Tuesday morning the news came in that the lead teams from the Yukon Quest were closing in on the finish line and the people of Fairbanks were ready to bring them in cheering! All of the PolarTREC teachers and I walked down a hill onto the frozen river and waited with the locals for the mushers to round the bend. And waited...and waited... Sled dogs only run about 25 mph at their fastest and this was the end of 1,000 miles so the last two miles can take a while! It was a gorgeous day though, 12 degrees with the sun brightly shining so everyone waited happily for the little runners and their brave mushers. "Mushers" is the name for the person who coaches the dogs through the race. He is also usually their owner. He rides behind the dogs on a sled that is attached to harnesses that the dog team wears. He rides standing and pushes with his feet occasionally giving commands.
During the Yukon Quest teams travel through Canada and Alaska over snowy mountains sometimes with more than 700 miles between trail stops! You can read more about the teams at www.yukonquest.com. Waiting a couple hours to greet the teams certainly seems like nothing compared to that kind of journey!
As the dogs came around a bend in the river the crowd started to cheer! Running in unison like one dog, the huskies seemed to know that this was the end! Heads-bobbing with determination and eyes bright, Sebastian Schneulle's team coasted across the snow to victory. Then they sat down and waited for a treat! Booties came off, rub-downs and head pats were handed out and fish treats were enjoyed by all! Sebastian got some attention too.
Check out their booties and the fur strap under their bellies!
Finally, a rest! Put those dogs up!
More later! Ms. W