Another day topping 24 MPH skijoring with Zorro - wheeee!
Zorro the "skijoring hover husky" levitating above the trail as we zip along!
Our outing started with a brisk pace on narrow trails and then ended as an all out sprint on groomed and wide trails. Zoom was the motto of the day!
Narrow, but still packed & fast, trails to start this morning's outing.
After a short & brisk jog on the narrow trails, we transitioned onto miles of groomed and wide trails. Zorro was in a sprint mode all morning long. Fast, fast, zoooom!
Zorro the "Flying Z" sprinting along the fast terrain.
How fast was it? Well, come along for a fast & furious skijor minute as we topped 24 MPH somewhere along this fast stretch.
We hooked up little Jack for a 30 yard dash to finish the morning's outing. He loves to join and feel like one of the big boys. Well, what do "big boys" do after skijoring? Roll snow angels and eat snowcones to cool off :)
"Chomp, chomp, eating snow to cool my jets!" demonstrates fun Zorro.
"Rub a dub dub, I blew my jets out too!" declares silly little snow rolling Jack.
A fast outing for super Zorro and furious 30 yard dash for silly Jack: 7.4 miles traveled with 450 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 24 MPH.
2017/2018 Season to Date: 30 days on the trails covering 219.4 miles with 18,850 feet of elevation climbed.
Happy Zorro towing me to the finish as Jealous Jack wants to be hooked up too!!! :)
"Wheeee, come with meeee!" says happy Zorro as we finish the morning's run.
"But what about meeeeeee?!?!?!?!" expresses jealous Jack.
We do not hookup Jack for every skijor finish as he is still a growing puppy. He gets to do his "50 yard Jack Dash" about once a week as he continues to grow. But, he WANTS to come with every single time :) Yesterday morning we were on the busy trails at Swan Valley (busy with dog sled teams and snowmobiles), so it was Jack's day off to instead walk around the trails and watch the dog sled teams (and Zorro). Believe me, all this observing wears the puppy out!
Yesterday morning's run came along with lots of teasers until finally success...
We found a set of fresh moose tracks (and moose droppings) on the trail and followed them until they drifted off into the forest. Zorro's intensity told me how fresh the tracks were; but, alas, no moose sighting...
We found a cluster of fresh elk tracks (and elk droppings too) on the trail. Elk travel in herds, as opposed to moose that are solitary or in very small groups, so the amount of tracks on the trail was quite large. We followed these tracks until they drifted off into the forest too. Once again, Zorro's intensity told me how fresh the tracks were; but alas, no elk sightings...
Finally, we found sled dog tracks on the trail and we found sled dogs too!!!! Come along for the highlights flirting with the dog teams from Good Times Adventures.
On a side trail as a team goes along the main trail. Zorro and I let the team get a slight head start and then play "chase & follow":
"Ready, ready... Let's chase!!!!" says Zorro lined up and ready to get going following the
team to our right on the main trail.
Whenever we find a team paused on the trail, Zorro loves to flirt as he runs by:
"Hi friends! Follow me!" says happy Zorro flashing a smile to the team paused to our left.
Sometimes the trail is too narrow for passing, so Zorro and I pause to flirt as our friends go by:
Look at all those happy husky faces giving Zorro a glance as they go by (and you know
Zorro was flashing back just as happy a glance)!
End of the day as we reconnect with Jack at the trailhead and take a moment to watch a team and their handlers in front of us:
"Bye friends. See you again soon!" say Zorro and Jack to the team paused on the trail.
A fun day with moose & elk teasers before sled dog success: 9.2 miles traveled with 1000 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 20 MPH.
2017/2018 Season to Date: 29 days on the trails covering 212.0 miles with 18,400 feet of elevation climbed.
Nice trifecta in this beautiful photo: great views, freshly groomed trail and flying Zorro.
Perfect :)
First tracks on the freshly groomed nordic trails high up on Peak 7 of the Breckenridge
Nordic Center.
Today's video clip has all kinds of interesting action. We start with Zorro and I flying around the freshly groomed terrain as we wind through curves leading to the trailhead to complete our run.
Next, as we approach the trailhead, I start slowing before the last curve so I can scan the terrain through the trees. Why scan? Well, this trailhead is known for having loose and often ill-behaved dogs. We put up with this annoying trailhead because the rest of the terrain is so fun; we just slow down, scan for bad dogs and avoid them when they are there. Anyway, all I saw was a single person walking down the trail with no bad dogs in sight. But, still, as we complete the turn to begin the final straightaway, I snowplow to rescan once more for bad dogs (the bad ones are typically lurking in the trees and will jump you). No dogs in sight so I let Zorro restart. But, as we approach, I suddenly notice the person on the trail is carrying a dog. Carrying?!?! What the **** is that? Anyway, no interest in finding out what the deal is with this large purse dog; so Zorro and I get under control and then fly by.
Finally, we come upon little Jack and Nancy waiting for us at the trailhead. "Hi Jackie!" we say as we continue by to finish at the trailhead gate.
So, here we go: fly then pause, scan, assess then fly again. Wheeee! Zorro is so good at listening to ignore and go on by!
I love this clip of Zorro as we fly by the lady and the large purse dog:
"What the hell is that?!?! Keep it away from me!!!!" declares Zorro looking at the weird
purse dog and leaning right to make sure it stays away :)
Seriously, carrying a dog that large??? Note that the lady did not pick up the dog because she saw us coming, she had been carrying it since I could see the trailhead approach from before the last curve in the trail. Thus the label of the "largest purse dog".
At the trailhead to rejoin with little Jack. Look who has learned to look at the musher (and not the treat hand) at the end of the run!!!! Good boy, make eye contact and you get lots of accolades (and end of run pork treats too)!
"Hi!!!! I learned that 'eye contact' is good!!!" says happy little puppy Jack.
Fun shot of Zorro paused with me at one of the warming huts on the nordic center trails:
"No really - 'warming hut' - what the **** is that?!?!?!" smirks silly Zorro who has never been
cold in his life.
A fun, fun day on fast & freshly groomed nordic trails: 9.1 fast miles traveled with 750 feet of elevation climbed and a top speed of 23 MPH.
2017/2018 Season to Date: 28 days on the trails covering 202.8 miles with 17,400 feet of elevation climbed.
