Yukon Quest: Part 2

Overall the drive to Dawson City went pretty smooth.  We did have to wait (aka sleep) at a gas pump for about an hour until they opened the store.

From Whitehorse north to Dawson we are paralled the Yukon River. 

It was a beautiful drive!

It was about sunset, ~6pm, when we arrived.  It took us a bit longer than expected.  Once we checked into the hotel, we checked the latest updates on the Quest website and check Dave's SPOT tracker.  He had run into some trouble which we wouldn't get details about until he got to Dawson, so he wasn't going to arrive as quickly as we thought...good for us since the sun was setting already.

Bright and early the next day we picked up all the camp supplies and went to the campground to build the team's shelter.  We had to drive to the north end of town, get on the Yukon River, drive upstream a bit then cross the river on an ice bridge and go back downstream to a Provincial Campground.

 10 drop bags, three bails of straw, a tarp and lots of rope

 First we had to shovel a path and a large area for the tent to cover.

 Ropes tied tightly between trees supported the tarp tent and snow shoveled onto the bottom edges anchored the tent down.

 Sponsor sign

 It was about 20 below zero that day or maybe colder and we were quite frosty after a few hours of work.

 Dawson City from the campground side of the river.

 This is the official checkpoint gate where the mushers check-in upon arrival.

 We stayed at the beautiful Downtown Hotel.

A few shots of the store fronts.

 The original bank from the early 1900s.

 Not sure of the story on this boat, but it was pretty cool :)

The Yukon River and the YQ trail going across it.

The trail heading south out of town towards Whitehorse.

These are slightly out of order here.... We actually visited Jack London's cabin and Robert Service's cabin on our way out of town.

This is Jack London's cabin.

And food cache.

Robert Service's cabin.

These are some old buildings in town.

 The two leaders took their 36 hour layover and left before Dave got into Dawson.  This is Brent Sass coming up off the Yukon River and leaving Dawson.

Sometimes mushers have to jump off the sled in order to not crash or flip the sled over while making a curve or going over rough terrain.  It is quite the workout at times!

Allen Moore's team leaving second, just a half hour behind Sass.

There he goes.

Dave dropped Dopey in Eagle, Alaska, the only checkpoint we could not drive to.  He was flown with other dogs to Dawson to be picked up by the handlers.  Nothing major, but he had a sore back due to the hard (icy) trail.

Dave got in about 11 pm, tired and ready for a shower, hot meal and a warm bed.

 Dogs looked good and the veterans were glad to be in Dawson.

 The dogs had a pretty cozy camp to rest and regain their energy.

During the 36 hour layover Ted and I took full responsibility of the team.  We worked on an eight hour schedule after the initial feeding.  We would prepare a warm, meaty meal for them at the hotel and take it over.  First we walked them to stretch their legs and muscles and allow them to pee and poop.  While Ted scooped the poop from the campground road, I fed them. Then we worked on their feet and muscles.  I rubbed ointment on the pads of their feet and on the wrists of a few dogs that needed wraps to reduce swelling.  Ted gave each dog a full body massage and tucked them in with blankets.  All that would take about 3 and a half hours, or 4 hrs. including the drive time, so by the time we got back to the hotel we had about 4 hours to eat and sleep.  It was a lot of work!  On our third trip back over there, it was around midnight, we saw an amazing aurora display :)

Dave had repaired his sled, had clean dry clothes and full belly when he prepared to leave for his 11 am departure.

Jogging to the end of the campground to check-out and head towards Whitehorse.

And he's off...again!

 Looking upstream at the Yukon River at all the jumbled ice that piled up during freeze-up which then got snowed over.  After breaking down camp that day we decided to stay one more night in Dawson.  It was about 200 trail miles for Dave, so 32+ hours.  We decided it would be nice to take it easy, get some good rest, a couple more good meals and do our own laundry before we headed south to Pelly.

For us, it was about a three hour drive to the next checkpoint, Pelly Crossing.

 It got cold in Dawson, but really cold at Pelly!

Before the sun came up the next morning the thermometer on Dave's truck read 52 below!  Here it says about 42 below.  This thermometer seemed to read colder than it was most days throughout the winter, but it wasn't ever far off.  It was BRRR-chilly cold!

 Doc and Bobber were dropped in Dawson.  Doc was dropped becasue he had lost too much weight and Bobber was diagnosed with aspirated pnuemonia.

In Dawson we met a unique character named Harvey.  He was always around when we needed a little guidance and was just a jolly soul to meet.  When we arrived in Pelly, unsure of where to go, we stopped at the gas station to inquire and Harvey was there to show us the way!  He loved the Pelly checkpoint.  He visited most years with his team of older sled dogs and offered sled rides to all the school children.  He even helped cook breakfast one morning for everyone involved in the YQ.

He traveled in this suburban and had upgraded it himself with a wood stove inside.

Here he is giving rides to local families.

The YQ trail on the Yukon River coming into the Pelly Crossing checkpoint.

Dave got in late that night.  Temperatures still hoovered around -40 F.  The team was not doing so well for multiple reasons.  The water they encountered and stood in so long before Eagle, Alaska, had taken a toll on them.  They had also seemed to have picked up a bug from another team since the start of the race.  In concern for the health of the dogs Dave decided to scratch from the race.  He fed them well, tucked them in and hunkered down for the night.  The next day we loaded up, went to a friend's house outside of Whitehorse for the night then headed back to Alaska the following day.  It was a tough reality to accept but the best decision in the end.  All in all, they ran about 750 miles.

Back in Healy, a beautiful halo around the sun, actually a circumzenithal arc, welcomed us home :)