"My Poor Body"
11/04

I took out an eight dog team from my yard this morning and they did great. When I got back I hooked up a ten dog team, even though it was getting warm. Let's just say that it did not go smoothly. I was running Valeska and Kasper in lead, Pando and Liv in swing; my team dogs were Hailee and Kyia, Boo and Turbo; in wheel was Kadar and Mannie.  

It was going smoothly until about half way into the run. A bunch of people were working on a house and they were standing in the yard chatting away. Kasper (who can be a jerk in lead sometimes) thought he would go into the yard for a visit. We only got a short way into the yard when I said "Valeska, on-by" (through my teeth...and with a very red face) and she dragged his butt the right way, along with Pando's help (I could really see Pando shaking her head in disgust with his performance). Hailee and Liv were very disappointed that they did not get to visit.

  Would I be writing this if that was my story? No way! We were almost home when I thought that I would be a good sport (since it was warm) and I would pickup the tire that we were dragging so that they could get up the hill easier. I turned the tires towards the side of the road and fastened the brake with the Velcro strap. I was thinking that it would take me one second to pick up the tire, and the dogs would want a second to breathe (yes I know that you are never supposed to go behind your team). The new Velcro hates me! It sort of went like this: the Velcro let go of the brake and a truck was coming very fast towards us. In Kasper's mind this meant lets go, so they went. I held onto the chain that is hooked to the tire to try and slow them down. As I worked my way up the chain, the truck slowed and in my mind I thought "I have to pull the brake to stop them."  I was running as fast as I could, pulled the brake, and somehow the ATV sucked me underneath it. Both of my legs got sucked under the tires, I heard something in my back make a terrible sound, I was in so much pain. The man drove up alongside my team, his window already down, he looks down at me under my ATV and says "Well, the dogs were almost faster than you" and he drove away. This was one of those rare moments when I was rendered speechless...mostly due to the fact that my mouth was full of vomit. I spit it out and pulled my broken body out from under the ATV. I was grunting and making all sorts of noises and the dogs were looking at me with disgust since after all they could not keep going with my lump of a body stuck under the tires. I still do not know how I made it home. All I know is that I said some really really bad things to Kasper and I was really wondering why I do this to myself.  

My head feels fine. It is about the only thing that feels fine. From my neck down I hurt badly. I had to go to Ali's school for parent teacher conference and I limped, grunted and tried not to cry during the whole thing. Her teacher must think I'm nuts.  

I'm now telling myself that I must need to seek professional help. I live frugally so that I can own my dogs and do damage to my body. I'm glad that I'm surrounded by other mushers, it makes me feel somewhat sane.

<<BACK