Mike Dillingham: Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers: The Adventures of Balto, Back of the Pack, Honor Bound, Rivers

After Randy put us in harness and in our team positions, Mike came to us and talked to us while Randy slipped into the truck for a few minutes.

“Team,” Mike said very softly so that only we could hear him. “I am very proud of you and the way you committed to Randy for his first race. I wish I could be driving you in this one, but it looks like our day for racing together will have to wait. Nevertheless, it will come and I promise you that we will all race together someday.” I noticed a bit of sadness in Mike’s voice.

“Nitro,” Mike called out, “while you may not be the lead dog today or tomorrow, you are the one in charge of making sure that Randy is safe. I am sure some of the teams out there might not play by the rules. Your job, Nitro, is to make sure that Randy does not get hurt, and lead him out of trouble if there is any.”

Nitro barked that he understood.

“Brownie,” Mike said, “I want you to keep an eye on Doc. You and Christmas need to keep the pulling weight off him. Moreover, if you think he is hurting, let Randy know. Christmas will help you do that, but she also needs to keep watch over her pups since this is their first race.”

Brownie barked that he knew what Mike expected of him.

“Christmas, “Mike said. “I am asking a lot of you in your first race. Pull some of Doc’s load, watch over your babies and help lead. I know you can do it. You, like the rest of the team, have shown me you are a true champion and a credit to your Husky heritage.”

Lakota told me that Christmas licked Mike’s check. Yes, there was a special bond developing between Mike and Christmas, just as Sandy had said there would be.

“Ugly,” Mike called out. “I want you to help Christmas with the pups. Make sure that they do not get into trouble or mischief. They are good dogs, but they are young and may want to play. Help Christmas to keep them focused. Okay?”

Ugly barked. While Ugly might be the joke master among us, the pups knew that when Ugly was serious, play time was over.

I heard Mike give Fin some special encouragement also. Fin deserved it. He had worked very hard with us for this race. I hoped he would race with us again.

“Lakota,” Mike said, “I need you to help Nitro to protect Randy on the trail. I know you are shy, but I also know you are very protective of your teammates, the pups and me. I am asking you to do the same for Randy. Okay?”

Lakota barked and told me he was surprised to hear what Mike asked him to do, but he, like the rest of us, was devoted to Mike and would do whatever Mike asked. I knew that between Nitro and Lakota, no harm would come to Randy.

I heard Mike come over to me. He put his hands on each side of my face and whispered very softly that he was proud of me and to have a great time with this race. He promised me our racing day would come. Yes Mike, I know it will and I will be there for you as you have been there for me since we met.

I heard Randy come out of the truck and Lakota told me he had on a new blue and red storm suit. They were the same colors as his sled bag.

“Mister Mike,” Randy said. “Thank you for the new storm suit, but my old suit was still good. I did not need a new one.”

“Yes Randy, I know, but I wanted your first race to be special so I got you one that matches your team colors.”

Mike said, “Randy, I want to talk to you about this race before you get started. I found out that Dylan Crawford is running in this race. He is a bully and picks on the smaller racers. He likes to steal stuff while mushers are sleeping.” He has been caught several times, but no one pressed the issue because Dylan’s dad, Mister Crawford, is a real bad character.”

“I will be okay Mister Mike, you have no need to worry,” Randy said, but I noticed the concern in Randy’s voice.

“I am sure you can take care of yourself, Randy, but I want to give you some ideas that will make taking care of yourself a bit easier. Okay?”

Mike continued, “First, try to break or rest in places where other mushers are present. I doubt if Dylan will try anything if there are a lot of others present. When you camp for the night at the checkpoint, try to bed down near GB Jones or Stan Smith. GB is the race marshal and Stan is helping with monitoring the racers. Both are friends of mine and know you are racing our team.”

“When you bed down for the night, move Nitro and Lakota together, and bed down by them. Also, move all of the equipment to one side of the sled. Let Doc sleep in the sled basket on the extra blanket. Besides helping Doc rest after the run, he will start barking if anyone comes near the basket, that is if Rivers does not hear him first and warn you and the other dogs.”

Mike told Randy, “I understand that Dylan is not too, uh, bright. So just use your wits and avoid trouble. It might be smart to let him stay ahead of you. That way you can keep an eye on him. Let him beat you to the finish line. Winning is not the most important thing here. The important thing is to run a good race by the rules, display sportsmanship and take care of your dogs and yourself.”

“Okay Mister Mike, I understand and will do as you ask,” Randy replied. His voice sounded more confident, now that he had an idea of what to do to avoid a problem with Dylan.

“Team 7, you have two minutes.” Lakota told me that seven was our number. Wow, this was going to be an interesting race after all. Bad guys on the trail, Christmas’ and the pups’ first race, Doc not up to 100 percent and Randy racing for the first time. Who knew what else we would run into.

We moved into the starting chute. Randy came by each one of us and gave us a big hug. We were ready. I heard the timekeeper say “30 seconds.” Lakota told me that Randy made a last minute check of our lines and harnesses.

“Fifteen seconds” and I heard Randy get on the runners.

“Five” and I heard the pups bark with excitement. They were ready to go.

“Four” and Doc yelled that this was just like old times. He was one happy dog!

“Three” and Lakota asked me if I was ready. “Yes,” I replied. “Let’s rock!”

“Two” and Randy yells,” Team ready!”

“One” and then Randy’s “Hike. Hike.” We all leaned into our harnesses and took off down the trail. The race was on, and so was this adventure. And the last voice I heard from the cheering crowd was Mike’s: “Be safe and have fun.”

The trail was very fast and we were making good time. Doc’s strategy was to use the first few miles to get our stride and pace ourselves. He wanted to see what the other teams had. Our plan was to finish in good standing, get the pups, Christmas and Randy some race experience, and have a good time.

After a mile or so, the pups settled down and started to work with us in the team. We talked to them and they told us they were really enjoying this. I know that Tundra was watching every move Doc made and listening to every word Doc barked. She was very intent on learning from her hero.

The sled was a breeze to pull. It was very nimble and Randy was doing a great job of driving it. While we carried a lot more gear than was required, we had no trouble moving the sled at a very fast pace.

The pups surprised us by how powerful they were. Lakota told me that Doc’s tug lines were barely taut, meaning that he was not pulling much weight. That is what Mike wanted, but I did not think Mike expected the pups to want to pull more than their share.

No teams passed us on the trail, which might have meant that all the other teams were holding back and would make their move tomorrow, after we had left the checkpoint. This is an experienced musher’s strategy. I guessed the rookies were learning from the experienced mushers. Nitro wished he knew what position this Dylan character had started in. Was he in front of us or behind us?