The clouds hung low and the blowing snow created almost white-out conditions. The poor visibility made navigation tricky. We were also a little anxious about the ice conditions. We have had unseasonably warm and rainy weather in northern Minnesota and many of the lakes and rivers have thin ice and open water sections. In fact, many of the large lakes are now closed to snowmobiles because the ice conditions are so poor. When we came out of one portage trail onto the river, there was a lot of open water and some very thin ice. Snowmobile tracks went right over the thin ice and the lead dogs on our first sled tried to follow the snowmobile tracks. Nancy was driving the first sled and luckily she was able to stop the team long enough for Elizabeth to ski out in front of the dogs and direct them back onto good ice.

When we were mushing across Jackfish Lake, a big lake close to the Canadian border, Elizabeth skied out in front with a hatchet and tested the ice wherever it seemed questionable. Because of the rain we've had over the last week, there was a layer of water standing on top of the ice, just below the snow crust. This slushy layer made it difficult to tell how good the ice was underneath. Elizabeth would chop a hole down into the ice below the slush, sending up a spray of water that would soak her face, hair and leather mittens.

The winter portage trail from Jackfish Lake to Basswood Lake was another adventure. On December 30 we had freezing rain that coated the trees and then on New Year's Eve the rain turned to heavy, wet snow. The ice and snow weighed down the trees and made some large branches and even some entire trees fall down. There were sections of the portage trail that were impassable. The team members broke branches and chopped small limbs with their hatchets to clear the trail for the dogs.

We decided to make camp about 4:30, about half an hour before nightfall. The slush on the lake made it difficult to find good places for the dogs to bed down for the night. We finally found hummocky grass along the shore where the dogs would be warm and dry. We also found dry places to pitch our tents.

We are happy with our first day of training. We are learning how to use our computers, digital cameras and satellite receivers in cold, humid conditions. The dogs are also enjoying being on trail and seeing new places. The dogs are now sleeping soundly and we are looking forward to doing the same!