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week 1
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Prepare for Take Off!
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Paul is in charge of powering our team on the trail - this is one way: a car battery being wired so we can hook up to the laptop. |
Date: 01.27.03
Position: NOMADS Base Camp Grand Marais, MN, USA
Weather Conditions: Clear, sunshine -19 F/-30C
There is only one week before we go. Base Camp Nomads is like a bee hive buzzing with activity - day and night. After months of preparation there are still lots of last minute items that need to get done before we can finally pack up everything in the trailer and head out. |
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Mille checks up on the food supplies. On the trail each of us will need to eat over 5,000 calories per day - that means eating a healthy, well balanced diet with extras like cheese and butter. |
And when we say everything... we mean everything! Can you imagine carrying all that you need to live and survive for over a month in a fourteen foot long dogsled? That's what we have to do! Before being loaded into the trailer everything is carefully inventoried, checked and double checked. Leaving something behind could prove disastrous for us out on the trail. Things like snow hooks, dog food, people food, snowshoes, skis, dog sleds, rope, carabiners, stoves, fuel, communication equipment, a small generator, IBM laptop computer, sunscreen, cameras, ax, shovels... (Get the picture?) are all checked off the listNow, it is important to realize that for Pimagihowin 2003 to happen takes the efforts of many people. Being able to plan, prepare and participate in the Pimagihowin 2003 expedition takes the skills, talents and efforts of all the NOMADS team members. And for us, team members are not just the people on the trail! |
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As a group, we need to trust one another to do a good job and complete tasks efficiently. Each of us is responsible for one part of the whole. Separately, we can not accomplish what needs to be done. Together we have been able to feed the Polar Huskies, fix sleds, prepare marketing brochures, design the expedition website, meet with teachers, contact sponsors, acquire and test new equipment, fix old equipment, fund raise, keep up with accounting, research the educational program, write and edit the curriculum, attend trade shows, train the Polar Huskies.. (Get the picture - again?). Needless to say a big part of preparing for a dogsled expedition is for both dogs and people to get into great shape. Those of us going on the trip need to be prepared both physically and mentally. We are, of course, super excited to go. Every hill, every valley; twist and turn of the trail ahead will be a new adventure. Imagine traveling to a different place almost everyday for over a month! Sounds exciting, doesn't it? While traveling to new places and meeting new people can be very exciting, it can also be dangerous, and at times, nerve wracking. Thin ice, bad trail conditions and winter storms are all concerns. |
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Before heading out on the trail it is important the Polar Huskies have a nice layer of body fat to keep them warm. Friday they were all in heaven when Paul was dishing out fat and bones by the barrel load. |
For us, this territory is new, fresh and relatively unspoiled, but the area that we will be traveling across is by no means unexplored territory. People have crisscrossed this region for various reasons throughout history. From the ancestors of the Ojibway and Cree to fur traders and voyagers to the region's current residents, northern Ontario has seen its fair share of the human race. Regardless, many of the places we will visit are fairly remote and are only accessible by plane. As NOMADS "explorers" we will not be looking for fortune or fame; instead, our goal is to educate about the environment, land and people of this unique area. We will meet many new people and it is important for us to leave a good impression on the people we meet. We must be respectful and sincere. In the past, explorers have accomplished many great feats. They have also brought disease, famine and destruction to most Native cultures they encountered. If you have ever wanted to become an explorer or you have an opinion about some of the effects of exploration let your voice be heard in this week’s chat discussion board, and be sure to join the chat on "Exploration" this Thursday with NOMADS team members. |
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During a normal winter, there would be almost 3 feet of snow on the ground by this date. Instead, we have only 1 or 2 inches. So,we still train the Polar Huskies with one of NOMADS ATV's. Here Istvan is taking off with a team. He came to help all the way from Hungary! |
The Polar Huskies started training for this year’s expedition in late October. In the summer the dogs just hang out and relax most of the time. It is too hot for them to move around too much but that is okay because you have to remember they just came off an expedition working all winter. So, the summer is vacation time! They get to sleep all day in the sun and run around with each other for a couple of hours every night. As fall approaches with cooler air they become more antsy and impatient. They sense that it is time to start training. In the beginning we only run short trips early in the morning or late at night when it is the coolest. As it gets colder the training gets harder and longer. The dogs get in excellent shape pretty fast but they also have to train their "moves" - to work together as a team - and mentally the young dogs have to get used to running longer and longer hours. Over the summer, lying around, most of them gain some weight - during fall training they become trimmed and tuned. The last few weeks we have actually been fattening them up again. It is important they have a good layer of body fat for the trail to stay warm at night since they will be working hard out there! |
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When we set out training in the fall it is especially intensive for the new-bees, the "Puppies" who have to learn everything from scratch. We call the Polar Huskies "Puppies" until they are about three years old. Not until then are they fully developed mentally and physically. Expedition 2003 will be the first expedition for Tucker, Ruby, Buttra, Domino and Xena (They are all litter mates born to Nazca last year on December 30). Their learning curve has been steep but they have all done terrifically! Most of the training of puppies is actually not done by us but by the old guys. Basically we find a veteran dog for each Puppy to work with who pretty much teaches them the ropes of being a Polar Husky. Among the many things they need to learn are how to pull correctly, how to behave in harness, how to be "wild and ready to go" and how to not be scared of glare ice or open water. |
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Polar Husky Superstar Xena is enjoying her treat for a job well done! |
The Polar Husky Superstars of this week are Spank and Xena because they have been such a great pair in training. Spank is the Boss dog and the strongest puller in the kennel; he can be quit scary for young dogs to run with. Spank is ALL business and no fooling around but he is also very calm and never rattled. Xena on the other hand is super-hyper, wild and easily distracted. We were having a challenge getting her to relax while running; getting her to concentrate and run "straight" without flipping over even the tinniest thing. Finally one day Mille came up with the idea to pair her with Spank. Normally Spank runs with the male puppy that most needs to learn a lesson about proper behavior! |
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Polar Husky Superstar Spank - A big bone for a big dog! |
Spank seemed quite happy with the change to run with Xena - and Xena became very calm. When she wasn't sure about a situation she would press up against Spank to gain assurance. Almost instantly Xena turned into a tip-top puller, 100% focused on the trail ahead! |
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