8:00 am. Cold. Dogs were ready to run but we had to wait because hunters are sharing the property we’re running on. In order to give the hunters time, I picked up poop and helped gather floor boards for a new puppy kennel.

Six dogs were leased to another racer in town for the winter. They were all yearlings with tons of energy so it will be exciting to track their progress.

Kris decided to run a 16 dog team which is a lot of power. I had hooked up the wrong four wheeler, which wouldn’t start because the spark plug was burnt out from having the choke on too long. Turning around consisted of the dogs following me and Kris lifting up the four wheeler and manually turning it.

We couldn’t find the road that looped around so went up into scrub brush a few feet high and got them going back while I scouted for the loop. I found it and ended up coming out into the meadow. The meadow is where the silence is. During tours, we give the guests plenty of space to enjoy the solitude of the meadow, the views of the ski mountain and surrounding areas. Today it was a field of gold. Wide open with a few hawks flying around.

Before I went to far, I realized the road I needed was behind me, so turned around to see the last of the fall colors reaching the scrub brush and sage. Most of the trees have lost their leaves, but it was a beautiful reminder of how everything can seem new if you look at it in a different light.

After getting back to the kennel we got the dogs put away and watered. Eitan and Stu-bird had already fed while we were gone. Headed home to walk my dog.