Off Season Adventures

The racing season typically runs from early December until early April.  Given the demands of the racing season, some might expect Anna and Kristy to enjoy a bit of downtime during the warmer months.  That couldn't be farther from the truth.

Keep reading below to get a general idea of how the twins spend the off season.  Not enough current detail?  Visit our Off Season Blog to get the skinny on the most recent off season activities and updates.

Both twins spend a great deal of time caring for and training the dogs at their respective kennels.  They also need these warmer months to prepare financially for the coming race season (to get an idea of what it costs to be a competitive musher in Alaska, please click here).  Kristy has worked for Gebhardt Construction, helping build anything from decks and patios to barns.  Anna has also worked for Gebhardt Construction on occasion, and spends much of the summer commercial fishing in the Cook Inlet for Dean Osmar's crew.      
         
Kristy is an avid hunter and fisher, often taking multi-day horseback trips into Alaska's rugged wilderness.  She has hunted Dall Sheep, Caribou (pictured above during the summer of 2011 in Kodiak), Black Bear, and Moose.  Given Kristy's love and respect for the wilderness and all animals, she is careful to put to productive use as much of her kill as possible.  Although she did keep the antlers from this caribou as a trophy, she also made ground meat and cut steaks, roasts, and chops.  To read more about Kristy's hunting adventure, please check out this story in The Redoubt Reporter.         



In addition to racing dogs, both twins enjoy running races under their own power.  They're very active in local running races, triathlons, and other summertime racing events.  Never one to shy away from a challenge, Kristy has run the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska, twice (click here for more details on this event).  Not for the faint of heart, this race involves running a 3,022 foot climb to the top of Mount Marathon... and back down again.  In 2011, Kristy finished in 96th place out of 294 participants in the women's division, with the entire route taking her 1 hour, 19 minutes, and 47 seconds.  To give you an idea of how steep the climb is, of that total time, the uphill portion is the lion's share at just over 58 minutes.


It's not all fun and games...


You've probably seen or heard about tv programs like Ice Road Truckers or Deadliest Catch, so you know a wilderness as rugged and extreme as Alaska can come with some serious challenges.  Sport fishing is fairly tame.  By comparison, Anna's commercial fishing job, pictured right, can get a little dicey.  And sometimes, it is downright life threatening.  Click here to read an amazing story about Anna's near death experience in the cold waters a mile and a half off shore in Cook Inlet.   

 

... but a lot of the time, it is!