Beacon's Blog

Crunch

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0600

I like the color of my crunch… and I do like the color of Sable! But, I admit it—My tail is not all up about seeing so much brown around the dog yard right now. Its good times for digging though! Andrea and Tim have had out the shovels, digging trenches around us. A+ for effort! Lots of water is flowing around us… I have been trying to show them some technique to maybe speed up their project a bit. I am a good digger if I can say so myself, and as I said last week, if they consulted Rubi, she is a real pro. Rubi is more vertical though. I like to dig out a plan. And I have really been studying the landscape around here, watched how and where the water flows! Did you know that the water on land flows into the river and then into the ocean? I did a lot of kayaking when I was little and I learned a lot about water. But that’s another story. Isn’t that amazing!! When we are out running there is lots of puddles of water everywhere. I love puddles. Today, there was waves on one of them. We tried to run over there, but Tim was really telling us not to go there. I guess he does not like water all that much. I know Mille never likes it I when we are out on the expedition trail either! Every puddle we ran through though, I told Yoik that this water would go to the ocean and maybe one day end up in the Arctic where we are going. We are all connected like that! I am not sure he really gets it. He just gets a really silly look on his face and seems to be all he thinks about is how much water he can get on anyone around him running through it. He is pretty funny that guy. A little guy with a big smile! We all had big smiles on for several sunrises a few moons ago. It was crazy around here. I had barely finished my first howl when they started walking in and out, moving tables and being very busy. First Lulu and then some other cars pulled up with people piling out. By afternoon they were making boxes that looked like those we always pick-up along the expedition route when we get more dog food. They call them "re-supply boxes.” We Polar Huskies always get excited when it is "re-supply" time; that means lots of treats and the team members are cranked up happy about it too. I am feeling a little cranked myself and crossing my paws that we might gets some taste of that cheese and butter in those resupply boxes! Time for a howler!

Snow Holes

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Qannik says the snow we are going to run on in Greenland will be as thick as what we pull the sled in an hour—I admit that its really not all that clear to me what she means by that… An hour is as much time as about half that between breaks when we are on the expedition… I have a tough time with that the snow can really be that deep. Two miles or three kilometers deep snow! Wow! Qannik is really into snow. I guess her name means ‘snow flake’ in the language of the people of Greenland—she is pretty excited about that. She actually does look a bit like a snowflake. Fluffy and all! Pretty funny how that worked out! The snow has been melting around here. Rubi was able to hit dirt digging just yesterday. Rubi is the craziest digger. In the summer time she digs so much that her house gets all covered in dirt. You can’t get in her house then, even if you wanted to. But then, Rubi doesn’t, she crawls into these tunnels she digs out. Its cooler down there I guess. The joke around the yard is that she should get a job with NASA, becoming a professional digger. Luna says NASA is really more about the moon and everything we can see in the sky than digging into the dirt here where we live. I am thinking she is a little biased on that that cause she has this whole thing about the moon. Her names means moon you know. But she could be right. The team has a sign on their jackets that reads NASA on it. I got a good look at it up-close the other day when Andrea was putting my harness over my head – and for all I can tell that sign really does have like planets and stars on it! You can’t see the stars nearly as nicely here in the dog yard as you can when we are out on expeditions. Its like the sky is much bigger, and darker and brighter! Sometimes it even has huge lightshows going on! That’s not why the team wears the signs though. When we get out on the expedition they dig holes every now and then and then they pull out sticks and stuff and measure all sorts of things and that’s for these NASA people. They look really excited about it too. I like digging holes too, but not so much that I get that excited. But then, I also get to do it every night on the trail. That way you can make just the perfect bed for the night. I love that: a fresh snow hole to curl in when you are really tired. No time to be tired around here right now though!! They are all running around with boxes, coming and going any and all hours of the day. One of the boxes was for me! It had my new camera in it. Did you see my filming in the Trail Update this week? That was with this camera! I have it on my head! Its amazing the close-ups I can get of Rubi’s ears with that when I turn my head. I tried to get some really good shots of the snow we run on too, so you can get a feel, that’s before it started melting though. Now, if I just had the camera I would film what my Mom Freja has been talking about in her finologies– how the snow melts on one side first and all! It’s really true! I have to ask Chukchi and Chitwa if they can film it. They have been having the camera the last couple of days… Guess I am busy with this blog and all

1, 2, 3...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0600

We figured that there is a bag for each one of our paws, tails, two ears – not counting Aksel, Hershey, Lipton, Timber or my Mom Freja that is. But they were not around when the truck arrived so that worked out great anyway. Aksel, Hershey and Lipton all live elsewhere with their own plush couches, but I know Timber heard the truck coming up the driveway though he was inside the house where Mille sleeps at night with my Mom. Inside or outside, folded ear or not, Timber doesn’t miss a tail. I swear when he was out here in the yard with the rest of us he would even sleep with an eye open! Guess he developed that habit after standing nose-to-nose in camp with a polar bear or two. Like Nazca always says, “you need to use all your senses to be in the know!” Like your nose, your paws, your ears, your tongue, your tail—well, you get the picture! She would know too, she is really good with directions and seeing stuff out on the trail, and she sure is old. Not as old as Timber though. He was down in the place where all the food goes the other day and swung by the yard on his way back to the house—keeping a nose out for the food to arrive as they say. He may not have the greatest sight anymore, but he can smell! And what a wonderful smell coming out of that truck when they opened up the backend of it. I don’t think you could have crammed another biscuit in there. Well, actually, I am sure Aaron and Mille could have – they always seem to be able to find a way to load even the biggest pile of stuff onto just one sled! So, while Andrea, Tim and Paul carried the bags of crunch around, we counted our ears, tails and paws. Kinu totaled that to 161 bags! She might be little, but she sure is fast, and I guess she just goes howling for numbers. Jupiter muttered something about that she even counts out every little piece of kibble before she eats it at night – but I don’t know about that… Might just be a rumor. Jupiter talks a lot. But then again, Jupiter’s house is right next to Kinu, so of anyone, he would know! I am sure he is not counting – and neither am I! Especially not this food… It might be my favorite food ever. Each little pellet is like a piece of candy with a smell just to bark for. Makes the little hairs in my ears perk up. I am sensing it! It’s salmon says Sable. I hear there’s salmon in Greenland where we are going next! And polar bears too! They like salmon too I wonder...?

On Thursday I will post my first blog entry for GoNorth! Greenland 2010

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0600

Yiipiiiiiiii I am SO EXCITED!!!!

We were flllyyyiiinnng!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I sure couldn’t tell that was Luna’s first time flying. She was sitting next to me for the whole flight it was really impressive how she was totally cool with it. But then, if I have to say so myself I think it helped a bit that I had been talking about it for many sunrises. I love flying! And this time was really fun cause we all got to sit together! I have never tried that before, and I think I just might like that even more than when we are in our own boxes. Disko was across from me kind of, and he told me he tried to fly this way once before. That was on his first expedition many many winters ago. Well, I mean, Disko is not old like Timber or anything, but he sure has traveled many places. Xena was on my other side. Rubi was laying on my one paw most of the way. I tried to move it a couple of times, but she didn’t like that and I try not to do anything Rubi doesn’t like. Rubi is strong. Plus when I tried to back up a bit I was sort of stepping into Baffin. Really, I think we were all so close that if I had rolled two times to each side I would touch everyone. Didn’t do that though. It is important you stay in one spot when you are flying. Most all of us laid down once we were up in the air. Disko didn’t. He is a really nice guy and he likes to keep an eye on everything and everyone, always the leader. Plus he was next to Hershey who was a little wound up about the whole thing. I guess Hershey really likes his window view. So does Khan. And Mikkel! Everytime I looked at him he was looking out the window too. I guess Mille doesn’t really care about looking out the window, cause she could get up and sit anywhere she wanted to, but she sat on the floor with her back to the wall looking at me most the time. Made me wag my tail – I know she has flown a lot, being from another country and all, but I think sitting there and looking at me maybe made her calm about flying too...

The best part is when the plane goes up in the air and goes down again to land. We took off as many times as I have ears and landed that, plus a tail. I guess the plane needs re-supplies of fuel in communities too – like we pull the sleds into communities to pick up more dog food so we can keep running. I think they remembered all the dog food! Actually I heard we had so much dog food with us that this was why we had to sit in the dog boxes on the dog truck for one more day after we made it to the plane. With the dog food and everything the plane was so heavy and the winds were strong so we couldn’t fly! That’s one problem we Polar Huskies never have. We can go pulling our loads of dog food no matter how windy it is. Well, I mean sometimes we do stop because it is too windy I guess, but that is because the guys can’t see to see where we are going, or because we might loose each other. It might be so windy we can’t see each other from sled to sled so we can loose one another I mean. But never have I tried that we stop when its windy because we can’t pull in the wind. And that even though sometimes it is so windy that it makes my ears bend the other way! I wonder if maybe we could get a job with these airplanes when we are not busy pulling sleds in the wintertime. We will be busy now all right though. It is the most amazing here with snow and ice as far as I can see. And cold winds. My whisker were stiff this morning and I can see when everyone is breathing! I am so happy I have to bark a little a lot! Lightning told me that I guess we don’t get to pull the sleds up any of the mountains around here though. That even though there is a lot of them. I guess, way in the distance it looks like there is an opening between mountains and that’s where we will be heading once the sleds get loaded. She told me she has figured out that the winds seem to come from there! But first we need Aaron back! He didn’t come on the airplane, he took another plane with that nice guy John that came along on the drive. I guess when he comes back now, he is bringing along Chris the ‘people-musher.’ I am kidding, I know Chris is a ‘teacher.’ Nazca keeps telling me cause she gets a bit irritated I guess when I call him a ‘people-musher.’ I wonder if Aaron and Chris each get to sit by a window on their way here?

I love going!

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I am in Canada! Along with the rest of the gang, of course. I know we are in Canada because we stopped at the border when we crossed into Canada. Borders are a funny thing. I guess it is sort of like when Chitwa comes into my circle in the dog yard. I like him to check with me first that it is OK. He is actually not too good at doing that. I mean that is my space sort-of, at least. I do like to have visitors, though! I always try to greet anyone that comes to visit. Same, when we cross borders in the dog truck. Sometimes when we drive into another country, the nice people in the uniforms come through and open up all the doors to say "Hi" to everyone of us. I really like Canada. I have been here a lot, running all over the place.

It is amazing what you can see from inside my box here on the dog truck. Houses, people, cars, trains, all just flies by. Actually today there has been a lot flying-by. The truck has not moved since sunrise. I have not seen Aaron and John either since then? Wonder if they got caught by one of the things you fly in? You know who Aaron is, but you may not know who John is. I didn't know! First time I met him, it was pitch dark and he came up to me, and I tried to see if I could drag him to the truck I was sooo excited. We were leaving!!!! I am pretty good at dragging something or someone if I do to say so myself, but I have to admit this guy really had a hold on me right off the get-go. Pretty sure I did get both his feet off the ground at least a couple of times though!

When I get in my box I try to make as much noise as possible. Just to get everyone really fired up. I just realized maybe Mille does not like that so much, cause yesterday she sure did get a little upset with me, but then I think she was just worked up about all the people looking at us. We were outside this place with a lot of rooms. A lot more rooms than in a normal house, not like the house at Expedition Basecamp - and lots and lots of people... At least one person in each room I think! I saw many of them taking pictures of us, so I tried to look good and bark for them. I did hear Mille mumble something about "sleeping" to Mikkel... Maybe, really, she was not mumbling... We were really being loud. But, sure didn't seem like these people were tired, let alone sleeping, to me!

Now that I think about it, that house they are in is maybe a little bit like our dog boxes on the truck. It's a place people stay when they are not, and going somewhere!? Or just hanging out away from home. That is what we are doing right now. I am not all sure why we are hanging out, but Tucker said something about that he heard Aaron and Mille talk to these nice men about bad weather!? That didn't seem right to me though. We Polar Huskies pulled sleds in a lot less nice weather than what I saw today.

That night when I met John and we left Expedition Basecamp it was not great weather! First it rained and then when we were driving I could see out my box door that the rain turned to big fluffy snow flakes. Then I knew we were going the right way. I knew that as soon as I heard that mighty rumble of the truck starting. I got excited beyond barks... at least for a split moment, then I did bark! We all went really, really nuts, crazy, barking, howling, and jumping around. And, sure enough, that big truck came rolling down the way through the field and parked in front of us. That's when I met John, I guess he likes road trips! So do I. First I did get a little nervous. I have never pulled the dog truck. Not that I wouldn't do it-I mean, I just love that truck, taking us everywhere, always trucking up and down the mountainsides while I get to lie inside, looking out at all the amazing sights. But, still, it's big, with the dog boxes on top and the big trailer being pulled behind it. I heard Mikkel and Aaron talk about 'hooking up the dogs' right as we were leaving. They were outside my box underneath the truck actually!?!? I think I saw them put something on the tires... Then Aaron went inside the truck, and it really grumbled. Mud was flying everywhere but then we finally got going. Rumor has it we are going flying today. I love flying.

Eeeeee nuk shuk

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0600

The dog yard is buzzing. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. More back and forth than even Domino when he gets antsy! Watching them yesterday forth then back with boxes, bags, more boxes, bigger bags, skies, axes, tents had us going in circles. I mean watching them going in circles made us… well, I guess me at least... go in circles. Timber came down to the dog yard this morning with Mikkel. Now that he is retired he mostly hangs out up by the ‘expedition barn’ as Mille calls it. I guess it is named that because that’s where all the stuff is put that is ready to get loaded on the sleds out on the expedition. That’s where they were running in and out of so much yesterday. The latest woof is that it’s about full! And that they are going to start loading the trailer tomorrow… I am excited beyond barks!! (I sure hope they remember the dog food).

I have to say, I was not entirely surprised. I felt it in my whiskers the other day. Really, maybe more than my whiskers telling me anything, it was because they were taking all these pictures. Actually, they all seem to really enjoy seeing the world through these little machines all the time I guess... So maybe it was because they were taking pictures with the great colorful blankets. They seem to do that every year just before we take off, and also when the expedition is about done! Khan says its flags. He would know cause he got to be part of it all. Yes, I was a little upset at first, cause when I saw that Mille came out to grab some of us I was so excited it was difficult to figure out which paw I should stand on. I did woof, and she did woof back, but it was Disko and Khan who she took down to the place where everybody was gathered up. Well not everybody, but Aaron was there! I had not seen him for some sunrises and I like him. We did our first “first trip” together many winters ago. Four paws and a tail to be exact! That was one long trip. It was one year when we started and it was the summer of another year when we ended. It was fantastic!...

Chris was up there too. This is the first winter I know him but I have to like him cause I hear he is a musher. A people musher that is! He does seem to like nice people a lot. I think he knows a lot of them too, cause every time he comes around he brings new ones along. Even Pingo stayed out to welcome them. I say that because for some reason I really don’t understand, Pingo always runs in to his house when new people come around. Its just really odd to me. Oh no, maybe he thinks everybody wants to play hide and seek!? I have to ask him that, and let him know he is probably better of at least saying hi to people first. Always run to the people! Even if it you are not totally sure if it really is a person: run to it! One of the flags, this really pretty one, I like that one cause it has a lot of color on it. It almost looks like it has a person on it, but its really not! Hard to see though if you are far away from it. We ones like that when we are pulling the sleds and we really never know, so we go for them every time.! Mille gets soooo excited too, she starts yelling eeeee nuk shuk eeeeee nuk shuk eeeee nuk shuk. I use to think it was just a really funny sound she made to make us run faster – she does that. Then Xena told me that this is the name of those and that it actually means "looks like a person." It sure does. Get it? Looks like, but is not, a person! Xena heard that from her mother Nazca. Nazca has chased down a lot of eeeee nuk shuks over the winters! I hope I get to run right behind her chasing for them. Or behind who is behind her. Or behind that one. I don't really care just as long as I get to be in the team! We are really going!

Cranked

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

My whiskers are finally a little brittle again - and I will put my tail down on that I really did see some snow flakes today! I have decided my favorite color is white. Too much brown around here in the dog yard right now. I do like food-crunch-brown! Or Sable-brown! Sable is fun to run next to. She can be really tough. Actually, Sable is always tough and she can be quite strict, but she is also the best to play with. I learned long ago, that as long as I make sure to work hard and not play around when we have harness on, all is good. Else she sure gets cranked up! It was all cranked up here a few sunrises ago - it was a party! I had barely finished my first howl when they started walking in and out, moving tables and being very busy. Lulu and some other cars pulled up with people piling out, and then Mille and Mikkel came in a car. I think Mille might be better at packing a sled than a car, because whichever door she opened, food was falling out. Everyone had been busy all day but now it got crazy - just like it most often does when the team comes together - people in and out and what seemed like an endless stream of boxes. I wonder if we have to carry ALL of that food in the sleds?

Before dinner time Mille and Tiff came out to see us and give us treats! Sable's boyfriend Teddy the Norwegian Elkhound sent us yummies! He and his brother wanted to say good luck and safe travels so they sent us a package of their favorite treats. Duck Strips! And you know what? They were Duckyliscious! We all got two (Sable and I got three don't tell anyone!). We howled our thanks and then they were quick to return back to what they were doing.

It was late night before the chaos settled down, and I was rather amazed by how, at the end, they carried out boxes that looked like those we always pick-up along the expedition route when we get more dog food. They call them "re-supply boxes." We Polar Huskies always get excited when it is "re-supply" time; that means lots of treats and the team members are cranked up happy about it too. I am feeling a little cranked myself and crossing my paws that some of those Duck Strips are in those resupply boxes! Time for a howler!

Wet birds - I mean wet Polar Huskies!

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I like birds. Ravens are my favorite birds. I know they are ravens because Mille will see them and tell us its a raven. Sometimes Lightning sees them before Mille! I think that is pretty amazing how she is looking up in the air at the same time she sees what way she is going. I know Disko told me that one trick is to notice where the wind is coming from, and then just keep it there all day. I guess that way Lightning could be looking around, sure is not that easy though. Disko is pretty cool. He can lead us anywhere I think. He said another way is that he keeps watching Mille and listening to her commands and then figures out what way to run with the snow drifts. Well, actually, its not like fluffy snow drifts like the kind the fluffs all over when I jump into it. That's the best kind to dip you head in. I love those - I can dip my head with my mouth open and its like drinking snow. We Polar Huskies can do that. I know Aaron can't do that. Cause when they make camp he cuts out snow blocks and puts them in the tent and I guess they have to melt the snow inside the tent before they can drink it. Its lucky we don't have to do it that way. We can just eat it! Always have to watch it though... Only eat the white snow!!! Around here there is no more snow to eat now really. Its been so warm the last many sunrises, we can't even go for a run. I heard Mikkel talk about that it is just too warm. He has been out here digging - alot. I love digging too! I wish he would have let me help him cause I am really a good digger if I can say so myself. At first I thought maybe he was getting antsy too, but then I found out what he was doing. He was making small rivers for the water to go somewhere! He likes to make things go somewhere, a lot I think. Chitwa is in the other end of the yard from me. I think if he had put something in the water up by him, it would have made it to me! Well, sort of, cause I do not have any water running through my spot. Baffin does! He just moved into a spot next to me this week, and he is really lucky cause Mikkel dug by him so that Baffin has that water flow right through his spot! It just makes the hairs in my ears stand up how things can move with the water. Air too, like that's how I know if there is something, like caribou around - I can sense their smell that is traveling with the air! That can be a little more difficult with birds. It's a lot easier to see them if you can. Or hear them! There has been lots of loud honking noises now during the last couple of days -- Its the Canadian geese coming through! They are flying to where we are going as well! They don't even need to get on a plane to do that like we do and come time for the snow to melt up there too, we start hearing them above our heads. Wonder if they could actually beat us getting to Nunavut! if they tried!?

Crunch!

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

Nazca did not make any effort to hide that she thought I was being silly... Oh well, she can be a little uptight if you ask me. Kind of like my Mom Freja, but then, they are sisters after-all. She is my fast-like-lightning aunt! I am maybe not quite as fast, but I still think I inherited my speed from her - at least how fast I can get in and out of the dog box on the dog truck. I actually do think she is faster than even Lightning! Lightning has been running in lead a lot, I like following her, she is always looking around seeing cool stuff. I bark a little and we try to get to it even though we know we can't. Its fun, get's everyone else thinking maybe we can! Lately not so much though. Mikkel has really been giving a lot of dog food to that machine he sits on when we are out running around here. Maybe he thinks the dog food might make it run better? I was getting a little concerned though. Timber was down in the yard the other day. He had been down in the place where all the food is, and swung by the yard on his way back to the house - He has been keeping an eye out for the dog food to arrive. Lulu came by a while back and she was so heavy with fat for us that I don't think you could have loaded another biscuit on her. Lulu is a car. Jeff and Tiff who are part of the team, they just don't go on the trail with us, they own Lulu. Actually my Mom, Freja went for a ride in Lulu just the other day! She is not coming with us to Canada, and actually, neither is my uncle Lipton. They have both been to Canada a lot I guess! I think my Mom said that she ran her very first expedition there up on the Arctic Ocean, and her second one was running all the way from south to north in Nunavut-and that's where she started learning how to be a lead dog. That is very young I think, but then, she is so brilliant. Lipton is big. He can really eat. He is now staying with Jeff and Tiff, while I guess my Mom was given her whole own couch just a few houses down! I was so excited when Lulu came with the fat, it is delicious, especially on days where the whiskers gets a bit brittle, but I was getting worried cause I like some crunch too! Luckily Nazca was right and Mille had not forgotten after-all. A huge truck pulled in with lots of delicious crunch - like something like as much as paws, ears and tail for every dog outside in the kennel (not counting Timber, Freja, Lipton and Aksel since they are all living with their plush couches. Well, Timber is still with us here at Basecamp, but I heard he is soon off in Lulu as well to be at the Taj Mahal)!!

All for today. Sorry, it's busy around here. Gotta run.....

Puppies...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0600

I was watching Chukchi today. We just came back to the dog yard. We had been out on a long training run. It is warm out around here. Chukchi is right next to me in the yard - he is funny. He is kinda of small - I mean compared to me, not like compared to Xena. That's his mom. He is just not really very tall, but I think he has more hair on him than both me and Kodiak have all together. Kodiak is on my other side in the yard. His ears are so cool. No one else have ears like that. So, Chukchi spreads himself out on the ground obviously thinking we had a pretty big day. I mean he has a very long coat and I get how he gets really hot on days like today when there are small puddles on top of the snow and my head gets really wet when I stick it into the snow bank. I love snow banks. Juts makes me wanna bark a little. Anyway, soon Chukchi and the other pups are in for a big change! It will be really nice and cold again and today's run... well it will seem just like what it is: a training run. I am so excited. I just have to bark a little. We can tell its getting close. It is really busy around here. Today they were setting up tents and taking down tents and setting up tents and taking down tents and setting up tents and taking down tents. That is sort of like on the trail, except when we are on the expedition they take it down once in the morning, put it on the sled for the day, we go-go-go all day and then when we are done running for the day, they set the tent up again. That is some of my favorite time. We have been running all day, and we ate and now I can hear them inside of the tent doing noisy-clanky stuff before soon I know it I start dozing off. I am so excited--We are going to Nunavut!!!! Disko is sort of on the other end of the dog yard from me, and I had heard through the tails-line that we are going to Canada and all, and Disko knows that kind of stuff. A lot of the time he hears it straight from Mille, but lately Timber who is now living up in the house, he has been coming down and hanging out with Disko giving him all the scoops from what he hears inside.. Disko's first expedition many many winters ago went to Nunavut too - and so did my first expedition, about as many winters ago as I have paws and a tail. Wow, I did not know a whole lot back then. Now, if I have to say so my self I am a professional. That's what Mille always call us. Actually, she calls us the Superstars. I love to look up at the stars and watch them bright and twinkle, so I am thinking that she thinks we shine like that - or rather super-shine! I am sure these pups will too. They are not really pups. We just call them that until they have at least an expedition or two under their harness. Wow, I am so excited - have to bark a little more!