DELTA JUNCTION, Alaska - Mushers used to come from the villages to run dog races held along the road system and in the cities. In today’s world of mushing, teams from the cities go to the Bush to race. The races are held in the same locations as they always have been, but the viewpoint has changed.
Along with the changing perspective, there has been a subsequent change in abilities and attitudes. One year while on the Quest trail, a rookie musher was having a few issues. I asked him what was the matter? He told me this: “It’s cold out there, and dark, and I’m all by myself; this isn’t much fun! I don’t want to be last!”
Why did any of that matter, I wondered? Isn’t running the Yukon Quest about running dogs? Why do mushers run the Yukon Quest?
Jeff, you knew it was going to be cold. Last year you ran a simulated Quest along the Denali to train for the Iditarod. On the Quest, you could have slowed down and done the same thing. Go back to Pelly, pick up more food and head down the trail. It’s warmer now.
Matt, eight dogs is enough. I started the 1986 Quest with that number and ran them the entire 1,000 miles. Joran Freeman ran an eight-dog team from Dawson City all of the way to Fairbanks and whipped my butt. I had all 14 as far as Circle. I dropped five there and still couldn’t keep up with him.
Tamra, it was cold. That is tough to deal with for sure. Slow down. Rest longer at checkpoints. You don’t learn anything by scratching. Next year you will have to start the learning process over.
Scott, yup, nine dogs aren’t many. You are going to slow down, run a little more and probably change your race plan. You have to be flexible when you spend thousands of dollars to run a race like the Quest or the Iditarod. Remember the Iditarod when you broke both sled runners between Takotna and Cripple? You ran behind the team for how many miles? That was perseverance!
Tony, 10 dogs is a full team. I’d bet you don’t train with any more than that. I’ve only hooked up 12 once all season. You can easily run the Yukon Quest with 10 dogs. A small team is a lot easier to care for in the cold.
“If it don’t go fast, I don’t want to go!” is a poor adage to follow. When you sign up for the Quest, run the darn thing unless you are sick or your team has fallen prey to illness. I hear this: “I am dropping out for the welfare of my dogs.” Really? If that is the case, then don’t sign up.
Brent said something succinct in Dawson: “Cold? We’re dog mushers; that’s what we do.” Yes, indeed, Brent. Meanwhile, Brent is out of Dawson, and, to place a perspective on this, it is easier to be upbeat when the train is on the track. Allen and Hugh will be chasing him and waiting to see if his wheels come off. Ray Redington is down to eight dogs. He is a tough, focused guy and my guess is he will be leaving Dawson.
However, I’m sitting in my living room after a pleasantly warm 30-mile dog run. It is easy to make guesses and judgments from this position. I really don’t know what happens on the trail except what I read and decipher from the trackers and written information available to me. I recognize the mushers who called their race over had very good reasons for doing so. In this instance, though, I am the Public, and I write what we see.
Après l'abandon de Scott Smith trois autres mushers ont jugé prudent, lundi 9 février, d'abandonner la Yukon Quest 2015 : Tamra Reynolds (dossard 6), Tony Angelo (10) et Matt Hall (25). Reynolds, arrivée à Carmacks, n'en est pas repartie. Angelo avait lui quitté le checkpoint avant de faire demi-tour pour abandonner (le règlement de la course précise qu'il n'est possible d'abandonner qu'à un checkpoint). Matt Hall, lui, avait atteint Pelly Crossings, le troisième checkpoint. Il avait initialement décidé de continuer avec seulement huit chiens sur les quatorze du départ avant de renoncer.