Canicross Hike at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland

Left to Right: Acadia, Sobo and Wolfie pull hard down the trail

On Saturday, Maryland Sled Dog Adventures hosted its last canicross hike for the season. The hike was held at Sugarloaf Mountain near Frederick, Maryland. While the skies were gray, the rain drops held off until the afternoon. Temps were cool in the upper 40s when we arrived at the trail head and did not warm up out of the low 60s. Fall has finally arrived in the Mid Atlantic. Our hike followed the five mile route of the Northern Peaks (blue) trail climbing to 1,282 feet at the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain. At the entrance to the trail, we noticed a sign indicating that a black bear and cub has been spotted in the area but alas we did not see any bears. This hike is somewhat unusual in that you reach the summit of the mountain at the very beginning of the hike and then the trail follows a series of ups and downs between peaks ranging in height from approximately 900 ft to 1100 ft.

Along for the hike were Anna and her Siberian Husky, Wolfie, along with Eric and I and sled dogs, Sobo and Acadia, both Siberian Huskies. While Sugarloaf Mountain was our last canicross hike of the 2009 season, we'll resume our canicross hikes in late spring 2010. Stay tuned to the upcoming events section of our website for more information on upcoming hikes for you and your dog.

Wolfie (left) and Sobo (right) demonstrate a nice line out!

Canicrossing down the trail with Wolfie and Anna in lead

Wolfie pulls at a nice steady pace!

What do sled dogs do during the Summer?

Dogs that swim are dogs that shake!

If you happen to be one of the lucky sled dogs at Maryland Sled Dog Adventures LLC, you go swimming during the summer. Swimming is a great way to keep your dog in shape during the warm summer months with far less risk of over heating.

So while the sled dogs at Maryland Sled Dog Adventures spend their winters dog sledding, they spend their summers swimming and relaxing at the beach since in Maryland it is simply too warm to safely run the dogs in harness in the late spring, summer and early fall.

In general, mushers use what is called the Rule of 100 to determine whether it is too warm on any given day to run their dogs: add the temperature and the humidity together and if the sum is 100-120 or more it is probably too warm to safely run your dog in harness. Thus, with the advent of warm weather, mushers are always looking for creative ways to exercise their ever energetic sled dogs. Sled pet, Acadia's new favorite way to blow off steam and cool down a bit is swimming.

Trying to hitch a ride

"I'm not so sure about this swimming business," thinks this pup.

Swimming Siberian Husky, Acadia

Where's my boogie board?

Acadia showing her focus

A couple of weeks ago, Eric and I learned that Siberian Husky sled dog, Acadia, our lead dog in training, LOVES to swim. So with the onset of warm temperatures, we've been taking Acadia swimming at various swimming holes and beaches throughout central Maryland and exploring some of nature's best swimming "pools."

Swim Spa: Acadia swims against the current

Sled dog, Acadia, splashing in the Gunpowder River

If all of this swimming looks like fun, why not join us for our upcoming Canicross hike on June 20th which includes a 5.1 mile hike and then some post hike relaxation and swimming for you and your dog splish splashing in the Gunpowder River. For more information on our canicross hikes visit our canicross hike schedule and for more information on what is involved in canicrossing visit our website. If you are new to canicross and just want to hike along with your dog, that's fine too! To see photos from our most recent canicross hike at Catoctin Mountain Park visit our blog. Email catherine@marylanddogsledding.com to register for an Upcoming Canicross Hike.

Acadia prepares to dive in

I wonder what is over here?

Is it time to get out already?

Acadia's Spay

Acadia at Long Pond in Maine

Here at Maryland Sled Dog Adventures LLC, we love puppies but we also recognize that there is a major pet over population issue in this country resulting in the needless euthanization of too many animals each year. As a result, we do not breed, we spay and neuter all of our sled dogs, we are active in rescue, and we support the efforts of our local shelters and humane societies.

Acadia skijoring in Canada

If you are thinking you would like to adopt a Siberian Husky, first do all of your research on the breed and understand that they are not the dog for everyone. Siberians can be quite challenging to own and have quite a few endearing and not so endearing qualities. A few of those qualities are: They are never to be off leash; they shed (a lot); they dig; they like to escape; and they have a high prey drive and are frequently not trustworthy with small animals including cats. They are also hugely energetic and a short walk around the block is rarely enough to tire one out. Once you have researched the breed, contact a breed rescue to adopt or research a reputable breeder in your area. If you are in the mid atlantic area (Pennsylvania, Maryland or NJ), we recommend Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue or Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue. If you are outside of that area, visit the Siberian Husky Club's rescue site to find a rescue in your area.

It's so tiring being adored

Acadia devouring the Acadia Mountain sign

Acadia in lead next to Zoe at a group fun run at Fair Hill NRMA

Consistent with our aggressive spay/neuter plan here at Maryland Sled Dog Adventures LLC, it was time last week to get our youngest sled dog, eleven month old, Acadia, spayed. Given that Acadia has been running in harness with us for the past six months, we were waiting for our running season to end before we had her spayed. With recent temps approaching an unseasonable ninety plus degrees here in Baltimore, Maryland, our running season is now officially over. This past Wednesday, we made our last run of the season with the dogs. We took only four dogs, Zoe and Acadia in lead, Sobo and Okemo in wheel and ran approximately 6 miles. Having been off for about a week, the dogs performed and ran well. Major skills we worked on were gee over.

Canicross Hiking with Acadia

Acadia's prey drive kicks in and the squirrel is devoured

Acadia taking a nap in Maine

With the warmer temperatures scheduled to move in, we scheduled Acadia's spay procedure for this past Friday with our vet, Bill Benson at Advanced Veterinary Complex, Inc. Early Friday morning we dropped off Acadia for her spay and a vulva-plasty (a surgery to correct a slightly inverted vulva that Acadia was born with). Acadia returned home late Friday evening and spent Friday and Saturday resting peacefully in her crate. By Sunday she was spending a bit more time out of her crate and by Monday she seemed fully returned to her usual energetic sled dog self. Acadia's not letting either of her incisions slow her down much but she is enjoying the peanut butter treats that we wrap around her antibiotic pill.

Always curious, Acadia, in Vermont

Acadia resting at the top of Acadia Mountain on Mount Desert Island, Maine

Acadia at eight weeks old

Last Day at Tug Hill

So long Tug Hill....

Our last day of dog sledding at Tug Hill dawned bright, sunny and cold. Heading back to the Wart Road trail head, we planned a 5-6 mile run with the Maryland Sled Dog Adventures dogs after which we then hit the road with the sled pups to head back to Maryland.

In lead, we put Zoe and Acadia. In team, behind Zoe and Acadia we placed T-Bone, and then in wheel, we put Okemo and Sobo.

Heading out, we followed Wart Road to Hiscock except that we had a bit of "musher error" and manged to go past the turn off for Hiscock. Reaching the end of Wart Road, I realized my mistake but with the dogs traveling fast down a steep hill, I was wondering what options I might have available. After getting the team stopped and the snow hook firmly planted, I called "come haw" to my leaders and after only a bit of debate, they came around. Heading back up the steep hill we had just descended, I managed to spot the turn for Hiscock and we turned "haw" onto Hiscock. After turning, I realized that this was going to be a slow go as this portion of Hiscock was barely broken open and heavy with deep and nearly untracked snow. As we slogged through some deep snow on Hiscock, the dogs surprised me by pulling hard, especially our big wheel dogs, Okemo and Sobo. Following Hiscock, we turned "gee" on Bargy and the dogs enjoyed a fast run down Bargy. We turned "gee" again on Hawley and again, I let the dogs run. At Winona, we turned "haw" and followed Winona through it's winding stretch of heavily wooded trail and headed back to the truck. Despite the deep and relatively untracked snow on Hiscock, the dogs did great pulling hard the whole time.

Leaving the Wart Road trail head

Giving the "gee over" command and leaning to bring the sled to the right

After our dog sledding run, we made a brief stop at Frank and Regina's house to see the one day old Malamute pups that Aspen delivered the prior day, to say goodbye, and then to hit the road headed south back to Maryland, our dog sledding adventure, sadly, over.

Our First Dog Sledding Run at Tug Hill

Arriving at the historic CCC camp, after the drive up to New York, we were excited to get out on the trails in Winona Forest for our first run on snow of the season. We dropped (musher jargon for letting the dogs out of the truck so they can potty and be harnessed) the Maryland Sled Dog Adventures sled dogs and set up for a late afternoon run. The parking lot had two other dog trucks in it when we arrived but all in all, it was very quiet.

Sled dogs hanging on the picket line at the CCC camp

Heading out, we did an approximately 5.5 mile run. In lead, we hooked up our youngest dog (8 month old), Acadia, and our oldest dog (9 year old) and best leader, Zoe. Behind the leaders, we put T-Bone. When running on snow, T-Bone must be booted (for information on where we purchase our gear, visit our resources page) because his long fluffy foot fur is prone to ice balls. Behind T-Bone, in wheel we put our "power dogs" 4 year old Siberian, Sobo and hardworking 3 year old, "big white dog," Okemo.

T-Bone modeling his dog booties

Wheel dog: Okemo

The team

Setting out, we started out from the trail head on Pussycat Trail, crossed Route 90, turned "haw" on Bargy, made a "gee" on Frank's Fancy and headed down one of my favorite trails. Why is Frank's one of my favorite trails? It's a lovely little jaunt through mixed pine and hardwood forest with some nice twists and turns that really tend to excite the dogs. About half way down Frank's Fancy, Frank Caldwell and his team of eight Alaskans caught up to us. Given the narrow trail and our pup, Acadia, being in heat, Frank's dogs did not want go smoothly "on by." As the dogs balled up, Frank got off his sled to untangle them and then began to demonstrate what I am calling the human snow hook maneuver as his dogs began to drag him down the trail. As most mushers know, many dogs fell the "whoa" command is purely advisory in nature and it's really the brakes (drag, claw and snow hook) that mushers use to stop their teams.

Stop signs mean nothing to sled dogs...this is why we have snow hooks

In his haste to untangle the dogs, Frank had forgotten to deploy the ever important snow hook. After all of this excitement, the dogs were raring to go and off we went. At Hessel, we turned "haw," crossing Bargy and turning "gee" onto Alice's Ally. As we made the "gee" onto Alice's, we were beginning to lose light and I urged the dogs to pick up the speed. Alice's, like Frank's Fancy, is yet another winding, twisty forested trail which the dogs love. We followed Alice's to the connector trail that connects Alice's to Dog Leg and around we went on Dog Leg back to Bargy where we went "gee," and headed back to the trail head and the truck, arriving just as the sun was setting.

Upright on the runners, Frank Caldwell

The intersection of Alice's Ally and Hessel

Feeding and walking the dogs, we headed back to Pulaski with just enough time to meet up with Frank and Regina at Stefano's for some yummy Italian food.

Michigan beats Wisconsin and Other Minor Miracles

To summarize unprecedented recent events:

1. Washington Mutual failed, in the largest bank failure ever

2. Michigan beat Wisconsin in college football

3. Sobo had a great dryland dog sled run

Sobo and Acadia hang out on the picket line

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. It's a time to begin training the dogs, get back out and begin running dog sledding tours, rides and programs, crisp cool nights, stunning fall colors, and....College Football. Much like my sister, Jenny, I love college football, especially Michigan football. As many of you know, I have two undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan and a law degree from the University of Washington (for the record, I usually root against the Washington Huskies, however, given their pitiful performance in recent years, I almost feel obligated to root for them). With the recent coaching changes, losses to Utah and Notre Dame, and a Michigan offense that is causing Bo Schembechler to roll over in his grave, I've frequently been disappointed in Michigan this season.

If fall is one of my favorite seasons, it's also a favorite season for our sled dogs. The last day of summer and first days of fall come none to quickly for the Maryland Sled Dog Adventures team of sled dogs. As they not so patiently awaited the cooler days of fall to arrive, all of the dogs were struck by a severe case of the "zoomies." One of the surest cures for the "zoomies" is a nice dryland dog sled run. Lucky, dogs, a Yappy Hour dog sled ride was scheduled. As we cruised down the trail through the brisk fall air, I could almost hear the dogs singing, in the words of Bruce Springsteen, "Baby, we were born to run..."

Born to Run

And run they did. In lead, we had the ever dependable and very hard working, Zoe (aka Zoedel, Zoey-Bug, Noodle-Bug, and Princess Zoina). Zoe is my "Brown Eyed Girl." Proven in harness, Zoe is the dog I go to when the game is on the line. She never fumbles the ball and much like the great Michigan running back (now in the pros), Michael Hart, she is the heart and soul of our dog team.

In lead next to Zoe, we had Sobo. Ah, what to say about Sobo? Sobo has all of the tools and a great build for a sled dog but his head is not always in the game, shall we say. Much like Michigan managed to lose to Appalachian State last season with all of the tools on board to beat them and a prediction to win by three touch downs, Sobo frequently manages to either just squeeze by or manages to, as I like to say in reference to Michigan football, "prong it in" late in the game. During today's Yappy Hour dog sled ride, Sobo actually surprised me. I couldn't have been more surprised had Michigan beat Wisconsin. Oh wait, Michigan did beat the then undefeated Wisconsin Badgers this past weekend after "pronging it in" to an underwhelming Notre Dame team the week before. In fact, Sobo has been surprising me on all of our runs early this fall. He's working much harder than he has worked in past seasons and really seems to be developing some drive to go along with his legs which go for miles.

Sobo says: "Pet me, I'm pretty"

Sobo peers through the fence

In wheel, behind our lead dogs, we had the teenie tiny terror (aka T-Bone) who is, despite the odds and not having a physical structure that particularly favors dog sledding, one of my hardest working dogs. Indeed, T-Bone gets so excited as he goes down the trail that he yips and squeeks. In his yips and squeeks, I think I may have heard him humming along to "I'm a hard workin' man" by Brooks and Dunn.

Next to T-Bone in wheel, we had the Big White Dog (aka Okemo, Okimer, the Big White Polar Bear). Okemo is large and in charge. We frequently refer to him as a "moose" due to his large size and power. As we traveled down the trail, Okemo sang along to Bob Seger's "Like a Rock, I was Strong as I could Be..." Okemo, much like the nose tackle on a football team, is our fastest sled dog....when he's eating. The rest of the time, Okemo is my fullback; the power dog; the one I count on to get us the first down in short yardage situations. He'll carry the other dogs on his back, if he has to.

Okemo gets harnessed

Along for the Yappy Hour dog sled program but not on the run, we had "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" four month old, Siberian Husky puppy, Acadia. Acadia is our new recruit. We're excited about Acadia's prospects in harness and her lead dog potential. We expect that pretty soon she may be quarterbacking this team to victory.

Acadia

The view from behind

A Month of Adventures (Week One): Rain Rain Go(ne) Away

Clouds over the mountains

Well the rain finally cleared and we saw some spectacular views from the house of the mountains. From the house Prospect Rock looms in the foreground while Mt. Abraham and Lincoln Peak can be see off in the distance.

Prospect Rock

Yesterday, we set off for a hike to Gilmore Pond but were unable to locate a trail or the trail head. Our back up was Bristol Falls but again we weren't able to find the a trail or trail head. After a sometimes scenic drive over miles of Vermont's country (i.e., dirt roads), we decided to turn back and hike the trails at the house. We set off on the logging road that runs alongside the house and up into the woods where there are miles of trails. The dogs had a blast frolicking in the streams and exploring the woods.

These boots were made for walking...

Along the trail and into the woods we walked.

T-Bone

Acadia

We crossed boot sucking mud, crossed streams swollen from the recent heavy rains, and hiked up and down with no particular destination in mind.

Puppy Sucking Mud

Mossy stream

T-Bone in the Ferns

A small water fall in the woods

Zoe frolics in the dappled sunlight

At one point we stopped briefly to eat sandwiches and cookies we had brought along. All told we hiked about 3.5 miles over varied terrain.

The screen porch building

Sobo says: Can I come out and play?

Okemo and the tree

Can I come in?, says Zoe.

Acadia thought this corner looked like a good place to sleep.

After the hike we hung out on the screened porch building in back and read, watched the sun go down, and napped. The evening was closed out with a lovely dinner of grilled steaks, mashed potatoes with horseradish and Vermont white cheddar, salad, and sauteed zucchini from the garden at home.