Mushing Towards Iditarod . . .

Decisions, decisions . . .

2011-10-13T11:26:00.002-08:00

As most of you probably have guessed this year I will not be running the "Last Great Race" I felt that due to the last two years of extreme stress I would take a year off to recuperate and try different things. I still have my dogs and I am excited to let you know that some of them will be running in Iditarod 2012 with my friend Jan Steves. I will also have the opportunity to go up to Willow to help Jan run and train the dogs.
Thank you again to everyone who supported "my dream" of running the Iditarod. We will see what life bring for the 2013 season!!

CNN video and article on my 2011 Iditarod Race

2011-05-02T18:33:00.003-08:00

Here is the link to the 1st of 4 videos created by CNN using the footage that I shot on the race . . . Enjoy watching my DREAM come to life!

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/living/2011/05/02/race.lifetime.taggart.part.one.cnn.html#

Here is the link to the article by CNN . . .

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/05/03/iditarod.angie.taggart/index.html

Some photos from Iditarod 2011

2011-04-20T11:25:00.004-08:00

Walking Carmack and Stovepipe up to the gang-line, getting ready for the start in Willow~

Hurry up and wait our turn . . . waiting for the green light to walk the team up to the starting chute in Willow.

One team away from the starting line in Willow . . .

And we are off to NOME!
Finish time into Nome was:
~ 13 days ~1 hour~ 49 minutes ~ 24 seconds~
Finished with 10 happy and healthy dogs:
Chop, Carmack, Stovepipe, Raver, Chip, Allison, Win, Rainy, Tibet and Tango

Relaxing in Hawaii!

2011-04-07T10:55:00.004-08:00

Once I return from paradise I will be loading up some videos and photos from the race - so until then ALOHA!

Rohn to Nikolai: long haul!

2011-03-08T21:29:00.002-09:00

Angie is currently navigating Rohn to Nikolai, which is a 75 mile stretch. Nikolai is 347 miles from Anchorage. She is in 51st place at the moment and is doing awesome. She has dropped two dogs but it still going strong with 14 dogs. No word as to why she had to drop them. The best place to keep tabs on Angie is the race standings page on Iditarod.com or http://www.iditarod.com/race/race/currentstandings.html for a direct link. There is also a fan page on Facebook that has regular updates: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Angie-Taggart-following-her-dream-Iditarod-2011/108318815904912

Thanks for checking in! Angie is amazing! Mush ON.

Restart in Willow!

2011-03-07T00:07:00.004-09:00

Today was an amazing and gorgeous day in Willow for the restart. Angie was totally pumped up and so excited to get out there. She gave lots of thumbs up and smiles along the starting chute.

She's out there tonight making her dream a reality. Go ANGIE!!!! Keep up on Angie at Iditarod.com. She's currently in 35th place and is nearly to her second check point!

Ceremonial Iditarod 2011 start: Amazing!

2011-03-06T00:12:00.004-09:00

Angie has asked me to update her blog with some pictures and to let everyone know how much it meant to her to see you all out there cheering her on and showing your support. Thank you!

Angie had a great ceremonial start and is getting to sleep early tonight to get some much needed shut eye before the restart tomorrow in Willow. It's gonna be great!

Iditarod start

2011-03-04T22:10:00.003-09:00

For those of you in Anchorage who are going to the Anchorage start tomorrow, word is that my supporters will be meeting up at 10:10AM at the Sunshine Mall on 4th Avenue (right at the start.) I will be taking off at 10:36AM bib 19. Hope to see you there! Thank you everyone!

Starting bib number 19!

2011-03-03T22:07:00.002-09:00

Tonight at the mushers banquet I drew bib number 19. This means that I will be starting the race at 10:36AM on Saturday March 5th in downtown Anchorage on 4th Avenue. If you are living in the area you can watch me take off from downtown on Channel 1 GCI. If you are not a GCI customer you can watch a live stream on Iditarod.com. Wishing you were all here for the start. Can't wait to post something from Nome! Keep tabs on me here and on Iditarod.com.

Quilt from a classroom of Well-wishers in Oklahoma!

2011-02-24T18:52:00.007-09:00

What a surprise to receive a beautiful quilt with special messages from Susan Smith's 6th grade class in Lawton, Oklahoma. They also made me the scarf that I am wearing. More special wishes will be posted soon!

Drop Bags are Complete!!!

2011-02-18T10:23:00.005-09:00

Figure This Out -------->

2011-02-16T11:06:00.003-09:00

There are 19 checkpoints on this years Iditarod trail. I am sending out 36 sets
(4 in each set) of booties to each check point. How many individual dog booties am I sending out?

I have 4 - 5 pound bags of kibble for each of the 19 check points plus 170 extra pounds of kibble that will be sent out to a few of the checkpoints where I may stay my 24 hours. How many pounds of kibble will I be sending out on the trail?

I am sending a variety of meat out for the dogs for snacks and feedings. There will be beef fat, tripe, salmon, and beef. I am sending at least 5 - 5 pound bags of meat to each check point. How many pounds of meat am I sending out on the trail for my dogs to consume?

The Beginning Preparations for Drop Bags

2011-02-04T21:17:00.004-09:00

Leslie Boyd and Sarajustine came over today to bring me the delicious meals, cookies and PB fudge that they made for me to eat out on the trail. These ladies cooked their hearts out for Ray Jr. and me. What a blessing. Tomorrow more delicious meals will be coming from Kyli and Michele. Now we need to pray for the weather to stay in the teens so it won't all defrost!!

Posh House Parka/Bibs

2011-02-02T14:38:00.001-09:00

I am excited to try out my new Posh House Parka and Bibs. . .

Cross-cut Saw Competition at the Willow Carnival

2011-01-30T17:11:00.003-09:00

My friend Sarah and I took time out of running dogs to compete in the woman's cross-cut saw competition at the Willow Carnival. We had a lot of fun and took home the GOLD!

Don Bowers Sled Dog Race . . . 110 Miles Later

2011-01-29T23:30:00.003-09:00

Me 20 hours into my 24 hour race . . .

Sleeping with the team (Bee & Pepe')

Early morning run on the day I completed the race 1/29/11 - 12:10pm

Completed the 110 miles of the Don Bowers Race. Had a great time - my feet are a bit sore, but besides that I feel great. The dogs came back with no injuries and happy. I am so glad that the race was a success for us all! I am beginning to narrow down my team that I will take on Iditarod.

Next task at hand is to keep training dogs and getting drop bags ready to deliver to Iditarod on the 17th. The drop bags are the bags that have everything that we will need out on the trail.

Finish Line!!!

2011-01-29T16:09:00.001-09:00

Angie and her team crossed the finish line at 12:13 PM!! WAY TO GO, TEAM TAGGART!! We're so proud of you and the dogs!

Almost There!!!

2011-01-29T12:01:00.002-09:00

Angie just called to let us know that she's almost to the finish line!! GO, TEAM, GO!!!

Heading for the Finish Line!!!

2011-01-29T10:00:00.004-09:00

Angie and her team left Morgan Cabin at 3:51 AM with 13 dogs. She arrived at (and left) Nowhere at 8:49 AM and is now on the homeward stretch (24 miles from Nowhere to the finish line in Eaglequest). GO, ANGIE & DOGS, GO!!!!

Time for a Rest . . .

2011-01-29T00:07:00.005-09:00

Angie and her 14 dogs arrived at Morgan Cabin at 9:20 PM on Friday and are now taking their mandatory 6-hour layover. Hopefully, they're all having a good rest before they're on their way again. If you'd like to follow the progress of the race, check out http://www.donbowersmemorialrace.org/
YOU AND THE DOGS ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS, ANGIE!!

Don Bowers 200 miler changed to a 110 miler

2011-01-27T17:07:00.002-09:00

Tomorrow I will be starting the Don Bowers Sled Dog Race at 12:08pm. I am going out 4th in a field of 13.

Sponsor Sign for the Back of my Dog Truck

2011-01-25T09:53:00.004-09:00

I just got done working with Trevor from Signpro creating this beautiful piece of art for my sponsors. It will be on the back of my dog truck for all to see - I think it really ROCKS!!!

Copper Basin 300 Finish

2011-01-12T15:07:00.003-09:00

Copper Basin 300

2011-01-12T13:20:00.002-09:00

Start of the race out of Paxson running along the pipeline

Preparing to cook food for dogs in the first checkpoint of Chistochina.
Bristol and Bee relaxing in the Glennallen checkpoint.
Getting dogs ready to leave from the Glennallen checkpoint.
Somewhere along the checkpoint running at night. Most of my runs were during the night.

Hills heading toward the checkpoint of Meier’s Lake Lodge.

Stovepipe at the finish line with his Red Dog jacket on . . .

Copper Basin 300 Finish 2:59 pm (1-11-11)
Raver and Wicked led the whole race and did a fantastic job!

FINISH LINE REACHED!!!

2011-01-11T16:22:00.001-09:00

I don't have any of the details, but it looks like Angie has finished the race!!!! WAY TO GO, TEAM TAGGART!!!!!!

Correction of the last posting . . .

2011-01-11T12:47:00.002-09:00

Angie just called and gave me an update on her travels. Unfortunately, the information I posted this morning was wrong. The Copper Basin Race Updates had posted that she left Merier's Lake at 6:10 AM when, in reality, she left Sourdough (the checkpoint before Merier's Lake ) at that time. The actual time she left Merier's Lake is just a few minutes ago. So . . . she's now on the trail to Paxon (the finish line) with 9 dogs and has about 15 miles to go in the race. She was able to get a few hours of sleep last night so she's feeling fairly rested. GO TEAM TAGGART!!!!

ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE!!!

2011-01-11T09:13:00.003-09:00

Angie and her team are on the home stretch!!! They left Merier's Lake at 6:10 this morning and should be arriving in Paxson (the finish line) anytime soon!!!!! GO, ANGIE & TEAM, GO!!!

Back on the trail again!!!

2011-01-10T14:15:00.004-09:00

Greetings from the trail (via phone call to Mom!)!!! Angie just called again about 20 minutes ago. She's now left Wolverine Lodge and she and the dogs are mushing along toward Sourdough. The reason it took her so long (longer than many of the other mushers) to get from Tolsona Lodge to Wolverine Lodge is that, by the time she travelled over the trail, there was a large section of watery slush that she had to go through. She said she was up to her knees in water and heavy slush. By the time she got through that area, her boots were full of water and her outer garments (and the dogs) were soaked!!! Fortunately, items in the sled were packed in a water-proof bag so she was able to change into dry socks and boots and a dry outer suit and get dry booties on all of the dogs (THANK YOU, GOD!)!!! Please pray that she doesn't encounter any more wet areas and that she and the dogs have safe travels from here on out.

Angie arrived at Wolverine Lodge!

2011-01-10T11:20:00.002-09:00

According to the Copper Basin Stats, Angie arrived at Wolverine Lodge at 3:26 this morning. Hopefully, she and the dogs will have a good rest there before heading along the trail to Sourdough.
**Note: Unfortunately, her tracking device doesn't seem to be working since it still has her listed as being in Glennallen. So . . . please don't depend on the tracking device to follow her progress.**

Back on the trail again!!!

2011-01-09T22:14:00.004-09:00

Angie arrived at Tolsona Lodge at 8:51 P.M., spent 28 minutes there, and is now back on the trail heading toward Wolverine Lodge with her team of 11 dogs. May you and your team have a safe trip, Angie!!!

Angie just called!!!

2011-01-09T18:23:00.002-09:00

What a joy to receive a phone call from Angie!! She's currently on the trail - about ten miles from Tolsona Lodge. She says that up until this point the trail has been extremely difficult - lots of steep hills both up and down - very scary in spots!!! The trail she's on now is fairly level, but rough, because it's mostly just gravel!!! We could hear her voice bouncing along as she spoke on the phone! She had to leave one dog, Bristol, behind in Glennallen (due to sore feet and wrists) so she's now running with 11 dogs. She sends greetings to everyone who's following her race. Please keep her and her team in your thoughts and prayers. We Love You, Angie!!!

Angie arrived in Chistochina!!!

2011-01-08T21:46:00.002-09:00

According to the Copper Basin 300 Race Stats, Angie arrived at Chistochina at 8:08 P.M. this evening (about 1.5 hours earlier than anticipated by her GPS tracker). According to my calculations, her average rate of travel was approximately 8.8 mph. WAY TO GO, ANGIE!!!

Almost to Chistochina . . .

2011-01-08T19:43:00.004-09:00

I just checked Angie's tracker and received the report that she and the dogs should be arriving at the first waypoint (Chistochina) in about 2 hours (approx. 9:42 P.M. this evening). She's currently traveling at a rate of about 6.7 mph! Way to go, Angie and Team Taggart!!!!

Angie is on her way!!!

2011-01-08T13:36:00.001-09:00

Go, Angie, go!!!

Angie is ready!!

2011-01-08T10:58:00.002-09:00

Hi! I just spoke with Angie via phone and she let me know that she's ready for the Copper Basin 300! I'll be posting updates of her progress in the race. Please keep her and the dogs in your thoughts and prayers. Charlene (Angie's Mom)

Leaving #17 for Copper Basin on Saturday 1/8/11

2011-01-07T20:41:00.003-09:00

My starting position for tomorrows race is #17. This means I will be leaving around 1:34pm. Follow me on www.cb300.com.

Copper Basin 300

2011-01-07T01:01:00.003-09:00

Tomorrow, Friday January 7th I will be driving to Glennallen to check-in for the Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog Race (My first race of the season). The race is to begin at 1pm on Saturday the 8th. Right now there are 44 people signed up. We will know our starting position after the banquet on Firday.
This will be my first time competing in this race. I am really excited to the see the area and to see how my dogs and I will do. The temperature is around -15.
Please go to the Copper Basin website to follow my progress: http://www.cb300.com/ They will have a Spot GPS tracker on me so you can watch from a far! Prayers for safety for the dogs and myself would be much appreciated!! Let's see what these dogs can do!

Making Wrist and Neck Warmers

2011-01-02T20:56:00.004-09:00

The past two nights my friend Jan Steves and I worked on making wrist warmers (you are able to put a hand-warmer in your palm to help keep your exposed fingers warm. It easier to boot a dog without fingers on your gloves) and neck warmers. We had a lot of laughs!!!

New Year . . . 2011!

2011-01-01T15:32:00.005-09:00

This linocut was created by my friend and neighbor Evon Zerbetz. There are a few obvious reasons why I love this print but, another reason why I love it is because of the ravens in the tree. On almost every run that the dogs and I do we have a raven or raven follow us. It is very magical . . . I really like ravens a lot and feel like we have a cheering section with them following along and klawocking. They will fly ahead of us and then as we pass by they will take off to the next set of trees ahead.

2,500 Pounds of Beef, Tripe, Liver and Beef Fat

2010-12-24T21:49:00.003-09:00

(Cutting up salmon for snacks.)

It was nice to have my dad here so that he could go with me to Palmer to pick up the last of my 1,500 pounds of meat for the dogs. All the meat comes in 50lb blocks that we cut up. For feeding meals I cut the 50lb blocks into five - 10lb blocks and then I pull them out the night before feeding so they can thaw. For snacks I take a 10lb block and cut them about an inch thick and two inches wide. You want to make sure that the dogs snacks are easy for them to ingest. If they have to work hard to chew something up when they are tired they will most likely not bother.

Zoom Zoom!

2010-12-23T20:12:00.003-09:00

Down the trail we go . . .

2010-12-18T18:06:00.003-09:00

Since I was unable to race today I took a team of 10 dogs out for a 40 mile run. I ran my new sled that I am borrowing from my friend Kelly who lives in Minnesota - thanks Kelly! This by far was the wildest run I have had this year. I did quite a few face plants in the snow while going around corners in the trail. At one point I lost my team after we went down a winding steep decline. Thank God I caught up to them 100 yards later due to a snow hook catching in the snow and stopping the team.

Mushing on by . . .

2010-12-15T20:01:00.001-09:00

My dad came to take photos and watch the dogs and me "Mush on by . . ."

The Intertie

2010-12-13T20:22:00.003-09:00

Running down the intertie on chilly afternoon!

"Rainy" Athlete of the Week Dec. 12th-18th

2010-12-11T23:58:00.003-09:00

Rainy is a young dog (2years old) and she is showing potential of being a leader by taking commands from back in the team. She is a sister to McGrath. Rainy is small in stature, but she makes up for it when pulling with the team. She loves to be cuddled and shown attention. I enjoy her laid-back attitude and sweet temperament. What Musher from Ketchikan wouldn't have a dog in their team named Rainy? LOL!

A day of running dogs . . .

2010-12-08T19:59:00.004-09:00

I loved how the sky looked tonight!

Wind in Willow

2010-11-29T19:56:00.002-09:00

Today we were out training in a nice wind. Wind in Willow is very unusual. I took the opportunity to get the dogs out into the wind and wind-blown trails. GO wind GO!

"Chip" and "Dale" Athletes of the Week Nov. 28 - Dec. 5th

2010-11-28T20:13:00.004-09:00

Chip and Dale are brothers . . . they are the sweetest boys and they look so cute running side by side in the team. They run in the team or wheel position. They both are hard workers. They both have very high metabolisms so it is a challenge to keep weight on them. They both love having their bodies rubbed all over and will snuggle right in to your arms. I just love these boys!!

Running @ Dusk

2010-11-28T19:49:00.002-09:00

A Day In the Life Of . . .

2010-11-27T18:31:00.006-09:00

Following Russ down the trail . . . it was nice to be back on a sled after the 4 day torrential downpour - the dogs were pretty happy too!

Indigo and Svennie all tuckered out from a day hanging out at the kennel. They are demonstrating the husky curl!

* Sled Dog Antics *

2010-11-19T11:38:00.003-09:00

I'm really not sure why the dogs were cracking me up today, but here are a few silly dogs . . . life as usual in the dog lot!

Riot's whiskers were covered with frost this morning and I just had to capture his cuteness before he had breakfast and made it disappear.

Stovepipe looking shocked, "Who ME?"
Every time I go to feed the dogs I am on a hunt for bowls. Since they are not attached to their houses they slide really easily across the ice and snow and end up in other parts of the dog lot or in this case other dogs houses!

Now that the weather has dipped below zero poop scooping has become that much easier. PePe' is pondering which poopsicle he would like to have for his own! Gag~

"PePe'" Athlete of the Week Nov. 14th-20th

2010-11-11T14:41:00.005-09:00

PePe' is one shy guy, but a heck of a leader. Once he gets to know you he loves to be scratched behind his ears and loved on. He is brother to Raver who is also a fine leader. PePe' has a very soft coat of fur that will keep him nice and warm in the sub-zero temperatures that we will encounter this winter. I am really excited to see how well PePe' does in our race December 18th.
Go PePe' Go!!!

The Route for 2011

2010-11-09T15:07:00.002-09:00

2011 Race Route

Please click on the address below to see the mileage for each check point on the Iditarod website.
http://iditarod.com/race/route.html

Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser #2

2010-11-08T21:23:00.003-09:00

Have I ever mentioned that I am so very blessed and loved!!

What a great turn-out! There were 220+ people who came out to listen to my dream and support me.

These doggie cupcakes were so adorable thanks to Levi and his mom Denise. There were, oh so many, delicious desserts. . . Thank you to all who contributed!

This was surely a night to remember! Thank you Kelly for your heartfelt toast - your crown looked lovely on you!

Photos at Tongass

2010-11-07T22:29:00.000-09:00

Dad, Oceana, Mom and I . . .

Oceana, Ursula and I - I just love how Oceana is staring Ursula in the eyes!

While I was at home Tongass Trading Co. gave me the opportunity to come to their store so that people could get photos taken with me. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it was so much fun seeing everyone who came to visit!

"Wicked" Athlete of the Week Oct. 31st-Nov. 6th

2010-10-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

Wicked is one of my main leaders. She is a gentle spirited dog who loves to run. She enjoys having her ears scratched and she gets along with all of the dogs on our team. I am excited to see how well she does in our upcoming races as a leader!

Snow has Fallen!

2010-10-29T12:45:00.007-08:00

The dog yard sprinkled with snow - the dogs are excited and so am I!

One of the trees outside the house . . .Driving the road to where I live.

My Dog Yard in Willow . . .

2010-10-25T18:42:00.005-08:00

This is my dog yard here in Willow. You can see the red beast off to the left hand side. This photo isn't the greatest due to it being gloomy and wet. I wanted to get a visual up for now, but when the weather allows I will update the photo and add more photos of the property.
I now have any address - so if you feel inclined to send me some snail mail you finally can:
Angie Taggart
P.O. Box 1196
Willow, Ak 99688

"Win" Athlete of the Week Oct. 24th-30th

2010-10-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

Win is a smaller dog on my team. She loves to lead the team down the trail. Sometimes she has a hard time listening to commands that are given to her, but overall she works really hard. She loves people to scratch her belly and behind her ears. A couple of months ago she had 7 pups. She was a great mother. I gave all of her pups away to two great homes.

Camouflaged Svennie . . .

2010-10-22T10:07:00.004-08:00

Svenna is running on down the road with birch trees blurred in the background. She still moves for a 11 3/4 year old girl!

The Tunnel

2010-10-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

At my home on Burma Rd., there is a tunnel that was made by the owners just as you are about to enter into the kennel. I was really not sure why it was there other than it was really cool to run through it. I was told that they created it so that their dogs would be prepared to run through a culvert when they were sprint racing in Anchorage. It never seemed to phase my dogs - this is great since we will be running through a few on the Iditarod ceremonial start in Anchorage.

Keep Those Doggies Running!

2010-10-18T17:06:00.010-08:00

A beautiful day to be out and about. The weather was really too warm for the dogs (40+*) but they still had a good time getting out and running. The first team of 10 that I ran went 9.6 miles and then the the second group of 10 ran 8.7 miles. I just love being outside with my dogs!

After running dogs Indigo, Svennie, and I went to check out a new trail. The photo on the left shows the end of the trail. It was gorgeous out there by the lake!

4-wheeler training

2010-10-15T14:44:00.002-08:00

Today the team bumped up the mileage from 8-milers to 10-milers. They did a great job . . . The temperature this morning when we were running was 20*. It was a bit chilly, but the dogs really liked it. Snow is trying to fall from the sky today and the forecast for the weekend is snow!

First Day of Fall Training

2010-10-10T13:48:00.003-08:00

Here I am with a team of 8 dogs - I got the 4-wheeler the day before and got right to work the following day! The dogs had a great time and I did too!!

Ketchikennels - Home * Sweet * Home

2010-09-27T14:01:00.004-08:00

Ketchikennels - Home to 23 Alaskan Huskies and a musher from Ketchikan!

Here is a photo of my home for the time being. It is located 30 miles outside of Wasilla. I will be living in the blue shack. My dog truck is on the left and the dog yard with my 23 dogs is looking good. I had a friend who came to help me get settled. He put in all the dog poles and houses in a day for me. Friends are GREAT!

My team running in Skagway

2010-09-18T21:01:00.006-08:00

Here are some of my Iditarod hopefuls running for our guests at Dog Camp today (10/18/10). My leaders were Bee and Hurley, my swing dogs, directly behind the leaders, were Allison and Angel. Then in order continuing on back from swing were: Chip, Dale, Rainy, Indigo, McGrath, Pierce, Athena, Svennie, Chop, Ronin, and finally the wheel dogs Stovepipe and Carmack. The dogs did a great job running today! It is so cool to see the progress that they have made over the summer. They are much stronger and the bond that they have with me is respect. I am so PROUD of them all!!

Heading North to Wasilla

2010-09-16T22:34:00.002-08:00

Two more days of work left here in Skagway. I will be driving out of Skagway on the morning of September 22nd. I am excited to move on to my next chapter of training, but I will miss the great times spent here in Skagway . . .

"Bristol" Athlete of the Week September 12th-19th

2010-09-12T22:30:00.004-08:00

Bristol is a funny dog. She loves people so much and is always wanting loves from them. She is 2 years old and full of life. Dogs on the other hand are not her favorite to be around. On the gang-line she is always screaming in the face of her partner next to her. I need to run her next to a male because females drive her crazy.

"Allison" Athlete of the Week 8/29-9/4

2010-08-29T20:38:00.004-08:00

Allison is an amazing leader. She is 3 years old. She is extremely shy and incredibly sweet. She has a very fluffy tail that wags when she is excited to run. I am very exited to see her perform when the snow falls, I know that she will be a "big dog" in my team.

A Great Day of Fishing!

2010-08-28T21:27:00.005-08:00

2 White Kings, 5 Halibut, and Dungeness Crab

My 35# halibutThis is the first basket brittle star I have ever seen. It is really cool. Josh brought 3 of them up at different times on his fishing pole.

What a fantastic day to be out fishing with Jen, Robert and Josh. . . We returned with a bounty of seafood! It was really nice that Robert took us out fishing. It was a lot of fun and the first time this summer I was able to go fishing.

"Hurley" Athlete of the Week 8/15-8/21

2010-08-22T22:07:00.007-08:00

Hurley girl as I call her is a very wonderful "gee-haw" leader. She is good at directing other leaders that she is pulling with. At 8 years old she is the oldest dog in my team. She really enjoys being scratched behind the ears and love to have her coat brushed. She can be shy toward others when they are new to her.

"Pierce" Athlete of the Week 8/15-8/21

2010-08-10T21:06:00.010-08:00

Pierce loves to snuggle into people. He always seems to have a smile on his face. He is a hard worker in the team and he pulls hard in the *wheel position. He works well with other dogs and he enjoys running and pulling hard.

*Wheel Position - The dogs that are closest to the sled.

"Carmack" Athlete of the Week 8/1-8/7

2010-08-02T22:03:00.001-08:00

Carmack is one of my main leaders. He is 6 years old and one of my larger males in my team. He is very sweet, gentle, and very furry. He gets along with everyone on the team and he loves to run. He enjoys scratches behind his ears and along his sides.

"Angel" Athlete of the Week 7/25-7/31

2010-07-23T17:00:00.005-08:00

Angel is one of my three blue-eyed beauties. She has a very beautiful thick coat of fur and she is an excellent leader. She is 6 years of age. She takes commands well and she is very gentle with children. Off of the *gangline she is very shy of newcomers. She is a confident leader that will be very beneficial to my team in Iditarod 2011.

*A gangline is the line that runs down the center of the team which keeps the dogs all together.

Indigo Runs with the Big Dogs!

2010-07-17T21:14:00.004-08:00

I decided to try Indigo out in the team today. She did a fabulous job being only 4 months old. She pulled her little heart out for three runs alongside her mom Bee. It was a lot of fun watching her "Running with the Big Dogs". Go Indigo Go!

I am so very proud of both my girls!!

"Bee" Athlete of the Week

2010-07-04T20:23:00.008-08:00

"Athlete of the Week July 4th-10th"

Bee is a 5 year old female who will is one of the leaders on my team. She is a very sweet and loving dog. She is the mother to four 4 month old puppies. They are (Indigo) Waffle, Pancake, Eggs, and Bacon (The breakfast litter). I enjoy running her in the team because she is hard worker and she gets along with all of her teammates. She has electric blue eyes and a tender smile . . . I am very glad that she is a part of the team!

Indigo Waffle Taggart

2010-07-04T20:17:00.008-08:00

Meet the newest addition to "Team Taggart" is Indigo Waffle Taggart. She is a 4 month old pup who is the daughter of my leader Bee.

Svennie Girl!

2010-07-01T21:42:00.002-08:00

Today Svenna had a lot of fun running with the team! She pulls her little heart out . . . not bad for an 11 year old girl!

Iditarod Picnic/Sign-up

2010-06-26T21:44:00.007-08:00

Today was a very exciting day for me. It was the "official" beginning to a journey that has been a dream of mine for almost 10 years.

Here I go . . . follow me on my journey!

Signing all the papers to officially run Iditarod!

Paying my $4,000 entry fee . . . Alaska Airlines miles!Smiling for the camera - Photo for the Iditarod website*Here my supportive fans surround me with love!*

Hiking AB Mountain above Skagway

2010-06-22T19:51:00.003-08:00

This Sunday 6/20 so of us "Dog Camp" people hiked to the top of AB Mountain. It was a 6-hour hike round trip.

Svenna had a lot of fun running through the bushes trying to keep cool. It was 75*

Some very pretty flowers along the trail up in the alpine . . .

Another 12 hour day!

2010-06-15T21:05:00.004-08:00

What a busy day! We ran 4 carts today instead of 2. It was a lot more moving dogs and people around. I had a lot of fun. For part of the 12 hour day I drove our guests up the hill in our 4X4 vans sharing information about the ride they were about to take with the dogs. There were a lot of really great people who came through. I am guessing without looking at the paper that we had over 300 people tour with us today. Many of them were heading down to Ketchikan on the cruise ship and I told them to say "Hi!" to all of you Ketchikanites!
The picture below shows a stretch of road that we run our 16-dog teams down.
I must retire for now because I will be getting up at 5:30am in order to make it to work at 6:45am. Have a great Wednesday!

Dog Camp

2010-06-14T20:13:00.004-08:00

This is where all my dogs homes are in the forest on a hill - it sure is fun to feed and water!

This is one of the sleds we use to give rides. For the past two days we have only used 2, but tomorrow we will be using 4!

Today 6/14 we worked a 12 hour day. We gave 16 rides. My dogs ran 6 of them . . . it was a lot of work but tons of FUN!

My Cabin - Home Sweet Home!

2010-06-13T21:28:00.004-08:00

Inside my cabin . . . no electricity or water, but look I have a wood stove - ahhh the comforts of home!

Road Trip to Skagway -

2010-06-13T11:07:00.003-08:00

Svenna and I hanging out on the deck where we car camped on the 10th of June.

The sled-transporter.

Young moose along the side of the road.

Young brown bear - very curious as you can see below . . .

The BIG Auction!

2010-06-05T11:14:00.004-08:00

Bidding cards and programs for the auction

Look at that crowd of supporters - Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Mushing in with Miguel to kick off the auction!

T-shirts and glasses for sale!

I felt soooo loved!

Another Great Poster created by Jeff Fitzwater

2010-05-24T08:43:00.001-08:00

Save the Date!

2010-05-17T15:48:00.013-08:00

Come celebrate sending ANGIE TAGGART

off to IDITAROD 2011

Auction, Appetizers and No-Host Bar

Ted Ferry Civic Center

Friday, June 4^th

Doors open at 5:30 pm

Live/Silent Auctions begin at 6:30 pm

Enjoy dancing after the auction

$5 at the door

64PAWS

2010-05-14T23:57:00.001-08:00

The personalized license plate "64PAWS" will adorn my dog truck. Thank you too all who participated in my survey. It was a lot of fun . . .

Thank you Ketchikan!

2010-04-25T20:31:00.001-08:00

The Garage Sale on Saturday was a success! A big thank you for everyone's support!

Fundraiser Garage Sale on Saturday April 24th

2010-04-20T21:13:00.001-08:00

Under the Burled Arch in Nome!

2010-04-07T12:16:00.002-08:00

Well, my shirt made it to Nome! Now I need to get my whole team there . . .
Thank you Hunter and Debi!!

Introducing more dogs for my team . . .

2010-04-01T22:21:00.005-08:00

Wind (Female)

Ronin (Male)

Riot (Male - lead)

Pierce (Male)

Chop (Female)

Bristol (Female)

Allison (Female)

What's Happening?

2010-03-26T14:32:00.002-08:00

Hello Everyone!

Just to keep you up-to-date on what will be happening over the next two months before I head out of Ketchikan to run dogs for the summer in Skagway . . .

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 24th. There will be a fundraiser garage sale in the Houghtaling Elementary School gymnasium to raise money to help pay for feeding my race dogs over the next year. If you are ready for spring cleaning, this would be a great opportunity for you to get rid of some clutter. If you would like to donate anything, please bring your items to Houghtaling on Friday, April 23rd, beginning at 4:30 pm. The garage sale will go as follows: people may take whatever they wish and then make a donation for the items that they have chosen.

I am going to also be having an auction (not solid on the date yet, but somewhere between the last couple weeks of May and first week in June). If you would like to donate an auction item, please contact me and I will make arrangements for it to be picked up.

Thank you for your help and support in getting me to that starting line in Anchorage!

Meet 5 of my 10 dogs for 2011

2010-03-15T17:29:00.005-08:00

Angel
Athena
Carmack - Leader

Stovepipe - Leader

Hurley

Iditarod Start Tomorrow

2010-03-05T23:29:00.011-09:00

Birds-eye view of the start of Iditarod 38!

My new leader Carmak. He is leading for Emil Churchin in this Iditarod.

There's no place like NOME!

DeeDee and I hanging around in the hustle and bustle of downtown Anchorage.

Tomorrow, people will congregate on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage to cheer on 71 mushers who will be heading to Nome on Sunday. Tomorrow will also begin my one-year countdown until I will be running down 4th Avenue with my dogs - March 2011. There is still so much to do and plan before the year slips away. I want to wish all the 2010 mushers a safe and successful Iditarod adventure!
What a great day for the start! The temperature was warm and the fans were excited!

A Successful Discovery Center Talk and Spaghetti Dinner!!

2010-03-01T18:28:00.011-09:00

Sharing information about dog mushing at the Southeast Discovery Center.

A LARGE THANK YOU to my kitchen helpers: Marjean, Jen, Jan, Valerie, Vicky! Thank you also to everyone else who helped make this dinner a success: Mom and Dad, Jan, Sarajustine, Cheyanne, Terrence, Jean, Shay, LoAnn, Patty, Beau, Gretchen, Norma, Melody, Pam, Eric, Brenda, Jackie, Dana, Courtney and Laura!

(If anyone was left out please know that you are still appreciated!)

I want to also thank everyone who bought a ticket and/or attended the dinner.

This dream would not become a reality without YOUR SUPPORT!

Serving up some tasty spaghetti, Caesar salad and garlic bread.

Protect a Paw, Buy a Bootie!

Some of the delicious desserts . . .

Half a Dog-Team and Spending My Summer in Skagway Running Dogs!

2010-02-19T20:57:00.007-09:00

All in a days work - I made my decision of working for Alaska Excursions in Skagway, Alaska, running my future Iditarod team. I then went on to seal a deal and purchased half of my team for Iditarod. . . and they say teaching is tough!

Friday Night Insight - February 26th - 7pm and Spaghetti Feed Saturday, Febrary 27th - 5:00 - 7:30pm

2010-02-13T20:31:00.004-09:00

Please come join me at the Southeast Discovery Center on Friday, February 26th @ 7pm to hear about my adventure to run in the 2011 Iditarod.

Then on Saturday . . .

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T20:12:00.011-09:00

Unconditional Love

By: Angie Taggart

You can define love in many ways. This was a deep love, unconditional and everlasting, through good and bad times. A bond this deep only happens to some in their lifetime. This is how this love began for me over eleven years ago . . .

She was cute, all right, but was she the one that I wanted to share my life with? She padded along behind me on feet too oversized for her body. I glanced back to encourage her to follow. She did so willingly. How could I not encourage her to follow me down the boardwalk to my home? I needed a companion, and she needed a safe haven. How could I have known that she would claim my heart as her own? We were made for one another.

Tundra was the one who could smile and turn even my worst day into a better one. That same smile touched the hearts of everyone she met. She always knew when I needed someone to talk to. She would listen to everything that I had to share. No matter how long I rambled on, she would always look at me as if she knew how I felt. She was a great travel companion and was always ready for a new adventure with me - from lengthy road trips, to hiking the mountains and trails around Ketchikan, to running alongside a sled pulled by Iditarod hopefuls.

Now, after all these years, I wonder if I was the one to choose her or if she was the one who chose me. Animals love without strings attached, the purest love that you can find on the earth. If this is so, then why can’t human love be as simple as loving your dog?

T-Shirt Prices

2010-01-28T15:10:00.007-09:00

Dear Friends, here are the prices for my Iditarod 2011 t-shirts that I am selling. If you do not live in Ketchikan and would like to purchase a shirt please email me:

mushingadventures@yahoo.com
You can get the t-shirts either in black or white.
*Short-sleeve Adult $20
*Short-sleeve Woman's Cut $20
*Long-sleeve Adult $25
*Youth Short-sleeve $18

Thank you for your support!!

Mushing Towards Iditarod . . .

Decisions, decisions . . .

CNN video and article on my 2011 Iditarod Race

Some photos from Iditarod 2011

Relaxing in Hawaii!

Rohn to Nikolai: long haul!

Restart in Willow!

Ceremonial Iditarod 2011 start: Amazing!

Iditarod start

Starting bib number 19!

Quilt from a classroom of Well-wishers in Oklahoma!

Drop Bags are Complete!!!

Figure This Out -------->

The Beginning Preparations for Drop Bags

Posh House Parka/Bibs

Cross-cut Saw Competition at the Willow Carnival

Don Bowers Sled Dog Race . . . 110 Miles Later

Finish Line!!!

Almost There!!!

Heading for the Finish Line!!!

Time for a Rest . . .

Don Bowers 200 miler changed to a 110 miler

Sponsor Sign for the Back of my Dog Truck

Copper Basin 300 Finish

Copper Basin 300

FINISH LINE REACHED!!!

Correction of the last posting . . .

ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE!!!

Back on the trail again!!!

Angie arrived at Wolverine Lodge!

Back on the trail again!!!

Angie just called!!!

Angie arrived in Chistochina!!!

Almost to Chistochina . . .

Angie is on her way!!!

Angie is ready!!

Leaving #17 for Copper Basin on Saturday 1/8/11

Copper Basin 300

Making Wrist and Neck Warmers

New Year . . . 2011!

2,500 Pounds of Beef, Tripe, Liver and Beef Fat

Zoom Zoom!

Down the trail we go . . .

Mushing on by . . .

The Intertie

"Rainy" Athlete of the Week Dec. 12th-18th

A day of running dogs . . .

Wind in Willow

"Chip" and "Dale" Athletes of the Week Nov. 28 - Dec. 5th

Running @ Dusk

A Day In the Life Of . . .

*** Sled Dog Antics ***

"PePe'" Athlete of the Week Nov. 14th-20th

The Route for 2011

2011 Race Route

Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser #2

Photos at Tongass

"Wicked" Athlete of the Week Oct. 31st-Nov. 6th

Snow has Fallen!

My Dog Yard in Willow . . .

"Win" Athlete of the Week Oct. 24th-30th

Camouflaged Svennie . . .

The Tunnel

Keep Those Doggies Running!

4-wheeler training

First Day of Fall Training

Ketchikennels - Home * Sweet * Home

My team running in Skagway

Heading North to Wasilla

"Bristol" Athlete of the Week September 12th-19th

"Allison" Athlete of the Week 8/29-9/4

A Great Day of Fishing!

"Hurley" Athlete of the Week 8/15-8/21

"Pierce" Athlete of the Week 8/15-8/21

"Carmack" Athlete of the Week 8/1-8/7

"Angel" Athlete of the Week 7/25-7/31

Indigo Runs with the Big Dogs!

"Bee" Athlete of the Week

Indigo Waffle Taggart

Svennie Girl!

* Sled Dog Antics *