Ellie Writes - An Editorial by Ellie Claus, winner of the Jr Yukon Quest!

John and Ellies teams in front of a Church in Tanana.	Jona's team in front of the Tanana post office and store.
Packing up the sleds in Manley.	Van Zyle's truck in Manley.
Taku on guard and the rest of Ellie's team resting in Tanana.	Dr. Sues kitchen in Manley Hot Springs: Joee Reddington, Jon Van Zyle, Ellie Claus and Jona Van Zyle.
Manley School - Ellie's Grandparents (John and Eleanor Claus), Jona and Glory Beier (the Van Zyle's Home and Kennel Guardian Angel),. The grandparets and Glory are the ones who got us to Manley and who will be taking our trucks back to the Anchorage area.	Jon and Jona and Ellie with the entire Manley school!
First night campsite in the birches, almost to Fish Lake.	Jon's team awating dessert!
Ellie and team with bulging sleds.	Crossing Fish Lake. Ellie following Fred Jordan's team.
Ellie's team crossing the Tanana River ice.	Blowing dust on the windy Tanana.`
Coming off the Tanana - up the bank to Fred Jordan' home.	Alias and Hida catch a break!

March 10, 2002
Tanana, Alaska
60 miles into the trip

Our first day on the trail was a welcoming, beautiful day. We went about 35 miles and made camp in the sheltering, birches just before we hit Fish Lake. We were hunkered down in the dry snow, with the trees creating a a nice wind block, but the wind still rushed through the tree tops above our heads. Our camp was like a big dog sleep over party... They were all new to the experince and curious about each other and their new beds.
Freddy Jordan,our trail guide to Ruby met up with us on the trail with his well traveled team of dogs and camped with us in the birches. His dogs were very experienced campers and curled right up in the snow. Over a camp fire, which Freddy had made to heat up his water,he told us what we should expect during the next days run into Tanana. He mentioned glare ice a few times, but I don't think any of us expected what we were about to encounter. We slept in our sled bags under a dimond sparkeled, blanket of stars and awoke to another beautiful day. The temperatures have been kind to us, makeing the days not too hot and the nights not too cold. And the waether has been bright, sunny and cloudless. But even the mushers paradise weather was little comfort for windy luge ride ahead of us. So he told us there was going to be some ice... Umm yeah... UNDERSTATEMENT! You could say there was some ice, but I would say that it was nothing but slick, glassy, wind blown, ICE from bank to bank on the twisty hay slough. Our leaders are good and have faced many things, but ice skating hasn't been in the job discription...Until now. The Van Zyle's leaders made it over the deep blue wind blown ice with little trouble, but when it came to the clear, (see to the bottem of the river ice) they demanded sequined costumes like the olympic skaters. With trusty lead dog Jona out in front and Jon shouting commands from the back they made it across the worst area with all bones still intacted. My team on the other hand chose the luge stile. It wouldn't have been so bad if the a few things had been different.... If the wind hadn't blown me and the sled ahead of the leaders going in the opposite direction and if the trees and willows handn't caught up the sled runners and flipped the sled, then I could have made it out with an upright sled... But no. Thankfully everyone could not reach their camras so another Kodak blackmail moment was lost.
All in all, I must say that was some of the most technically challanging sled driving I have come across. But boy I really did have fun and everyone survived in one piece.
We dealt with the wind and ice combo for about 6 miles until we came to open water and huge cracks in the ice. So we found another style of luge mushing though the tightly knitt tunnel of alders and birches. It favored the virtically challenged. I could fallow Jon's progress behind me with the ouches and ooohhs and thunks as he tried to become little behind his sled.
The tunnel in places was lower than our driving bows and we all have scrached and brused knuckles to show for that phase of the trail... Who knows what might be ahead of us.
We crossed the Tanana found another new ice adventure. Still had the driving wind but the ice was jagged and lumpy interspursed with more glare sections and dirt! Wow, was that a suprise... From out of control to STOP! in nothing flat. But again we surived and didn't even break the sleds, though at times I was sure I had.
Got to Tanana and up the river bank by Freddy's house and Kennel and then mushed through town and Jon wanted to stop at the store to get a cold drink and then it was on the school where we met Mary Edwin, one of the teachers. She showed us were to bed down the teams, behind the school out of the ever blowing wind and gave us access to hot water, computer and a warm place to sleep... Except the old folks decided they were too tough to sleep indoors so they stayed with the dogs and I sprawled out on a sofa. Hey... When there's a chance to be warm, I'm gonna take it.
A big thanks to Freddy Jordan for getting us over the rough parts and being so patient and waiting for us to bumble our way along. (His team had NO problems)
The ever hard on equiptment, Jon Van Zyle was able to barrow a knife from Blanche Edwin... He should just stick to paint brushes so he doesn't hurt himself.
Also Dr. Sue Clifton, Cori, Joee Redington and all our new friends at Manley. Thanks for opening your homes and hearts to us, we had a great time.

ABOUT THE DOGS...
The doggies are resting in the sunshine from yesterdays stress filled day. Vanilla as always continues to amaise me with his leader skills. the rest of my yougsters are also doing a wonderful job with all the new stuff they are encountering along the way. OOOOHHHH, they're SOOOOO cute! No, real problems so far, and they are ready to keep going!
Jona's young leaders were ok until the glare ice where Chris and Wayne Curtis's dog Sputnik, stepped up and said "I can do this" (Thanks, she really helped us out). Jona also has one that might have picked up a virous on the trail (which we are hoping doesn't spread to the rest of the teams).
Jon's team mannaged the ice with the help of my older leader Snowball. He and Hither skated their way in and out of trouble, but surived the run.

So today we are all nursing our aches and pains and making ourselves available to the school children. We'll be hitting the trail again tomorrow heading for Ruby. This will be our longest strech of about 125 miles and we wanna make sure everyone is ready to push longer miles.
so who knows when the next update might come through... As soon as possible though.
Talk to you soon.
Ellie and the rest of the crew

Friday, March 8th

I woke up to let dogs out of the trailer this morning and was greeted by shining stars and a light warm wind. I was half expecting to have to dig out my mushing parka, because this part of the state is known for its cold winter weather, But as I went about taking care of the dogs and became hot, I knew I was ready to hit the trail.

As i always say, dog mushing is great...once you hit the trail! Just getting to this point has taking months of planning and dreaming and it's hard to believe that we are finally here. And here we are, on the start of our adventure to Nome... Only a day behind schedule, with a dogs healthy and ready to hit the trial. Spirits high and wonderful weather inviting us onward. It should be a wonderful trip!

We will hook up the dogs in a few hours and run them about 35 miles to Fish lake where we will be camping for the night. Since we have inexperienced dogs, we think it's best just to take it slow and easy in the first few
days.

Manley has been very friendly to us and now we are enjoying the small classroom of Sue Clifton. Our first classroom visit seems to have been a success, with Jona telling stories of Balto (the famous dog who brought
Serum to Nome in 1925) and Jon signing books and telling about his wonderful artwork and me filling the kids in on Jr. mushing and my dreams for the future. I hope to spark the interests of some up and comers for the sport
of dog mushing... That's the only way to keep the spirit and sport alive!

Sue opened her house to us weary drivers last night (I swear driving a car takes more out of you than running dogs!) and we were happy for the last night in a warm house and a bed... It may be awhile until the next one.

We'll be sleeping in our sleds for the first couple nights, which I am excited about, but I sure slept good last night!

All three of us are more than ready to just relax on the trail. The winter has been more than crazy, with Jon and Jona running to different book signings and art shows and mushers banquets and fitting training in on the side and me training my dogs and racing in the Jr. Yukon Quest and Jr. Iditarod races last month. We're ready just to breath again. I can already tell that the spirit of dog mushing is going to come alive in the people we meet along the trail. Last night an old friend of Jon's, Joee Redington (son of Iditarod founder Joe Redington) stopped by and he and
Jon talked about the old days of Iditarod and it was fun for me to hear their stories. The days have changed, but the passion of dogs have stayed the same!

So it's time to hit the trail! oooohhhh yeahhh,
Next update from Tannana (hopefully)
See you down the trail!

Ellie Claus
Jona and Jon Van Zyle
And their dogs... Fallowing a dream!