The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

The Yukon Quest 1,000 mile Race  begins February 1st. The Iditarod Trail Sleddog Race is the well known race which involves sled dogs, men or women and brutal weather over a period of 9 days.

These dogs are a key component to success. They run, eat and sleep to please their masters. The connection is amazing, especially for those of us who have never really owned a dog.

I was privileged to get an interview with owner and trainer, Eric Cosmutto from Muzzy's Place Sleddog Adventures today. Its obvious he knows and loves each one of his dogs. As we walked around, petting and viewing the well kept dogs, Eric explained the nature of each one, how old they were and key signs of health race organizers look for.



You can enjoy a tour, a sled dog ride, attend mushing school or enjoy an overnight tour.
Their phone number is 907-378-7620 or 907-347-8427.

I admit, the longer I was on location, the more I could visualize living in the yurt, feeding the dogs, being part of the support team.

Georganne and I were invited into Eric's home for coffee. He popped in a video called 6 On-6 off, which interviews several multi-race winners, among them famed Lance Mackey. Real footage of the race, meals en route and mushers make this movie a real insight. I'm fascinated by the Yukon Quest, which runs from Whitehorse, Canada to Fairbanks.

I made this tepee several years ago. Its been used in several base camps in Georgia and right outside Yellowstone National Park. Youtube had a problem with the background music and suggested I swap out for some of theirs. Well, it totally covered my voice and the information I was trying to get across. There are captions, though, so its not a total loss.

While this shelter does not have a floor, it keeps out bugs and mice because the no see um netting
is 15 inches long. I fold it to the inside and set random pieces of gear along the netting.
Some folks would think you'd fold it to the outside, but that wouldn't be nearly as effective.

I plan to use this tepee to base camp this summer.  With 100 square feet (area of a circle is radius squared times pi) There's lots of space for sleeping, out of rain writing, researching and fun. I have cooked and burned small candles inside this structure. The heat rises, eventually necessitating the door being kept open due to some smoke issues. Its really amazing at night, though, when a tiny tea candle is burning. Looks like a glowing cone.

The value of a no floor structure is that one can cook or leave muddy gear on the earth while stretching a tarp for the sleeping area. The structure is lighter and more versatile.  If you must suspend it from a branch that has a few rocks or roots underneath, no problem. Just stake the shelter and enjoy nature's furniture.