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On Friday, three packages came for me. It was like Christmas all over again! I got a pair of super-warm boots and a replacement headlamp from REI. You have to love their lifetime warranty. I also got a package from my madre. I also went to the library and picked up a few books, including the Golden Compass which I've never read, but feel like I should. That was the day I also finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on my Ipod...so now it's on to The Deathly Hollows. I'm on the prowl for some new books on tape to listen to so if anyone has suggestions I would really appreciate it.

That afternoon, we ran lots of dogs down on the old train track area and I drove the truck/trailer. It definitely wasn't as intimidating as I thought, but I was still cautious. Precious cargo :). When we got there, I took out a small three dog team (Nik, Turtle, and Lev) down an old logging road. It was awesome! It was really hilly and turny, so I really had to lean heavy on the break but it was great practice because the turns really whipped around right at the bottom of the hills. The good thing was, I held on even when the sled sort of tipped over. I quickly righted it and then continued right back on. Lots of fun.

Nik and Turtle (the leaders) didn't really listen to me at first, so there were a few times when I had to stop and sort them out, but eventually they got the idea that I was the one calling the shots. It was a shorter run but super exciting especially as I had no idea what each turn would bring. The hills were also rather large and had a bit of thin cover in some areas. The sled would hit a root or a log poorly buried in the slow and jerk underneath me. It was a great run.

After we got back, we then took out the puppies who had only been harnessed once before. They all did a really good job. Koka Kola got over her habit of flopping down on the trail and did a great job of pulling. She really seemed to enjoy herself once she got the hang of it and realized that her harness wasn't going to bite her.

Then, Last night we took out a 16 dog string on thin cover. It was a bit of a bumpy ride and a little hard to slow down, but once again I managed to stay on -- even when the sled was really whipping around on the ice. It was a really great run especially because we had a new leader up front (Walker) and he was fantastic. When we got back from the run, the dogs were still rearing to go. They kept banging their harnesses.

Tonight we are supposed to get some snow which will be really beneficial to the trail system. It's really thin cover right now and therefore hard to stop. I'm hoping to take out a 6 dog team in the next few days which I'm really looking forward to.

Later!

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