Dirt Dog Derby 2013

This last weekend my husband and I packed up for a camping trip with the dogs for mushing races. I heard about the "Dirt Dog Derby" on the SoCal Working Snow Dogs group and immediately asked the husband if we could do it. It was held near Big Bear at Holcomb Valley Campground; we set up camp at the slightly more civilized Serrano Campground. It had running water at each site and flush toilets in a well maintained bathroom so it was pretty fancy camping. We drove up Friday evening, set up our campsite, then went to Vons [Safeway] which was about 3 miles away. It temporarily really ruined the camping feeling to have the city right there! We got some pre-cooked sausages to roast for dinner and also got supplies for s'mores. Can't have a camping trip without s'mores!

 We woke up early as having missed the evening registration (thank you Army for the wonderfully slow convoy down the interstate causing 50 miles of stop and go traffic) I needed to be there at 7:00am to get my racing bib and info. I knew I'd have plenty of time to come back down from the race site after signing in so left husband and Denali at the site. I drove down the road, turned down Holcomb Valley Rd, and the road ended after a few hundred feet. I panicked. This is not where the campground is. There is nothing here. Where is Holcomb campground? What do I do?! I don't want to miss the race because I can't figure out where it is! Then I remembered the constant howling and barking all night from the RV loop of the campground. I knew people there would be up and getting ready. I drove back into the campground and the first person I saw with scooters and a dog crate in their truck I stopped. I rolled down my window and asked if they knew where the Holcomb campground was. Yep, they did, so I followed them up. Whew! We were about 15 minutes late and I was worried I would have missed something important. The organizer was still out setting flags along the trail and didn't get back until after 7:30. I signed in, got my bib, then went back down to pick up husband and Denali. The cart races were going first and they hadn't started by the time we got back up there.

A stripped ATV makes a great "cart."

There were several categories as "urban mushing" encompasses a variety of non-sled vehicles. There are carts, including stripped ATVs. There are scooters, and you can also use a bicycle. Mountain bikes are best, not a road bike or cruiser. Races were run both Saturday and Sunday, the same distance on the same course both days. Distances varied depending on event. The times were added from both races to give the participant their total time. Second and third place got medals, and last place in each event got a red lantern award. First place in each event was awarded the Golden Staff. The cart races went first, then 3-dog scooters, then 2-dog scooters, followed by bikes, then 1-dog scooters. On Sunday only there was a canicross race, which is like cross-country running but with a dog. Some dogs do pull their human during canicross but some don't.

Red Lantern
Photo by Rancy [link]

Medals
Photo by Rancy [link]

Golden Staff
Photo by Rancy [link]

Golden Staff
Photo by Rancy [link]

I only signed up for one event with Kaytu, the bikejoring. There were 5 other people in bikejor. The course was 2 and 1/2 miles. Our race on Saturday was really great! Kaytu did very well passing by the 2-dog scooters and she was fast. She ran most of the way and slowed to a trot a few times. She stopped about a mile from the end and wanted a drink, then just 1/4 mile from the finish line had to poop. We came in 3rd place with a time of 15 minutes and 13 seconds, just 23 seconds behind 2nd place and about 40 seconds behind 1st place. Very close race!

I was extremely happy with her performance!

After the race we hung around for a bit until everyone was done with their races. There were events and games planned like human-powered cart races but I really wanted a break from the crazy energy and excitement and needed to just relax. We went back down to our camp and had lunch which was a buffet of random things. Bagels with cream cheese, bananas, grapes, chips, a packet of Teriyaki noodles we added pineapple to, Gatorade, and Dove chocolate squares. After eating we laid down for a nap. I hadn't slept well at all Friday night. Dogs had been barking and howling all night and I was cold and uncomfortable, and was really excited about the races. I didn't nap for long but husband was still sleeping so I read some and then noticed Denali was digging a hole. More like a trench.

Husband woke up, I filled in the hole, and gave each dog a bully stick to keep them busy.

We went back up to Holcomb at about 4pm for the potluck dinner. We also found out the games and events had all been canceled as people felt the same way I did and just wanted to relax and nap. The potluck was great though: Burgers, potato salad, macaroni salad, chili, cookies, cake, bread and hummus. I had some of everything. We stayed for a couple hours then headed back down as it was starting to get chilly, and we didn't want to drive down the winding dirt road at night and also wanted to get a fire going at our site before sunset. We pulled off the road just after leaving to gather some dry wood. At the end of the road were two police cars, questioning another driver. They waved us down and stopped us as well. My first thought was that despite not seeing any signs or rules against collecting wood that we were going to get in trouble. Apparently husband was thinking the same but of course we weren't going to say anything to each other and I didn't find that out until later. I rolled the window down and turned the car off while an officer was finishing questioning the other driver. We heard the word "fire" mumbled a couple times but couldn't make anything out. The officer sent the other car on its way, approached me, asked for my license, and then asked if we'd seen anything suspicious. We said no, we'd been up at Holcomb with the dog mushing group at a potluck, and asked the officer if someone had started a fire. He said yes at pointed over his shoulder. Sure enough, a plume of orange-ish smoke was rising high into the sky. How did we not see that?! He said it was about 1/4 acre burned. I said, "I don't know if you can answer this, but do you know if Holcomb is being evacuated?" He said that no, it wasn't, not at this time. I was worried about the people camping up there, and it could also cancel the race in the morning.

After we got settled at our site again and started our own fire, we began to hear and see airplanes and helicopters flying over the area. A while later a ranger came by and said that due to the "situation" campfires should be kept small, not above 12" over the rim. I asked again if she knew if Holcomb would be evacuated and she said no, they weren't being evacuated as of that time. The fire had grown to a couple acres. We could tell the smoke was less, and the planes had stopped, so we assumed it was under control.

Husband and I packed up as much of our camp as we could Saturday night. Checkout from the campground is at noon and I didn't figure we'd be done with the races and ceremony and then be able to get back down and pack up all by noon so I knew we'd have to completely pack up and check out in the morning.

I slept much better Saturday night. I kept my long underwear on and adjusted my pillow and was much more comfortable. In the morning there was no smoke in the sky. They did a great job getting that under control and extinguished!

We loaded up, checked out, and went up to Holcomb for the race. Saturday I had raced wearing a tank top, long sleeve shirt, t-shirt, and a lightweight jacket. It warmed up a lot faster Sunday and a didn't have on the tank or my jacket. Kaytu still ran great despite the heat and her time was even faster than it had been Saturday. She flew! At the end I figured we'd at least get 3rd and possibly move into 2nd.


After our races both days I took her to the car to lay down with a bowl of water.

Waiting for race results!

The results are in: The final order was the same as the first day for the bikejor, Kaytu and I got 3rd place! In first place was a German Shorthair Pointer- mushing isn't just for Northern breeds! Pointers have long legs so have a long stride, and their deep chests are also an advantage for breathing. The winner had to hurry back to the Serrano campground to pack up and left before the photo op.

Kaytu and I in 3rd
Red Lantern winners
2nd place winner

I am so, so proud of Kaytu! She did fantastic and followed my commands extremely well. She also avoided getting in any scuffles even when other dogs would lunge and snap at her on the trail. Both days there were small incidents but Sunday seemed to have more- a person getting bit by their own dogs that had started fighting on the line, someone's line snapped and their dog charged at another dog and attacked it, a dog passed out during its run, a couple people hit their brakes too hard at the finish and flipped over. There was nothing too horrible or tragic; all injuries were minor and even the dog that passed out in the Sunday heat bounced back quickly after being rushed back to the campground, put in the shade, and he had cool water and ice put in his inner thighs. The fights were all noise as far as I know and no dogs hurt each other- a couple people did get bit trying to break up fights but not very badly. These are not mean or aggressive dogs, but the excitement and frustration caused by that excitement combined with the high tension on their lines can make them quick to react.

We said our goodbyes and gave many thanks to all who organized and help make this event possible then hit the road. We stopped in town to get gas, lunch, and husband wanted coffee, then we headed home. I hosed off the dogs in the yard then washed them and myself, washing away all the dirt and dust. I tied the dogs in the front yard to dry in the sun while I unloaded the car and washed my bike. Now it's time to relax!