Assist

The usual and WONDERFUL happy faces on the trio towing to the finish of another exciting skijor outing!

"Wheeee - happy!" says the happy running trio.

We did an out & back on Boreas Pass this morning with Zorro coming along for the full outing. There was a dusting of new snow on the trail making for just enough "safety powder" for me on the well-used and hard packed lower portion of the Boreas trail:

A glimpse of some of the ski runs of Breckenridge Ski Resort across the valley.
Nice shot of the sled dog trio towing me up & out wide and fast
packed Boreas near the trailhead.

Of course, the further up Boreas you go, the narrower the trail becomes as humans drop out being able to go this distance and those who do make it tend to reuse the narrow single tracks. As we got up a bit higher, I noticed that the trail was not 3 wide for coming back down. Zorro will often drop behind the kids on uphill stretches and let the youngsters do the uphill work (which is exactly what we want so 11.5 year old Zorro can come along). So, the trail was wide enough for Jack & Rudy side by side as we went higher but not wide enough to go 3-wide for the way down. So, I helped!!!!

Here we are turned around and heading back down Boreas. Now, look closely... Zorro & Rudy are in the well-used and hard packed single track while Jack is in a softer track to the right. I set this track on the way up, knowing Jack could use it on the way down while Zorro & Rudy took the set track. See, I really do help with skijoring - I don't just sit back and ride along :)

What a useful human to widen the trail on the way up so we could
run 3-wide on the way down!

Today's video shows the helpful human's assistance a little better than the prior still shot. Come along as we are cruising along Boreas with Zorro & Rudy in the well-used set track and Jack in my recently made side track. Patting myself on the back :)

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

Okay, enough complimenting myself for helping out once... Zorro, Jack & Rudy would like to show you the real excitement on Boreas this morning. The signs of moose where everywhere!!!

Here we are cruising along the trail when moose tracks appeared and went along the trail for a bit. Look at the bottom center of this photo and you will see a big "two toed moose print"! The prints went along the trail for a bit and appeared to be very fresh!

I certainly scanned the terrain to our left once I saw Zorro looking that way!
Jack & Rudy and anxious to follow the moose tracks!

A little further along and a clear moose trough in the deep snow off the packed trail. Clearly a moose had been standing here recently eating the shrubbery just off the trail!

"Fresh smelling moose trough!" declare Jack & Rudy submerging themselves in
the moose holes.
"Sniff, sniff, the aroma in the air is moosely wonderful!" adds Zorro.

Once Zorro was done taking in the scent of moose in the air, it was time to switch places with Jack.

Zorro now climbing down into the moose trough.
Jack coming up from the trough to take in the scent of moose in the air.
Rudy taking a taste of the shrubbery to see why moose eat it :)

Done exploring that very fresh smelling moose trough and Rudy finds a moose exit point from the trail into the meadow to our left.

"Moose went THIS way!" says Rudy sitting in the moose track leading into the vast meadow.
"Nice find little brother!" says impressed Jack.
"Nice work indeed, you are coming along kid!" adds impressed Zorro.

Despite a TON of evidence of moose on & off the trail and a clear scent of moose in the air, we failed to actually see a moose. Oh well, it is still VERY entertaining to sniff the evidence of moose, just ask my partners! 6.2 miles traveled with 450 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 18 MPH.

2019/2020 Season to Date: 82 days on the trails covering 565.9 miles with 52,500 feet of elevation climbed.