Yukon Quest 2010!!

My roommate & I went down to the Chena River today for the start of the Yukon Quest. The Quest is a 1,000 mile (plus) dog sled race that runs between Fairbanks & Whitehorse. In all my previous winters in Fairbanks (only 3, surprisingly) I’d never been, so I’ve been planning to go for weeks.

Mother Nature was being very kind & it was a PERFECT day to be down on the river! There was a great turnout & we ran into several people we knew.

It was pretty darned cool. The dogs are awesome—lean, mean and seriously ready to run! Forget those cuddly-looking Siberian huskies you see in dog sled movies…these dogs are fierce. It takes about 10 people to get them lined up at the starting line because they’re so ready to run, no piddley little sled brake is going to hold them.

We started down the line a ways from the start line so we could see them as they really start to pick up speed, but then we walked back to where they prepare to go to the starting line. The dogs are whining and barking and jumping around in their harnesses—you can tell that they just can’t wait to get on the trail!

Anyway, here are some shots of the first several mushers:

Abbie West (team #1!):

Zach Steer--Team #2

Yeah, we were walking on water...

At the starting line:

Lined up & ready to mush!

This guy kept jumping... maybe he thought he could jump-start the sled..... ;0)

Me, looking cold (we were getting a bit cold by this point):

A wannabe:

From the Chena River Bridge:

17 degrees!! ABOVE zero!!

So, fun times. Maggie & I met up with a couple of the guys from the singles branch & we all headed to Gamberdella's for lunch, then topped everything off with hot chocolate from Mocha Dan's.

All in all, a perfect winter day in Fairbanks!!