer than a dog or team realizing “Hey, I CAN do that”!!

2006-2007 Season Summary

The Team has accomplished a lot this year, including completing our required Iditarod Qualifying Races, the Eagle Cap 200 and the 350 Mile Race to the Sky. In order to accomplish that we have

• Trained 18 members for the race team
• Traveled over 685 miles in races, 1100+ miles in training and 8000 miles by truck for training and races.
• Consumed over 5300 lbs. of meat, 3560 lbs. of high performance kibble, and 330 lbs. of fat (and that's just for the dogs!)
• Devoted 4 months exclusively to fall training and 6 weeks for winter racing. Spring Training starts May 1...and we're off again!

The 2007-2008 season has already begun. Training plans for the new dogs, further leader development, continued socialization etc. are well underway.

Major purchases for this year include our Iditarod sled, Arctic clothing, Iditarod race entry fee and attending the rookie meeting in Anchorage . An incredible number of things need to be planned and done in order to get us to the finish line at Nome next year — however, as overwhelming as it seems at times, I don't forget for a moment how extraordinarily fortunate I am to be able to share the trails and lives of these dogs. To each and every one of them...thank you.