Fairbanks to Deadhorse return - Alaska and Points North: Tips and Tales from the Road - page 173

The race begins with a ceremonial send-off in Anchorage and an official restart the next
day in Wasilla. It completes in Nome, on the western Bering Sea. The Iditarod alternates
between a northern and southern route with 26 or 27 checkpoints, most at tiny villages who
welcome the uptick in activity and excitement after the long dark Alaskan winter.
The last racer in has in most ways actually endured the most, so a Red Lantern is awarded
to them. The record for a Red Lantern is 32 days. The oldest musher is Norman Vaughan
who at age 88 has finished the race four times and says he'll go again.
The race celebrates the role of dogs in the exploration and settlement of Alaska.
“Pound for pound, the sled dog is the most powerful draft animal on earth, and a
team of twenty dogs averaging perhaps 75 pounds each can easily match a team
of horses weighing more than twice as much. As a matter of interest, one dog has
pulled more than half a ton in the canine equivalent of a tractor pull. As late as the
1960s Yup'ik Eskimoos of Nelson Island moved much of their town, including en-
tire houses, to a new site two dozen miles away with a hundred-dog team.
Dogs are faster than horses over the long haul, capable of maintaining average
speeds of eight to twelve miles an hour for hundreds of miles (including rest stops)
and can exceed twenty miles an hour or more in short sprints. Even better, dogs can
be fed from the land with moose, fish, or caribou in the winter while horses require
expensive hay or grain. Moreover, heavy draft animals cannot use the snow packed
wintertrails.” Quotedfrom Booms and Busts by Don Bowers in www.iditarod.com/
learn/history.html
Yukon Quest
The Yukon Quest is a 1600 km /1000 mi race over the spectacularly rugged terrain between
Whitehorse and Fairbanks. The trail links the historical gold rush routes and terms itself a
“living memorial to turn-of-the-century miners, trappers and mail carriers who opened up
the country…” Run in February each year, the race attracts more than a million viewers
who follow the mushers on the Yukon Quest website.
Ready to sign on? You will need to prove that you've already completed a 300 mile race
and are qualified to make camp for yourself and your dogs at -50 degrees (C or F).
www.yukonquest.com .