A Quest Experience in the Summer

By Faye Mollberg

The Dog House is celebrating it’s one year anniversary this month. The store caters to mushers and canines, selling specialized equipment for dog sled racing. Owner Ann Ledwidge presents a slide show everyday at 3p.m., which educates people about this sport which has become a tradition of the north.

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, an epic event that commences the second week in February started in 1984. The event has been run each year since; following historic Gold Rush and Mail Delivery routes, spanning over a thousand miles through four mountain ranges, frozen rivers and isolated northern villages.

The starting point alternates each year between Fairbanks and Whitehorse. Even years from Fairbanks and odd years from Whitehorse. Usually the race

Faye Mollberg tries out the photo-op at the Dog house

takes ten to thirteen days to complete, depending on conditions of the trail. Canines travel at an average of ten miles per hour.

Teams of one human musher and fourteen canines race through some of the last pristine wilderness remaining in North America. The Quest is considered the toughest sled dog race in the world and is a true test of the capacity of humans and canines. Last year there were thirty contestants and eleven had pulled out by the end.

Quest dogs are Alaskan Huskies which are bred for speed and their love to pull. No animal can match them for their endurance, dedication, and ability to perform in the extreme conditions of the north. Quest Mushers are cheerleaders, coaches and companion’s to their dogs. They carry mandatory equipment at all times such as a sleeping bag, axe and lantern.

Ten checkpoints are situated along the trail from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, some two hundred miles apart. There is a thirty six hour mandatory lay over in Dawson where Mushers and their dogs can rest and re-stock supplies.

Mushers start the race with no more that fourteen dogs and no less that eight. They must finish the race with no less that six dogs. All dogs are checked for injury and illness by veterinarians provided by the Yukon Quest Veterinarian Dog Care Program at every checkpoint. A log book is kept to record any injuries or drugs given to the dogs. The Humane Society in Dawson is very supportive of the Quest and shares a co-operative relationship with the mushers.

The race winner takes home $30,000 U.S., and $125,000 U.S. is divided among the first fifteen finishing teams. There is a maximum of fifty contestants allowed to enter.

Ann and her husband Peter Ledwidge own about thirty dogs. They have been involved with sled dog racing for nine years. Peter place last in the Yukon Quest his first year and in 2004 came fourth. His goal for 2005 is first place.

Ann and Peter begin training in late August with their dogs. They practice with a four wheeler instead of a sled because the musher has more control. Concentration is centered around building muscle and later to speed. Two commands are taught: left and right. The dogs run an average of fifty to a hundred miles every second day. Maintaining a balanced diet the whole year is an important component to training. Throughout the race the dogs are fed a lot of calories. Horse meat, beaver, and chicken skins are some of their favourites.

Mushers wear many layers to keep warm, protecting against the ­40C cold. The Ledwidge’s sleigh weighs thirty two pounds. They carefully select and pack their supplies to keep the weight down. The spirit of the race is to be self sufficient.

“ Dog sled racing is becoming increasingly popular because it is considered a more natural sport”, says Ann.

As Mushers, Ann and Peter believe in excellent dog care and low impact on trails.

Dog sled racing offers an experience that reflects the spirit and perseverance of the pioneers.

Klondike Run organizer Loire Passmore, riding the custom bike at the right, was the winner in this heat of the slow bike race. Photo by Dan Davidson

Bikers have a Ball in Dawson

by Dan Davidson

Numbers for the 6th Annual Klondike Motorcycle Run were down about a third from last year, but organizer Loire Passmore says it seems to be all the bad press and word of mouth rumours about fires in the Klondike that kept some people away.

In spite of the lifting of the haze on Saturday for the actual games which make up the event, Passmore said she heard horror stories that had been told to those along the road.

"Yeah, it was the fires, the smoke, and 'Dawson's being evacuated'," she said on Sunday afternoon after the voting in the best looking bikes competition.

"I had somebody tell me that in the bike shop in Whitehorse while I was picking mine up, and another rider was told that in Carmacks,” she said of the evacuation rumours.

About fifty bikers from as far away as Germany, and as close as right here in Dawson, did queue up to take part in the fun and frolic, most of which happened on a closed off space of street between 3rd and 4th Avenues in Dawson, right beside the Old Liquor Store currently being renovated by the Dawson City Arts Society.

"One lady called me up from Texas to say she was coming up for this. We have people from Detroit, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Montana and Alberta, as well as from all over the Yukon,” Passmore said.

A trio of Germans cycled through a couple of weeks ago and returned after a tour of Alaska to take part in the run.

The spinoffs for the Klondike are numerous. One of the bikers from Germany was planning to pick up a CD of photos taken by local photographer Ed Voss and use them as the basis for an article in a German biker magazine.

"They love the Klondike and this guy figures (lots) of them will come over,” Passmore said.

Biking events included a poker run, a plank race, where contestants tried to see how far they could balance on a half block long run of boards; a barrel race; a slow race, in which riders tried to outdo each other for balance and come last in the race without touching the ground with their feet.; a water balloon toss, which involved a rider throwing a balloon over a high pole and catching it without breaking it.

Other rider and passenger events included a tire toss (bike tire thrown over a safety cone) and the very popular wiener bite, in which the riders attempted to bite off a chunk of mustard smeared hot dog swinging from a string.

The games began quietly enough, but attracted a fair sized crowd in a fairly short time.

Bikers were uniformly enthusiastic about the town and the event, many pausing to thank Passmore as they packed up on Sunday and others making sure there would be another one next year.