Today I attended the Junior Championships Dog Sled Races in Anchorage, Alaska. After arriving in Anchorage at 11:00 PM local time (1:00 AM Tucson time) my cousins Francie and Jim picked me up at the airport and made the short drive to their house. I was amazed at the Christmas lights still on in the neighborhood and Jim explained that Anchorage is the "City of Lights." I can understand how it would be hard to take down Christmas lights when the temperature is below freezing, however it struck me as odd to have extra lights on. Tucson is striving for darker skies in an effort to support the astronomy community. I plopped into bed by 12:30 AM and didn't even feel the earthquake that occurred around 1:00 AM. It was probably more activity from the volcano, Mt. Redoubt, which has not yet erupted.
Next morning after a great breakfast with lots of family, I went outside to watch Francie and Megan water Francie's 7 sled dogs. Megan who is in the 7th grade in Tacoma, Washington came to Anchorage with her dad and grandpa to race dogs in the Jr. Championships. The dogs are a cross between Huskies and Greyhounds. They look more like a Greyhound; very lanky and thin. The dogs sleep outside with wooden dogs houses chained up to 2-3 dogs per kennel. They need water first thing in the morning since it would just be a giant ice cube if it were left out all night. They are separated so that they don't fight over food. My own dogs sure have it easy sleeping inside when the temperature drops down to 40-50 °F. As soon as they are watered they are all loaded into the dog box on the back of the pickup truck.
Francie Pekar, Megan Bernovich, Jim Pekar, Betsy Wilkening and Bolt Minister at Jr. Dog Sled Races.
At the race, there were kids from Anchorage, Tacoma and even Canada. The competition lasts 3 days. Participants must use the same dogs each day. They mark them with a special paint so that there is no cheating. There are 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 dog events. The 2 dogs race on a 2.3 mile course. In each event, the participants start on 2 minute intervals. Megan was racing the dogs Chocolate and Swift in the 2 dog event. After 3 days they receive awards based on total time over the 3 days. The person who comes in last place receives a red lantern award. It comes from the tradition of leaving a light on for the stragglers.
Young child using a dog sled like a walker.
The noise was incredible at the dog races, especially with the 7 dog teams. All the dogs were barking with excitement, even those in the parking lot. Their howl reminded me of a pack of coyotes in the desert at home. During Megan's run on the course, she was thrown from the sled and did a face plant at a high speed into the powdery snow. Her grandpa who was working on the course saw the dogs go by, but could not stop them. Luckily someone else stopped them, while Megan brushed off and started running. A snow machine picked her up and she finished the race with her dogs. This is allowed in the rules, since a racer can do anything to catch up with their dogs to ensure the dogs safety. I think Megan totally rocks!!! She has only been racing dogs for a couple of years when she gets a chance to come to Anchorage, but she's not afraid of going out there and competing. She has been inspiring me as I head out into the Arctic to do new things. Stay tuned for pictures and stories from Fairbanks.
Megan Bernovich at finish line of 2-dog race.