Joce and TEAM/ Yukon Quest 2010

2010-03-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

Yukon Quest - Part two
The race started on the 6 of february, but a few days before the race there was meeting we had to go to.
First meeting was for the rookies, talking about what to expect on the race and the rules.
Second was the handlers meeting on what they can and cannot do.
and third was the mushers meeting, close to the public, they talked about the trail condition, checkpoints, meeting the veterinarians, the race officials, the media etc....
The thursday night was for the yukon Quest fans to meet the mushers and for us to sign hundreds of posters, talk to the media. I wanted to hide that evening, I am just not use to the attention. Ah well suck it up I told myself, hehe!!!!
Friday before the big day was the day to get ready, relax, have a last shower, eat lots.
Saturday was the day where I was the crying/giggling/hickupping freak from Whitehorse, and I was sign up to this insane race, Jocelyne! I was telling myself this is an oppurtunity of a lifetime, this is a dream of yours, get out there and kick some snow, and after me talking to myself I would feel like pucking. Leave to Joce to entertain you all.
Cynthia and Deborah my dear handlers, actually Cynthia got the crying/giggling/hickpping to. Deborah was starting to get worried about us I think.
The emotions I went trough leading to the start of the Quest I cannot explain.
So my start number was 8, meening I was leeving at 11:16am.
Anyway at the start line was crazy so many people, oh my!!!!!
The star is on the Chena river, there was not much snow on the river so I bolted out of the shoot, my knee caps where shaking, I was out of the Yukon Quest, I was now a Yukon Quest musher, what the heck. Anyway along the river there is people giving you hotdogs, cookies, juice, pretty neet.

Finally of the Chena River inthe trees for a bit until we reached our first Checkpoint, Two rivers(45miles) so I decided to stay there for 6hours. My lead dog Gray was not tired, she was howling, making me nervous, I wanted to get out of there and go camp in the bush, it was to busy for me. I dropped King here because of a shoulder injury.
Finally got going and the trail out of Two rivers, well it was horrible, ping!pong! We where flying hitting trees, stumps, I cannot tell you the words that where coming out of my mouth.

We are on our way to Checkpoint Mile 101, the trail was interesting lets just say, going up Rosebud Summit was easy, coming down was not fun. Beeing one of the last team on the trail doesn't leave much snow to break on, at one point I thought my break was gone. Anyway finally made it to 101

to be continued......

2010-03-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Yukon Quest 2010- Thank you Part one

2010-02-21T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody, this is sunday, I am in a hotel room tonight, Thanks to the Gold Rush Inn for putting me in a jacuzzi suite. Well it's done, the race is done, people ask me will you do this again and my simple answer is No thank you. I say no, not because the race was horrible, it does has it's up and down I learned lot's . I say no cause it's alot of time and a lot of work to just get to the start line. I have to thank so many people. I gotta start with my two big sponsors
Sky High Wilderness Ranch and the Chocolate Claim Cafe.
The Sky High Team , Ian(trail breaker extraordinaire),Valerie and Laird(both of them trained my dogs in september while I went to a Yoga retreat in the Bahamas for 2 weeks), Marianne and Guillaume who helped me with my food drop that was a big job. And Fabian who would always ask me Joce are you ok(cause I was kinda grumpy, stressed,) Keri for coming to the rescue for last minute guiding so I wouldn't have to do it.
Gary and Trudy for beeing there for all my stress's of money, organizing all the sponsors. Stefan for the beautiful web site. Thank You
Michelle Phillips for beeing my coach, for laughing at me when I got stressed, answering my millions questions, telling me I would be fine. Michelle is a great dog musher, her dog care is out of this world, from making her own massage oils, foot care cream etc.... Thank You
Deborah Bicknell for jumping in at the last minute, coming with her truck to Fairbanks kicking me in the bum to the startline. Thank you.
Cynthia Corriveau, handler extraordinaire, She helped me trained my dogs since September all the way through, we got the most amazing giggles out there on the trail. Thank You Cynthia for beeing there for my me and the dogs.
Maren, Christine, Stephanie and Cynthia's dad Francois for coming all the way from Quebec. They where my Dawson crew , they put a really nice camp for me. When I got to the Dawson my sled was broken, my snow pants where ripped shredded, and I was sick, I couldn't believe it I am never sick and there Iwas arriving in Dawson with some kind of virus, flu type thing. I left Dawson with a fixed sled, snow pants, a betterfeeling about the race. actually still ill but in better spirits.

My home town Bouctouche, New Brunswick for all the cheers, Bouctouche is maybe on the other side of the country but I could feel that acadian energy, so powerful. Thank You. Merci a tout le monde de par che nous, je vous aime beaucoup, l'energie Acadienne que j'ai recu pendant la course etait exceptionnel. J'ai hate a ouere tout le monde au mois d'Aout. Vive l'Acadie.

To the race organizers, for putting on a great race. To the race officials, they where great for rookies, motivating, well kicking us out of the check point and pretty much telling us to stop whinning at get going. The Veterinary team, teaching us to work with our dogs, to work with them, there is vets from around the world that comes for the Yukon Quest. Especially Jaime from Spain and June from Fairbanks, who where always there at the checkpoints, I felt like I had my personel vets.

I have so many names to write down and I don't have the list with me, I will have them up next blog update.

2009-10-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, I am still alive. My last update was sometime in February so I am very behind I Know,oops. I had a good summer I think one of the best summers I have had in the Yukon.
Canoeing, mountain biking and actually me, Judith, Meridith and Laird(team Chocolate Truffles) did the Kluane Bike relay. That was fun.

Well the big news is I will be signing up for the Yukon Quest 2010. I am looking foward to hitting the trails. Me and the dogs started training beginning of September, some of my dogs where actually at Cariboo Crossing doing tours with Michelle Phillips, Ed Hopkins and Maren Bradley for the summer. Really good set up they have there. Great place for the dogs to go in the summer.

The funny thing is I am actually updating my blog in the Bahamas at the moment(lucky me). I am at a Yoga retreat being zen?!!!??!! You are probably thinking this is main training season what is she doing in the Bahamas, don't worry my dear friends Valerie and Laird have it all under control.

I am pretty excited about this Yukon Quest adventure, actually it has started!

Anyway I will keep sending news when I come back to the Yukon with my tan.

xox Joce and team

2009-02-28T22:33:00.000-08:00

So this post is for everybody that has helped me and my dogs to do this race,

MY SPONSORS

Sky High Wilderness Ranches, The Chocolate Claim

Mame pi Pape

The best Handlers Gary and Volker

Gary and Trudy, Valerie, Keri, Laird, Miranda, Ian, Kate, Larissa, Lesley, Janice, Ariel, Paulette, Wyk, Norman and Lynn, Christine.

For me running the Quest 300, was to finish with happy dogs and a tired musher.

This goal happened because I have the best of friends, I had so much support that I could feel it on the trail, I would get so tired but then I would get a boost, cause I knew me and the dogs, we were not alone out there. Everybody is wondering now if I will do the Big one Yukon Quest, now. I can only say maybe, for now.

Happy Trails

Joce, Zip, Raven, Pop-eye, Tracker,June, White-ish, Tex, Charango, Moxy, Try,Maible, Storm.

and Tiny

2009-02-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody, thanks for all your warm toughts while I was on the Quest 300 it helped alot.
Well it's been 2 weeks since I finished the race, I had time to reflect(is this a word?) it was a great experience.
The race started pretty nice and calm, just the way I like it, there was a lot of people at the start line, holy moly!!!! thanks to everybody who came to support me at the start that was just awesome, the banners where so good. So the beginning is down the Yukon river and Takhini river for 40 miles(i think). I ended up camping somewhere in the middle of Whitehorse and Braeburn(checkpoint). It took me about and hour to bed my dogs down make them some thick meatty soup and then I guess I was suppose to sleep, well It was a little chilly to go to sleep, so I decided to gather wood and make my self a fire, it ended up being a huge fire, it was pretty comfy, anyway got going again 5 hours later, got toBraeburn checkpoint at 10:30 and decided to rest for 8 hours, when I got to checkpoint I was a little down cause I had to drop my sweety Zip, my chearleeder Raven, and my big elephant Charango. Eventually I got going on my way to Carmacks, that was a freaking long run mentally, your going through the chain lakes wich seems like a hundred lakes, a that point I only slept for 15 minutes since the start of the race, and I tought am I lost, am I going in circles, what the hell, then I told myself ok Joce relaxe at this point it was time to camp, put the straw down, dogs got cozy, did the usual melt snow for dog water, make big fire again for me. This time I slept for 1 hour dozing off in front of the fire.
Eventually got to the Carmacks checkpoint, rested there for 8 hour and I actually slept for 3 hours. Left Carmacks sometime around 6 ond my way to McCabe Farm stayed there for 4 hours to rest, before leaving McCabe the officials informed me of overflow. So I left on my way to Pelly Crossing, it was a nice day, sunny and warm-ish, anyway I mushing along waiting to run in this overflow, and there it is a little overflow some creek crossing and I think thats it? so we keep going for another hour and here it comes to my left, big wide overflow and I think this is what there talking about. We come face to face with the OVERFLOW, and my dogs say no not today and I say well sorry we gotta go, so I started walking in front of my team in so far the water is only ankle deep and smoosh its freakin knee deep. This sucks, just keep going, I pass floating Quest markers finally we get on the other side. While we where going through the overflow June decides she is going into her heat and wants to start flirting with the boy's and trust me my friends this was not good timing. Anyway got to Pelly in good spirits rested 6 hours and got going for the final leg, I camped at the halfway point wich is a bunch of cabins called Stepping Stone, the cabins are opened up for the quest mushers to sleep and eat, the hospitality is great, I was suppose to stay there for 5 hours, well I ended sleeping for 6 hours and drinking coffee for 1 hour. The Stepping Stone people are better then a 5star hotel. Anyway eventually got going on my way to the finish line, got to Pelly and My friends Janice, Ariel and Glenys where there waiting for me. That was great!!!!
The End

2009-01-27T20:14:00.000-08:00

Good evening, just had a wonderful meal at Janice's house. Well 16 days till the race . This is a quick blog update, I am doing good, trying to focus on drinking lot's of water eating hardy food.
Saturday is food drop day, where I get all my dog food ready where it will distributed to the 3 checkpoint of the race. Everytime I go to town friends ask me how I'm feeling, I don't know!!!!!!I don't know what to expect, I tell myself , I'm going on a camping trip, and it's only going to be fun. Anyway you might here from me before the race, I don't know, but you can follow the race on www.yukonquest.com and go on the quest300 site.
Have fun!
Joce, Zip, Popeye, Chain, Jeepers, Ron, Whiteish, Tex, Tracker, Bouncer, June, Charango, Maible, Storm.
oh and Tiny

2009-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everybody! I am in a hotel room tonight(Thanks to Gary and Trudy)this room is amazing, there is 6 pillows on my bed and most important, a jaccuzi as I am enjoying this it's -36 degrees outside. We have been stuck in this cold snap for 3 weeks now and today I just told myself it's enough.Now please it has to get warm!!!! I know I live in the Yukon what am I complaining about this is normal, well you no what? I am not going to answer that....ok. The race is just around the corner, I have been having dreams of the race, like waking up at a checkpoint and I am missing 3 dogs, and showing up at a checkpoint missing one of my boots. I am hoping for happy dreams now, I just need to relaxe a little. I have so much support I cannot thank the Sky High team Laird, Valerie, Ian, Keri, Gary, Trudy, Denis, Miranda enough, my so many friends , the Chocolate Claim. It takes alot to organizing for my race, sometimes my brains is gone to much to the dogs and my dear friends will bring me back to the human world. Like I said it's been cold I have a few frostbite on my face, so it's not a good time to take a picture of me. My training has slowed down in the last time, but will pick up on sunday and I hope it will warm up. I will be going to the Dawson Trail to mush to Braeburn for Steve's down home cooking. My dog Turbo, (for people that has known me for a while know this is my boy) I decided to not have him in my team he is semi retired, enjoying life on the couch now he hasn't been doing well in the cold and maybe I babied him to much I don't know really, I think Turbo will become a good canoe, hiking dog this summer. I think that's all I have to say for tonight. ENjoy the new photo's and video's. The video's are me and my group mushing by Ibex Mountain .
Joce

2008-12-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

It's cold here in the Yukon, trying to keep warm, espiecially some of the male dogs like Turbo and Zip who need penis protector jackets. Putting booties on every paw is not to bad right now.
I have been drinking lots of water, but the problem is when you drink alot you gotta pee, but thanks to my neighbor Julie got me a "thing a ma gig"that I can pee like a man, well can't really explain it, but you can buy it at Mountain Equipment Coop, to all you lady's go get one, it's a good relief!!!!!!
Christmas is just around the corner, I will be spending Christmas eve with my friends, going to listen to Paulette sing in a choir and then of course we will drink wine. I normally guide on Christmas but it works out not this year, I am very happy with that.
Anyway that all I am not guiding for the week so you might here from again,
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-12-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody, well hopefully everybody is having fun holidays and enjoying the snow. I just finished guiding for 2 weeks and will be focusing on my racing team, making alot of list's for my food drop's for my race, it's coming quick and now I can tell you I am starting to get nervous. I have been in deep toughts alot, the new thing that i am doing with my training is bringing my ipod and mushing to tunes, after being on the sled for 5 hrs and Metillica, Tragically Hip comes on you just get a boost of energy, the funny thing is I would start singing and my dogs speed up, so! I don't know if the where trying to run away from my singing or enjoying it. I will have to keep my singing in mind for the race.

Saturday I have to myself and getting my racing sled ready for adventure, anyway I believe my team is ready , for myself well i have my ups and down, I know I have to focus on eating and drinking water and the occasionnal bottle of wine to calm my nerves.

So I add a few new pictures and a goofy movie, enjoy!!!!

2008-12-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, here I am already, getting ready for my next guiding trip on wenesday. Tommorow I will be hooking up 14 dogs to my sled and going to do the Mount Granger loop, there will some rumble and tumble I am sure, It will be fun, I think!!.!!! I will have about 200lbs of weight in my sled to slow me down, because one thing I don't like is being out of control . That's all I have to say.
Happy trails!!! keep warm for me.
Joce

2008-11-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

2008-11-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody, ya I know I am behind in my posting. So here it is, the season has started with tourist, the trails are in really good condition, I only fell trough water twice. This winter I am attempting the Quest300 again I feel more focus then last year, some other mushers I talk to are nervous about the race, I am not. So I guess my plans for this year is to qualify for the Yukon Quest and then we will see.
Uhmmm!!!!!the winter started quickly, of course I was not ready I kept training my dogs with the 4-wheeler while everybody was already on the sled and then on the 16 of nov. I jumped on a sled. Me and the team have been braking trail alot, I am so confident with my lead dogs I have 4 trail breaking leaders and 2 that are getting their. The energy my dogs give me is beyond comprehension. I will be going camping for 3 days this week just me and my dogs,
As I'm writing this I am enjoying a Hot Totty thanks to Wyk and Paulette, I just finish guiding for ten days I feel good. Until next time, happy trails and let the snow fly.
Joce
Check out the video as I am trying to find a good footing to catch Alex coming up with the dogs.
Enjoy!!!!!!

2008-11-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

2008-11-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody I am back to tell you me and the dogs are doing great, we are having fun. There is about 2 feet of snow at Sky High, I am still training with the help of a 4 wheeler, people ask me why, well I don't feel like hooking up 16 dogs to a sled. I am enjoying training with the team, looking foward to the race in february. The tourist season starts nov.15, oof!!! it's just around the corner. We have a great team again this year Laird and Keri are returning and Valerie our new addition. We will be setting up camps in the next week, breaking trail, FUN Fun.
Thats all for now, HAPPY TRAILS

2008-09-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Misty, my first lead dog past on 2 days ago. I will miss sharing the couch with her, I will miss her stubborness. She will always be with me on the trail I know it.

2008-09-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hi, well I am still on vacation, will be back in the Yukon on 27 sept. Will start training again sept.27. I am so looking foward to be with my dogs, scooping poop, cutting firewood and smelling the nice cool fall breeze of the yukon. Anyway the pictures that come with this post is my new lead dog and the one with the Pumpkin is maybe the bigest pumpkin in Atlantique Canada, let's hope, I will keep you posted the contest is on sunday 28 sept.

2008-09-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

HI, still on vacation, the muddy dog pictures are from my last training run, it was very muddy.
It was a good run nice and cool and my dog were running beautiful. The team I am training for racing are, starting with my leaders, Raven, Zip, Fraggle, Pop-eye, Turbo, Dixie , so I have 6 command leaddogs wich is important for long distance running because I rotate them, and team and wheel dogs are Maible, Tracker, Sid, White-ish, Tex, Chain, Sara, Link, Rohn, Jeepers. I train them with them pulling my 4-wheeler. Anyway thats all I am not much of a writer, this blog is for friends who is wondering what I am up to. I will have more when I go back to the Yukon and start training again.

Joce

on vacation

2008-09-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

my blog is under construction, not much to see.
Give me a few days.

Joce