Freshies

Nothing quite like laying fresh tracks in early October! Yay!

Beautiful shot of my partners laying fresh tracks as they tow me and the sled all
around Buffalo Pass.

The weather forecasts on Monday were "all over the map" about what might happen Monday night and early Tuesday. From nothing to rain to snow, all were predicted. Well... SNOW WON!!! Woo Hoo! Buffalo Pass, in NW Colorado, got a wonderful dump of fresh snow. Not enough snow for skis, but plenty for the dog sled. So, we all got up early to get to Buffalo Pass and enjoy the freshies. As you can see from the prior photo, it was a success.

In addition to a great day of laying fresh tracks, we had a ton of other Siberian Fun...

"Aaahhhh, love snow!" declares snow angel rolling Max at our midpoint break.

"Me too! Me too!!!!" declares snow rolling Zorro. This was Zorro's first snow angel of
this young 2016/2017 ski season. It was probably Max's 8th or 9th (yes, he's managed to
roll angels 9 times in 3 outings :)

Checking in with my partners at the midpoint turnaround...

"Everyone having a great day?" I asked...
"YES!!!! Couldn't you tell!" declare my happy & focused partners

Today's run on Buffalo Pass was from the steep east side, so we only got marginal mileage but lots of elevation: 5 miles traveled with 900 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 16 MPH.

2016/2017 Season to Date: 3 days on the trails covering 17.1 miles with 2100 feet of elevation climbed.

Two in a Row

On the snow 2 days in a row in September - woo hoo!

"Loving it!" exclaim the happy pair looking back at me at our turnaround point of the morning.

We knew two things coming into today. First, the snow was over and the bright & warming sun would be out. Second, the trails at Buffalo Pass are still open to 4WD vehicles as it is hunting season and yesterday's snowfall ranged from 2-6 inches atop the pass. Warming temps + vehicles on the trails meant we got out early (while it was still below freezing) to enjoy what was left of the snow atop Buffalo Pass.

Our decision was perfect, as the sled could still glide over frozen ground where vehicles had cut down to dirt or a thin layer of snow...

It may look "sketchy" in this photo; but it was perfect for dog sledding. The ground was frozen
so we easily glided over patches that would have been sticky mud within a few hours!

Did I mention hunters & 4WD vehicles? The "dot" in the upper/center of the photo is a truck that we encountered and then kept pace with for a while until hitting a steep incline. Max & Zorro viewed it as a target to chase and kept this same distance until a steep hill - impressive :)

"Let's catch the truck, bro!" declare the sprinting pair.

Everyone is already in midseason form for silly antics at our quick "turnaround break" of the day:

"Chomp, chomp - love snowcones!" declares snow chomping Zorro.
"Rub a dub dub!" exhibits snow rolling Max.

Since this wonderful September snow is disappearing quickly, we had to drive to the top of Buffalo Pass before taking out the dog sled to frolic around the rolling terrain. As a result, we were able to cover 6.9 miles on the sled with 400 feet of elevation climbed. A nice early season sled run!

2016/2017 Season to Date: 2 days on the trails covering 12.1 miles with 1200 feet of elevation climbed.

Unfortunately, this afternoon's warming temperatures will melt away what is left on Buffalo Pass and we are back into the "waiting cycle" for the next snowstorm. Pray for Snow!

Season Opener

Let the 2016/2017 Skijor/Dog-Sled Season Begin!

Buffalo Pass, in NW Colorado, got just enough snow to get us on the trails for a September treat!

Off we go... 3 months of energy ready to unleash! Wheeee!

There was not enough snow for skis; but enough to take out the dog sled and go for a fun run up/down the upper terrain at Buffalo Pass.

It has been just over 3 months since we were last skijoring. Max & Zorro will tell you that was a "lifetime" waiting for winter to return! Watch the nice "start video" Nancy captured as we had a nice little dip to launch down before starting the climb up Buffalo Pass:

[watch on youtube if no video loads below]

Why the sled instead of skis, you ask? Well, it is September... See for yourself:

Yikes! Look at the occasional mud/puddle obstacles we had to avoid! I can hop off the sled and
let it go through such tough terrain. The skis, on the other hand, would stop and stick to such terrain!

Max as in midseason form... Rolling snow angels at any short stop :)

"Aaaahhhh, snow angel season is back!" demonstrates silly Max.
"What a silly brother!" exclaims happy little Zorro.

At the top of Buffalo Pass, talking about how fun it was to be in active snowfall, before starting the run back down.

Look at the active snowfall atop Buffalo Pass!
We will certainly return tomorrow for another September run!

It was a short run, by our standards, but it was "on snow" in September!!!!!!! 5.2 miles traveled with 800 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 15 MPH.

Let the season begin!!!