On Saturday, February 18, weather conditions were nearly perfect. The temperature on the morning of the start was about 18°F. Though the temperature did climb into the low 40's by afternoon, the weather cooled off quickly, and the overnight temperature stayed in the low teens. Running conditions were good overall.

In a field of 13 mushers, Andre Nadeau (Quebec) again won first place in the 250-mile race, while Keith Peppler (Ontario) came in second, and Russell O'Farrell (Quebec) finished third.

Paul Theriault (Mechanic Falls, Maine), Nelson O'Farrell (St. Malachie, Quebec), and Luc Martin (Riviere-Verte, New Brunswick) finished first, second, and third, respectively, in the 60-mile race. Undaunted by last year's meltdown, 17 mushers competed in this race.

Long before the mushers begin the Can-Am 250 dog race, crews are hard at work preparing the trail. The unusual weather of January '95 has caused many problems for the trail crews.

One crew started in Wallagrass on Jan.20th. When we arrived at Martin Brook, open water faced us. Larry Guimond cut some cedars that Joseph ("Beaver") Paradis, George Pooler, and my husband Stan wrestled into place. Then we all put brush across the cedar logs and used snowshoes to shovel snow onto the new bridge. The first snowmobiles had a precarious crossing, but we all made it. Then we had several miles of very acrobatic snowmobile travel. As the snowmobiles depressed the snow, stumps were uncovered, causing the snowmobiles to tip from side to side. It was a rough trip. Coming back on a main snowmobile trail, we had to dodge the ice-laden tops of white birches touching the trail. Down by Martin Brook there had been little ice on the trees.

On Jan 28th, Randy Pinkham and Brad Soucie joined the rest of us. We bypassed the race trail to the other side of Carter Brook, and headed toward St. Froid Lake. In the low lands there were few problems, but anywhere we climbed a hill, ice-laden branches slowed our progress. Running water had eroded the snow on the lower side of some stretches of trail, causing very tippy rides at times. Several of us got stuck in snow, or slush, or coming out of a deep dip. We climbed up a ridge, the icing becoming more severe the higher we went. We had to stop to prune away icy tangles and chain saw several trees that had fallen completely. As we traveled through a section of sugar maples we saw many moose tracks crisscrossing the area. A short time later we saw a patch of packed snow beneath a large fir where a moose had spent some time sleeping. About 8 miles from St. Froid we turned for home, knowing that we had hours and hours of work ahead of us to clear the arching birches. "Beaver" found a dead ruffed grouse, where we turned. It probably broke its neck trying to dive into hard packed snow.

On Jan. 30th, George, Beaver, Stan and I returned to the first part of the trail. We clipped back branches and threw them off the trail. We shoveled snow into low places. We filled a hole in a bridge with brush and covered it with snow. George trimmed many of the troublesome stumps with his brush saw. We noticed a large number of saplings with rub marks made by deer or moose polishing their antlers in the fall. About a three foot section of bark had been rubbed off each tree. While we were eating lunch, we saw a flock of about 100 pine siskins in a big maple tree. They have a characteristic, rising, wheezy call. Later about two dozen white-winged crossbills twittered in some evergreens. Several black-capped chickadees sang their cheerful notes and spring song and seemed quite interested in us.

There is still lots of work for the trail crews. Also the trails must be dragged or packed by snowmobile. Doody Michaud and Marc Michaud dragged the trail from Fort Kent to St. Froid.

     The first 43 miles of the Can-Am 250 Sleddog Race are a beautiful run. On Feb.12th George Pooler, Larry and Lucas Guimond, Stan and I left Wallagrass at 8 AM on snowmobiles. We were headed for the Portage Checkpoint. I wish I had a dog team and could take that trail with them.

     Before I guide you over the trail, I'll briefly tell you of the work done on the trail after Jan. 30, when I last wrote. On Feb. 2, George Pooler, Randy Pinkham, Stan and I finished the wooded trail to Carter Brook. Brad Soucie joined us at noon, and we all worked hard on the" Gilmore Hill" trail. We cut a lot of brush, and a major undertaking was filling a deep water hole with an entire cedar tree. We cut evergreen boughs and saplings to cover a long section of water-scoured trail above the hole. Then we shoveled snow over the entire area. On Feb.4, George, Larry, Stan and I cut the ice-laden trees on the ridge trail. Randy and George Soucie joined us for cutting brush down to the road to the Fish Hatchery. We had to fill some watery dips on that road, also. After the 16" of snow on Feb. 5, Larry and George broke out the trail from Wallagrass to the Fish Hatchery. Jim Dumond made the track from there to the Portage Checkpoint.

     We started our long trip on the 12th across Wallagrass fields, putting out stakes to mark the trail -- particularly intersections with other trails. Sweeping views across the fields make this a nice section.

     "Pooler's Run" through the woods to Carter Brook had fresh evidence of moose passing through, and there's a good chance that ruffed grouse bursting from the snow along the trail may startle a lead dog or two. It's a nice trail now that the stumps and overhanging trees are cut. The Gilmore trail was much smoother and the watery area was now solid snow. Out of that wooded area, a wide trail leads to Drake Brook, where we stopped to cut branches. We filled an exceptionally steep deep with brush and snow. From the confines of the woods, we emerged onto a wide road overlooking the Dickwood Lake area, then descending to Isie Pond. We then turned onto the ridge trail with the ice-laden trees. There's a long hill to climb there, and the ice is still on the trees. If the sun shines on race day, the mushers will be treated to the dazzling sparkle on the tree limbs. There are some challenging turns and a few bumps on the wooded trail, and moose tracks abound. What do the dog teams do when they spot a moose?

       Once they have negotiated the ridge trail, the 8 miles to the Fish Hatchery in Eagle Lake will be a welcome rest for the mushers and teams. It's a wide, open trail with sweeping curves and gentle hills. The mushers will be able to see for miles over the Birch River country. We had to stop to fill in a couple of steep dips with brush and snow, but that was the only work needed. A short wooded section will take the racers to ITS85 past the Fish Hatchery to a turn off to St. Froid Lake. This is a flat trail through brushy growth. Entering St. Froid Lake, between the Birch and Red Rivers, the teams will pass through an ice-fishing village and travel south down the middle of the lake. They should be able to enjoy the panoramic scenery if the weather is decent. Passing through another fishing village at the south end of the lake, they enter the Fish River. Due to the mild January, this river had a lot of slush when we passed through. Our heavy snowmobile got stuck in slush twice, and there were a couple of very nervous riders. We were all relieved to return to "solid land" at Nixon Bridge. Doody passed us with his drag while we were getting out of the slush, and shortly after that we found him temporarily halted by a buildup of slush on the drag. The cold nights this week should freeze the slush, so the the mushers will likely have a dry passage.

     From Nixon Bridge, it is a flat run through the Mosquito Brook lowlands onto Portage Lake, with the first check point in Portage.

     The first 50 miles of the race courses through such varied terrain and habitats, that it should be very interesting for the mushers. I hope they enjoy it and the next 200 plus miles.

Watching the start of the Can-Am 250 Dog Sled Race, I was impressed by the way the dogs jumped up and down in harness as they waited for the countdown at the start. When given the signal to go, they flattened out, dug in, and took off at high speed. What eager teams they were!

As Ruth Schenk and I drove to Maibec's Lumber Camp in T13 R14, we saw many birds in the road in small groups -- a few pine grosbeaks, many white-winged crossbills, and a small flock of uncommon red crossbills. The "watchmen" couple greeted us warmly, and he gave us a nice walk along a deer yard. I've never seen so many deer tracks of all sizes. They nearly covered the road, and in several places branched off into the woods, which have much less snow than surrounding areas. There were tracks all through the sections that are being cut this winter. We saw about 50 of the beautiful, graceful animals.

Keith Peppler was the first to pull in to Maibec on Sunday afternoon. Dr. Rooks started examining the dogs immediately. This vet check is done for each team before the start of the race, then at each checkpoint, and also at the finish. Keith told Dr. Rooks he would be dropping a dog. "He just isn't having any fun anymore", said Keith. He unzipped the bag on the sled, and the dog stuck his head out for a look around. Keith said the dog had been "in the basket" for 45 miles! Another dog who needed a rest had also been in the basket part of the way. This team nestled into the straw we provided for a restorative sleep. Several had their forelegs wrapped in neoprene sweats as they rested.

Andre Nadeau's team arrived soon after Keith's. Andre immediately gave each dog a handful of corn syrup, working from the sled to the leaders. This restores energy quickly, but also stimulates the appetite so that a hearty, hot meal can be fed in a short time.

Spencer Thew dropped a dog at Maibec, but the dog was very reluctant to leave its master and team mates. It kept looking and pulling back toward the team and did some whining. Dogs that are dropped usually have an injury to a joint or a foot pad. Others may be exhausted, dehydrated, or injured from fighting with a team mate at a rest stop. Ian McKenzie had two dogs who fought and had to be dropped. When Ian's team left without those two dogs, they howled in protest at being left behind.

When Paul Boudreau arrived, he told us it had been a difficult trip because of soft snow. He said, "Here's a treat, boys", as he tossed his dogs chunks of beaver meat, rewarding them for their hard work.

Barry Young mixed a soup for his dogs as soon as he pulled in. Each of 12 bowls got a scoop of a sugar-starch mixture, some beaver ground with other meat, and hot water our crew of helpful young men provided. (Wayne Saucier, Guillaume Breteau, Jim Grandmaison, and Ben Collings, who was a judge with Ruth, Pat Pelletier, and me). Barry constantly talked to his dogs, who watched him eagerly. "Here's the first course, boys and girls". Their appetite stimulated by the soup, Barry announced "Here's the entree, ladies and gentlemen." Barry was the only musher to finish with all 12 dogs in harness.

John Kaleta gave his dogs a soup of Energy Pack and horse liver with other meat to restore their energy before the main meal.

As you can see, each musher has a unique approach to his own team of dogs. It's wonderful to see how each musher interacts with his dogs. In the Triple Crown this is especially important, because overall condition of the dogs at the end of the race, the number of dogs dropped, and the placing of the team all combine in a point system to determine the winner.

Dr. Rooks inspected each team at the finish line, checking for the amount of fat on the dog, the condition of the feet, lameness (by articulating the joints of the legs), and hydration.

The vets pick up the skin over the back and the neck, and the rate with which it falls back gives an indication of whether or not the dogs have gotten enough fluids during the race.

From start to finish the dogs are loved and cared for by their owners and the veterinarian team. The dogs love to run, and they are cared for like any star athletes.