Dryland Season is Coming!

We've been getting a lot of inquiries from individuals interested in attending a training session in the Pine Barrens. The Jersey Sands mushers don't follow a set schedule for training in the fall, but we invite anyone interested to come out.

Mushers generally meet on Saturday and Sunday mornings when the temperature remains below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It's also important that the humidity isn't too high, as this can also affect the dogs' ability to safely run.

We recommend reaching out to a club official on the Friday before a training weekend to find out if mushers plan to meet. They will be able to provide directions to the training spot and any other instructions you may need. Click here for our club official contact page.

Our first 2014-2015 Season event will be hosted with Northern Exposure Siberian Husky Rescue on October 19th. If you're interested in learning about dog sports, we highly recommend coming out to Cartoberfest. You can check the Facebook event for additional information.

Happy trails!

Upcoming JSSDRA Races - The Pine Barrens Dryland Run 11/30/2013

Fellow Mushers and Friends of JSSDRA,

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The Jersey Sands Sled Dog Racing Association has one more Sweepstakes Race coming up! The Pine Barrens Dryland Run will be held tomorrow -- Saturday, 11/30/13 -- at the Mt. Misery Race Site.

We will be offering a special award in the memory of Dick Dalakian to the fastest all Siberian team in the 8, 6, 4 & 2-3 Dog Sr. Classes. I have included the information flyer, our entry form, directions to the race site and our membership form for download below. Our club has now implemented the requirement that you become a club member in order to race at our events. Please review the membership form and pick a membership that best fits your needs. Anyone choosing the family or individual membership will be invited to our spring meeting/picnic (the club buys the burgers and hotdogs).

So far, the plan is to run in the order stated on the entry form. All Sweepstakes Classes (Rigs, Bike & Scooters) will be running the 3.8 trail. This is a relatively flat trail on the mostly hard packed sand roads in the forest. The Sportsman Class and 2-3 Dog Jr. Class will be running on the 1.7 trail. The Sportsman Class is open to teams of 1-4 dogs on rigs, bikes, or scooters. 

Once again, we will be setting up our hospitality table where our members bring food to share. Please feel free to bring something to share. 

See you in the forest,
Patty

Downloadable Files:
Information Flyer
Race Entry Form
Directions to Mt. Misery
JSSDRA Membership Form

A Cold Day for a Dog Race

Check out this great video from our Betty Carhart Memorial Race yesterday! Thanks so much to Bryan Woolston Photography for shooting it.

You can also read the accompanying article by Jeannie O’Sullivan here:

No snow, no problem for sled dog racers in Pemberton Township

If you have any photos you would like to share from the race, please e-mail them to us! We'll add them to our Gallery page.

Our next race will be this Saturday, November 30th in the same spot (click for more info).

We hope to see you all there!

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Photo by Bryan E. Woolston

Upcoming JSSDRA Races - Betty Carhart Memorial Race 11/24/13

Fellow Mushers and Friends of JSSDRA, 

The Jersey Sands Sled Dog Racing Association has two Sweepstakes Races coming up! 

The Betty Carhart Memorial Sweepstakes Race will be held on SUNDAY, 11/24/13 (Note: this is a date change due to the weather forecast). I have attached the information flyer, our entry form, directions to the race site, and our membership form below. 

Our club has now implemented the requirement that you become a club member in order to race at our events. Please review the membership form and pick a membership that best fits your needs. Anyone choosing the family or individual membership will be invited to our spring meeting/picnic. (The club buys the burgers and hotdogs!) 

So far, the plan is to run in the order stated on the entry form. All Sweepstakes Classes (Rigs, Bike & Scooters) will be running the 3.8 trail. This is a relatively flat trail on the mostly hard packed sand roads in the forest. The Sportsman Class and 2-3 Dog Jr. Class will be running on the 1.7 trail. 

Once again, we will be setting up our hospitality table where our members bring food to share. Please feel free to bring something to share.The Northern Exposure Siberian Husky Rescue will also be in attendance selling some neat stuff for Christmas presents. 

The next race (the Pine Barrens Dryland Run) will be held on Saturday, 11/30/13 - more information to follow in another entry.

See you in the forest,
Patty

Downloadable Files:
Information Flyer
Race Entry Form
Directions to Mt. Misery
JSSDRA Membership Form
 

Running Dogs at Goose Pond!

The Jersey Sands mushers will be meeting at the Goose Pond site in the Pine Barrens tomorrow, November 3rd, 2013. Temperatures are expected to remain cool throughout the day. Mushers plan to arrive around 9 AM.

Come on out!

Musher Stories: Chuck Weiss!

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"Ever since I did a report on Alaska in fourth grade, I wanted a malamute. Around 25 years ago I got started in Mushing with two Akitas. I had a background in mountaineering and back packing so when I got the Akitas I ordered a couple dog packs for them in a catalog (in the days before internet !). Next thing I knew I received a bunch of catalogs in the mail for working dogs. One of these had sled dog harnesses... and I was off and running!

My first team had the two Akitas then I quickly added my fathers Doberman for speed and attitude! They were an odd group but it was fun. With the help from the people at JSSDRA I got my team running in one direction and started racing. I enjoyed racing but wanted more time on the runners. With my mountaineering experience I found a part time job guiding overnight dog sled trips and eventually opened my own company. I got more dogs, including some Inuit sled dogs to add power to pulling the huge loads through the wilderness in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Canada. At one point I had 16 dogs in the kennel.

Time marches on and I now have just six sled dogs, five are over age 11! I no longer guide trips but continue to enjoy my dogs in the outdoors. We are training to do a back country snowshoe trip this winter where we will use three dogs pulling a toboggan behind us as we break trail....Old school style!"

— Chuck Weiss

Want to submit your mushing story? Click here for details.

First Day in the Pines!

The JSSDRA mushers met down in the Pine Barrens today for the first time this season. Temperatures were cool enough to run dogs into the afternoon. 

The New Jersey Trail Riders Association (a Horse Club) has an event in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest, but the Mt. Misery site is safe to run dogs. The mushers will be out there again tomorrow around 9 AM. Feel free to come out and meet the mushers and their teams!

If you have any questions, you can comment on this blog, reach out via our contact form, or contact our club officials for more information. 

Where Did it Begin?

Most people have hobbies. Some like to paint. Others like to play golf. There are plenty of "ordinary" hobbies out there.

When someone asks what we do on weekends, "mush dogs" isn't really an expected response. 

We want to know your story!  How did you get into the wonderful world of dog-powered sports?  

Fill out the form below and we may choose your story to be featured in our next blog post! You can also include pictures along with your submission -- just e-mail them to jessicakizmann@gmail.com with the subject line "My Mushing Story".

2013-2014 Mushing Season is Coming!

We've had a lot of folks write in expressing interest in mushing, so we wanted to make a quick post about it here! 

Once the temperatures are cold enough, the Jersey Sands club members will begin meeting out in the NJ Pine Barrens to run their teams. We're happy to have visitors come out, watch the dogs run, and learn about mushing.

If you have a dog and would like to learn how to mush, we can definitely get you started!  

A few things to keep in mind: 

• There will most likely be a lot of dogs around -- so if your dog is nervous, shy, or easily excitable, be prepared!
• Bring water for your pooch  
• We don't recommend running young dogs too far, as they're still growing -- however, we can still help you with teaching commands
• You don't need to run out and purchase equipment -- JSSDRA mushers are friendly folks who will most likely let you test out an x-back harness or hook your dog up to their rig
• Be warned -- once you try it, you're going to be addicted! 

Stay tuned here and be sure to follow us on Facebook. We'll keep you posted on when and where the mushers are meeting.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us! 

See you on the trails!