SPK Dog Log

As Allen fast approaches Dawson, this video shows very nicely what he just went over, through and around. As I post this, he is less than 4 miles out of Dawson. Can’t wait to talk to him in the morning!!

This is some short flight footage from along the Pelly River next to the Scroggie Creek Dogdrop up into the Black Hills towards King Solomon’s Dome.
Video by Peter Kamper

By the Yukon Quest
From Official Yukon Quest YouTube Channel

Ryne finished at 2:58 pm in 14th with all 10 dogs. Here are some photos of her finish!

Ryne Coming Across Finish Line

Photos by The Yukon Quest
From Official Yukon Quest Flickr Page

What a Picture!

By The Yukon Quest
From Official Yukon Quest Page

Ryne Didn’t Want the Race to End! “Bib, What Bib?”

By the Yukon Quest
From Official Yukon Quest Flickr Page

Ryne snuck in an hour earlier than she was expected! More soon.

Just talked to Aliy. She was laughing and very pleased with the race, especially her core 8 and the candy litter. She arrived in Pelly Crossing thinking she was in 7th or 8th place. She was shocked to realize she was actually in 4th. As soon as they got her some breakfast, they hopped in the truck and headed to Dawson to set up for Allen’s arrival. Aliy slept the whole way and is now helping Ray and Dave set up the camp site.

Aliy said the most amazing part of the race was the people. She felt like she had just come off of her 2000 Championship run. When she broke her sled going into Stepping Stone, the owners were so nice and had her sign a poster for them. It took her about a half hour to set the foot pad on to the sled runner. She had to fix it several more times before the end of the race.

When I asked her about the tangle out of McCabe, she laughed, “How did you hear about that?” The trail crosses the Klondike Highway at one point and there were volunteers holding stop signs controlling traffic on the Highway. The dogs decided that they were ready to head to Dawson instead of Pelly and tried to turn North on the Highway. The volunteers ran over to help get them across the road. Unfortunately, they were still holding the stop signs. Butterscotch, who was in lead with Skittles, saw people running at him with sticks and panicked. A mass tangle ensued, but in the end, no one was hurt and they all got across the road safely. But it took over 20 minutes!

Butterscotch was the King Pin of the 2nd part of the race. Aliy said if it weren’t for Girlfriend, she wouldn’t have had a team. Retired for 2 years and still the queen of the kennel! (I’m sorry I confused everyone with this statement. Girlfriend is retired on a couch in Nome. All of Aliy’s main dogs were Girlfriend pups. :))

Update on Ryne:
Newt was the second dog she dropped. Newt and Pepper are not in the full training schedule this year, but had been run in Ryne’s yearling team. Newt just didn’t have the training miles to finish the race.

Aliy crossed the finish line at 7:03 am PST with all 8 dogs running well. The dogs are all curled up in their mobile dog house, aka the dog truck, for well deserved rest. Last I heard from the crew at Pelly, Aliy was eating a huge breakfast.

SP Kennel Dog Truck

Ryne got into Pelly at 11:16 pm last night and left for her final leg of the Quest 300 at 5:10 am this morning. She dropped one more dog, leaving her with a team of 10 dogs. She should finish 3 pm or so. She must be so excited.

Allen is well on his way to Dawson and his mandatory 36 hour rest. He is currently stopped at Scroggie Creek Dog Drop and has been since about 4 am. This is about 350 miles into the race.

Dave is on his way to Dawson with all the gear to build the camp for the dogs during their rest. We try to make them as comfortable as possible during their stay. All they do is sleep, eat and get massages. Hope to have some pictures of the camp.

One last picture before I head to sleep.

Aliy Checking Out of Pelly

By the Yukon Quest
From Official Yukon Quest Flickr Page

Gerry Willomitzer wins the Yukon Quest 300!! He had a very nice run and finished at 9:23 pm PST with 10 dogs. He will be a force on the Iditarod this year.

Gerry Wins the 2011 Yukon Quest 300

By the Yukon Quest
From Official Yukon Quest Flickr Page

Aliy is out on the final leg of the Quest 300. We are estimating it will take her around 8 hours to make the 64 mile loop. We still haven’t heard the details of the tangle out of McCabe Creek, but now I found out she broke her sled running into Carmacks. Sounds like she is having an eventful run! The handlers are reporting that she is in a very good mood though, almost taking a “now what” attitude for the race. She should be finishing between 4 and 5 am PST. Hopefully she will catch Beck!

As they tend to lose Ryne, I’m not sure if she is already in Pelly. She should be there anytime now if she is not. I don’t know which dog she had to drop at Carmacks. Will get you that info as soon as I can. Doug said that during her stay at McCabe Creek, she told him she was having the time of her life. Northern Lights. Awesome views of the mountains and the rivers. She had a tired grin plastered on her face. Can’t beat that.

Allen is running in the middle of the front pack in the Quest. We won’t really hear too much about him for a while. Thank goodness they fixed his Spot! Scroggie Creek is his next check in point. It is a Dog Drop and usually reports some of the coldest temperatures on the trail. The nighttime temperatures have been hitting 30 below in the low lands and now they are climbing into the hills.

I linked to a nice video that shows him and the Black Team on the Yukon River near Carmacks. Looking good.