Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers

“BOCART MILLS” MUSHING CLINIC PRODUCES WELL-WEATHERED MUSHERS

By Lee Ormasa

     A week before the Seventh Annual Mushing Clinic, “Introduction to Mushing for Dog & Driver,” the Sierra Nevada received between a foot and three feet of snow.  As director of the Mushing Clinic I began to get inquiries from instructors about whether or not the clinic was going forward. Amazingly, I did not receive even one such inquiry from any of the students that had signed up for the clinic. I was getting a little worried – I had told the students the course was going to be taught come RAIN or SHINE. I hadn’t anticipated that I should have told them it was going forward come RAIN, or SHINE, or SNOW, or SLEET, or SLUSH, or MUD or GIANT PUDDLES. Lets face it, no instructor is crazy about driving hundreds of miles to donate their valuable time under such conditions only to have students not show. At the same time, I was worried that if the instructors started defecting, I would have a bunch of students and not enough instructors. To make things worse, news reports on TV told of the Sierra taking a big dump, many hikers were lost or stranded due to the unexpected snowstorm. Reporters from really snowy looking locations bemoaned the fate of those caught in the backcountry without adequate food or clothing. It really seemed that conditions might warrant reconsideration of whether or not to hold the clinic. The stage was set for potential disaster.

     Enter Kathy Miyoshi and Mike Callahan. “NO PROBLEMO” they told me. This was just the first snow and the ground was still warm and everyone knows up in Truckee that the first snow, especially such an October fluke, disappears in a day or two. Kathy told me the roads were all clear. Mike said there was deep snow at higher elevations [great for his first skijor of the year]  but there was not that much at lake level. It was early in the week, and so I cajoled instructors telling them not to worry. I told each student with whom I had any contact that week that the course was going forward, weather conditions notwithstanding.  While it is my personal opinion that no weather conditions found in the Sierra should ever warrant the cancellation of an SNDD Mushing Clinic,  it became obvious that my personal opinion was being tested by these conditions.  A couple of days before the clinic, Gary Wagner went out and measured snow depths of three and a half inches in the Levorsen Cabin driveway and six inches at Hobart Mills. It was going to be close. Bikejoring and Scootering were going to be interesting under those conditions.

     Friday night Kathy Miyoshi and I arrived at the Levorsen’s Cabin to discovery the driveway still covered by at least a couple of inches of snow. Temperatures had not cooperated with us during the week. The snowpack was holding amazingly long for such an early snow because of the low temperatures and lack of sun. We were just going to have to go out to Hobart Mills in the morning and deal with whatever conditions we met. The scene the next morning was not what we had hoped for all week long. The ground was still covered in at least a couple inches of snow. On top of that large puddles abounded. The road had two wheel tracks from vehicles but there was significant snow piled up between the tracks that made three-wheeled rigs difficult to steer. Bikejoring was like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Scootering was better because of the lower center of gravity. But nobody’s bike or scooter had mud flaps so every rider had mud on their clothes from the rooster tails the bikes and scooters would create as they passed through the puddles and slush. The good thing is that all the instructors and all but one student showed up for the clinic!  Special thanks to Debbie McMaster who had injured her back the week before and wasn’t at 100%.

     But amazingly when it came to running large teams of dogs with the rigs, the conditions were not overwhelming and a generally good time was had by all on Saturday despite the conditions. After finishing up at Hobart Mills we all went to Ralph & Diana Whittens’ for a tour of their kennel which was especially good this year for some reason, maybe it was the look of the kennel with the snow on the ground. It might also have been because I got to see my four Malamutes for the first time in nearly two months because they are staying with the Whittens while I am looking for new housing that will accommodate four dogs. Rain that had been predicted for Saturday night held off until just after the Whitten kennel tour ended.

     Saturday night we were fortunate to have Barb Schaefer and John Berdner show slides from their many years of volunteering at the Iditarod helping with the care and transportation home of dropped dogs. It was a great presentation enjoyed by all. In addition, Dolly Chapman gave a talk on scooters with additional input from Gary Wagner, and then Gary also talked about his Kick Sled that seemed ideal for the person with only a couple of dogs that wanted to get into mushing. It folded flat, could fit inside a passenger car, weighed only about 15 pounds and cost substantially less than a normal sprint sled. Again, both presentations were great. Of course so was the lasagna dinner and wine that Billie Callahan helped put together and prepare. It was a great end to what had started as an uncertain day, but which turned out much better than many had feared.

     Sunday we had a change of heart on the location for Sunday’s runs. Selina Topete had dropped by Saturday and told us that she had run her dogs out by Boca Reservoir on roads that were clear and in good shape. So Sunday we caravanned over to Boca Reservoir and found great conditions, despite the overcast skies, and finished the course in fine form.  The “Bocart Mills” Mushing Clinic ended up being as good as any other we have ever put on and a debt of gratitude is owed to all who volunteered to help make the clinic a success despite the conditions.

     So thanks to instructors Melissa Beers, Kathy Miyoshi, Barb Schaefer, Bill Wilkinson, Dolly Chapman, Mike Callahan and Debbie McMaster. Thanks for helping the instructors to Gary Wagner, Cam Byers, and Sage. Thanks to Vicki Rivard for a superhuman effort with an arm in a sling after surgery for all you 'contributed' including getting lunch for everyone on Saturday. Thanks to Ralph & Diana Whitten for a great kennel tour. Thanks Billie Callahan for getting and preparing Saturday night's great dinner and for helping out with the leftovers and cleanup. Thanks again to Bob Levorsen for letting the club use his cabin once again! And thanks again to Dolly and Gary for their Saturday night presentations and, of course, to Barb for her stellar slide show. And thanks Selina for cluing us in on the Boca Reservoir.

     See you all next year!