Kennel Update – January 20, 2025

It’s been a weird weather year in much of Alaska. While Fairbanks has enjoyed a relatively mild yet not-too-warm winter, points south and west of here have rivers and lakes that are yet to freeze as of mid-January. The Kuskokwim 300 in Bethel has been pushed back by one week, and may not run at all. Race officials site open water as the biggest issue, which is a real problem since a good portion of the Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race is run mostly on the Kuskokwim River. And Alaska’s newest sled dog race – the Su-Dog 300 (previously the Willow 300) was also on the brink of canceling, after a winter of heavy rain, wind and consistently above-freezing-temps in the Mat-Su Valley turned that trail system there into a labyrinth of ice chutes. Finally, for the fourth time in its 50+ year history, the Iditarod may start in Fairbanks* Historically, it was a lack of snow in the Alaska Range that forced the race start out of Willow and north to Fairbanks. But this year the problem seems to be important waterways that have yet to freeze. But would moving the race start to Fairbanks solve this problem? A friend who lives near the Nenana River recently reported that race officials would have a hard time using that natural “trail” in this year’s race, as large portions of the river are still open and not safe for dog team travel.

So how does this affect the race plans for Black Spruce? Well, we just wrapped up two Copper Basin 300s that were … comfortable! We took loads of “extra” rest (over the mandatory), and focused on trying to keep our dogs healthy by controlling the speed and giving plenty of downtime between runs. Our 24 dogs finished mostly very healthy, with only a few minor orthopedic issues related to the soft trail, and a wee bit of harness rub related to running in wet gear. But now after a week of solid rest, all dogs are ready to get back on the training trail!

Most of you know that our next event was supposed to be the Canadian Yukon Quest 450, starting Feb 2. But we ran into some logistical issues related to lodging, total time being away from home, and preparing Iditarod drop bags. This last point was further complicated by not knowing where exactly the Iditarod would start. As such, we’ve decided to scrap our plans for the Canadian Yukon Quest and put one team in the Alaskan Yukon Quest 550 instead! This race will suit us better in that the travel time is negligible, lodging is a non-issue, and we’ll also have more time both before and after the race to prepare those Iditarod drop bags.

So why didn’t we just sign up for the Quest 550 in the first place? Honestly, we didn’t believe the race would happen. Race officials have been promising a Fairbanks-to-Tok race since 2021, but haven’t been able to deliver. Each year, as start day grew close, the race would get shortened, or the route would be altered. This year though, the stars have aligned and the trail markers are in! The Fairbanks-to-Tok route is happening. A real irony for a year in which so many other races have had to cancel or adjust their routes.

So we’ve gone from two teams signed up for the Canadian Yukon Quest 450 to just one team signed up for the Alaskan Yukon Quest 550. What’s up with that? Team size for the 450 was a max of 12 dogs, whereas it’s 14 dogs for the 550. That’s a difference of four dogs between our two teams, and we just don’t have that many dogs capable of doing this longer event. We could take smaller teams – less than the 14 allowed – but that would mean being less competitive, and Jeff is ready to race! So while Jeff makes a competitive run in the 550, KattiJo will be doing some slightly shorter and less intense training exercises with many of our younger, or less-capable dogs during this same time period. If all goes well, Jeff’s 14 Quest dogs will go on to run in the Iditarod three weeks later, with the addition of two dogs that stayed off the race trail to train with KJ. The ultimate goal is to have each member of Jeff’s 16 dog Iditarod team be conditioned in a way that is best suited for them, in order to achieve performance when that race starts on March 2nd — or 3rd.

As for the Quest trail itself, the Alaskan Yukon Quest has some infamously hairy sections — another reason KattiJo has no problem sitting this one out! After departing Fairbanks, the trail takes mushers through the community of Two Rivers, and then up Rosebud Summit – known for it’s steep and rocky ledges, high winds, and trail markers that are often hard to find. Then it’s a drop onto intermittent miles of glare ice before the Mile 101 checkpoint. Out of 101, mushers and their dog teams climb to the top of Eagle Summit – the highest point in the White Mountains National Recreation Area. It’s usually rocky and windblown at the top of the summit, with a steep and harrowing decent down the backside. Once at the bottom, don’t miss your 90 degree turn to continue following the trail over a few more ridge lines before reaching Central. Out of Central, mushers must run the endlessly snaking Birch Creek. This is typically a bone-chillingly cold, and mind-numbingly boring run into the last road-accessible checkpoint of Circle. Once there, mushers say good-bye to their entourage of handlers and hit the Yukon River and head towards Eagle – a 160 mile stretch with only one dog drop location and no resupply stations along the way. The Yukon River is North America’s largest, and has something different to offer every year. Last year, mountains of jumble ice made travel on the river impossible between Circle and Eagle, dashing plans once again for the Fairbanks-to-Tok route. This year things seem better, but mushers will still need to be prepared for challenging conditions such as open water, rough ice pack, and bitterly cold temperatures. Once in Eagle, mushers hit the Taylor Highway, which is a highway, but it’s not maintained in the winter. While this route should be wide and obvious, mushers will still contend with wintery weather, including exposed areas of drifting snow and strong winds.

As for race coverage, you can expect more great coverage from our handlers Dylan and Kelsie on our social media pages. These two will follow Jeff to the first few checkpoints of Two Rivers, Mile 101, Central and Circle. In addition to following us on social media, remember there is also live race tracking for the Yukon Quest Alaska at yukonquestalaska.com. The public radio station in Fairbanks also sends a reporter out on the trail to cover the Yukon Quest Alaska, and they broadcast stories every day at https://fm.kuac.org/show/yukon-quest

* Fairbanks Iditarod Starts- 2003, 2015, 2017