Aaaah, Alaska! - Part II

Along the Seward Highway

Seward Highway view

Scenic Seward Highway

Denali

Parks Highway view

Aaaah, Alaska! - Part I

Hidden canyon view off the Seward Highway

Hike to Exit Glacier in Seward

Exit Glacier hike; micro view

Exit Glacier

Eklutna Lake

Horseback Riding and Salmon Fishing

Melanie, the skillful rider

Proud fisherman

Having not been on a horse but 4 times in my life, I was hesitant to commit to accompany my young dog handler when she suggested horseback riding during our Alaska visit. Melanie has taken riding lessons for 2 years and is a skillful rider. I, on the other hand, am not. Being a dog musher, I am a risk taker. The thought of riding such a huge and unfamiliar animal however, gives me pause.

After days of clouds and rain, this day was the first partly cloudy day. Blue Skies! I had to take advantage of the day and was up for adventure so off we went.... horseback riding. The guide led us along a small river, leading to Resurrection Bay in Seward, Alaska. The trail through the thick Alder brush was a bit challenging. All I had to do was stay on the horse and hang on. Easier said than done when every other step, a "sweeper" threatens to upset your balance and knock you silly, not to mention the leaning involved so as not to get your leg caught in the brush and get swept off the horse. (All this while taking pictures) This is very much like dog mushing! Once I made the connection, I began having wild thoughts of going back to Minnesota and getting a horse. I came to my senses when considering the amount of time it already takes to care for my 11 sled dogs. Back to reality.

I mentioned Salmon fishing. The guide brought along her young Golden Retriever. Since the Salmon were running, he delighted in finding a large school and the fishing began. He finally caught one and left it in the bushes for the many eagles we saw along the way.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

A young Eagle on a misty day

Reindeer in the distance

Grizzly Bear

Young Moose

Bald Eagle

Just south of Anchorage lies the most wonderful spot to view many of the elusive wild creatures of Alaska, all in one place. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is the home of Grizzly Bear, Reindeer, Black Bear, Moose, Eagles and other various creatures.

Our visit to pick up the new Hedlund pup wouldn't be complete without a visit to the center.

Pups going home.

Waiting for their turn with the vet.

Pups from left to right, Nellie, Journey, Daisy and Canyon.

Kim and Melanie taking the girls on one last walk before their trip.

Kim with pups.

Two of the pups were ready to go to their new home with Lidia in New Hampshire during our visit. The remaining pups were first taken to the vet for the health certificates necessary for their plane travel. Having extra hands available was a necessity, as the pups were quite exuberant, as an understatement.

During our vet visit, one of the owner's of a pup already placed met us for another little family reunion. Canyon has one blue eye, is just as sweet as can be and lives with a family in the area, with two young girls.

The male from the litter, Flint, went to his new home the week previous when his new owner Bob, who had been working in Alaska for the previous months, picked him up and drove back to his and Helen's home in North Dakota to join a kennel of Samoyeds and Mals.

After the vet check for the New Hampshire bound pups, it was off to the airport for check-in. One last walk for the travelers and in the crates they went, to arrive safely in Boston and to their anxiously awaiting new family, the next morning.

All pups are doing extremely well in their new homes. Its been fun to find out about some of the common threads in this amazing litter as their personalities unfold in their new settings. Extreme friendliness, intelligence and adaptability is shared by each pup. Something unexpected is that all five seem to have a very strong pull to water. Many puppy stories shared seem to involve constant play in the water buckets, pools, etc. It will be interesting to see how this love for water evolves as they become working sled dogs.

Visiting Alaska Relatives - Part II

Swanny and Sheenjek

Miriam and Remus

Nells

Rose

Remus

Swanny, a musher in Two Rivers that recently took on two Hedlund line pups from a musher in Dillingham, was kind enough to accommodate my dog helper, Melanie, and myself during our visit and give us a tour of various dog kennels in the area. Swanny has a kennel of traditional freighting dogs and historical matters are his specialty. Rose and Nells are now 14 months old. It was discovered that Nells has cryptorchidism, which means that neither testicle descended, thus excluding him from the breeding program even before seeing how he works in harness. Rose, on the other hand, will be tested in harness and if found to be a hard worker, may very well be the foundation for Swanny's future kennel.

Miriam, a musher from North Pole, took the litter mate to Rose and Nells. Miriam brought Remus over to Swanny's for a bit of a family reunion. Remus is a long-legged, rangy male that if proved in harness, will likely be added to the Hedlund breeding program. Miriam has a kennel of freight dogs and is an artist.

Both Swanny and Miriam are heavily involved in sled dog rescue and rehabilitation.

Visiting Alaska Relatives - Part I

Kim Fitzgerald and Tulipq, mother to Points Unknown's Phoenix

12 1/2 year old Umi

13 1/2 year old Silik

Two of Kim's younger dogs, Tulipq and McKenzie.

12 year old Migo.

While in Alaska, it was important to get to know the relatives. We spent a few days at Mush Knik kennel in Knik. Kim Fitzgerald is responsible for beginning the efforts to preserve and grow the Hedlund Husky line and has some of the old timers still in her dog yard. Sadly, her foundation female, Lupe, passed away last year. She was 16 years old.

We were sad to hear that Journey's litter will be the very last of that Kim will have of her own. She has many old dogs now and plans to be involved with Hedlund breedings, however will not replace her old dogs as they pass on. Thankfully, she has relationships with owners of other Hedlund Huskies in the area and plans to give those dogs a job during the winter; being ambassador sled dogs in her Mush Knik sledding business.