Sherri Moe dries and cuddles Aretha after giving her a bath. Photos courtesy of Frank Moe
Frank Moe is a sled dog racer of some renown, but the Hovland musher’s racing career was in jeopardy after knee replacement surgery. The erstwhile co-owner of Moetown Kennels with his wife, Sherri, Frank wondered if he would compete again. With the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon coming up, he got on the back of his sled on Sunday, December 20, for a long training session. It turned out well, at least the first day.
“The first long sled run of the year is usually the most exciting,” Frank said. “For me, I’ve been waiting for that for months. After my knee replacement this past spring, I didn’t know for sure if I’d even be able to get on the runners again. I was so grateful to just be out there again with my buddies on the trail.”
However by this past Tuesday, Frank realized his plan to race the rugged 300-mile marathon course wasn’t going to work for him.
“My new knee is proving to not yet be ready to run the Marathon. I’m switching to the Middistance race. Sherri is planning to run the Beargrease 40,” he said..
Before the snow, mushers are out training their teams on forest trails and old logging roads.
Running dogs, caring for dogs, being with dogs, is a passion for Frank and Sherri. When asked what a typical day was for him, Frank responded,
“This morning, the dogs were awake at first light, around 6:30 a.m., with the puppies playing and the rest of the dogs walking around, stretching, and looking up at the house to see if I’m going to come out and feed them. Soon I came around with their morning food, scooped the yard and added straw to anyone that needed it. Normally we will then hook up the first team who is running, sometimes two teams if another musher is here. That would typically be Sherri or our friend Steph. Yesterday after the first run, I went in for a late lunch and suffered through the end of the Vikings game before going out for a longer night run. After unhooking the team, I give them their evening meal, scoop the yard again, make their food buckets for the next day and head inside. Last night that was around 9 p.m.”
Nutrition is essential for athletes, and dogs are supreme endurance athletes. Frank was quick to respond when asked what he feeds his furry champions.
“Our dogs’ diet is based on a portion of high-grade dog food, NutriSource Super Performance, that we get at Cook County Home Center. We add chicken, pork trimmings and krill powder to that. The sled dogs eat twice a day and get frozen chicken snacks on the trail.
“Sometimes I have to make long trips to get meat for the dogs or head to the vet for something. In the summer, the dogs mostly laze around while I go to work, guiding at Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply.
How many dogs do you have in your kennel?
“Asking a musher how many dogs they have in their kennel is not always an easy question,” Frank said. “Most will tell you how many sled dogs are in training, and for us, at Moetown, that’s 26. We also have seven puppies, four yearlings who are just starting to train, seven retired sled dogs who still go on short fun runs and three indoor dogs. Petunia, the pig, isn’t sure if she’s a dog or a human.”
With little snow on the ground, Frank and most other area mushers use other means then sleds to train their teams.
“Up until yesterday (Sunday), we’ve been training on ATVs. Three groups have been preparing. The marathon team has the most training miles, at this point, about 100 miles a week. The faster/mid-distance team has been running about 60 miles a week, and the retired dogs closer to 10 miles. They just like to get hooked up and run, as they’ve done their whole lives.”
How did you get into sled dog racing?
“A friend of mine in Bemidji, Gardell Emery, had a dog team. He asked me if I wanted to help him train one day and put me on a sled following him down the trail. Gardell pulled his truck over on the way home to pick up a roadkill deer and fed it to his dogs when we got home.”
When asked if he would compete in the longer Beargrease race (300 miles) or shorter race, Frank replied, “I’m planning on running the Beargrease Marathon this year. Stephanie Love from Duluth will once again run our eight dog team in the 120 mile race.”
With COVID-19 hanging over everything, how is the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states shaping up?
“You may know that I’m on the Beargrease Board. We’re planning a race as long as the state, federal, Grand Portage and county governments allow us to have one. There is a pause in place until January 10th and then we’ll probably know more. We have a rigorous COVID-19 plan that’s on our website. Beargrease.com that Cook County was very involved in writing. We’re training for and planning to race but there’s so much beyond our control.
Race or no race, how is your training going?
What’s a typical snowless day like at Moetown Kennels?
“In the spring and summer, we like to work around the yard, Sherri gardening and me fixing or finishing up things around the house. Once or twice a week, we make a point to get out on some little adventure, either mountain biking, sea kayaking, canoeing, or fishing. Once or twice a year, we hike up to our secret blueberry patch!”
Before he was elevated to the rare heights of sled dog musher, Frank worked in the trenches as a two-term DFL legislator in Saint Paul, serving as the District 4A representative for Beltrami, Cass, and Itasca counties.
When asked if he missed the work he responded, “I loved being a State Representative. You’re able to do really important work for people who most need it. The hardest part, though, was leaving Sherri on Sunday night, driving through the dog yard as they all howled, knowing I was leaving and heading down to Saint Paul for the week. I don’t miss having to leave home but still struggle with watching things happen in our government that I have little power to do anything about.”
Since leaving the capital, Frank has lent his voice to conservation efforts. On March 8, 2012, he traveled to the St. Paul Capitol by sled dog from Grand Marais, dropping off 1,300 petitions regarding sulfide mining in northern Minnesota. The itch to rejoin politics became strong enough that Frank campaigned and won a seat as a Cook County Commissioner. He served as District 1 county commissioner from 2015 to 2016, resigning after two years because of concerns for his health.
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