First training run of the 2010/2011 season!

My youngest, six-year old Elise, has grown up with the sled dogs and is a super little helper! She is very excited about harness breaking the puppies this fall and helping with dog chores. *forgive the photo, which was taken with my phone

There's nothing like it: getting up early on a crisp, fall morning and heading out to the dog yard to meet your most enthusiastic best friends ever!

Equally comforting is coming back inside after a the first successful run of the season to the smell of fresh, hot coffee.

Ah, the 2010/2011 mushing season has officially begun here at the Ranch. We had two very good runs today. The first, a four-miler, with the veterans, and the second a short, two-miler this evening with two veterans and Kerouac, our puppy from the Writers' litter.

The dogs ran flawlessly! It was like they picked right up where we left off back in April. They never skipped a beat, and Yeti, my leader who is going to be 3 next month, is shaping up to be a true gee/haw leader. I'm so proud of him!

I'm also very proud of Kerouac. At only 8 months old, I didn't know how he would do when hooked up with a team. But he was very focused and pulled hard the whole two miles!

More than anything, the best thing about today was being able to run dogs right out of the yard - what a luxury! I've always had to drive 30 minutes to train; now I literally walk outside, hook up dogs, and go. It saves so much time!

Tonight, when we went back out for a short run to break Kerouac into harness, even Gracie, my mutt of a pound dog rescue, took off and ran with the team the entire way! Silly girl!

Here's to fall, to the start of what I hope will be my best season yet, and to good fresh coffee on a crisp fall morning!