January 23rd
We finally received a taste of winter this
past week and no one was complaining about
global warming and it looks like the next
two weeks will be more favourable
temperatures for dog sledding. The snow
fall varies from very little to too much in
different places . By the first of March
things will all be settled down and the
Torch River Run will once again be a great
race We have some sponsorships, however we
could always use more. If anyone has any
ideas please let me know. The Eskers are
being cleared from last summers wind storm
and all volunteers along the trail have been
confirmed for this year. A special
news bulletin--- A well known
local musher has changed from feeding bones
to hay to his new special animals
Until next time Happy Trails from The Old
Grey Fox
January 7, 2012
It is now January 8th but it looks and
feels more like spring time. Some people figure
this is great, but for those of us in the sport
of dog sledding it is the last thing we want to
see
Most people that I have talked to are
still bouncing around on their quads behind the
dogs. Several races have already changed dates
and have already made alternative routes due to
the lack of snow and river ice.
The Torch River Run, as of today has 10
entries in the 6 dog race, with several more
indicated that they are coming, however the 10
dog event has no entries and no indication of
anyone interested.
The board made a decision to cancel
the 10 dog race for this year, however we will
accommodate extra teams in the 6 dog race.
I hope to meet a lot of you over the winter
months at different events and at our race on
March 1st –3rd
Happy Trails for now from the Old Gray
Fox
December 4, 2011
It is hard to believe that it is already Dec
4th. It is the time of the year most
mushers dread, as it is too cold and too
rough for quads and this year there is not
yet enough snow for sledding, so far. The
directors have been working hard on
obtaining sponsorships, but we still have a
way to go to reach our goal. There has been
a great renewal of new comers interested in
the sport this winter, most of them intend
to run our 6 dog event.
As of yet we have no official entries,
remember that early entry fee closes on
December 31st, and on the first of January
the entry fee goes up by 50 %.. Hope to see
most of you before the end of the year.
Good luck in your training
Stewart Elliott
The Old Grey Fox
Sept 30th 2011
Hope everyone has had a great summer
although it might be hard to think about dog
racing when the temperatures are in the 20’s,
but the nights are cooling and by now I imagine
that most of you has had a few training runs in
Louise and I had a relatively busy summer.
We celebrated our 50th Anniversary in July, went
to a memorial service in British Columbia,
found time to golf close to 60 times. We also
built a small Greenhouse. If you think that dogs
take a lot of water in the summertime, just try
green housing, but the cucumbers and tomatoes
were awesome. I recently attended a seminar
sponsored by the Canadian Challenge. Dr. Ruth
Sims, long time Challenge vet gave a very
information talk on what to watch for on the
trail, and how to treat injuries. Karen Ramsted
a long time musher from Alberta spoke on
training and conditional in preparation for
racing. Probably the most interesting thing that
came out of the seminar was that in light of
what has happen in the dog sledding business
over the last year, is the importance of the
responsibility we have for our dogs from birth
to death. Remember good news spread slow , but
when something goes wrong it spreads like
wildfire.
The organization for the March 1st –3rd
2012 Torch River Run is well underway. It will
be run the same as last year, We have had some
severe wind storms this past summer, we are
using snowmobile trails and that they will
likely be cleaned up before race time, We should
know for sure before Christmas.
At this time I would like to invite
all the former entrants back for this up-coming
race. From information that I have been
receiving there are some very excited new comers
that want to join the fun and fellowship that
our race offers.
We are receiving some extra promotion for our
race. On Saturday, October 22nd there will be
an article about the Torch River Run in the
Saskatoon Star Phoenix and the Regina Leader
Post.
Until next time, Happy Trails from the Old
Gray Fox
Stewart Elliott
President
Torch River Run
