By daylight on Monday morning, most teams had passed through Skwentna on the way to Finger Lake. The teams remaining would be considered back of the pack and one looked very familiar. The team was using a harness with a wooden spreader to separate and position the harness to the side of the dog’s hips. On the sled was a yellow sled bag with Blackwood advertising. Sam Deltour
was driving the Seavey puppy team. Sam took the Seavey yearlings to Nome back in 2008.
Under the instruction of Mitch and Dallas, it’s Sam’s job to let the dogs have fun while experiencing The Last Great Race. How does a musher do that? Sam outlined his plan – run short and rest long, talk to the dogs, sing to the dogs, joke with the dogs, vary the speed of the runs, vary the length of the runs, have plenty of snacks, provide delicious high energy meals with a high fat content, be a great cheerleader and an expert massage therapist.
Twelve of Sam’s sixteen-dog team range in age from 18 to 20 months. Four dogs are between 3 and 4 years old. Those dogs run in lead. It’s important for the yearlings to have a good experience and running behind young but dependable leaders helps build confidence in the youngsters and offers leadership-training opportunities.
Sam appreciates the vote of confidence from the Seaveys in asking him to run the youngsters to Nome again. He’s creating the base for the great Seavey racing machine. Dallas and Mitch will run to Nome this year with some of the same pups that Sam ran in 2008. From the position of standing on the brake and snow hook as Sam donned his anorak, fur hat and mittens, it was clear that the dogs were excited and ready to leave Skwentna. Keep an eye on Team Seavey – Mitch, Dallas and Sam as the race moves down the trail.
