Hey all,
we made it here to Norway! we have been here for just over one month and have not had any time to breath and eat let alone update the blog. Now (hopefully) things have slowed enough so that the blog will get the attention it deserves.
We started fall training as soon as we arrived and the dogs already have nearly 80 miles on them so far this fall season. Kaia and I, apart from running our own dogs, are doing the early season training for Tore Albrightson and Tove Sorensons race teams. They are quite a bunch of dogs and they have a ton of potential even though they are very young.
We have been up in the town of Nordreisa in Northern Norway. The temperatures have been hovering around 50F during the day, but dropping below freezing most nights.It has been raining pretty consistantly for several weeks, but that is supposed to stop soon. The training trails are really beautiful and the dogs are getting really strong. Running them is a lot of fun. We have around seventeen 14-dog teams that we are running and training.
The mountains around us are covered in snow, and the lake that we are next to is frozen most mornings. During the clear nights, the Northern Lights are truly fantastic, really the most amazing thing I have ever seen. They light up the whole sky and dance and spin across the mountains which is breathtaking. Even the dogs seem moved by the sight. They sit and stare up at the sky, howling sometimes, but mostly just sitting and looking. When the northern lighst are out is one of the few times we can walk into the kennel without any fanfair. Even the most excited dog is captivated, which increases the surreal feeling that comes from looking at the Nordlys.
The internet connection is very slow, but pictures will follow soon.
Cheers for now,
Barry
