By: Jerry Bath
Born and raised in Alaska. Gabe fell in love with mushing early on. After receiving a degree she worked for top distance kennels helping them train there teams. Then she met Wayne and they moved to Bend Oregon where they started their own kennel of 9 Alaskans, a couple retirees, a golden retriever and 3 sled dog pups.
This will be Gabe’s 3rd Eukanuba 8 Dog Classic. She hopes to move up to the main Pedigree Stage Stop next year with more paws on the ground. She has learned so much from the other mushers and the wonderful vet crew here at the Stage Stop. One big happy family!
Training in Bend early has its challenges. The soils are mostly volcanic silica which can give dogs and people lung issues when dusty so they wait for rain in October. They still manage to get around 1,500 miles for the season while training 4-5 days a week.
This year she is operating a tour business in Darby Montana with her dogs where plenty of elevation training is not a problem.
Montana’s lack of snow early on had its challenges going from ice to dirt to too much snow.
Gabe will show up ready to roll!
