Winter always fights back

Temperatures have dropped to below freezing again for the last day or so. Very nice for refreezing the trails! Also, for the dogs' spirits! They looooove cold and bounce around like puppies in it. When I first got Autumn, she was 8 and I had no idea whether that was "over the hill" or how long she would live. Every summer, I thought, "Oh no she looks bad. This is it, isn't it?" But every winter she'd come back. :)

The snow is now to thin and icy to ski on, but we've been doing our morning runs on the trails. Compared against Starbuck, Autumn is really slowing down, but she still covers the miles with a smile on her face! Linden hasn't even slowed down and still runs at a full gallop.

A light snow yesterday afternoon made all of our neighbors' activities visible--apparently, Ernie the Ermine is back:

(that is a penny)


(those are my size 7 tracks)



Also, there are dozens and dozens of rabbit tracks, right alongside those of Mr. Fox:




The intrigues that must occur right outside our cabin while we are fast asleep!

In other news, this weekend is Mush for Kids, a family outdoor event sponsored by the Alaska Children's Trust. I've never been, since I'd rather swim unprotected in a tank of sharks than willingly spend time with large crowds of children. But I do recall that our adoption of Starbuck was delayed last year due to her having to work at Mush for Kids. Starbuck loooooooves attention, so it was probably just as well for her to get loved on by a crowd of strangers one last time.

This year, she will be hiking with us and napping on the couch instead of entertaining children: