Heard some say that more trash containers and porta potties were needed.

My husband and I were Vet helpers on Saturday in Copper Harbor. The radios were great, really saved times on which musher to go to next. It would be most helpful if the mushers entered their dogs in alphabetical order in the books so that when you're looking for a name it is easier than flipping back and forth so many times. The vet doesn't necessarily go in any order so you do a lot searching to find the dog you are to record. It is difficult to turn the pages in the books because of your hands being so cold so maybe if they "feathered" the pages in the book. The vet would be standing their with his input and the vet asst. would walk up so you'd be trying desperately to flip back and forth in the book with the pages sticking together, not alphabetical and cold wind blowing!! Gotta love it!

Overall a great experience! Helping the vets allowed us to be up close and personal with the dogs and mushers. So impressed by the relationship between the two. Those dogs are treated like royalty! They are truly loved.

Just these few little things would be helpful to the person recording the vets findings.

Can't wait for Copper Dog 2013! We are hooked!

I believe this is a great event for the Keweenaw. Thanks to all for keeping this going. Do it again!

I volunteered at the Delaware U.S. 41 crossing on Sunday. Lots of nice people. Needed some more leadership, though. Crossing was not well coordinated/managed. Nobody was an obvious leader. Are we supposed to stop vehicle traffic? Training said no. Fireman said yes. So, no teams got stopped at all, despite traffic. Don't know if we were even capable of stopping a team because of the unclear nature of who should do what and where. Everybody survived, but we were lucky. This sort of hodgepodge approach is what could someday lead to a disaster that could end CopperDog for good.

However, this is something that can be easily be fixed with appointed crossing bosses who have training and authority. Do that and we can keep this great event going on for years to come. Thanks!

Three suggestions:

1. The cliff drive crossing could use 3 more registered people, after the non-registered people left we were a little light.

2. There needs to be signs on the trail in the opposite direction. Last year there were signs heading North that warned us there was a race. This year there wasn't.

3. More slots for volunteers to register for setting up snow fence/setup in Calumet.

Also, I was extremely happy to see 3 of our local mushers do so well. Congrats to Roy, Jerry, and Truman!!!

A huge thank you to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers for a well organized race which was put together in a professional way. You really set a high standard and lead by example to other sled dog races.

Keep up the good work.

As a newbie volunteer on the Race Planning Committee, I would like to thank my fellow planners, the mushers and dogs,all the volunteers, and the spectators. Without any of them this event would not happen. My kids came from Chicago and downstate to participate and had no idea how great the whole experience would be. They WILL be back next year. I can't say enough positive things about the whole weekend. I just wish there was some way that we could do it in the summer. Maybe we should talk to Gerhart Thiart about that....

This is the first time I've volunteered for this event and what a gift!! We were at the #130 crossing and my role was to guide the mushers/dogs from the road back onto the trail. It was dark and quiet then suddenly a headlamp was evident in the distance. As they got closer, the dogs breath was visible. Then,the command,the turn and they were on their way. ALL the mushers were super. The education provided Saturday was excellent and the hands on training invaluable. Can't wait for next year and I think the reswt in our group agree!!!!

After hearing about how much fun my mom had last year being involved in the CopperDog 150, I decided to find out for myself this year. One plane ticket and several days missing work were a small price to pay for the awesome experiences and memories I have taken with me.

First of all, I helped with the Vet Check on Friday morning which gave great insight into the dogs, mushers, and vet teams. Being up close and personal was a terrific way to learn that the dogs come first for everyone involved. I also got to witness the mushers interacting with each other, and it is obvious they are extended family.

Friday night I was a dog handler which was exhilarating to say the least. I found it a privilege to help handle the teams as they yipped, barked, howled, and hauled us to the starting line. Watching the mushers interact with their dogs just before crunch time was also touching. The energy in Calumet that night was electric from pre-race to post-race activities, and I had a smile on my face most of the evening.

On Saturday in Copper Harbor and Sunday back at the finish, I was mearly a spectator before I had to fly home. Having been involved gave me a real feeling of pride as I watched the race from start to finish. I missed the banquet but will be sure to catch it next year as I heard it was nothing but a super time.

Thank you for hosting such an amazing event and for allowing me to be a small part of it. I am hooked and will see you next year!

From one very proud Yooper :)

My husband, Joe & I had a great time volunteering. This was our first time so we were not sure what to expect. We were at the Vansville Turn with Mike Edwards & Carol Pietila. This went a bit longer than the 4 of us expected. Our shift was to end at 12:55 am, and it was a little after 2:30 am when we finally were able to leave. The last team never did arrive at that spot (from what I heard). The weather turned for the worse, from wet snow to blowing cold snow, so everything just froze & stuck to us! We were prepared for the 3 hour stint but after over 4-1/2 hrs, Joe & I were feeling pretty miserable.

I would suggest a couple things. Since this was a 4-way crossing, and one race was ending there (going straight) & another race had to turn (right) to continue to Eagle Harbor, it was not only difficult to keep track of times & bib #'s (the weather made it next to impossible to keep the time sheets anything close to dry), but then to be able to turn a few teams as they got a little mixed up on which way they were supposed to turn. If you have one person as a spotter, that leaves 3 left to record & possibly turn teams. We had NO bad incidents with the dogs - they were great & actually very easy to turn if we needed to. If there had been a runaway team, I'm not sure how that would have went! I wonder if adding 1 or 2 more people to that crossing would help? Also, we had no communication with the people at Vansville Bar (or anywhere), so one person would have to walk down the hill, leaving our post shorthanded (not knowing when a team might arrive), to find out where the final team was.

So - perhaps additional people (1 or 2) and some type of communication would be good. We were also discussing at one point, it sure would be nice if "there was an app for that" when recording bib #'s & times. I don't know how that would work though as Friday night it was so wet, the devices might not have worked. Just a thought...

All in all, we are pretty sure we would do this again, but not at this post, not unless, at the very least there was communication. I think everyone does an excellent job in putting on this race - it's great for the community. I hope that the above is helpful to you.

Kudos to all involved!

Worked the Spruce St. Crossing just N. of Pine St. Very sharp right turn with inadequate signage caused five mushers to lose their balance and musher no. 2 flipped her sled and was being dragged down the trail. Two snowmobilers were parked just off the trail and they got her sled upright and off she went. Nice! Loved the whole event and great to hear many thank yous from the mushers as they drove by. Every smowmobiler we talked to (and there were many) were very nice and many stopped to watch and ask about the race.

We were on crowd control at one of the street crossings. Because there was no snow fence to keep people from crossing the snow road at these points, it was used as a pedestrian walkway, but it was treacherous with ice and uneven footing. A suggestion would be to make it safer for people to cross (because they were going to cross regardless), by adding steps in the snow and a handrail. Also, children had a hard time seeing through the snow fence, so their parents pulled it down from the poles or the children sat on the snowy edge at the street crossings, creeping slowly onto the track. It was a great event and people wanted to see the dogs, especially the kids.

We worked at two trail/road crossing stations this year; the Vansville Turn (in the woods behind the Vansville Bar in Phoenix) on Friday night, and at the Phoenix Farms road crossing on Sunday afternoon.

The Phoenix Farms crossing was great; very easy to do, with four of us, plus several spectators that helped line the road to keep the dogs going straight. Great weather that afternoon, too, with plenty of sunshine for photos. All the teams passed through in a 45 minute span of time.

On Friday night, at the Vansville Turn, things were a bit different; obviously we can't control the weather, and the heavy wet snow made for very poor visibility for everyone concerned.

This seems to be an important checkpoint, since on Friday night, both races are underway. At the Vansville Turn, 150 racers need to make a right turn, while 35 racers need to go straight through the four-way intersection to the finish line at the Vansville Bar.

We were given conflicting information as to which direction the teams would be coming from, and we really couldn't be sure about this until we actually saw the first team come through. It was necessary to tell each team to turn right if they were in the 150, and go straight if they were in the 35. We managed that without much trouble, but, in my opinion, four volunteers at that intersection is not enough; 6 or 8 people would be much better. The 150 racers needed to negotiate a short right hand turn at the bottom of a hill, so a few extra people lining the track at that point would be helpful.

Also, it would help to have some communication with previous checkpoints; we had no way of knowing how many teams were left out there, and we were finally told at 2:45 a.m. that the final team would not be coming through, and that we could leave the area.

This was a very long shift, originally scheduled from 10:25 to 12:55, but after arriving early and staying late, we ended up being there for nearly 5 hours. Possibly this duty could be divided up into two shorter shifts.

Lastly, those in our group who were trying to record bib numbers and times had some difficulty writing on Friday night, due to the heavy wet snow. There is no shelter from the weather at this station, so the sheets got quite messy by the end of the shift. Possibly a SmartPhone or other digital recording device could be used; just speak the bib number and time, play it back later and write it down.

I'm certainly not an expert on any of this, and it's only the 2nd year that we have volunteered. The event as a whole seems extremely well organized, and hopefully some small tweaks at the Vansville Turn will make it even better next year.

I traveled two and a half days to get to the race because I was told of it's excellant organization and community spirit.

The race was all that, and more.

It was very well organized. Enthusiastic volunteeres and plenty of them.

Quality trail signage. Fun trails. Somewhat challenging and good timing.

Everything a musher wants to see.

You are not far off from being a world class event.

In order to pull mushers from outside your area I feel you need a larger purse, day money and a pool of dogs.

The first night could start earlier and the next day could start an hour later. This would allow more rest for mushers and the DOGS.

There should be a pool of at least 12 dogs in a 10 dog, 3 day stage race.Dropping a dog on day one and letting it return on day three for example. This allows the smaller kennels to be more competitive. Not forcing mushers to use tired dogs the next day in fear of having to drop them later on. Public perception is everything in this sport and I saw plenty of dogs that could have used a day off being ran anyway.

How many teams finished with 10 strong dogs? Just curious.

I was dissapointed that several mushers did not know the proper trail etiquette too pass and being passed. It just puts unnecessary pressure on the dogs,(very frustrating).

In Copper Harbor someone left several piles of dog shit right by the public restrooms. Great publicity for the sport.

After all we are in the public eye all the time.

All in all it was a great race and am looking forward to returning.

Sincerely,

Jerry Bath

Lander Wy

Thank you to the sponsors, volunteers, officials, and fans! I can't wait to come back next year! I tried to think of something you could do better, and I just couldn't. I know that it takes 1000s of hours of work to put this race on and then the mushers just get to come and have fun. I sure had tons of fun! See you next year!

Thank You to all the sponsors that make this event possible!!!

Wow!!! The weekend started off with a positive bang! Everyone friendly, supportive, and smiling. The volunteers were the BEST part of every road crossing. Cheering for everyone! Thank you VOLUNTEERS!!!

Thank you to the CopperDog150 Board of Directors! Your organization was well put together; and some more tireless then others.

The race from my perspective only to silence rumors. My team consisted of FOUR bitches and two dogs (LOL the rumor was there was one bitch and five dogs). Three quarters of the way thru the race my one bitch decided she was ovulating (bred and accepted male two weeks ago) and decided to stop the whole team. LOL She must have heard the rumble from her original kennel that things would be stirred up on the trail. Thankfully no breeding took place on my team but we were slowed considerably; to the point of me walking in front.

According to 2012 Race Rules Section 17 Clause Unsafe Situation/Conditions the Race officials pulled me at 1.06 miles from the finish. We were told not to argue with anyone therefore I accepted my fate. I would have argues if I knew what the conditions of the roads were. I gave the dogs their Hydration snack and gave them the down signal.

We waited for the truck to be brought up. I was still okay with the decision UNTIL I had to drive my truck in more snow on the road then trail. Therefore I feel the interest for MY safety was not on my behalf. Yes I was off the trail and no longer their responsibility BUT I was sent out, in my opinion to a more dangerous situation. Praise God I did make it back to Eagle harbor after having to travel miles in the opposite direction2.5 hours later. In my opinion it would have been safer to get me to the finish and stay there in my truck (as that is were I sleep all weekend).

Saturday was a nice day again watching the organization of the Volunteers during the race. Then at 10 in the eve watching the CRAZY Vet team having fun at the Mariners. LOL Yes I was sitting at the table across from you.

Sunday again the organization was wonderful!

Getting back into Calumet was a disappointment. No longer were certain Race officials friendly towards me, they actually were very negative. But that is human nature. I also observed some negative comments towards your own staff that were uncalled for. YOU all worked just as hard and EVERYONE is entitled to an opinion. Shame Shame.

Well, we are all home now. Time to start to digest what we learned, plan for next year and continue on a journey. No hard feeling towards the decision makers or the ones who could not confront me directly. I'll see you in some capacity Next year. Feel free to contact me should you care to.

Everyone have a Great year and May God Bless You All.

Thank you!

Thank you to the CopperDog Board, sponsors, and volunteers for hosting an awesome dog sledding weekend. The excitement in the community was contagious. The road crossings were well handled and loved the luminaries along the trail. What a special touch to give the mushers a special "swag" bag from the community merchants and well wishes. I already plan to return in 2012.

Its nice to see that some people got to have great family experience mushing their dogs this year at the Copper dog race. Unlike everyone else my family, including my 5 disappointed children, did not get to attend the event. The reason being, that Brad and the Board of this race, who must not understand what mushing means to people, thought that my husbands presence would potentially be a disgrace to them and ruin the race. The cap for the 35 mile race was 16 mushers so when some dropped out my husband called to see why his name was not taken off f the waiting list. NO reasonable answer was given and only at 11pm the night before the race was my husband told he could not race because they set the cap back to 15. A lot of work and effort went into attending this years race and my husband wanted to run because he loves mushing not to win a measly purse that he would not get to take home anyway! WE booked over 350.00 of hotel rooms in the area and would have supported the community as we had the past two years. This was the only race my husband signed up for because he was running older under-trained dogs, not the race dogs he has run in the past years which have all been sold. My children were so excited to go we had to break their heart and tell them no we were not going because they changed the rules at the last minute. Here is a copy of the email that Brad sent to my husband on Monday stating why he was not let in even thought the cap was at 16:

We're really sorry this didn't work out for Ken this year and I hope you don't think we're being inflexible. The primary issue is that this year, unlike the past two years, the CD35 has a cash purse. If there were not a cash purse this would be a non-issue. However if we let Ken join late and he wins (which we all know he is capable of doing) we will have 16 disgruntled mushers and 1 happy musher. I'm sure you can almost hear the chat-room conversations in your head about how "They shouldn't even have let Ken enter this year. It seems the race has different rules for different mushers." etc. etc.

We're just trying to stay consistent. Our young race has been slowly earning respect and credibility within the community and we don't want to screw it up now.

Thanks for your long-term support of our race.

-Brad-

SO I guess this "competitive" race is not really all that competitive and the board must think all the mushers int he 35 suck, and all they care about is money and sportsmanship is not a factor to anyone. Certainly they do not care about the promotion of the sport of sled dog mushing or the community when they shun away a young family who has supported this race form the start. My husband could care less about money or finishing in the top, it is about the dogs and the sport. How many mushers make a living running dogs! It would have cost us over 1000 bucks to attend this event and we were willing to spend every penny because it was the only vacation we had planned for the entire winter. What a great event forget about the very people that make this event possible for your community, the mushers. If you have no mushers then you have no race. You just lost one. It is also nice to see that in your mission statement mushing is last on the list, maybe you should rethink your priorities! Instead of worrying that my husband would ruin your reputation. If any mushers were to complain that someone won, they should be shunned due to lack of sportsmanship. Grow up.

WOW-- I raced in the CD35 and also volunteered for the CD 150, one can't help but get caught up in the excitement. After being up until 3:00 am Fri,,rrrr Saturday- I had to go to Copper Harbor to watch the teams came in. I had so many co-workers & friends approach me on Monday saying what an awesome event this is for the area-- they were so taken by the dogs, mushers, and the entire event !! They could not believe the number of people that attended Friday evening-- but also Sunday afternoon. As a musher the road crossings were amazing-- loved the luminaries at one of the road crossings-- as a volunteer --Brad & Jason did such a great job--!! The weekend went too fast ^..^ ^..^ <..>

This years race was a super time for my family and me. This was the first time in 10 years that both our kids were able to help handle for their dad at the same time. And what a super time everyone had. It was one of the best awards banquets we have been to and we have been eating at them for almost 3 decades. The food was superb (and the free local beer that was served made it even better). We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment ( Todd you should have gone into standup). Rooms are already booked for next year. See you then!

This was my 2nd Copper Dog and once again Loved it. The friendly attitude was infectious,there was humor, concern and we felt well cared for. The after race banquet was like no other...wow!! The handlers and the number of them was awesome. They were very considerate and well trained. Liked being able to box the dogs at the checkpoints..Musher, handlers and Dogs all got a good rest. The checkpoints ran smooth from what we could see and there are no complaints from me or my crew. Hope to be there next year.

First let me share the good thoughts. I loved the interactive map. That really helped once I found a way to see it. Silly IPAD is not good for everything.

I had a team in the 35 mile race. I was not able to get any information at all about how the race was going. It was frustrating. It would have been nice to know when he came thru a checkpoint in the race. Understanding I could not follow the interactive map for a while. I know that it takes a lot of work and effort to put together a race and I understand the challenge. I have raced and I have followed many races. I totally understand. I applaud your hard work and your desire to make the race even better.

The only other thing would be photos. If anyone got a photo of Jeremy Hoover please post it. He is my son and was running my dogs.

First off, let me thank you folks for the opportunity to volunteer for this activity. I haven't experienced such a rush since my irresponsible teenage days.

* The general organization of getting teams from the trailers to the start line was outstanding; having that many handling squads working in rotation is really smart and made the whole experience much more enjoyable than it would have been had we been running pell-mell back and forth.

* The individual maps showing the location of each musher are nothing short of sheer brilliance. That idea is a keeper.

* Handling squad leaders should be encouraged to coordinate a meeting place with their squads after each musher has left the gate; my squad got separated after our first musher and we lost a few precious minutes finding each other.

* Having an additional "official clock" visible from the musher parking would be handy. (or if there is one, pointing it out to the handlers and mushers would be a good idea; that was the one question I got asked by every musher that I couldn't answer easily.)

* Some sort of additional visibility would also be a good idea for the handling squad leaders in the event a squad gets scattered; glow stick necklaces spring to mind as an easy, cheap solution.

* There needs to be better communication between the official starter, the announcer, the handling squad, and the officials at the starting gate; one of our mushers had a start snafu due to the announcer saying 'GO!' while officials were still trying to resolve a equipment problem.

I found a back pack that might belong to someone from the race. It has food and some other items. Call 9062817161.

Loved the start of the race with the details about the Musher. Playing the musher's choice of a song was really great also. Next year though start the mushers song at the last second countdown, so the musher can hear the song too.

The party downtown was great as were the FIREWORKS !!!!

One suggestion-More garbage cans in musher parking lot.

Thanks for such a great race...you all did a wonderful job.

sent this to brad king, bit i'll add it here as well/

it was a super weekend. i perhaps volunteered too much, since i couldn't see the start in copper harbor, but i had great fun.

i would like to volunteer to be on the board or a board laison for copper harbor. i think having someone who really knows the place and where things are will help, ie the placement of the trucks and assigning bag checkers to those areas so all would be covered without so much running around. don't want to step on any toes, though, if someone else who is a longer resident wants to do it.

i also took lots of photos at the crossings i worked sat - bohemia - and sun - copper city. i posted on my facebook. should i put them on the cd150 page also? i have shots of most of the mushers and teams.

great job on your part, too.

Thanks everyone -- volunteers, businesses, mushers, organizers, our entire community -- a really great event.

I've posted several hundred photos and video clips of the three days on my website, www.GalleryOnDaLine.com. Drill down to the Events Gallery. Enjoy, eh?

The speakers by the Block Party didn't work, connectors were under water, shorted out and were eventually knocked loose from people tripping over the wire. The foot deep water puddle was caused by the street drain being plugged with snow from the bulldozer making the snow road, it was dug out but filled in again with snow when spectators climbed the snow bank to watch the race because there was to fencing to stop them and again we were a foot deep in water. We had several wet souls that ended up on their backsides in the water after sliding on the ice. Might want to rethink the location of the snow road, maybe a two feet away from the curb like the last two years.

It obviously takes many dedicated individuals pulling together to bring the Copper Dog 150 to our neck of the woods. At so many levels we can see people giving their time, energy, and resources each year to make it such a successful event. Our family says "Thank You" to all who spent long hours, wrote out checks, stood in the cold, went the extra mile, showed up for meetings, and made everyone feel welcome. This event has such a positive impact on the vitality of the Copper Country.

My wife and I were privileged to catch the mushers at the Phoenix Farms crossing on Sunday (see http://www.pasty.com/discus/messages/7471/7610.html ), and Pasty.NET was proud to play a small role, providing Internet connections for everybody "off the grid" in the Keweenaw.

A lot of hard work and planning. Great Job!

I thought the band near the firepits should have waited to start playing until after all the dogs and mushers were sent out. It made it difficult to hear the names of the mushers. Also would have been nice to have a speaker near this area as well. Over all the event was really nice. It was nice to see so many people, especially kids.

Next year instead of the bike races, having something more related to dogs/sleds such as kiddie/dog races, with their own dog pulling them on a sled or toboggan. Offering kiddie games etc. Of course with prizes.

If you have some thoughts on the 2012 CopperDog 150, good, bad, or otherwise, we would love to hear from you.