February 15, 2026: Sled Dog Championship

We hit the winter trifecta this year:  Pond Hockey, Fishing Derby, and this weekend, the World Championship Sled Dog Derby.

Pulling hard in the Six-Dog Classic race on Saturday.

This year was the 97th running of this championship race event, and the conditions were perfect.  The snow was deep, firm, and dry, and the track packed down well.  It seemed like the teams were moving fast this year.

We went on Saturday morning to see the 6-dog competition.  The teams went out on the track at two minutes intervals, and the starts were exciting as the handlers did their best to keep the highly energized, impatient athletes in place waiting for the starting gun.

The starting line is loud and hectic with the dogs barking relentlessly as if saying "let's go already!"  But when they finally get released, the team becomes silent, and it's all business.

Almost time

And...  they're off!

Teams in the unlimited class, which ran in the afternoon, can have a dozen or more dogs, but even the six-dog teams go fast.  (I left the audio track in so you'll get the international flavor of the event.)

There's a wide range of breeds that run; I think this was the most handsome team.

By the time the teams are are coming back to the finish line, their demeanor is not quite as enthusiastic as at the start, and long dangling tongues prove they put all their effort into the race for their musher.  Here's the same team at the start, and then at the finish:

Start

Finish

Here's another team:

The start

And the finish

Snow plastered on the faces of the second and third row shows why it pays to work hard to be the lead dog!

The races continue today with the six-dog Classic at 10:00, the three-dog Juniors at 12:00, the one-dog Juniors at 12:40, and the unlimited at 1:30.  The best place to watch is the start-finish line right across from the State School on North Main Street in Laconia.

I'll close with a status of my bird count through Saturday:

7 black-capped chickadees, 3 tufted titmice, 3 white-breasted nuthatches, 2 red-breasted nuthatches, 1 downy woodpecker, 1 hairy woodpecker, and 1 red-bellied woodpecker  

Nothing unexpected, but it was nice for the Red-bellied Woodpecker to make an appearance.

I saw no goldfinches, juncos, mourning doves, or even squirrels, but there's still today to observe.  Tom Crane has all the doves this winter - here's a photo he took:

I count 18 mourning doves enjoying the sun in Tom's yard over looking Lake Wicwas.

So we're at the end the major winter events in the Lakes Region, though the Alton Bay Ice Runway is still operational, and next Saturday, the Meredith Conservation Commission is leading a guided snowshoe trip at the Page Pond Town forest, and there are still a couple of spots available.  If you're interested you can find the details on the Meredith Conservation Commission website here.

February 13, 2022: Superb Owl Sunday

No, I didn't coin the term "Superb Owl Sunday" but I think it's great!  Owls are among the first birds to nest each year, and barred owls, our largest and most common owls, are already looking for mates and nesting sites, so SuperbOwl Sunday is a good time to listen for their calls, whether it's to woo a mate or to defend its nesting territory.  I've heard a few in the area but haven't seen any this winter, so here's picture from three years ago, one of my favorite stories of a barred owl which you can find in the February 17, 2019 post.

A barred owl watches over the bird feeder.

Yesterday we went to the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog races, a three day event that went off with excellent snow conditions on the trails.  It's always fun to watch the dogs pull with such energy and enthusiasm, sometimes a little too much enthusiasm as when they get all tangled up at the start because they can't wait to get running.  We saw no such problems at the start of the six-dog teams on Saturday, but boy it takes an effort to keep all that excitement in control as they await their starting gun.

Bringing the first team out, one handler for each dog.

Some pretty high tech equipment.

These dogs want to run!

And they're off!

Next was team number two, another team with only five dogs, one less than allowed:

Bringing team number two the the starting line.

This handler has to manage two pups.

Raring to go.

And when the gun goes off you'd better get out of  the way,

because these guys aren't going to wait for you to move!

Team number two is off to the races.

Someone on team six was pretty excited:

Jumping for Joy.

Here they go:

Get out of the way!

It takes about 17 to 20 minutes for the six-dog teams to run their course; here team number one comes down the final stretch to the finish line.

The dogs look tired at the end, but it's hard work for the mushers too.

There was some tight racing on Saturday's six-dog classic.  Here, three teams bunched up just before the finish line.

Teams three, four, and five in a tight race.

It also shows that the mushers don't just stand on the sled, going along for the ride - note musher three working hard to keep things upright.

If you have never been to watch the races, it's definitely something to experience.  It's also interesting to think about how much canines have changed over the millennia, from wild wolves to domesticated dogs, comfort animals, service dogs, and loving pets.

But that's not all.  The Meredith fishing derby is also taking place this weekend.  We went out on Meredith Bay to see the action (and maybe get a snack from the Boy Scouts) and there was a lot going on as always.  

A whole village materializes on Meredith Bay in winter.

The leader board at derby headquarters on Meredith Bay.

I was impressed to see that Lake Wicwas was well represented on the leader board:  The largest pickerel and the largest black crappie - as of Saturday noon time - were both from Wicwas!

A  24", 3.6 pound pickerel from Lake Wicwas.

And a 13.5", 1.3 pound black crappie.

Those are some impressive fish coming out of our lake.

Lots of action on Lake Wicwas on Saturday.

This weekend is also the NH Audubon Backyard Winter Birdy Survey, and you can still participate as it runs through the end of today (February 13th).  You can find all the information on how to participate and submit your observations here.  On Saturday I observed nine different species, and am hoping to see a couple more today.

A white breasted nuthatch participates in the winter bird count.

Sorry for another long post, but it was quite a weekend up here at the Lakes.  Let's go Rams, Bengals, and Owls!

February 15, 2020: World Championship Sled Dog Races

I'm posting this early in case anyone wants to go out tomorrow to see this amazing event.  Mushers from as far away as Canada, Michigan, and Minnesota travel to compete in this event right here in Laconia.

Rachel Colbath from Gilford, wearing bib number 1.

And with winter weather not reliable anymore, it doesn't happen every year, so when it does it's worth experiencing.  The trail conditions this year are excellent, and the weather tomorrow should be as beautiful as today and a little warmer.

Laconia Country Club was a beautiful setting for the races.

The start and finish are at the Laconia Country Club this year - a big thank you to them for hosting the event.  All the information regarding race times (10:00am to 1:30pm tomorrow) are on the Lakes Region Sled Dog Club website.  The first musher of the day was Rachel Colbath from Gilford!

Entering the start area.

A fun part of the day is getting to walk around the staging area and see all dogs and how excited they are.  It takes a lot of support to keep the dogs in control as they're getting ready for the start of the race.  They make a lot of noise at the start (but by the end they're not making a peep, and their long dangling tongues show how much effort they expended).

These dogs want to run.

C'mon, let's go!

And when they're off, you'd better get out of the way.

And they're off.

Sometimes they are a little too excited and things get tangled up as happened to one team right after the start.

The lead dog looks back as if to say "what are you guys doing  back there?"

But help was on hand to quickly get things straightened out and the team back on their way.

The race we watched was the "open" division and we saw teams from 8 to 14 dogs.  They move fast, and the musher has to really be careful on the turns to keep the sled on the track.

Total focus to keep control of the sled.

The teams start at three minute intervals to give each musher plenty of time to get their team settled and moving, but a faster team may catch up and need to pass the team in front of them.  There's a twisty, downhill section right before the finish, and one musher lost control and flipped his sled - with another team right on his tail.

Man down!

But did that stop those dogs?  Nope.

There were a few moments of chaos and tangled dogs, sleds, and humans.

Two teams intertwined.

But both teams regained their composure and finished the race, though the flipped musher looked a little bedraggled!

It's an impressive scene, one definitely seeing if you have the chance tomorrow.  It's as thrilling as it is beautiful!

Sled dogs running in New Hampshire's White Mountains.