Living 150 miles from the closest shopping center has its challenges. The grocery list is always long and we buy the dog food 50 bags at a time. This last week, Max and I made a supply run which included a refrigerator, which made me think about how much I appreciate the versatility of our dog truck.
While the dogs themselves are a mode of travel, we often find ourselves needing to travel with the dogs. Most mushers have a specialized truck or trailer to help them transport their dogs to training and racing locations. To make this efficient, these dog trucks typically consist of many small boxes, each one similar to an individual dog crate. The dogs ride individually or with a buddy in these boxes. As you travel around the state of Alaska, and certainly at the start of a sled dog race, you will see different versions of these trucks. The trucks also help us transport sleds, harnesses, and other gear.
When Mike and I moved to Alaska, we drove the Alaska highway with our dog truck. The truck survived the Alcan, but it did not make it through its first winter. As we replaced it, Mike decided that rather than going with this typical design, he would do something different. We purchased a Mitsubishi Fuso FG, the only cab-over delivery truck with 4-wheel drive.
We insulated the walls and roof with rigid foam and lined both with birch paneling. We built 15 individual compartments, called dog boxes, in the first four feet of the truck, and installed 13 D-rings with stakeouts recessed into the floor. We can accommodate 32 dogs and all the equipment needed to go to the races. We've added three roof vents, a propane powered heater, and power to run additional lighting and a stereo. The dogs love listening to Willie Nelson.
Mike was planning on building more boxes to fit against the sidewalls, but living so far from town we've learned that having the open space is very practical. We can haul two pallets of dog food, 100 bales of straw, any type and all quantities of building materials, and even the aforementioned fridge. (Note after we loaded the fridge we added 50 bags of dog food and 2000 lbs of beef.)
In long distance sled dog racing our "pit- stops" are called checkpoints. These are places where the dogs are fed and cared for. I'm explaining this because we've nicknamed our truck "the rolling checkpoint." The dogs absolutely love the freedom the open floor plan provides for them. After a training run we just let all the dogs loose and they run up the ramp and quickly find a comfy spot next to one of their buddies.
The crew and I also love the fact that we too can pile into the truck and get out of the wind and cold to attend to the dogs' needs. There is nothing more satisfying to me than to come back from 3 or 4 days on the trail and witness how content and comfortable our dogs are to be sprawled out in the back of our truck.
In addition to using the truck to transport the dogs, we use it to train in the late fall. We can take a large number of dogs on the Denali Highway. Having the truck go with us allows us to take younger, less experienced dogs, and let them run for just the right amount of time. If one is ready for a rest after 12 miles and another after 18 miles, it is easy to customize the length of their runs by putting them back into the truck.
The cab of the truck is high, giving an excellent view of the dogs and the stunning scenery.
The truck not only allows us to train a large number of dogs, but it is also an excellent way for Max to help with the training. This week Max, Mike, Piero, and Thomas took the dogs to Brushkana Creek out the Denali Highway. Max spent the run naming the dogs, commenting on what letter their name starts with, and helping Thomas and Piero learn which way is North.
Max considered many options when choosing his Halloween costume, but he ultimately chose to be a front end loader. Halloween in Alaska can be cold and costumes accommodate snow pants, jacket, hat, boots, and mittens. The distances between houses can be long and trick or treaters travel in cars, trucks, and snowmobiles. Having grown up trick or treating on foot, I insisted that Max and I make our way by walking. We managed to walk as far as one neighbor's house, where his bucket loader was filled with treats, satisfying his sweet tooth and allowing us to follow our snowy tracks home, cheeks rosy and toes cold.
Max and I have been enjoying weekend mornings. Max chooses which dog to join him for his morning bottle of milk and his favorite truck TV show. This morning Wingman was the lucky candidate.
Two weeks ago, Max and I made a trek out to the swamp where our local hockey stars (including Max's babysitter Fiona) clear the ice and practice their skills. We found that the swamp still had wet areas, but temperature has been low enough this last week that it may be worth another trip.
This morning was 4 degrees and more snow is predicted overnight. The daylight is also dwindling. It is still dark for an hour when I get to school and dark again as I am making dinner.
Growing up in the cold and the dark may be giving Max an unusual perspective on the world. The other night our handler Thomas was washing his laundry and arrived for dinner wearing shorts. Max looked at him and exclaimed, "What is Thomas wearing?" "Shorts," we said. "Those are called shorts."
Until next time I hope you are having as much fun with your dogs as we are with ours.
Mike, Caitlin, and Max