Dog Welfare - Talkeetna, AK 
The Cold
It's cold in Alaska. Temperatures here at the kennel have been reaching -25 each night for the last week or so. The training trails through the frozen swamps are colder. So far we've recorded -37. This is normal and expected for this time of year, and training continues. Mushers on the Yukon Quest are experiencing -40 and colder. What is it like to mush hundreds of miles in extreme cold? My first race was 200 miles long, and the temps dropped to -55 F.
The snow squeaks under my boots with each step. Warm snow "crunches". The colder it gets, the higher it's pitch. I instinctively tuck my nose down into my fleece neck gator to keep from getting singed by the frigid air. Row upon row of sleeping dog teams sprawl across the moonlit lake.
My team is curled up under their jackets on deep straw. 12 boulders crusted with frost. Boots “screaking” up and down the line as I prepare to leave. Food and Heet in the sled. Straw on top. The next run is 110 miles. We’ll camp. On my knees in the straw fishing around under each dog for paws to bootie. I quickly bootie each foot before it’s snatched back to the warmth of the nest. My hands are freezing. The flesh of my pinky finger has turned to slush. I warm them against furry dog bellies, but they turn cold again as soon as I start to bootie the next foot.
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