Ok. I guess I should explain in a bit more detail what Dawson is all about.  At all other checkpoints I am not allowed to do anything except help park the team.  After Mike puts the front hook in to hold the team, I can stand either behind the sled or in front of the team.  I can not go up to every dog and give them love or even talk to them (I am allowed to talk to Mike).  It is very hard stand back and watch, but those are the rules.  The dogs don't always understand why I am not giving them love, words of encouragement or rubs.
Dawson is a mandatory 36 hour layover with unlimited assistance.  A musher can have as much help from as many people as they choose and there is no limit to the kind of help you receive.   The dog area is in a campground across the Yukon river.  In the summer there is a ferry and in the winter there is an ice bridge.  I know it is safe, but every time I go over it I envision falling into the river in the truck.  Just plain scares me.  Anyway.  Camp sites are plowed out and numbered for each team.  Last year the spots were assigned, but this year it was first come first serve.  Not all sites are created equally, some are closer to the river and colder, some are small and require a lot of shoveling, others are not very private so the dogs will rest better.  Picking the best spot available is key.  Although our site was not very close, I liked how camp was set up.
Each team sets camp up differently, but there are some common factors.  The team is allowed to be sheltering in an open ended and unheated tent.   Most teams use a blue tarp and string it between a couple of trees.  Besides the dog tent, chains are strung under the tarp to secure the dogs.  Finding all the right trees in the right spots is nearly impossible and plenty of rope is necessary.  We also set up a feed line for when we give meals.  Straw is added to give the dogs a nice comfortable and warm sleeping area.  Once the dogs tent is complete the people tent is set up.  Most handlers have a small stove to keep the tent warm.  Having a stove in a tent is dangerous and the tents are designed with a stove pipe hole and many vents.  As Moe and I were to find out, the fire logs we were using  clogged the stove pipe.  Mike was there and we were just sitting down  to work on the schedule leading up to his departure and have a beer.  All of a sudden the whole tent is full of smoke.  Mike took the stove pipe and the lit stove out of the tent.  Could have been more dangerous if Moe and I were asleep.
Once the camp is set up the waiting begins.  It is difficult sometimes estimating what time the team will arrive.  I wanted to make sure that I was there waiting since last year Mike nearly beat me to the checkpoint.  I waited at the checkpoint from 8am til when he arrived at 3:15.  Once the team comes in my fun gets to begin.  I really like handling in Dawson.  I get to take care of my babies:)  After signing in and having mandatory gear checked, I lead the team 
over to where the trail leads across the dike and then onto the ice bridge.  I get on the runners with Mike and we head to the campground.  We have a few minutes to discuss what is most important as the time for the dogs and how the run is going for Mike.  I haven't seen Mike and the  team for about 200 miles and I enjoy the private moment.    The routine is planned well before the team arrives.   First we park the team, give them a quick snack, take all the booties off, remove harnesses and then feed them on the line. Every foot is treated with Emu oil and sore wrists wrapped. Basically each dog is looked over very closely and any issues recorded in my little notebook which is helpful to a very tired person.  The vet team needs to check the team over and we always have them check the dogs immediately after they come in.  Then it is off to sleep on the mountain of straw under the tarp.  We decided on a 10 hour feeding schedule.  The first 10 hours we try to leave the team alone to sleep.  Every 10 hours the dogs are fed, walked, injuries attended to, massaged and then back to bed.  All the water we needed in Dawson is over in town, so I would haul water into camp before each feeding time.  Between each of these feeding routines, I would also tend to 
the dogs on the truck.  I felt bad for the dogs on the truck since I could not give them as much attention as I would have liked, but there just was not the time.
I took extra time to work on Wilson to see if we could work magic on his injuries.  Although we tried very hard to get Wilson feeling better, he was not going to continue on from Dawson.  The decision was made before Mike left camp, but I still worked on his shoulders the last 10 hours. With 150 miles to the next dog drop, the risk of taking a dog that is not 100% is not wise.  Mike knows this and settled into the idea that Wilson would have to stay with me.  Being 
down another leader was tough, but with some great advice from experienced mushers like John Schandelmeier and Bill Cotter, Mike came to the realization that he could make this work without leaders  #2, #3 and #4.
The plan leading up to leaving Dawson is that I go over to town at  3:00am, have breakfast with Mike, talk about how the dogs are doing, and then head over the bridge.  Moe is at camp heating the last meal, massaging and walking the dogs.   Each foot is rubbed with Emu oil  and Mike puts on booties as Moe and I harness the dogs.  The routine 
went very smoothly and the team was ready to go.  Mike and I rode the sled to the checkout spot and said our goodbyes to each other and mine to the dogs too.  Sad for me to see them go, but great to see the eagerness of the team and the musher.  36 hours is not that long and the time when very quickly. Moe and I then went to get a few hours of sleep in the hotel.  Spencer Thew, his son Jim, grandson Mike and friend Joe Cunningham invited us to breakfast and offered to help break down camp.  How  could we refuse that.  So after breakfast we went to camp and started the big cleanup.  It went so fast with all the help.  As I stated in an earlier post, I was not crazy about the idea of cleaning up 4 bales of straw, well I didn't clean any of it!  Spencer and his family did it all.  I am very grateful for all their help.  Thanks so much Spencer, Jim, Mike and Joe!!!  Once camp is cleaned up, gear packing into the truck, and camp site inspected by a race official we drove to Whitehorse.  Thankfully Moe drove since I probably could not have driven at the time.  I spent the night in Whitehorse, drove the 13 hours to Two River, cleaned out the truck and go some good sleep. I will enjoy a good cup of Green Mountain Hazelnut coffee (thanks Rhonda) , finish cleaning up the truck, feed and love the dogs I will be leaving with Bill and Sandy and then head up to Circle in a few hours.  Still many things to do and a race to finish.  Thanks to everyone's support and encouragement.  I'll see you in Circle.
Sue the not so tired handler