With love, from winter: come as you are

People rarely meet others with an ability to see or accept them exactly as they are. Whether we admit it or not, we inadvertently meet others with judgement or expectations about what they will or will not be. We may look up to others, or we may look down.



Part of the beauty of the U.P., and of the mushers I call friends, is I have never been met with anything but a "come as you are" acceptance. People are real. There is no pretense. This is part of the allure of the Upper Peninsula for me.

Growing up in a family who spent so much time on the water, I looked forward to every weekend on the boat, anticipated it. It seemed I could smell the water in my dreams. Some look forward to a long-awaited, exciting vacation to Disney World or an amusement park; nature was always my amusement park.

This season, and this race - the Jack Pine - meant so much to me this year. Working toward that goal, training my young fur kids, making sacrifices. Even fora 30 mile race, these things are present.

But getting together at races is more than just about racing. It's about seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and celebrating - sort of like a reunion.

Driving over 2,000 miles in four days is exhausting enough. But add to that running a 30 mile dogsled race, staying up chatting with friends, not eating well, sleep deprivation...and saying good bye to five of my beloved Gwennie puppies ...to say I am exhausted is an understatement!

I'll start with the pups. One by one, I loaded them into a small crate in my truck, and Gwennie became increasingly distressed to see them loaded, one by one.

First we arrived at the home of sprint racer, Jane Schramm and her beautiful family.


Jane stands with her son and their two new pups, Annie and Two Star

Jane has been driving dogs a long time, and has a small kennel of thirteen dogs in Indian River, in northern lower Michigan. She also spends her days working in the Cheboygan County Humane Society, so she knows a lot about dogs. She helped me vaccinate all the pups with their first puppy shots, and left me the sweetest gift: a three page note from Annie and Two Star about how happy they will be as real racing sleddogs! Jane also sent me off with a sweet little treat: a five gallon bucket (mushers always need buckets!) chock full of goodies for the trail. What an amazingly generous gift!


Jane's son holds his new puppy, Two Star

Then it was off to Marquette to meet friends Tim and Angie Looney from Iowa, and Kathleen Kimball-Baker from Minnesota.


New sleddog mamas Kathleen Kimball-Baker (left) and Angie Looney (right) get acquainted with their new fur kids, Ginsberg and Maggie, respectively

I held my emotions in check while passing off Gwennie's babies to begin new adventures. Kathleen, however, got emotional on seeing Gins, who she calls her "dream come true."


Kathleen tears up while hugging Gins

On the way down from Marquette, in Manistique along the Lake Michigan shore, it all hit me. My puppies - who I watched take their first breath, eat their first bite of food - were gone. The weekend I had trained for and looked forward to, was over.

In a whirlwind, the weekend, the race, the reunion - it was all over before I knew it. Suddenly I was alone, exhausted, heading southbound on Route 2. The only thing to do was to stop along the way and shoot some photos. Hopefully they express the beauty and peace I see in this landscape.


Jumble ice along Lake Michigan, Manistique, Michigan


More jumble ice

Some are drained by the snow and cold. I leave the Upper Peninsula recharged, focused, and sad to return to Ohio every time.


Lighthouse along Lake Michigan, Manistique, Michigan


With love, from the U.P. winter


Many, many thanks to this guy, my friend Jon Mattsen, who is as real as they come and helped me get to the Jack Pine this season. Jon also won 7th place in the race! Congrats, Jon, and thanks for being there

The story of how I came to receive the red lantern in the Jack Pine, and the significance of the red lantern award, belongs in a post all its own...

Random photos

Ah, the "holi-daze." A time to gather with friends and family. Celebrations, parties, get togethers.

I was fortunate to spend this Thanksgiving with good friends from days past.


Mark and Kim


Snapping photos of friends snapping photos


Dan and Kim

And fortunate enough to have a few drinks with them. And bold enough to take some photos of random people dancing at the bar we were at.
These are some images from that night.




"Playing with light"


"Dance"


"Sultry"

Dog training is in full swing now and the dogs are amped. I'm beginning to feel like my old self again now that I have my cart all repaired and am back on the trails with the doggies.

That's all for now! Been too busy running dogs to write much lately!

The kindness of strangers, and those not so strange

Chris and my anniversary was yesterday. As a gift, Chris put up a hammock for me in the dog yard! Now I can rest and recover and still be outside and with the dogs!

I have been blessed.

So many things I am thankful for these days, the gratitude wells up inside of me several times a day and I tear up. So many emails I have received from friends, family and even total strangers offering up blessings, well-wishes, encouragement and kind words. It has been truly humbling and I want to say a huge THANK YOU to every person who has been there.

Some recent email excerpts that have moved me:

Amy, a doggie rescue friend:
"hi shannon, i don't wanna bug you since you are fresh out of the hospital and have just been through a hellish life-changing experience....but i wanted to tell you that i had something for you, i wanted to send it to you while you were in the hospital but i wasn't sure where you were....please let me know if and when you are feeling up to it, if you ever wanna meet, i'd love to meet you and see your dogs/kennel....i hope you are doing well, i've been reading your blogs and stuff and am just so amazed, you are very talented! i really would love to meet sometime and see your doggies, i have always been obsessed with alaska and recently watched the whole season of "iditarod" from itunes it was sooooo cool."

Amanda, a young woman just getting into dog mushing:
"I wanted to let you know how much your recent journal entries have touched me... I so admire your strength and resiliency, and your tenacity in not giving up after such a rough year is so incredible to see. You are a true hero, Shannon, and I'm sure that anyone that reads your blog can see that! Thank you again for sharing your story and for writing with such honesty even when you are in dark places.

Jen, my childhood best friend:
"It has been absolutely amazing to see the battles that you have come through these last several weeks (even longer if you count the original surgery). Your posts have been heart-wrenching at times and totally hilarious at others, but always so genuine. I appreciate your candor and how you just tell it like it is. :-)

Well, I want you to know that my boys and I have been praying for you EVERYDAY since this whole ordeal began and we have no plans of stopping! Even my students at school have been praying for you, too. We're believing that this will all turn out for good (even better than 'good')."

My friend Sherry Sutherby in Michigan:
"You appear at peace. You remind me of people in my life who trust God ~ totally ~ without reservation. Who have total peace because they know they are NOT in control. They do their best each day, but God is going to provide for them, and make them safe. Your peacefulness comes through your writing...and spreads to others. I'm happy for you."

Phil in Illinois:
"Hello Shannon, In following your posts and offering support during your recent horrible ordeal, I learned a lot about you. You're a great writer, a musher and a very strong and brave person. I wish you the best in your continued recovery. Your posts have been very interesting and I look forward to reading them. My thoughts and prayers are with you."

Lindsey in Colorado:
"Hey Shan. I just wanted to let you know I am thinking of you and doing my best to send positive energy your way! I am so sorry that you have been so ill this summer, but you are such a strong and willful woman that I KNOW you have the ability to handle this. I am not a God or religious person by any means, but I do love the saying that God will not give us more than we can handle. I am thinking of you lots, and of your sweet little girls. I know how hard it is to see a parent seriously ill at such a young age. This experience will make them stronger than you can imagine. I know you can get through this! I know I am so far away, but seriously if there is anything I can do to help.. just ask. You are such a wonderful and special person, focus on getting better!! We are thinking of you and loving you!

There have been many, many more just like these: little notes or voicemails offering good karma, from friends like Tom Roig, whose mother recently passed (very sorry to hear this, Tom. I know how close you were to her); from Ed and Tasha Stielstra, from Jim Warren, Jason Barron, Tim Looney, Frank and Stacey Teasley, my Auntie Ellen, Kim and Mark Swickard, and so many more.

I try to return the emails, but I am slow to get to them. So this is a huge THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART to all of you!

I am strengthened by the blessings of my friends and family, and the kindness of strangers who are now not strangers at all.

Here is a song that I think of lately. Listen to it if you have time and are so willing. Namaste.