Yukon Quest 2021
Tomorrow is the first Saturday in February. Normally that would mean the start of the Yukon Quest dogsled race, but not this year.
The border between the Yukon Territory and Alaska is closed due to COVID-19. Vaccinations are in short supply and there is extremely limited medical assistance along the trail. The villages along the trail are populated generally by First Nations, Alaskan Natives and Native Americans. The isolation of these settlements protects them. Transportation along much of the route is limited to dogsleds, snowmobiles, and bush planes during the winter. Communication is primarily via satellite phones and amateur radio operators. The board of directors for the race didn’t believe attempting to run the race was worth the risk.
2 comments
and the iditarod won’t be bringing the plague to nome this year (though it looks like they’re still hoping to run a modified route)
It looks like they are staying near the road and avoiding the Native Alaskan villages. They seem to be headed to Iditarod and then reversing course. There won’t be a parade in Anchorage. They really are attempting to limit crowds.