They break 'em in tough out there in Minto. The biggest highlight of the weekend for me was meeting mushing legend George Attla. He helped me find a place to stay and taught me a bit about waxing runners. We had some good conversations about racing outside of Alaska, and he shared some of his thoughts about hounds vs. huskies. From the brief time I was able to spend with him it was quite clear to me why he's such a great champion.
Spring is a great time of optimism for most mushers.
We can finally take a break from the immediate demands of preparing the team for the next race and step back and look at the big picture. We see more clearly where we screwed up and where we succeeded. It's easy to forget things like how disappointed and panicked you were when your main leader got hurt right before the biggest race of the season. Or how, come December, you wished you were a surfer instead of a musher. Or how hard your jaw hit the ground when the lady at the gas station in Whitehorse told you your credit card was rejected.