Timber Tales      Week 01

I am thrilled to the point that the little hairs on the inside of my ears are standing up. I hear we are leaving! There just might be only one or two more dinners before we finally take off on another adventure.

For a while there, they had me a little bit frazzled. I mean I am getting to be an older male, but I can still pull harder and longer than pretty much any one else in this kennel, if I do say so myself. I'm just getting older, that's all. And I think it is fair that I give some space to Good Thunder, Jupiter, and the other youngsters, since they have really done a pretty good job on picking up on how to keep everything moving around here. I guess they are good students of mine. I still have to teach them about Polar Bears, though. Running with thousands of caribou, eating lots of that good caribou candy like we did last winter—well, that's just really fun. But Polar Bears are a different story. That's when one has to be sleeping with one eye open, both ears up and facing your snout into the wind. I am not much for admitting it, but I can actually tell that one ear of mine has folded over, and I have an idea that my sleeping heavier may be because of my age. But the team still needs me! Mille told me so a couple of months ago when we were still down south in the Summer Kennel in Michigan.

Oh, I like it there. Soft sand, grand shady trees, and often a slight breeze that smells like water. It was nice coming up north too, though. By then, it was time to put some miles under our paws and grow a thicker coat. I, for one, hear we are going to one of the coldest places of Earth—and also, we will be running a long way—more than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) I reckon. That I heard from Aksel.

Aksel is retired and lives around wherever the team is working on gear and where all the stuff is that the team members load on to the sleds and bring out on expeditions. So he usually gives me the latest scoop. He left last week, though.

First we went and had a great weekend running in a fantastic place with lots of ice and wide-open space—almost like when we are on expedition. Then next thing I know, Aksel drives off in the truck with Paul... living inside now, I heard. That sounds kinda weird, but maybe he is going soft on me. Trigger has lived with the same family for a while and he says they are just the greatest. Well, Trigger is a little spoiled—so I believe it!

I just miss my daily updates. I am really trying to listen the best I can for the door on the dog truck to open. I will make sure to bark really loud when I hear it. Never know, we might be leaving...