Enjoying a Higher Quality of Life

"We need to look up at the moon... and we need to SMILE." -B. Shields
Greetings everyone,
Hope all is well in your worlds. Quite the trip to fairbanks area this past weekend. Took a look at a few properties in the Tok area to do some training around in the upcoming training season. Lots of fires in the interior. Went canoeing on Chatanika on the 4th w/ Dan Kaduce, a fellow Quest musher. Had fun hanging at his place w/ Jodi and other friend's as well. We learned that the area of Alaska they reside in receives 30 percent of all the lightning hits in the Greatland. Enjoyed visiting Lance and Tonga as well. Too smoky for too long a stay however.

Nice to be back at the lake, gorgeous outside yet hard to write today. Too busy losing water. Not thru sweat but tears. It's only appropriate that Michael is being buried under a full moon, as he would have wanted. Time to go howl! HHN

Cherishing this Moment of the Journey

"I used to think the day would never come, I see the light in the shade of the morning sun..." --'True Faith', New Order

Hey everyone,
Yesterday while on the phone Tamra's mum said I had better get back to the blog. Sorry for the delay, been stuck in Facebook world. Awesome autumn weather again this year. Summer you say? Not around here- mountain living sure does have its priveleges. Typically in the 60's w/ light breezes and occassional showers. The surrounding environment feels so healthy and alive. Mother Nature has even given us a suprise present the last few days- Snow. A few thousand feet above the lake the Grey mtns. are covered in it- a giant vanilla ice cream cone!

Love having visitors, not only a chance to show off our lil' piece of Heaven but an opportunity to run dawgs as well. We have a short five mile obstacle course w/ various streams for the pooches to pound thru as well as hills to lope over. Runs typically last a half hour or so. The longer the better- numerous stops to relax, cool down, etc. Yesterday we had a visitor from England joining us. Within minutes of leaving the starting chute we, as well as our 12 dog team were thrashing thru a violent rainstorm. Scary for some yet perfect summer conditons for running. Most of the pooches being run are yearlings or 2 yr. olds (mothers Annie and Omen)(Fathers Brady and Zorro) w/ plenty of drive; at present we're concentrating daily on creating positive habits- Pure Energy!

Have been invited to speak at a Mushing Symposium in Montana mid september. From there we're off to St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver, Texas and possibly New Orleans. If you know of anyone/schools out there that would enjoy seeing a Dogmushing show like no other, feel free to spread the news. We hope to put a link up on our website soon so you all can see a glimpse of our unique Laughing Eyes Kennel experience. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face as you wonder about life's possibilities- not just for these beautiful Dawgs but for YOU.

Tough times on tv lately. Great excuse to turn it off and get back to creating the 'Magic' from within. Peace, HHN tour ?'s: laughingeyeskennel@hotmail.com

Encounters With The "Grumpy Griz"

'Environments such as this can really affect a person' - Baldwin Brother
Hey everyone!
Quite the trip. Thanks to Yuka Honda for babysitting the pooches so Tamra and I could go for a walkabout. Spent friday in Dawson City visiting w/ Quest friends: J.D. Britten, Gerry and William and Shelley B.- fun times at the local watering hole. With these economic times tourism in the north has been hit hard. Dawson looked like a ghost town- which, hmmm?, it actually is- and that's why we luv it so.

It was our inaugural trip on the "Top of the World" hwy. Was wet and foggy though quite lovely. We brought Annie and Tamra's boyfriend Nathan along for company though I would'nt recommend driving a fully loaded dogtruck thru these parts- a bit bumpy around here. Chicken festival was awesome- good tunes, great company. Camped next to a massive dredge from the gold rush era- land ships as it were.

Been checking out different spots in Tok to set up another kennel at to train out of- found a few promising locations. My first Alaskan mushing 'boss' Bill Mitchell and his wife live in the area- was nice visiting their place for the evening. Drove back to the lake this afternoon- about an 8 hour cruise. Saw 6 bears including a mom w/ 2 tiny lil' cubs crossing the hwy. just outside of Haines Junction. There was a Moose slurping away in a pond as well next to a few white swans who were bedded down. Beautiful. Everyday up here feels like being inside of your own personal virtual video game. Today's edition was definately all about our furry massive northern pigs- it's our own fault ya know. After all we decided this morning to have breakfast at the "Grumpy Griz" cafe in Tok. Always more enjoyable to see one from the road than wandering around the neighborhood! Peace, HHN

Conversations with The Puerto Rican Musher

"Now I'm heading back home, where I know it's safe and warm- chores over, I know I'm satisfied after our long hard ride. Way out here tonite, the stars shine so bright. Oh, what a beautiful land! It's no mystery to me- it's easy to see. This has all been painted by the master's hand..." -- Hobo Jim

Hey y'all,
Had a wonderful visit with an old amigo from Austin, Texas- Jaime. Originally from the hills of Puerto Rico this fella has been running dogs on and off for over a decade now. It was Jaime's 1st visit to Annie Lake, hopefully not his last. We figure If Hans get can train a kid from Jamaica to become a competent long-distance sleddog musher why not our enthusiastic hombre too! Jaime's got the knowledge and talent, obviously his biggest obstacle, like many, will be overcoming their inner fears. For Jaime it's the -- CCCCOOOOLLLLLLDDDDDDD!!!!!

Always fun to hang with folks who have different perspectives on life. So much information to decipher. What is a monumental task for some may just be a walk in the park for others. Typically experience is a major ally in any endeavor. That's why folks who are energetic and ready to jump behind a 16 dog team for a few weeks should seek to learn from others so that they may avoid mistakes in the future. Whether they are paying attention and listening?- well- the wisest people realize their personal weaknesses.My list is long, a journey that becomes stranger by the year. That's why sooner than later, I had better release all of this info. from my head before it languishes amidst forgotten memories.

The last few summers I've been promising to put pen to hand yet the dogs and canoe seem to demand my attention. This past season however has a story that must be told, it's just too laughable to believe. I have competition with wonderful books like Mitch's Seavey's recent novel, a must for beginning musher's. Joe Runyan's writing about some dude named Lance too. Our piece is Tentatively Called: Tails of the Gypsy Musher: "Going To The Dawgs" Unlike other mushing books, our saga will not exactly be a 'how- to' book, more of a 'watch out for this'! Its emphasis will be concentrated not just on how to be a better musher but better Dawg. Now some folks may call them pets or 'working animals', we call them family: our community filled with lil' furry oompa-loompas. Tamra and her mother were laughing on the phone the other day- "Hugh, says he has to wait til the next full moon before he can start writing this book." You ladies looked outside up at the stars lately, we're getting closer...

While out canoeing on the lake yesterday afternoon with Tamra and Jaime we were mesmerized by the skies above. Not because of the moon but the depth of blue beyond the mountain's peaks. What a majestic view to behold, with the sheep prancing alongside the cliff's edge- the magnetitude of Mother Nature leaves us silly simple humans gaping in awe at all our eyes have beheld. Now some folks may have faith in the afterlife, others seek to understand the unknown thru prayer. For some of us their is no question about it- We speak with the Great Almighty each and every day. Just by opening our eyes and smiling... HHN

Bless this Cabin We Call Home...

"Dream as if you'll live forever. LIVE as if you'll die today." - James Dean

Hey folks,

Have finally returned to our Annie Lake Oasis. Nice to be back within the warm embrace of our pack. Nothing compares with the energy of a musher's 'Doggie community', suppose that's why many of us choose this rather secluded lifestyle. In our presentations many of the ?'s we hear are about dog racing. It's the day to day living that is the centerpiece of our souls. "Hey there Spencer, How ya doin' Mr. Amigo? Omen leave Colby alone! Can't you girls just get along?" The best question I've ever been asked concerning dawgs is: "How do you make sure they all get enough love?"

Patience, Persistance and Plenty of Practice! Was a pleasure meeting so many new friends this past month. As well as many playmates from my youth! Back to the dogyard- where we belong... HHN

Wild Bill

Wild Bill

Every time we greet

I look into your bright blue eyes

Through them I can see

your wisdom and happiness.

When we hug I can feel your heart.
It's larger than most, the tests call it quite the feat.
I know it's true because I see
the love you have for everyone you meet.

To thousands of children
you've brought hope and joy
I hope you know
you're a very special boy.

In your three years since being born,
you've seen more than any other I know.
Not only the Quest trail and Iditarod
(both north and south routes),
but the Denali trail (from Cantwell to Paxson), Kobuk and Kusko.














Wild Bill, you're the pride of your mom Omen and your dad Maestro,
and the envy of your siblings Delilah, Tolliver, Tyler, Ellsworth and Bullock.

Most of all know how proud we are of the great
performances you've given over the past three weeks.
You'll always be the shining star
at the center of our heart.
-- your other mom and dad, Tamra and Hugh, xxxx

Going To The Dawgs...

"Never let schooling get in the way of a good education." - Coach Tony Ingle

Hello everyone,

In Chicago now, will be here for the weekend then through Seattle and Vancouver before arriving in Whitehorse. In many respects this last month has been tougher than most 1,000 mile sled races we've participated in. It's also at times been quite uplifting and enjoyable as well. There are so many people to thank that I apologize if we forget to mention you, it's a bit of a challenge to remember so many folks all within just a few weeks time.

Thanks go out to all of the teachers who sought us out to enlighten their children's minds with a different view of this world from our northern perspective. Sarah Lux and the Loudermilk family just ouside of Atlanta were wonderful. (Though it took us a while to figure out where there house was.) Mrs. Terrill and the kids at Midway were well prepared, thoughtful with wonderful boiled Georgia peanuts as a bonus. Pam Thompson and her "60's" kids were hilarious as ever. While in the Atlanta area we spent most of our time with fellow Iditarod musher Bill Borden and his lovely wife Brenda. Muchas Gracias to the both of them for being such kind hosts. Bill's hoping to set up a system where dogmushers who have finished a 1,000 miler can join together to travel around the country spreading the 'Good News' of the North.

Our next stop was in Abingdon, Virginia- before that Bill wanted me to meet one person before I left Georgia first. Kennesaw State is just outside of Atlanta, a few years back their basketball team won the 2A National Championship. They were having a get together for the booster club and was it ever impressive. What made it so was a man named Tony. Born with a birth defect that covers much of his body, Tony refused to lose. Not a very bright student either, he still would not relinquish the desire to be a better player, a better human. After hearing his rousing speech I could see why others were willing to perform their best for this man. His words are still echoing in my mind- Thanks Coach!

Visiting with The Campbell family in Abingdon was great. Teresa and Kevin are wonderful parents with 3 beautiful daughters. They had a b-day barn party for Ashton as she celebrated her 15th. The next day I visited with Mary Akers and a friend. After lunch her daughter's school in Rhea Valley was next on the agenda. Was fun to revisit with these small town folks after a few years. From there it was on to Crookesville, Ohio for our next talk- Shelley Sowers and friends were quite kind in Buckeye country. Our talk that afternoon was on the northwest side of Columbus in Hilliard, Ohio. The teachers, led by Kathy Donnell had constructed beautiful posters with past pix from previous races on them. One teacher even painted a beautiful mtn. scene with a team passing by-awesome! Every person we met had their own unique personas but what reaaly made all of these moments so special were the heartwarming smiles and endless energy!

Our last midwest presentation was to be the following day just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan in a small town- Grass Lake. Before leaving Ohio I had a few more folks to meet. A boy named Zack from Sylvania had been hoping that his school would invite us for a visit. Unfortunately they were unable to. His father called and asked if we might join up for dinner, "Sure", I replied. It was a fun time at a local Italian restaurant. Proof for a child that in the end Perserverance pays off. The teachers and students were full of enthusiasm and excitement. It was an enjoyable final talk, it's been quite an adventure these past few weeks. Hope you all have enjoyed the show as much as we like to share our northern treasures with the rest of the world. Travelled Lately? HHN

"Changes in Latitude... Changes in Attitude..."

"Never made it as a Wise man, never made it as a poor man stealing. This is how you remind me of who I really am..." -- ?

Howdy Folks,
Drove thru a pouring rain yesterday, now on the outskirts of Atlanta staying with the Loudermilk family. Sheets of rain pelted the car as I giggled to myself, "Man this storm is awesome- I LIVE for Mother Nature." In my early 20's I was an avid consumer of knowledge. My 'Bible' was a set of books written by a transcendentalist nature writer by the name of John Muir. Of Scottish descent Johnny was made of pure energy, he lived to play in the mtns. Hopefully the dogs and I will have many moons ahead to continue that tradition.

Was an enjoyable weekend in Mooresville with my cousin Bobn. A special thanks to his wife Allison for letting the boys out for a few nights to whoop it up. They have a lovely new boy named Rex. Bob and his friend Tony enjoyed dragging me in the water behind his boat on Lake Norman. Wonderful time there, gorgeous country though I can only imagine what Wild Bill's dreams are like. Do you know many Iditarod dogs that can water ski too? 3 talks over the next few days then on to Virginia. My good friend Mr. Bill Borden, the director of the Iditarod Finisher's club lives in the area. Bill did the race in 2002. Will be fun hanging with him and his wife Brenda. One last comment- we finally did it! We're on Facebook. Be kind to us please- will need to find a camera to put some pix up for everyone.
See ya all down the road! Hugh and Wild Bill www.laughingeyeskennel.com