La Pine Mushing Event - Sunday

Sunday morning saw us back on the trail heading toward the staging area.

Team Nookies arriving at the staging area.

While Team Nookies watered, a remarkable demonstration of the large team's skill was unfolding on the other side of the staging area. Jill Wilson passed two eight-dog teams pulling quads heading out on the trails as she came down the hill into the staging area with Team Dashing, her six-dog team.

Jill then, with only inches to spare, verbally drove her team between a departing eight-dog team pulling a yellow quad and a ten-dog team being hooked up...

A few minutes later, Team Nookies hit the trails to run the 4 mile loop...

 A happy, tired Team Nookies successfully made it back to the staging area.

  Team Nookies - Trask, Cedar and Koyuk

After a brief rest, we headed back along the river to the campground...

where we met with other Chinooks and their owners.

Hooking all the La Pine Mushing Event participating Chinooks to a gangline was a tradition started last year. Sunday afternoon 13 Chinooks were harnessed and clipped to one long gangline running through the trees behind my campsite.

 A last minute untangling by Lindsay McCann.

Two excited Silvertree Chinooks pups lead the team. A stout tree held them back.

 Partway back Oscar howled with delight.

 Thirteen Chinooks - what a beautiful sight!