Silver Songs Sled Dogs

29/09/2023

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27/09/2023

Ghost, hands down one of my best lead dogs has a hilarious tendency up front that has really started to show this season. All of our lead dogs, and those of most kennels we know, are trained to run on the right side of the trail. We pass other teams while moving, just like vehicle traffic, so the right side we run. Ghost, when single lead will run on the right side of the trail no problem. But when paired with another? She cares more about being buddies then traffic rules. She wants to be shoulder bumping, share the warmth close to her partner. Most other dogs prefer the mentality of a little bit of distance, growing fonder and all that. Ghosts partner will slowly keep moving away from her as they run to try and gain some personal space until somehow they both end up running on the left side of the trail entirely. It only takes a few yards of this before they realize on their own what's happened and meander back to the correct side of the trail. Absolutely hilariously adorable to watch. But when faced with the choice I may be keeping Ghosty Posty on the left side of lead so her cuddle herding keeps everyone on the 'right' side of the trail 😂🥰

24/09/2023

Coffee Sundays with London. We're enjoying her leaddog retirement together.

24/09/2023

20/09/2023

Our first camp of the season! I had to brush off my, now very wrinkled, spiral notebook paper with my dog-camp gear check list. We didn't forget anything and there were some serious tail wags by the time we rolled back into the yard at the end of the night. First success in the books- I'll admit, any opportunity to spend all day outside with the canines is a successful, happy day in those books of mine.

18/09/2023

Who can't help but fall (punny 😆) in love with this time of year?! Spruce trees of interior Alaska turn a quiet dewy grey to let their Birch cousins show off a burst of golden leaves. A precious 5 day experience here in Fairbanks. Ground foliage light on fire with reds and oranges. Even the old dogs get a new round of energy as the air turns crisp.
Home sweet home.

13/03/2023

Oh dear I think my two main leads are in love

04/03/2023

Tag sledding with my honey Smokin' Ace Sled Dog Kennels at the Ceremonial start of the 2023 Iditarod Sleddog Race

04/03/2023

Silver Songs Cabin photo splurge number 3!
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04/03/2023

Silver Songs Cabin photo splurge number 2!
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04/03/2023

Silver Songs Cabin photo dumb ❤️
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03/03/2023

My perfect day you ask?
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03/03/2023

Myself, Elke, and Matt are done with day one of pre Idotarod meetings and ToDos for the start of his big race this weekend. A day of just human activity held indoors, which for people like us, who prefer time spent around canines and the outdoors, can sometimes be draining. But a day like today? An important day. Not only for Idotarod prep but for celebration for what we do with our dogs. This life is entirely devoted to the dogs, and not a single person I know who understands this life would say anything different. But, there is something important for us too in the smiles, sparkling eyes, and glowing words from those we love and who appreciate us for what we do with our dogs. Those who support us, who are impressed in our sled dog centered lives and want to join us in the celebration of it. Matt and I, we celebrate the pure bliss of our lives everyday. Because it is, pure bliss. We are happy in every which way and in its simplest form. But there is something magnificent in the feeling of support from our peers. It's uplifting and encouraging. It surrounds us, creates a magic in what we do that's beyond just our our own everyday modest happiness. Our happiness stems so much in our own hard work. Because it is hard. Everyday it's something. We work hard from dawn to dusk and beyond, each and everyday, as does anyone who lives a life with animals. This monotony creates a part of that happiness. But there is somethings truly special to be in a room surrounded by overflowing love for the lives we live with our dogs that makes that hard work feel exceptionally special. Not only to be gifted to do but to feel accomplished in doing so. This life is special. It is hard and it is so, so special. Matt, was glowing during the meet and greet today. Laughing and bubbling at the onslaught of smiles directed towards him and our dogs. Every other musher I saw had the same glow. And then there we all traveled, upstairs into a banquet room with shining silverware against calloused work hands. A situation that could make many of us feel out of place, but instead, the room was filled with people who so genuinely wanted only to shake hands with mushers they respect and to celebrate what they have done with their lives. We felt welcome. Welcome to celebrate our own lives that we share with our sleddogs and the lives of our peers. While most days we prefer spent with dogs, this day was an important one for us humans. A day I know we all cherish for the support, time and energy spent on our behalf. So thank you. To everyone who was there today and who has ever spent time on making this day what it was.
Photo credit: Whitney McLaren Photography

01/03/2023

Dashing through the snow with all 11 of my perfect crew. Bobo, London and Palepale were back home keeping the couch warm for us.

28/02/2023

Our trail crew 🥰

24/02/2023

Incredible Aurora over Silver Songs Cabin 💚 thank you Susan and Douglas Hellerman for catching this moment!

12/02/2023

Bobos first sled ride. What a natural.

09/02/2023

The photo of Fitz I talked about in my last post as we drove down to the race start!

08/02/2023

The start to the YQA80 was a good kind of chaotic. The healthy kind that everyone should have in their lives to keep things entertaining and alive. The dog truck itself is a small thing but so am I so it always has worked. Thankfully Kelsey is too because the drive down had 2 humans and 4 dogs all averaging above 65lbs with LOTS of gear inside of a half-cab Chevy Colorado. The photo above is Fits, my main man, sharing the center seat and resting his head on my shoulder, forever present with me as we drove down the Hot Springs rd towards town and the race he would lead me through. The start itself is what I was most excitedly nervous about. Why? Well as a bystander, it's the best part of the race. There's the excitement of the teams, the know-how emanating from many of the mushers and then of course the comedy show of everyone else trying to get that power stacked team to the starting line. Handlers and helpers dragging with the team, bunny boots slipping and helping their owners to eat snow, mushers maneuvering sleds over unwilling snow banks and dogs not giving a sh** about any of it and just wanting to run already. So my nerves? Being the team that has the musher lose the battle against the snow banks and drag sideways down the starting shoot in front of hundreds of smart phone cameras. What ended up happening? Blissful perfection. I had the team ready right on time. The dogs were happily determined. The team of handlers the starting line manager had trained were strong and knew exactly what to do. Once my hands were on the handlebars and feet were on the runners, all the nerves were gone and my experience kicked in. No thought of silly sled shenanigans but just running dogs and being on my home of the runners behind my favorite crew. The sled holders gave me the confidence to leave the sled at the starting line and go up to each of my dogs in the shoot to thank them for bringing me here and rejoice in the run about to happen. We shot off onto the river through downtown fairbanks just the way we're supposed to and just the way I wanted. The first sleddog race id ever seen was The Yukon Quest taking off out of this exact same location. I had Silver at the time but couldn't have fathomed being one of the ones celebrating my life with my dogs on the runners in that start shoot. But there we were and I couldn't have asked for better.

08/02/2023

My favorite photo from the start to our YQA80 as I try to bo**ie the team with some very distracting Quethluk kisses. One of the most important parts for me from this race is my humongous gratitude to Kelsey Koenigs and Tyler for being there for me during this race. They were the best partners I could have asked for, kind, patient, competent, always smiling and SO helpful. This photo was taken by Kelsey who was there with me every single second of the way, from prerace life chats to distract my buzzing head to supportive soft stories easing my post race exhaustion brain. Being a handler during a race is NOT easy, especially when their racers tracker isnt working as mine wasn't the whole time. Kelsey was working back to the origional days of racing, waiting at the ready for copious amounts of time at the checkpoint and finishline with cold hands and cold toes, just waiting to see a headlamp approach and jumping up to see if that headlamp was mine. You did too good of a job and now ill be asking for you to hangout with me for many races to come! Thank you for being there for me!
Kelsey Koenigs

06/02/2023

Good morning!
Stories from the race trail are being written as we speak. A couple days late as the team and I wanted a full day of a snuggle fest dog pile in the yurt around the fire watching bad TV for some celebratory r&r together. Was a 16 dog pile around me! Heaven. Stories are on pause though as I jump in the truck to go see my other half finish his kick butt 300!
Thank you for this awesome start photo!

03/02/2023

We're pre-race vet checks bound! Or as Fitz and Elias like to think of as truck nap followed by a bunch of very nice strangers petting us.

03/02/2023

Bib #9!
It's official, we all drew from a hat tonight and 9 is our lucky number. What an incredible evening, a chance for us forest dwelling dog mushers to all get together and celebrate what's to come. THANK YOU, to all of you genuine and FUN people who were out tonight and making my night wonderful. Especially my other half Matt Hall. To Saturday!
Smokin' Ace Sled Dog Kennels

02/02/2023

Looks like we have a race on our hands!
Yukon Quest Alaska 80 on Saturday February 4th, just 2 days away!
We're STOKED!
London was so exciting too she wanted to "help" with our drop bag. Thanks honey Matt Hall for letting me reuse one of your old checkpoint bags😉