Kyla and I arrived back in Eureka on Friday and have been in total Bliss ever sense. The place was just how we left it and it didn’t take long for us to get moved back in. When we arrived it was 45 degrees here and the Trailer we just pulled out from town, with over a ton of dog food was barely staying frozen. Luckily since then the temps have dropped to around 24 above and the wind has picked up just a little so conditions are perfect. I have been out on a couple short runs since we got here and the trails are fast and hard. The warm temps soften the trails up and now that it has dropped down again it has made them hard and fast. It is great for the dogs as long as we can keep them under control, which was a challenge tonight. I went out to the Hoot and Quickly found out the extreme temps we have had over the last few weeks has created some very impressive overflow, some that are frozen into big mounds in the middle of the trail and some that are slushy or even have flowing water. It was a crazy run to say the least. The good thing is that it is snowing now and with a few inches of new snow on the trail conditions will improve. The temps are supposed to stay very mild with snow, which is perfect. The last few weeks was a very crazy gamble that paid off. I stopped out at Ed and Willows last night on my way home and they said it was miserable in Eureka while we were gone. The-40 temps mixed with wind blowing 20 MPH made for very horrible conditions. So that and the fact that we ran into great weather and trails in Homer really made the difference in our Copper Basin run. Confidence is high around Wild and Free!! The dogs have recovered from the race very well. The race was a great test for dogs like Heckel and Rosie who really proved that they have what it takes to make the top 14. Picking the top 14 is not going to be easy but I am looking forward to the dogs that really step it up and make the decision easy for me! Food drop packing is in full swing and Kyla is on a role. While I was out at the Hoot today she packed all of my snacks, drinks, batteries and all the Misc. items I need in my food drops. We have a long way to go but if we get a little done everyday, we will do a better job and it will take less time in the end. We are headed to Manley tomorrow to post this and visit with the Redingtons, it will be fun to tell them about my races. The next post will be the first chapter of the CB300 race story, so check back for that. I also wanted to thank all of my Sponsors for making this season possible. We have had a very successful season so far and it is because of all of the support we have gotten over the past few months. Please check out the Sponsors page to see a complete list of 2009 Sponsors. Also check out the “The Team” tab to see which dogs have been sponsored for this years Yukon Quest. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned as the start of the 2009 Yukon Quest draws near it is sure to get more and more exciting.
Signing off from the Far North
Brent, Kyla and the Wild and Free Hounds
