SCHOLARSHIP DAY 39: Cross Country Running, Dog Racing, Hearing Wolves and Scrabble

I woke up today to the news that there is a cold front moving across the western parts of Alaska, and indeed next week's forecasted sub-zero temperatures will certainly test out the effectiveness of my gloves and hat. Today, however, was another overcast day, but dry unlike yesterday, so the waterproofs went away again. My goal today was to see the dog race in Mushers Hall, off Farmers Loop Road. This can be walked to, but I took the opportunity to use the hostel bike for once, and I was glad I did, as the venue was further away than I expected.

Despite the fact that the bike made the journey quicker, it didn't necessarily make it easier. To list its malfunctions would take forever and I was actually surprised that I got there on it. The gears, rusty and rattling, made hill climbs difficult. The back breaks didn't work well, the front wheel looked like it would come off, and the stand kept hitting the pedals so the journey wasn't exactly the smoothest. Nonetheless, I made it to Mushers Hall.

Mushers Hall is more of a wooden lodge, and it lies at the start of a series of nature trails. These trails can be walked and run on by the public, although today they would be used for the dog race. However, I got a pleasant surprise when I arrived; although I was early for the dog race, I was just in time to see a cross country running race too.

The Interior Alaskan Cross Country team have been running along different trails these past few months, and today they would make use of the 6K trail at Mushers Hall. From walking it today, I can tell you it's not a difficult trail; no major elevation changes and a dense, compact grassland terrain. Although at some parts the grasses have overgrown, the constant public activity on it ensures that the trails are always clearly marked out.

The starting gun was fired and off they went. There was about 20 runners altogether, with quite a large age range which made the race very interesting to watch. The 6k race involved three laps of the trail, and along it, those competiting faced obstacles, such as this two tiered hay stack. I talked to one of the runners afterwards and they told me the bayle certainly was hard going, especially on the last lap.

24 minutes passed before the race saw a winner; Ted Alder crossed the line in 24.23 minutes which I thought was quite good considering the obstacles that faced him. He was certainly kitted out for the event, wearing running shoes (very similar to the style I used to wear when I did cross country), and a thin athletics top.

Following the cross country race, I decided to take a walk along the trail. It's a highly vegetated trail, and half way throughout, you're surrounded by boreal forest, as so often is the case here in interior Alaska. I was walking along, quite happily, when suddenly I heard howling. Soon, the singular howl became plural; it sounded relatively close, but it wasn't getting louder so I assumed whatever was making the noise wasn't approaching. Although I didn't see it, I was sure it was a pack of wolves. They're common here, and can actually attack humans, so I moved on.

This afternoon saw a race of a different kind, and one I had come here to see. Slowly but surely, cars were drawing up, and out came very excited dogs along with their equally excited owners. I stood in the field watching and listening; very quickly, the noise of 'woofing' became overwhelming. I was sure that the dogs were all having a conversation, but about what I wondered? When two dogs approached one another, they would greet each other in a special way; a technique called 'Butt Sniffing'. No joke, I've done my research. From one sniff of Dog A's hind, Dog B can tell A's gender, A's feelings and what A had for its last meal. It's apparently an effective way of communicating quickly. I noticed a lot of this happening. Before long though, all the dogs and owners had to line up at the start line and listen to the instructions.

So each owner was tied in some way to the dog, and once again, the trail was 3 laps, totalling 6K. Trudy, the organiser, attempted to explain the route, but the barking really did make it impossible for any human communication, and without further ado, they were off.

Despite the name of the hall, this event was not mushing. (Mushing is on snow.) Instead, what I watched today was something called Canicross. Once again, the hay bayle added interest to the route; some dogs decided to go around it (often ripping the tape) whilst other dogs gave the jump a go.

Ted Alder was running with a Siberian Huskey, and was in second place throughout the race, until the last 10m, when he made a sprinting finish to win. Funnily enough, he and his dog finished in 20.04 minutes, four minutes faster than his cross country running race. I told him this and he put it down to the fact that his dog was pulling him through the course.

The event was well attended, and with the race done and people starting to make their way home, I decided to start the bikeride back to the hostel. This evening has actually been a pleasant change from the usual routine. Bill and Sarah's friends, Emma, Ralph and his wife, came over and we all played three games of Scrabble. Back in my childhood days, I must confess I wasn't such a Scrabble fan, and although I didn't win tonight, it's a fun game and we have plans to play more next week.