Yukon Quest 2011 – Day 1
They’re off, heading up the Yukon River to Braeburn.
The weather for the previous week around Whitehorse has not been good, with temperatures above freezing. This increases the risk of thin ice and causes a choppy surface as the ice breaks up and re-freezes. Fortunately the temperatures have dropped back down to the more normal single digit range, so there is less of a threat of dogs overheating. The dogs prefer to work below 20° F [-7° C].
They will have about 6 hours of sun left today. as the days are at 8¼ hours, increasing at about 5 minutes per day. The moon won’t be much help as it is a waxing crescent.
It’s about 100 miles [160 kilometers] to Braeburn where there is a two hour mandatory stop. [Update: there has been a rule change and the stop is now four hours and an adjustment for the start time. It means that the last team to leave Whitehorse only has to wait 4 hours, but the first team must wait 5 hours and 12 minutes, the extra hour and 12 minutes being the initial time advantage. After Braeburn, with this change, the first team in the next checkpoint is definitely the race leader. Previously the adjustment was added at Dawson.]
If you have a favorite team, the best resource is the YQ Live Tracking link on my sidebar, as the teams are carrying GPS markers.
I will be updating the daily post, rather than issuing individual posts.
6 comments
Silly me… I thought “Quest” was a mouth paste for people with no teeth…
May an incontinent Samoyed take up residency in your laundry basket.
“Samoyed”
Human or canine? After the late Tabitha and her, uh, hallmarks, I’m largely immune to critter incontinence…
Samoyeds, Russian for “self-propelled” or “automobile”, are solid white and sized between a German Shepherd and St. Bernard. They are the “Clydesdales” of sled dogs.
We aren’t talking ounces and paper towels, this is cups and wet-dry vac territory.
Alas, or fortunately, Tabitha was not in the same league. But two years after her first marks, I can safely say she left a permanent aroma in my harpsichord carry case.
Odo-Ban is quite effective on those kinds of things, and it disinfects. Most Sam’s Clubs carry it, but you may find it at a hardware store.