Food drop checked off Quest to-do list
The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is less than two weeks away, and mushers and race officials are making the final preparations to run what many call the world’s toughest sled dog race.
The 23rd edition of the 1,000-mile race that traverses old mail and gold rush routes throughout Alaska and the Yukon begins on Feb. 11 on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks.
For the 23 mushers signed up to vie for the crown, a key moment in the race came on Sunday, when the Quest food drop took place in Whitehorse and Fairbanks.
Alaskan mushers brought their bags full of food and dog supplies to Summit Logistics, where race officials catalogued and inventoried the bags before shipping them to the various checkpoints throughout the course.
There was a four-hour window for mushers to bring their supplies to the food drop starting at 11 a.m. Sunday. Julie Fougeron, in her first year as Quest Director in Alaska, said that the mushers seemed to arrive according to experience.
“There’s a bunch in the beginning, and then a bunch at the end,” said Fougeron. “I guess there are those that are ready, and those that aren’t.”
All mushers were required to bring their dog food, personal food, equipment and trail clothing to the central drops. With the exception of the checkpoint at Dawson City, all food drop bags must be in place before the start of the race.
It’s up to the mushers to pack whatever gear they think they will need. The bags themselves are packed according to personal preference.
Veteran musher Hugh Neff, who had his personal-best finish last year when he came in third behind winner Lance Mackey and runner-up William Kleedehn, said that there’s only one thing that might be different when he packs his food drop bags each year.
“You just wonder if there’s any new types of food that you might want to try out,” said Neff. “As the race goes on, you want to give your dogs a good variety of food.”
Neff said that the Quest offers help to mushers that is not provided in other long distance sled dog races.
“If you end up sending more than what you need, you get it back,” he said. “Plus, with the Quest, you don’t have to pay for postage, they ship it for you. That is a total benefit for the mushers.”
Mushers on both sides of the border were concerned up until mid-January that the course would not be frozen enough to complete the race safely, and a lack of significant snowfall was also disturbing.
But the recent cold snap in the Interior and some fresh snow in the Yukon set the stage for another successful Quest. Neff said that weather worries just go along with the territory.
“I like it all the more when Mother Nature gets involved with the race,” said Neff. “That’s what the Quest is all about.”
Up next is the pre-race Veterinarian Check, scheduled for the coming weekend in Fairbanks and Whitehorse. All dogs that will run in the race will be given a thorough examination at that time.
The field
A difficult training season is just one of the reasons that the field of mushers in this year’s Quest, originally at 29, has been trimmed to its current 23. That is one less than the 24 who signed up last year and is a new record low for the Quest.
Eight of the mushers are newcomers. Two of them–Yuka Honda and Regina Wycoff–are from Healy. Phil Joy of Fairbanks, Russ Bybee of Willow, Rich Beattie of Two Rivers, Yukoners Kiara Adams and Saul Turner and German Matthias Blum are the rookies.
A veteran group of Alaskans includes Mackey of Kasilof, Rod Boyce of Two Rivers, Eric Butcher and Jennifer Cochran of Fairbanks, Neff of Skagway, Kelley Griffin of Wasilla, Dave Dalton of Healy and Wayne Hall of Eagle.
The Canadian veteran mushers slated to compete are all Yukoners, with one notable exception. Whitehorse residents Kyla Boivin, Paul Geoffrion and Sebastian Schnuelle, Kleedehn of Carcross, Gerry Willomitzer of Shallow Bay and Michelle Phillips of Tagish round out that group.
The remaining Canadian musher is Hans Gatt of Atlin, British Columbia. Gatt was a three-time Quest champion before taking last year off.
Staff writer Eric Goold can be reached at egoold@newsminer.com or at 459-7591.