Tina and I feed the dogs at 7am so we could go for a work at 830. We meet Boyd in the dog yard at 8:30 and booted and harnessed the dogs. We were on the trail by 9:11 with me driving and Tina behind on the ATV. We have snow but not enough to run dogs safely with sleds so on the ATV we are. It was a cold morning. About -13 with a windchill of -25. Add to that the moving ATV and you get the picture. We were both dressed warmly so there were no issues with the cold. I drove with Tina and the team again down the trail over the golf course. Tina then drove the team  with me behind her. This was her first time with 17 dogs and she did a great job. I then got off and she took the team by herself. All in all we did 36 miles. The dogs were great and came home looking good.

It was great but sad because it would have been a wonderful winter with Tina here helping. You could not ask for a better handler. We wish she and Tony all the best and hope a positive result from the chemo and radiation that he is going to have the first of the year.

I had an eye appointment in Mpls. on monday to see a specialist about the two failed cataract surgeries I have had on my right eye. The Dr. I saw was able to lazar the eye and stop the light shattering I was experiencing but will have to do surgery again to correct the vision. With having to do that and no handler here to keep things going I have withdrawn from this years Iditarod. It just seems like everything is working against me being able to participate at this time. Who knows what the future will hold but for right now it is out of the question. I hope to be able to go for the start and even help in some way with the race. We will continue working the dogs as much as I can. I continue to look for a handler and hope that something will work out to relieve the stress of trying to do it all.

Today’s pictures are of Tina and the dogs.

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