OLD NEWS
If you haven't read it, it's news to you!
Gin
Gin 200 - A TASTE OF TOUGH!
Mushers have finished the 2008 Gin Gin 200. Bitter cold
temperatures of 40 below and colder as well as winds to
40 mph gave everyone a taste of tough! A race where every
musher and volunteer managed to pull together to make this
a safe & fun race. Mushers grouped together to travel
safely along potential hazard areas. Offered help when winds
blew sleds and dogs off the trail and into deep loose snow.
It was the ultimate in comraderee. Hats off to all who participated
in the race.
2008 Gin Gin 200 Womens
Division - (1)
Jodi Bailey (12-28-08) 23:55 (2) Colleen Robertia (12-29-08)
01:28 (3) Michelle Phillips 07:26 (4) Aliy Zirkle 07:34 (5)
Abbie West 10:40 (6) Yuka Honda 13:41 (7) Bridget Watkins
13:46 (8) Ava Lindner 13:55 (9) Judy Currier 13:57 (10) Marie
Claude 14:40 (11) Jen Seavey 16:34 (12) Deb Moderow 16:40
(13) Tamara Rose 17:42 (14) Jen Brown 17:50 (15) Simi Morrison
18:57 (16) Jillian Rogers
17:35 12/30 - Scratches; Maclaren outbound: Cristina Roaloff,
Iris Sutton,
2008 Gin Gin 200 Mens Division (1) Brent
Sass 01:58 (2) Ken Anderson 04:27 (3) Ed Hopkins 07:42 (4)
Lance Mackey 10:44 (5) Harry Alexie 10:48 (6) Braxton Peterson
10:50 (7) Sebastion Schnuelle 10:58 (8) Hugh Neff 11:08 (9)
Tom Lesatz 11:52 (10) Darrin Lee 12:23 (11) Rick Casillo 12:32
(12) Mark Sleighthome 13:13 (13) Allen Moore 13:40 (14) Chris
Boyer 13:41 (15) Sonny Lindner 13:55 (16) Chad Lindner 13:55
(17) Louis Bissonette 14:29 (18) Mitch Seavey 14:30 (19) Dallas
Seavey 14:33 (20) Jake Lysyhyn 14:34 (21) Yuho Ylipiesse 19:04
- Scratches;Maclaren outbound: Bill McKee, Colin Morrison,
Mike Ellis, Maclaren inbound; Jason Reppart, Jeff King
Rondy sprint mushing
purse
could reach $75,000 Reprinted
from the ADN - UPSWING:
While Iditarod winnings shrink, Rondy has bumped its money
payout. By KEVIN KLOTT kklott@adn.com Published: December
23rd, 2008
In a year of global economic
downturns and companies feeling a financial pinch, some Anchorage
businessmen have pulled out their wallets and helped revive
Alaska's most historic sport.
LAND-USE
PLAN: Assembly measure protects mushers from encroaching
growth - Reprinted
from the ADN By RINDI WHITE
rwhite@adn.com Published: December 23rd, 2008 09:39 PM PALMER
-- The Knik-Fairview area is now officially a dog-friendly
zone. Last week, the Assembly passed a land-use plan for
the area called the Knik Sled Dog and Recreation Use District.
The district is the first of its kind explicitly aimed at
protecting dog kennels and other rural uses from encroaching
growth. Read more....
Public Radio International (PRI) spotlights Iditarod Trail:
BLM-Alaska’s Iditarod National Historic Trail was featured
in the Dec. 22nd edition of PRI’s “The World,”
a one-hour weekday news magazine. PRI producers interviewed
Iditarod Trail Administrator Kevin Keeler for the “Geo
Quiz” segment of the program, which tests listeners’
knowledge of world geography. Keeler introduced listeners
to the rich history of the Iditarod National Historic Trail,
including the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Day gold
strike of 1908 in the Iditarod gold fields. The broadcast
is available via podcast for two years.
Jodi Bailey - Her team
flying to the finish at the Two Rivers Solstice 100
Jodi Bailey wins Two Rivers Solstice 100 Posted
by HELEN HEGENER - TEAM
& TRAILBLOGSPOT The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported
that Chatanika musher Jodi Bailey won the Two Rivers Dog Mushers
Solstice 100 from Pleasant
Valley Store to Angel Creek Lodge and back this past weekend,
edging out Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey
by a mere two minutes. In the 2007 Gin-Gin 200, Bailey won
the women’s division with the fastest overall time,
finishing 20 minutes ahead of Lance Mackey’s winning
time in the men’s division.
Next weekend Bailey and Mackey are poised to duel it out yet
again at the 2008 Gin
Gin 200 from Paxon Lodge to MacLaren River and return.
See race results
Update:
They Did it!!!
Proposed location of
bonfires
Nome
Plans Spectacular
Display of Stars & ICE
A little nome told us ....there is plans underway to light
up Nome, hopefully to be seen by astronauts from the orbiting
space station.
The plan is to meet the day after Christmas, Friday Evening
at the Nome Firehall at 7pm to finalize the lay of the 8-stars
and its show. They will have some idea by then of the weather
and what day most likely they will pull it off! So far between
the 30th and 2nd.
It's all part of Alaska's 50th anniversary of statehood, because
-- if it's a clear night and all goes right -- eight giant
bonfires purposefully set at widely spaced but strategic locations
along the Nome sea ice will take the shape of the Big Dipper
and the North Star, just like Alaska's flag.
Mushing has many happy trails in Mat-Su
Alaska
News - Published on Saturday, December 20, 2008 9:26 PM AKST
by the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.
At a time when many locals lament how the unique Alaska-ness
of the Mat-Su Valley is being lost in the wake of rapid growth,
we’re pleased our Mat-Su Borough Assembly has taken
action to preserve one of the must iconic of Alaska traditions
— dog mushing.
In
addition to hosting the official restart of the annual Iditarod
Trail Sled Dog Race and home to the event’s headquarters,
the Valley is home for some of the best and most accessible
mushing in Southcentral Alaska. But with the Mat-Su growing
at a torrid 35 percent rate, as reported by the U.S. Census
Bureau, the needs of a swelling residential population are
beginning to clash with established recreation. Read
more
Gin Gin
200 team limit lifts to 55 The Gin Gin
200 sled dog race starts December 27th in Paxson, Alaska.
This is a 200 mile race along the Denali Highway from Paxson
Lodge to Maclaren
River Lodge and back.
Race officials have decided to lift the team
limit from 50 to 55 for this years 200 mile race. Extra volunteer
help from the Alaska National Guard unit in Fairbanks has
made it possible to expand the field of mushers." This
is a tremendous help to the race" says Zoya DeNure "
we have a small volunteer pool to grab from, and when the
national guard offered to help, we jumped at the offer. It
just makes the race run smoother with extra bodies to handle,
check and move dropped dogs".
As of today, there is 50 mushers officially signed up. If
you are interested in running, please send in your signed
forms and correct entry fee (check the late deadline fee)
and send an email to zdenure@yahoo.com
to be on the list. Zoya says they will have a waiting list
if they reach 55. Any questions, please give a call and Zoya
will return your message as soon as possible. Phone 907-347-9013.
Visit their web site for more information
Matray
receives Veterinary Care Award at Sheep Mountain 150 Jessica Hendricks
of Two Rivers, Alaska won the 2008 Sheep Mountain 150 sled
dog race early Sunday afternoon. Her winning time was 1 day,
0 hour, and 30 minutes. Just 3 minutes separated the 2nd through
fourth place finishers: Allen Moore second place (1d, 0h,
36m), Hans Gatt third place (1d, 0h, 38m), and Jon Little
fourth (1d, 0h, 39m).
The
race featured three notable 2008 Sheep Mountain 150 rookies
who are also past Yukon Quest race Champions: Vern Halter,
Jeff King and Aliy Zirkle.
The Eureka Lodge Veterinary
Care Award was won by Blake Matray of Two Rivers and the
Sheep Mountain Lodge Sportsmanship Award was won by Micah
Dagerland of Fairbanks.
Complete race results will
be posted at www.sheepmountain.com. For additional information
about the Sheep Mountain 150 please contact race director
Zack Steer at the numbers below. Click
here to view photos
photo
by Donna Quante
We have
a winner! Jessica Hendricks becomes the 2008 Sheep Mountain
Champion arriving at Sheep
Mountain Lodge at 12:30 today with 11 strong dogs and
a smile on her frosted face. Six other musher following close
behind of her finishing time, among those are Allen Moore,
Hans Gatt, Sabastian Schnuelle, Jeff King & Jon Little,
and Judy Currier.
Sheep Mountain takes off...
DECEMBER 13, 2008 9:44 PM
- T.DAILY
A beautiful day for the start of the 4th annual Sheep Mountain
150. Sunshine and a light wind helped the record 47 mushers
get on down the trail today.
Jeff King
- photo by Donna Quante
Temperatures loomed between
5 above and minus 20, depending on where you were standing.
Handlers, spectators and family members breathed a sigh
of relief as the last musher rooster tailed out to the alaska
back country. Mushers started rolling into Eureka
Lodge, a distance of 50 miles, at 5 pm today, with Jessica
Hendricks in first place, Sebastian
Schnuelle second,
and Allen Moore third. As of 8:54 pm all mushers arrived
at Eureka for their first 5 hour layover. Trail breaker,
Stan Smith said "the trails are in great shape this
year, we have a good amount of snow for the mushers, and
we are out there working on them to be sure they are well
marked and trouble free". The first mushers can start
leaving at 3 am. One musher, Ed Hopkins had to drop out
the day before the race, no word why. Check back for updates
through out the evening. Clcik here for race updates
Top Distance Mushers
Head for Sheep Mountain
A field of 48 teams has signed up for the 2008 Sheep Mountain
150 sled dog race. The Sheep Mountain 150 is a 150-mile sled
dog race to be held December 13-14, 2008. The race starts
and finishes at Sheep Mountain Lodge at mile 113 of the Glenn
Highway and has two, five-hour layovers at Eureka Lodge. Some
of the race can be viewed directly from the highway and fans
can watch and meet the mushers at the Eureka lodge checkpoint
Saturday night.
This
year’s race features top distance mushers such as
Jeff King, DeeDee Jonrowe, Ken Anderson, Aily Zirkle and
Hans Gatt. The race kicks off the beginning of the sled
dog racing season. Recent snowfall in the Sheep Mountain
area should lead to a challenging course for all.
Quest
Trail Update Report by John Schandelmeier - Yukon
Quest Trail Coordinator 24 Nov 2008 - The latest
updates on the Quest trail are not all good news. The Yukon
River from just above Eagle downriver to near Circle is jumbled
badly. Andy Bassich, (about 15 miles below Eagle at Calico
Bluffs) has not made it up to Eagle yet due to the ice conditions.
He told me that it took 3 guys, 4 hours to cut a trail across
at the mouth of the 70 Mile R. and that they are still 100
yds. short of an island near mid-channel. Wayne and Scarlet
Hall, (8 miles down from Eagle) basically have the same situation.
Local folks in Eagle have cut a trail across the Yukon from
town. There will be a overland trail as far as the mouth of
Sheep Cr., (Tadonduk R.) for sure. An over flight as far as
the Nation R. indicated that there was no difference in River
conditions to there
and "as far as they could see." Doug Dill in Circle
has been up 7-8 miles and tells me that the Yukon is bad but
can be done; he expects conditions will improve when the water
level drops and it begins to overflow along the edges. He
believes he can get to Coal Cr., (Slavens). The folks in Eagle
who have been there the longest say; "these are the worst
ice conditions in anyones
memory." The current concensus is that the River can't
be done without several feet of snow. So much for that--we
can sit on our backsides and pray for snow, (please do that),
or we can be pro-
active and research another route---in case it doesn't snow.
I have done that already and have a couple of decent alternative
routes planned. Depending on which option we use, the mileage
may increase 25- 35 miles.
Yukon
Quest in jeopardy over city funding problem
By Rebecca George Fairbanks Daily Newsminer - Published
Friday, December 12, 2008 —
Unless $20,000 in expected funds from the city of Fairbanks
come through, February’s Yukon Quest International
Sled Dog Race is in jeopardy of being canceled, a Quest
board member said Thursday. Read
more...
Sheep
Mountain 150 Trail Report
DECEMBER 8, 2008 - SML
There is a 10" base, with 1" of new snow in the
last 24 hours, more snow in the forecast. More snow up at
the Eureka area - 2" fresh in last 48 hours. The dog-mushing
trail from here over Gunsight knoll to the Eureka trail system
is passable with 12 -dog team. The middle 50-mile race loop
is preliminarily marked with orange lathe with reflective
tape and is in good condition. Looking good for the Sheep
Mountain 150 sled dog race. The trailbreakers are working
hard, be sure to thank them. Follow
race update right here on GoMush.comMush To
Donate
The Mush to Donate program is designed to give individual
mushers the opportunity to join forces with The Sled Dog Fund
in our mission to support children with disabilities. If you
plan to run in at least one race this winter and have the
desire to help special needs children, you’re eligible
to participate in The Mush to Donate Program. The program
is open to mushers of any age and any experience level and
it doesn’t matter how many dogs you have. Participation
in the program is simple. You enroll online, plan to run at
least one race this season and agree to obtain a minimum of
one sponsor for your race. Multiple sponsors per race are
highly encouraged. Read More...
New adventure book, just
in time for Christmas! Nine Dog Winter by Bruce T. Batchelor
is a wonderful true story about 2 crazy Canadians venturing
out into the northern backcountry, to, of all things, learn
to mush and survive on their own. Gathering up a questionable
team of nine huskies, salvage gear, and a stack of food supplies,
they set off to live a dream out. Exploring the back country
of Canada, sometimes learning the hard way how tough mother
nature can be.
You'll laugh out loud, you'll learn some simple outdoor skills
and you might even cry at times. A good book to sit by the
fire and read cover to cover. Nine Dog Winter will earn a
spot on any book shelf!
Yukon Quest trail shaping
up nicely
Posted from APRN - Dan Bross,
KUAC - Fairbanks
Consistent cold weather this fall is boding well for the Yukon
Quest trail. Trail Coordinator John Schandlemier says ice
on the Yukon River is setting up smoother than normal. Listen
to Interview with John Schandelmeier (MP3)
Yukon
Quest Opens New Headquarters
Mark your calendar for the grand opening of the Fairbanks
Yukon Quest building, Friday December 5th 5pm-8pm. The Yukon
Quest has a new race headquarters, a retail store and administrative
offices in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. Help them celebrate
with a cup of hot coffee and some good quest stories. Meet
Karen Austen, the 2009 Yukon Quest poster artist, while signing
posters and displaying her original artwork.
Knik
200 Trail News
by gomush.com 11/30/2009
The Knik 200 has come up with a solution to the trail re-routing
due to development on the existing trail. The 2009 Knik
200 trail will follow the regular route across 7 mile Lake
and onto the Homestead/Kyber Pass Trail, then mushers will
go right onto South Ridge Road, from there the trail will
go to Moore Road, and continue to Burma Road and across,
then back on to the Iditarod Trail. Race officials will
have a Burma Road crossing guard and any other additional
help needed. Race officials plan to have the South Ridge
Road turn well marked, as all of trail from Knik Lake to
Skwentna and back will be. Lou Schader, the Knik 200 Trail
Master, has been on the trail and as always will make sure
mushers have a great and safe trail. For
details visit the Knik 200 web site
The
Copper Basin 300 New Start/Finish Line
by gomush.com 11/30/2009
The Copper
Basin 300 has a new start and finish line for 2009.
The start will be at Wolverine Lodge located at Lake Louise.
The race will start at 10:00 am Jan. 10, 2009. The trail
crew is already putting in trail and there is more early
snow than in the past few years. Any questions, call Doug
Vollman at 907-259-5898.
Cold
Spot Feeds Final Year!
by
gomush.com 11/30/2009
Cold Spot Feeds regrettably announces that the 2008/2009 season
will be the final season providing a full line of mushing
supplies due to increasing costs, coupled with the lack of
demand. Cold Spot said it is no longer financially reasonable
to continue carrying a full line of mushing supplies at this
point in time. Difficulties acquiring hardware and others
items have forced them to purchase these items in larger quantities
and often during the summer season. This has been costly as
most of the inventory is stagnant through the summer months.
Cold Spot Feeds has developed,
manufactured and sold mushing products for over 22 years.
During that time they have enjoyed watching the mushers
& the sport evolve. Owners Connie & Mark Dubay said
they have seen great advancements in the training and care
of dogs, changes in sled designs, headlamps, clothing and
other specialty gear. They have watched mushers of all ages
and skill levels achieve their personal goals. Remarking
"It may have been the musher whose goals were to finish
the Yukon Quest or Iditarod. It may have been the sprint
racer making it around the track just a bit faster than
last time. We have watched blind mushers run sprint races,
physically handicapped mushers push themselves beyond what
most people would of tried and 3 year olds taking their
favorite pet around the quarter mile track. For us this
part of the business was best. We have enjoyed getting to
know people from all walks of life and from all parts of
the globe. This has been a wonderful experience and we certainly
could not have done it without the support of the mushing
community. We hope in return that we provided a source for
your equipment; a place to gather and that we will remain
your friends in this community.
We thank you for all your support over the years and will
look forward to hearing from you or seeing you at the feed
store".
UPDATE: Noveber21, 2008 Tracey is in the Adult Critical
Care Unit currently and is in stable, but critical condition.
She is on a ventilator, but the doctor hopes it's removal
within 1-2 days. She is responding to nursing commands and
they are amazed at her strength and stability.
Flowers are not allowed in this
ward. Kind words can be left at this site for her
at thestatus.com
logon: schaeffer password: schaeffer1
Doctor
Killed While Mushing
November 20, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Source KTUU
A pediatrician at the Alaska Native Medical Center was fatally
injured after a snowmachine collided with his dog sled.The
crash happened about 9 p.m. Wednesday just outside of Kotzebue,
according to the Alaska State Troopers. Roger Gollub, age
53, was a doctor with South Central Foundation, he was mushing
with 39-year-old Tracey Schaeffer in the sled when a snowmachine
slammed into him, troopers said. Schaeffer was flown to Anchorage
for treatment, but Gollub died at the scene. Patrick Tickett,
20, was driving the snowmachine, troopers said. It's still
unknown if he will be cited. An investigation is still underway.
Sheep Mountain 2008
Written by Theresa Daily
October 2008 - Entries for the Sheep Mountain 150 sled dog
race were accepted beginning October 1. So far 42 teams have
signed up on the first day. The race field is limited to 50
teams. This years race will be held December 13-14 between
Sheep Mountain and Eureka Lodges along the Glenn Highway.
Notable racers signed up so far include: Jeff King (4-time
Iditarod champion), Aily Zirkle (Yukon Quest champion), Ken
Anderson (2005 Sheep Mountain champion), as well as a number
of other top distance mushers from across Alaska and Canada.
The race starts and finishes at Sheep Mountain Lodge and covers
150 miles with two, 5-hour layovers at Eureka Lodge. Last
years race was cancelled due to poor snow conditions.
17th Annual Klondike 300 - New Route
Written by Theresa Daily
October 2008- The 17th running of the Klondike 300 will start
Jan. 17 at 1pm. Tug Bar start and finish through Deshka to
Yentna Station. A new route has been choosen due to the high
danger in the Petersville area from increased snow machine
traffic. The new route will be going to Angel Haven Lodge
up the Yentna River, Yentna Station to Lake Creek, then on
an overland trail to Angel Haven Lodge. There are also a few
changes in rules and entry fee's ( you guessed it, fuel prices).
Visit - Klondike300.org for race updates and the new 2009
rules.
New USPS
Alaska Stamp
Written by Theresa Daily
September 2008
alaska_iditarod_stamp New USPS Alaska stamp to sport DeeDee
& her team. It's the year for Alaska recognition, and
a USPS stamp is no exception. Teamed together with Alaska
Stock Images and the perfect shot of Iditarod musher, DeeDee
Jonrowe slipping through Rainy Pass during the "Last
Great Race"™ the Iditarod, a stamp was born.
Learn more about the Alaska
Statehood Celebration and all the 50th anniversary activities
planned for 2009 at the State of Alaska website:
http://gov.state.ak.us/ASCC/
"We found out today that
the new Alaska stamp will be unveiled at the Alaska State
chamber Annual fall conference gathering in Fairbanks on
Wednesday night. I'm honored and blessed that one of my
photos was chosen to represent Alaska Statehood on a U.S.
postage stamp. I'm just plain ecstatic that it's this particular
photo, because it's one of my all-time favorite photos from
the Iditarod---DeeDee Jonrowe mushing in the Rainy Pass
area at dusk with alpenglow on the Alaska Range. For me,
it was one of those magical moments where everything came
together to complete my idea of what the Iditarod is. I
couldn't be more pleased." says Jeff Schultz, from
Alaska Stock Images.
When we asked DeeDee
how she felt about this new stamp, she said "It is
humbling to be part of the image chosen to represent Alaska
as the U.S. postage service recognizes our beautiful stste's
50th birthday. I have been blessed to live my dreams for
over a quater of a century combining my love of my dogs,
my passion for this beautiful state, and to experience adventure
beyond my wildest imagination. Thanks to Jeff Schultz's
god-given tallent for capturing that on film, I now have
the honor to celebrate this thru this stamp". Visit
DeeDee's web site to preview the stamp at http://www.deedeejonrowe.com
