Apr
il 20
Issu 15
e
MONTANA MOUNTAIN MUSHERS Newsletter
since 1975
www.montanamountainmushers.com
Pam Beckstrom, editor
Spring MMM MEETING
Saturday, APRIL 25, at the Morrell
Creek Trailhead, Seeley Lake, at
noon. A-L bring a salad or side
dish and M-Z bring a dessert.
MMM will provide dogs, buns,
condiments and beverages.
PLEASE INVITE any new mushers
or other interested people to the
meeting. Elections are held at
this meeting.
DUES for MMM are $20 for an
i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p ( vo t i n g
privileges, receives all notices,
newsletters, invitations to meetings
and events) and $30 for a family
membership. Associate memberships
are available to our out-of-state friends
for a $10 donation and they will
receive an associate member
certificate and newsletter.
If you would like to advertise in the
next newsletter, you must be a paid
member of Montana Mountain
Mushers.
Submissions are due June 15,
September 15, December 15 and
March 15.
Send membership checks to: Jack
Beckstrom, MMM Treasurer, Box 76,
Olney, MT 59927/ e-mail
[email protected].
Race Results
MMM Members
West Yellowstone Rodeo Run
December 18-20, 2014
12 dog, 32 miles/day
1st place, Brett Bruggeman, 5:10:31
3rd place, Rob Greger, 5:24:18
4th place, Clayton Perry, 5:54:47
8 dog, 22 miles/day
2nd place, Charlotte Mooney, 3:13:26
4th place, Spencer Bruggeman, 3:18:03
7th place, Rick Larsen, 3:46:52
9th place, Shane Pearson, 4:38:37
6 dog, 12 miles/day
12th place, Jenny Greger, 55:57
18th place, Chase Bruggeman, 1:00:16
4 dog, 4 miles/day
8th place, Leah Anderson, 43:10
Skijoring, 4 miles/day
2nd place, Tony Sleznick, 41:25
4th place, Colette Whelan, 52:59
John Beargrease Marathon, January 25, 2015
5th place, Jenny Greger
MMM Newsletter, P.O. Box 76, Olney, MT 59927 | 406-881-2909 | www.montanamoutainmusher.com
MONTANA MOUNTAIN MUSHERS Newsletter!
Race Results - Montana Mushers
Conconully Super Mush, Jan. 23-25
6 dog, 9 miles
2nd place, Jean Wise, 1:19:48
PAGE
(cont’d.)
4 dog, 6 miles, 1 day
1st place, Jean Wise, 29:10
3rd place, Sonya McCloney, 56:28
8 dog mid-distance, 24 miles
3rd Jean Wise, 4:15:50
6 mile skijor
3rd place, Tony Sleznick, 34:09
5th place, Colette Whelan, 35:38
Priest Lake Sled Dog Race, February 7-8
Race to the Sky, Feb. 8-14
8 dog sprint, 5.5 miles
1st place, Brandi Williamson
300 mile distance
1st place, Jessie Royer, 51:44:00
2nd place, Aiyana Ferraro, 52:07:00
3rd place, Brett Bruggeman, 58:16:00
Flathead Classic, Feb. 28-March 1
6 dog, 13 miles
2nd place, Charlotte Mooney, 1:39:51
3rd, Jean Wise, 1:44:18
4th place, Jenny Greger, 1:49:23
6 dog, 8 mile
1st place, Jenny Greger, 57:42
2nd place, Charlotte Mooney, 1:00:59
4 dog, 4 miles
2nd place, Jean Wise, 25:36
West Yellowstone Special Stage Race,
March 21-22
8 dog, approx. 13 mile staged, 3 days
1st place, Jenny Greger, 2:18:36
3rd place, Charlotte Mooney, 2:22:06
8th place, Matt Stimpson, 2:36:57
11th place, Rob Greger, 2:40:47
19th place, Clayton Perry, 3:02:45
Darby Dog Derby
January 17-18
8 dog, 23 mile each day
3rd place, Rick Larson, 4:56:22
5th place, Steve Riggs, 5:04:31
6 dog, 14 miles, 6 miles day two
4th place, Jean Wise, 1:50:10
7th place, Brandi Williamson, 2:18:27
100 mile distance (adult)
2nd place, Doug Ferraro, 16:44:00
5th place, Steve Riggs, 17:39:00
7th place, Martin Koenig, 18:03:00
8th place, 18:19:00
100 mile distance (junior)
1st place, Spencer Bruggeman, 16:15:00
Root Beer Classic, March 8-9, 2015
6 dog, 12 mile
1st place, Jean Wise
1 dog skijor
1st place, Nikki Meyer
Thanks to Montana organizers:
Charlotte Mooney, West Yellowstone Races
Nicki Arndt, Darby Dog Derby
Brandi Williamson, Darby Dog Derby
Colette Whelan, Darby Dog Derby
Brett Svetlik, Flathead Classic
Wendy Riggs, Flathead Classic
Steve Riggs, Flathead Classic
Roy Etnire, Race to the Sky
Jack Beckstrom, Flathead Classic, Root Beer Classic
& Race to the Sky
& Pam Beckstrom, Flathead Classic, Root Beer
Classic & Race to the Sky
MMM Newsletter, P.O. Box 76, Olney, MT 59927 | 406-881-2909 | www.montanamountainmushers.com
2
MONTANA MOUNTAIN MUSHERS Newsletter!
PAGE
3
SOLDIER: A SLED DOG’S JOURNEY
It wasn’t even midnight when
we received the call. Both dogs
were loose and had escaped by
either jumping the six foot fence
or jumping off the roof of the
house. Fireworks had scared
them. Our friends formed an
immediate search party and
combed the area.
Later, Captain was found on the
outskirts of town headed west
on the highway (the direction
we came from).
A friend
recognized him, scared,
exhausted and confused.
Nobody saw Soldier. Because
they were teammates as sled
dog, I just assumed they would
stick together.
Our friends
followed the highway and
county roads back to our home.
We finally called off the search
and hoped for a phone call or
sightings in the coming days.
We returned home with only
Captain. Days went by. We
posted signs, sent e-mails, posted
notices online, talked to friends,
checked shelters. Soldier was
the shy one of the two dogs and
would only respond if you knew
his name. Weeks went by with
sub-zero temperatures and lots
of new snow.
I continued to keep my hopes
up. Finally, the phone rang and
it was a possible sighting of
Soldier in Kalispell.
This
turned out to be a goose chase I
was upset.
A few more days passed and
Soldier’s story was getting out
there. I received another phone
call about a possible sighting just
down the road.
The man
couldn’t get close enough to get
a good description but he said it
was a skinny, husky-looking dog
with floppy ears. The man had
been leaving food outside for his
dogs for some time and he
thinks this dog might have been
scavenging what was left for
several days.
the stairs to the back door. I
looked through the glass and
assumed it was Captain.
I
paused and looked at Captain
who was inside, asleep on his
dog bed next to me. I look
again. That’s not Captain, it is
Soldier staring at me through
the glass. I quickly jumped up,
slide the door open and caught
him in my arms, a little more
skinny, much more smelly but
home, nonetheless. I wished he
could tell me what had gone on
all those seventy days and that I
could tell him I never gave up.
To all the mushers out there
who have lost dogs to an array
of circumstances: Never give up
on any weary sled dog who may
have lost its way.
Brett Svetlik
I headed over, called in the
woods and started my search
routine. More flyers, another
day, another sighting. This time
the dog was running down K-M
Ranch Road.
I left flyers,
searched and called for him.
The description seemed pretty
close.
Another day, another
week, another two feet of snow.
When do I give up?
It’s now March 11, seventy days
later. We were watching our
friend’s dog, Piper. The same
friends who were watching
Captain and Soldier for their
New Year’s escape. Piper was
outside and I heard her run up
MMM Newsletter, P.O. Box 76, Olney MT 59927, 406-881-2909, www.montanamountainmusher.com
Captain and Soldier with Brett
It was New Year’s Eve 2014. We
were headed to Missoula to
celebrate the beginning of a
new year. We had adopted two
retired sled dogs in the fall
named Captain and Soldier.
We left the boys at a friend’s
house to go out.