“On a cold spring day in 1907 a group of us gathered around the stove in a Nome saloon and began talking about dog races. After a few weeks of arguing we worked out the rules of the ‘All-Alaska Sweepstakes.’” -A.A. “Scotty” Allan, in Gold, Men and Dogs (G.P. Putnam, 1931)
The historic All Alaska Sweepstakes [...]
The 2010 Iditarod was one for the record books, with the incomparable Champion Lance Mackey and his Dream Team setting the pace for the second-fastest time ever recorded, resulting in an unprecedented fourth victory for the master musher from Fairbanks. Iditarod’s Eye on the Trail blogger Bruce Lee wrote, “History was just made. For [...]
As the mushers move up the trail between Rainy Pass and Ophir, still not quite to the halfway point in Ruby for the northern route, the strength of the teams continues to impress fans, and some of the teams are already taking their mandatory 24-hour rest stops: Jeff King, Zack Steer, Hugh Neff and a [...]
“Sleeping bag, snowshoes, booties…” Lance Mackey enumerates the items in his sled for the checker at Pelly Crossing. His voice is methodical, sure, practiced. He’s been through this Pelly Crossing checkpoint four times before, and each time he was on his way to a Yukon Quest championship; he’s currently the only four-time champion in the [...]