AND THEY’RE OFF!
On Saturday February 14, 29 dog teams took off on a 1,000 mile dog sled race. What makes this race so special for me, is that it travels through Eagle, Alaska, one of my favorite Alaskan towns. This year is going to be one of the toughest years for these racers because of the conditions on the Yukon River. Many friends in Eagle have told me that they have never seen the river so broken up and rough.
On Saturday the 14th, I took a snow-machine (aka snow-mobile) trip on the Yukon River myself along the route the dog teams will be following. It was incredible the size of the ice blocks that have simply been frozen on top of the surface of the river. The kids enjoyed playing among the ice blocks and finding ice caves and caverns that were created by these huge monsters. Ice also became a source of fun as we found a very slick spot on the river. They were able slide down a hill for a very long trip across the frozen river – quite different from the river near Eagle where the ride on the snow-machine was very bumpy. I do not wish that trail on any dog-sled team. However, that is the traditional route, and so our intrepid mushers this year will conquer some of the most difficult trail conditions ever.
Updates as of February 17 show that every musher has had to drop at least one dog off the team. One musher is currently racing 9 dogs as opposed to 14, and another has officially withdrawn from the race. Racers are spread out between Pelly Crossing and Scroggie Creek. For more information, visit the following sites:
See the official Yukon Quest Website! http://www.yukonquest.com/
Check the Latest standings: http://www.yukonquest.com/site/race-updates/
Here in Eagle, I eagerly watch the upates on Wayne Hall (bib 28). He is an Eagle Resident and a friend. May God watch over his safety and those of his dogs. Today he is in 18th place, and is headed to Scroggie Creek and Dawson City. Keep posted here for more race information!
Monday February 23, 2009
Neff at Mile 154 crossing overflow
Little just before American Creek Bridge with 12 dogs
Iris and Becca, the final two mushers into Eagle, left this morning around 6:00 am. This completes my duties as a checker on the Yukon Quest. The time I signed up for was from Midnight through 4am in the morning. It was surprising how many teams arrived at night. That meant that most of my photos were not of the best quality. However, I was able to get a few great photos and Videos of Little and Neff as they traveled the Taylor Highway the first day of arrivals: Friday Feb. 20.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Becca arriving at Two Rivers
Iris being shown where to park at the Two Rivers Checkpoint
Upon return to Fairbanks, I traveled to the Two Rivers checkpoint to watch Becca and Iris before they arrived at the Finish Line. I happened to be substitute teaching in North Pole and decided that I did not need to take a change of clothes. Unfortunately, that meant that I got very cold waiting outside for Becca. Thankfully there was a stove to warm up by inside the checkpoint. Here are a couple photos of their arrival.
Saturday February 28, 2009
The final two mushers arrived in Fairbanks this morning. I was hoping to be present, but ended up sleeping through my alarm. Believing them to arrive between 6am and 8am, when I got up around 9am I thought I had missed them. They finally arrived at 10:13 and 10:45, but by then I had resigned myself to no going and missing the photos. I consider myself fortunate to have watched and followed Wayne Hall, Becce Moore, and Iris Sutton through this years Yukon Quest and wish them all the best in the future!
