Team Ineka

Mushin Down a Dream

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Race Recap: Dryland Races

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Fall is in the air and the Alaskan mushing scene is doing something it has never done before. It brought dry land racing to the trails of the Chugiak Dog Mushing Association. Earlier this summer I saw a post of the CDMA Facebook page saying they were planning a dry land event in September and I immediately contacted them. I have been using a cart for training sled dogs for more than 15 years. Long before the days of being able to afford an ATV. At one point I was hooking up 12 Siberian Huskies to an old Risdon-style cart that I got from the late Frank Hall.

I met with Deb, the organizer of the event in late July and we talked about my experiences with cart training and racing and we went over ideas on how the club would put on the races.

Day 1 Races

The event was divided into classes. First the canicross guys and gals went out. These are guys that are running the two mile course with their dog leading out in front. Then the one dog bikejor, two dog bikejor, scooter and then ending the days races with the four dog cart.

I was participating in the two dog bikejor, and the cart races.

I left the house early, at about 7am and with the help of Nicole loaded up the dogs and was on the road toward Eagle River. I arrived at 8am and in time sign up for the days events and help out a little. The musher meeting and bib pickup was at 9:30 and we got our positions.

When I got back to the truck Michele and Nicole were there. They had to make a quick stop at Fred Meyers to pick up a helmet for me as I forgot mine at home. Helmets were required on the cart, bike, and scooter events. Also, our friends, Dale, Lacie and Vanessa were there. Lacie and Vanessa own a young Siberian Husky named Boomer. He came out to learn how to be a sled dog!

As the start time approached for the bikejor, Nicole hooked up my two dogs, Sidney and the young leader, Shock and we headed to the start line. We started off quick and made our way down the muddy trail with the occasional rough spot of deep pea gravel. We finished in what I thought was pretty quick time and I was only passed once by Iditarod veteran Nick Petit on his fat tire bike.

About an half hour later we were hooking up the dogs for the cart races. In this one I had Shock and Sidney again in lead, followed by Burton and Bodhi in wheel. We worked our way to the starting line with the same old cart that I had trained those twelve dogs on before. This time the steering mechanism was bent from hitting boulders and being flung off at high rates of speed from those early days gone by. My cart was by far the heaviest on the trails in this race but it didn’t matter. We rattled along and I occasionally got off the run beside the team with the mud was deep or the pea gravel weighed us down. I was again passed by Nick and finished pretty strong both the dogs and I smiling for the cameras as we came into the finish line.

We had a quick awards ceremony and all of us got something. I got a couple bags of dog treats for my two races.

All in all it was a great day of racing and a fabulous event. The next weekend we would be back at it again for round two.

Day 2 Races

Day two started much the same except I was bringing along a few more dogs. I was the first musher to arrive at the parking lot and sat for a few minutes before others started to arrive. It was indeed much colder than the week before and there was frost on the trucks and on the starting chutes. It was going to be a great day of racing!

Today we would be entering three teams in the 2 dog bikejor, as Dale and Lacie would also be racing under the Team Ineka banner. As you may recall, Dale mushed with us last year and he has one of our older dogs, Pearl. Lacie and her dog Boomer are new to this whole sled dog thing but they would quickly learn today just how fun it is!

We had our meetings and grabbed our bibs and waited for our race to start. Lacie was scheduled to go out 3rd, Dale 4th and me in 9th position. With only a minute between starts our handlers for the day, Michele, Nicole and Vanessa would have to boogie to get us all out on the trail. Lacie was running Denali and Boomer. Denali, one of our oldest leaders would teach a thing or two to the young pup, Boomer. They started down the trail quick and Lacie was pedaling hard as she rounded the corner and out of sight.

Dale was up next. He had the ever-excited duo of Cession and TyTy. Cession is an up-and-coming leader and TyTy runs in lead all the time with Nicole on her team. Dale admittedly was a little nervous with these two high energy pooches out front. His only practice run was a quick circle around the parking lot minutes before the race.

I rounded out the field of nine as I made my way to the starting line. I had Sidney and Shock again. Remember last week when I told you that we had to wear helmets? Well, we only had two bicycle helmets at home so I had to improvise.

As I headed to the starting line I put on my Viking helmet that sure was getting a lot of side glances, pictures, and comments. I even made the 10pm news on channel 2! I headed down the trail and had a great run. My two dogs knew by now we were there to race. The trail was firm as all the mud had dried up from the week before.

I ended up finishing in 5th place and Lacie and Dale in 8th and 9th respectively.

As it approached time to hook up the four dogs for the cart race I decided I would wear a bicycle helmet because I thought I heard I was disqualified from the biker for my outlandish viking helmet. I had Sid and Shock in lead followed by two big brutes, Ragnar (hence the viking theme) and Trapper. Ragnar is new to my team this year as he is a bit “wild” in harness. This year he will be on my main team. Trapper has been with me since the beginning when he came to us a couple summers ago as part of the Kasilof Crew. He has raced with me in races the last two seasons including the Tustumena and the Knik 200.

We scooted down the trail on the same heavy cart but we had much more power with the two big boys in the back. We ended up finishing 8th.

We had our awards ceremony and all three of us collected our winning dog treats. Lacie and Dale were all smiles and really enjoyed their time on the trails.

We were told that next year the club hopes to have a dry-land race series in September/October. We will surely be there!

This event, both weekends was an absolute blast! We had a great time. Met a lot of great people and introduced two new mushers to the sport of dry land racing. That’s what its all about for us.

I want to thank the volunteers and the Chugiak Dog Mushers Association for putting on an awesome event. It will be something that we will remember for a long time. I am glad someone had the courage to bring this to Alaska. Any mushing event that can bring people and dogs together is what this sport needs in order to continue to grown.

Thanks again from all of us at Team Ineka. We will see you next year!

The Dog Days of Summer

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Here in the land of the midnight sun, the mosquitos are out and the dogs are enjoying their vacation. They spend their days lounging around in the barking lot and wishing for the colder days when training will start again. We are truly in the dog days of summer here at Team Ineka.

That does not mean that nothing is happening, the mushers are busy running triathlons, working their summer jobs, fishing for salmon that they will use for trail snacks and backyard BBQ’s, plenty of chores to be had, dog houses to build and kennels and fencing to be installed, bees to attended too and cord wood to be stacked.

We are already planning our season. Robert will attempt (once again) to do his Iditarod qualifiers IF the snow comes and none are cancelled like they have been for the last two seasons. Nicole will run the Junior Iditarod for the last time before she heads off to college in the fall of 2015, Michele plans to enter a small race or two and our friend Dale will too.

We are always looking for people to be a part of the team too! You can learn more about our incredible athletes, the mushers and our daily life with 40 sled dogs.

You can sponsor a dog, booties or become a race entry sponsor, or help with the daily kennel needs with your generous contributions.

It takes a small army to get to the starting line. Our sponsors and supporters are not just people that donate money, goods or services to us. They are part of the team. We appreciate your support and look forward to new partnerships.

Our sponsors receive letters and pictures directly from your favorite mushers. You have the opportunity to meet the team at race events and if you are up in Alaska we can teach you how to drive your own dog team. The mushers are always willing to travel to speak to our sponsors and supporters and to school and other groups that would like to learn more about living a life with dogs!

If you would like to find out more, comment below or check out our sponsorship page by clicking the button below.
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Nome 40 10 mile race

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Spring mushing is the best in Alaska. Last weekend, Michele and Nicole ran a 10-mile race in Knik and had a blast!

It was the first race that Michele had run for more than 13 years and the first time she raced against and with her little girl.

I (Robert), was supposed to run the Nome Sign 40 race but decided late on Thursday to let the girls run and have some fun.

We wanted to test out two new dogs we got from James Wheeler, whom we got the Kasilof Crew from two summers ago. The new dogs, Valdez a big 70 pound male and Pearl a small black, shy female hoped to make it on the team and this would be their time to shine!

The race started early so we packed up the two teams of six dogs and headed for the lake. The race is one of the most low-key races in the Valley. You meet on the lake, hand the race marshall your cash and pick up a bib. Dale, was there to give us a hand hooking up and seeing the teams off.

The musher meeting was held on the lake and Michele and Nicole picked bib 4 and 6 with the hopes of having someone in the middle to give us four minutes to get the second team on the trail.

Michele was running Vela-Cession, Scarlet-Pearl, Bodhi-Trapper. We got the team hooked up and away she went. Within 30 seconds Michele’s team was heading down the ice road towards someone’s backyard. We quickly got her turned around and on the trail and on her way.

Nicole was running TyTy-Rasp, Aussie-Gabby,Valdez-Ragnar. Nicole started second in the field and left quickly down the trail with Robert and Dale leading her out. Her race was a combination of passes and rock-n-roll as she made her way down the 10 mile trail. Having just finished the Junior Iditarod she was pretty confident on the runners, even though she was using the Sled Dog Systems sled for the first time. After the race she said it felt like a rocket with the light sled and no weight in the bag.

Nicole came in with the other mushers and finished in the middle of the pack.

Michele here: We meandered around the historic town of Knik, past the Dog Mushing Hall of Fame. The trail was icy and fast and it was quite warm. We crossed the road, up a hill and hit the moguls. It became quite a ride! At about mile 3 passes were starting to happen. At the turn around Barb and Ramey Redington were there to help us out. There was a beautiful view of Sleeping Lady (Mount Susitna) and that is were I met up with Nicole.

Nicole was rocking out to her music on her iPod and passed me in quick order. On the way back I switched out leaders and now had Bodhi and Cession in lead. This was the first time Bodhi has ever lead in a race and Cession had only lead for Robert a couple times in his sprint races earlier this season.

As we saw the lake Bodhi’s tail was flying’ high. I could see Robert and Dale as I got closer and closer and I said, “Bodhi take me home to Daddy!” He saw Robert and picked up speed.

We finished strong and waited for the last team to come in. As it turned out Michele and Nicole finished fifth and sixth with Nicole beating her mom by just eight minutes.

What we learned:

Michele here. 1. We are still struggling to find the right mix of leaders. We have plenty of team dogs but a dog team is only as good as their lead dogs. This summer and fall we will be training up several lead dogs to hopefully make our teams complete.

2. I wasn’t prepared for all the moguls! I am used to the nice groomed trails of the Haesseler-Norris trail system. My poor ankle took a beating!

3. I loved racing with and against my daughter. This is the first time I had ever run with Nicole in a race since way back when she was three years old and running her first race, a 100-yard dash with her dog Tamaya.

These low key races are excellent for getting new dogs out to experience the race vibe. I think Valdez and Pearl proved themselves enough and we just may keep them. I am saying, they just may have a chance, quoting one of my favorite movies of all time.

Most likely this is the last race of the year for Team Ineka and now our focus shifts to next year. We hope to start the season with entering a few of the shorter races like the Aurora 50-50 and the Alaska Excursions 120 in December. That is if Mother Nature blesses us with good snow!

See you on the trail!

 

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South Central Challenge

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You have heard the saying, a fish out of water, haven’t you?

That was me this weekend. I signed up for the South Central Challenge. “A stage race for speed racers,” it said on the website. I was a distance musher training for the Iditarod and MY dogs are slow by distance team’s standards. Oh, well you only live once and why not have fun doing it?

I am not necessarily a novice to sprint mushing. I had done quite a bit of sprint racing in Colorado in 2000-2001 with my rag-tag team of Siberians. We usually finished in the middle of the pack so I knew the fundamentals to a successful race.

The South Central Challenge is new to Alaska. It is a event that is held in four different locations by four different clubs. They all came together and put on a great weekend of races. The clubs, in the order of the event are: Montana Creek Dog Mushing Club, the Aurora Dog Mushers Club, the Chugiak Dog Mushers Association, and the Alaskan Sled Dog & Racing Association.

Friday: Montana Creek

The first day’s races were held at Montana Creek just north of Willow, about 35 miles of our kennel. We got up early, did the kennel chores and loaded up the dogs and minimal gear that we would need. That would be a sled, a snow hook, a meal for the dogs after the race, some booties and my checkbook. Nothing compared to the hours and hundreds of pounds of gear needed for longer race like the Knik 200.

We were allowed to choose from a pool of 12 dogs in the 10-dog class I was running in. What that means is I could run dogs in day 2-4 that I didn’t run in a different day and so on.

I tried to choose some of the fastest dogs in the kennel. Our average speed is usually about 8 mph so “fast” is relative.

The team: TyTy, Vela, Gabby, Shock, Rasp, Barrel, Spencer, Sidney, Zero, Seabreeze, and Cession. It was the first race ever for Barrel, Cession, Zero and Seabreeze.

We arrived at Montana Creek early and paid our entry fee for the four days of racing: $209.00. In mushing it is customary that you must sign up or be members of the host clubs so that you can be covered under their insurance.

Our race didn’t start until 2 pm so we had a couple hours wait. We watched the 6-dog teams go out and chatted with several people. One of our friends, James Wheeler was there. He was who we got the Kasilof Crew from a couple summers ago. We chatted about the dogs–four of who would be racing on my team.

At 1 pm we had our drivers meeting and were told about the trail and any hazards. We were running 12 miles on a flat course. I drew bib 2 so I would be going out second.

We quickly dropped the dogs, let them stretch before we harnessed them up and put booties on those who needed them.

I was running TyTy-Rasp in lead, Shock-Gabby, Barrel-Cession, Sidney-Spencer, Zero-Seabreeze in wheel.

As soon as we left the chute I could immediately tell that the team was too fast for Seabreeze. His tug was loose and he kept getting his feet tangled in the lines. We started off strong and didn’t get passed by any teams for the first couple miles. After the first two teams passed us Rasp started slowing down and looking back. I set my hook and switched her out with Sidney. At about the halfway point all the teams had passed us and we were on our own. No matter the team was still chasing those dogs in front of them, albeit an ever-increasing distance.

We finished strong in last place in a time of 72 minutes. Not too bad on a punchy trail and warm weather.

By 4:30 we had fed the team, loaded the truck and on our way home to race another day.

Saturday: Aurora

On Saturday we headed to the Aurora Dog Mushing Club’s track in Big Lake. After getting lost we arrived just in time to see the skijorring competition. The weather was warm and it was raining. Not anywhere near ideal for a sprint race. We had our drivers meeting and were told that the trail was in decent shape but we would only be running eight miles.

Nicole and I watched the 6-dog class come and go while we talked to Dan and his son from Sled Dog Systems. They are the company that provided me with my super lightweight sprint/smaller type mid-distance sled with a trail dragger system last year. This was only the third time using the sled in a race and I love it! It’s not the fancy-dancy hi-tech sleds that many of the mushers were using this weekend with the ski-type runners but compared to our loaded down 90 pound mid-distance sled that we mainly use, Sled Dog Systems sled was like running on roller blades.

The race started at 2 pm and I was seventh out, the last team. Our run was good. We left Seabreeze at home and I ran Vela in lead for half of the race and switched her with Sidney. Lately she has been my “closer”. Sort of like in baseball when the manager comes to the mound and takes the ball from the pitcher. “Good game, kid but let’s let someone else finish this thing out.”

The trail wasn’t too bad by my standards. The trails we normally train on are usually punchy with thick snow, overflow and the occasional open water. A sprint trail by comparison is usually super fast, expertly groomed and like a super highway.

There were plenty of volunteers at all the crucial turns and crossings and they all cheered us on as we went by.

We finished the race still in last but with a good time of 39 minutes. Not too bad!

We were home before dark just in time for a three hour shoveling job to remove three feet of melting snow from the kennel barn roof. We were worried the weight might cave in the roof and we have puppies in there!

Sunday: Chugiak

It was still warm on Sunday morning but cooler than the last two days as we pulled up to the Chugiak trails. These are the same trails In ran on the week before in the Eagle River Classic. My friend and one of our top sponsors, Dale Campbell showed up to help us out and Michele came out after her dog training appointments in Anchorage.

We had our drivers meeting and we were told that today we were only running 10 miles but the trails were in excellent shape. I was going out seventh and we were to leave at 2pm again. I had been contemplating putting Cession in lead but was a little worried about the culverts that we would be passing under about 2 miles down the trail.

I started the race with tried and true leaders, Vela and TyTy but as soon as we went under the culvert I set the hook and switched out Vela and Cession. She had never ran in a race before much less in lead. As I clasped her neckline she turned around and started walking back to the sled with me. “Line out, Cession,” I said. And she did!

Cession is by far the fastest dog on the team and outpaced TyTy by a step or two. The team finished the race strong. Oh, I didn’t mention that Cession was in heat too and made the young intact boys in the team run a little faster trying to catch her.

A little side note about Cession.

About a year ago we arrived home to find Cession in horrible shape. The dog next to her had gotten ahold of her backside and practically ripped off the skin and fur on a third of her back. Huge puncture wounds and bites and a lot of blood. You could literally put your full hand under the skin flap.

Our vet, Dr. Susan Dent of Wildwood Mobile Vet Clinic was in Trapper Creek giving vaccines that night. We jumped in the truck and drove 50+ miles to get Cession the care she needed. Three hours later Cession was all fixed up and we headed home. Without Dr. Dent that night, Cession might not have made it. Three months of good nursing care Cession was all healed up. She didn’t run at all last season and this fall she really proved herself.

Back to the race…

We finished in 51 minutes (I believe) and loaded up the truck and grabbed a pizza at Pizza Hut before heading home. Three days down, one to go.

Monday: Tozier Track

Monday would to prove to be the most challenging and most fun of the weekend. We were racing at the historic Tozier Track in downtown Anchorage. When you enter the clubhouse a who’s who of mushing greats pictures lined the walls.

This was going to be urban mushing at its finest. Tozier Track is right off one of the busiest roads in town, right next to the police station and a Mexican restaurant was across the street. Not what we are used to at all! We usually run on trails were we seldom see people and it’s usually dark.

The day started with a huge pack of teams in the 3-dog class. Being in town just about anyone can be a musher if you want to. The city allows up to three dogs. We saw several minivans with sleds strapped to the roof and the sled dogs in crates in the back. Nothing wrong with that at all!

The 6-dog teams made quick runs on their eight mile course and by 1:30 we were having our drivers meeting. We were told that we were running 12 miles. On the trail we might encounter a moose or two, several culverts, a few bridges, a major road crossing, an active airstrip, a gas line, people, skiers, swamps, hills, and ice bridges.

I went out last. This time with Cession in her new spot in lead with TyTy joining her. We took off on the trail at a pretty fast pace. We passed through the culverts, over a bridge and barely noticed the road crossing. At about mile 6 there was a couple people on snow machines at a trail crossing. TyTy wanted to go over and say hello and caused a heck of a tangle. I lined them all out and it was time for TyTy to hand off the ball. Sidney was now in lead.

We scooted down the trail for the next four miles or so and I saw out of the corner of my eye what looked like the turn onto the gas line trail. We kept going for about a quarter of a mile and ahead a saw a group of people. To the left of me were several people, a few with skis, and a loose dog was on my right. My team separated the dog from his owners. Within seconds the loose dog was tangled in my team and it could have gotten ugly really quick. 10 dogs against one tangled in a gangline doesn’t always end well for a dog that is not part of “the pack”.

I whipped my head to the left to see a lady with her mouth agape, her hands on her cheeks and the look of absolute horror on her face. I yelled at her, “lady get your dog!” She just stood there, not moving, and so did everyone else around me.

Within seconds I got the pet dog free and he quickly ran to his mommy unhurt. My dogs whipped me and the sled around and proceeded to follow the dog into the parking lot to my (now) right. I wedged my sled into a tree, got the team turned around and on the trail again and off we went. Whew…. It was a close one!

I checked my GPS and could see we were on the wrong trail and we had already done 11.75 of our 12 miles. We had at least a mile to go.

We finished strong, actually our fastest run of the weekend.

We had just 15 minutes before the awards ceremony in the clubhouse. We hurriedly got the team taken care of and I headed up to the ceremony as Nicole finished up.

The ceremony was your normal thanks and congrats to the mushers and the teams. Being that it was such a small field of teams, all of us got a portion of the $10,000.00 purse. I got a nice payday. The first check I have gotten as a musher in a long time!

I thanked my daughter for the awesome job as my handler, my great team of dogs and all the mushers for putting up with the slowest team.

We stopped at the Lucky Wishbone to grab some take out. If you are ever in Anchorage and like fried chicken you have to check this place out.

We were home by 6 and the chores done by 7.

What we learned

1. What a great event. I can’t thank enough all the folks and the four clubs that put this on. It was a pleasure and am honor to be able to take part in such a great weekend of racing.

2. I am proud of my dogs, especially the ones that had never raced before and a big hug to my girl Cession. What a firecracker!

3. I really got a chance to bond with these dogs over the weekend. It is amazing how much quality time and what you learn about each of them spending four days together.

4. While not fast by a long shot, my team showed me that they had what it takes to get the job done on such varied trails and conditions. All my dogs remained healthy and tail waggin’ happy the whole time. That’s what matters most to me.

5. My daughter Nicole, is an awesome handler. She handled this like a true pro. She has come such a long way from those days of running behind mom and dads sled as we headed into the starting chute at sprint races when she was three years old. It’s hard to believe in just about a year and a half she will be heading to college and starting out life on her own. I just hope that we taught her well and that no matter what she is an awesome young lady with a strong work ethic, good morals and a great personality. I am so proud of her!

6. Confession…. If I wasn’t so determined to chase that elusive Iditarod dream I really could get into this sprint mushing thing. As I have said before it sure is nice to sleep in your bed at night. Wait a minute, it’s nice to sleep out under the northern lights too.

Again thanks to all the clubs. I don’t know if we will be back next year but this year was a blast!

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Official dog team of the Mihmiverse

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STELOGO2

We are now the official dog team of the Mihmiverse!

Our good friend, Christopher R. Mihm, is a filmmaker from Minnesota and he has graciously agreed to be one of our top sponsors for Team Ineka.

The Mihmiverse is a collection of films and fans of uber-cool 1950’s era style sci-fi films. They include such titles as The Monster from Phantom Lake, The House of Ghosts, Attack of the Moon Zombies and The Giant Spider.

Check out Saint Euphoria Pictures and become a part of the Mihmiverse today!

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A Musher’s Dream: Team Ineka

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A Musher’s Dream: Team Ineka

Paperback

Robert Forto and Michele Forto (authors)

Barbara Slocum (illustrator)

Published by ArcticHouse Publishing (October 2013)

Price: $10.95 plus shipping

Our first Children’s book, A Musher’s Dream: Team Ineka, is now available. The book tells the story of Team Ineka and the journey north to Alaska to train a team of Huskies to one day run in the Iditarod. With wonderful illustrations this book will spark your child’s imagination and bring up conversations of American history.

The book will make a wonderful gift. If you would like to order a copy please click on the link below.



What people are saying about our book:

From: Sid Korpi
I had the privilege of reading a copy of “A Musher’s Dream,Team Ineka,” by Robert and Michele Forto and found it a delightful little book. The illustrations capture your heart and the story of how the spirit of Ineka, the much-beloved husky who passed on before the Fortos realized their Iditarod dream—but who nevertheless continues to inspire it and watch over the progress of the new dogs who joined their household and mushing team—is simply touching.
From April Cox
This wonderful book is geared towards children but I certainly enjoyed it!!! A story about Team Ineka and their dream to run the Iditarod… I do have a personal interest in it as it stars two dogs that came from my kennel… I believe in you Robert Forto and can’t wait for the ending to happen in real life!!!! Then the sequel – Coming into NOME!!!

From Leah Morse

I loved your book “A Musher’s Dream Team Ineka” The story is interesting and the illustrations are wonderful. I read to my grandson of 14months old and he engaged with the pictures (we did a shortened version due to his short baby attention span) He loved pointing at the husky pictures. I think this is a great book for a younger child as a pre- chapter book. Thank you for sharing your experience through the story. It engaged us from an illustrated point and from the story line. I recommend this to all my friends with dog loving kids. Take Care!