YQ: The End of the Week

Between crossing the finish line and the final act that was the Finish and Award Banquet we’ve still been busy. A musher’s job is never done.

Aliy and Moira have taken the YQ dogs out for a couple of stretch out runs – just a few of miles to get them moving again. They were all amped to go and pleased to get back on the trail.

Karolyn and Aliy have also been running all the non-Quest dogs, building up their miles as there may be some that need to step up for the next race.

Allen has been fixing sleds and equipment ready for Aliy to take on the Iditarod that starts just two weeks from today. All the gear returned from the trail has had to be sorted, cleaned, dried and stored ready for next use. That includes the huge pile of used booties that need to be separated into piles of re-usable or not. We can reuse booties for training if there are no holes and they are still in good shape.

Friday night was the Fairbanks Meet the Mushers event at the La Quinta Inn & Suites Fairbanks and the line for autographs and photos snaked round the whole room, such was the popularity of this group of tough mushers.

It was also an opportunity for handler crews to catch up with each other again and, in some cases, say “farewell – till next year”. You’ll hear a good deal about “the Quest Family” and that’s exactly what it is – some family you see every day, other family you see once a year at special occasions.

Saturday evening at the Finish and Awards Banquet we all got to hear from each finishing musher plus Mike the Alaska trail boss, Dr Hansen, the Head Veterinarian and Doug, the Race Marshall. There are always tales of camaraderie and friendships but this year seemed to surpass anything I’ve ever heard. So many examples of teams working together, amazing sled dogs showing their mettle, and lifelong friendships formed out on the trail.

We heard moving accounts written by checkpoint managers of both Central and Mile 101 about the heroics during the storm and got to see a trailer for the feature the Visual Content are producing and it was amazing! The evening was emceed by the hilarious and sometimes irreverent Rob Prince who lightened the mood when needed.

Allen was awarded a stunning jade dog team for his third place prize and gets to keep a treasured “Joel Switzer’ memorial bib that he wore over the finish line.

Congratulations to all the mushers and prizewinners – get a great rundown of all the happenings on the YQ website here and this Daily News-miner article.