Spring Sunshine

 Hey Tribe,

That first day of Spring feeling is wonderful, isn't it?!

Except this is Alaska and it is most definitely still winter here.

Fly and I were deployed for a SAR mission this past weekend and we absorbed copious amounts of vitamin D while braving negative temperatures.

The snow here is still about 3-3.5 feet deep and Fly had her work cut out for her while swimming through the powder.

Swimming is an accurate description, because she somehow managed to remain relatively afloat on the surface of the snow, while our K9 teammate floundered and sunk in the deep snow like he had an anchor tied to his tail.

Why is this?  Our Lab, Shepherd, and Aussie friends all seem to drown in the snowy depths; weight doesn't appear to be a factor, since Fly weighs more than an Aussie.  I wonder if it has to do with body shape and fur structure?  Fly is shaped a bit like a tugboat or icebreaker ship that is designed to pop up out of the water and ice and her double layered fur, which easily repels snow and ice, maybe provides loft in more ways than one.  I am extremely curious about why/how Fly seems to cruise snow better than other breeds; being a breed of nordic origin, she is literally born for snow.

Mentally and physically tired though after her hard work.

We were able to stop off and do some sightseeing on our drive home.  Alaskan volcanoes sure are majestic as they sleep, aren't they?

Closer towards home we were stopped for road construction, but the view and that Spring sunshine made it tolerable.