The Unbroken Circle City Checkpoint
Welcome to Yukon Quest 2006...the toughest sled dog race on Earth!!!
The Quest alternates starting points between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. This year, the race started in downtown Fairbanks on the Chena River. From Fairbanks, mushers wind their way across more than 1000 miles of rivers and bogs and steep climbs.
Shortly after 11 am on Saturday morning, the first teams took off out of the blocks. A strong contingent of locals came out of the woodwork to attend the start. After the coldest January in nearly 35 years, the 25 F air temperatures at start felt downright balmy! I was particularly excited about the Quest this year, for two reasons: 1) I volunteered to help run the checkpoint at Circle City and 2) A good buddy, Brent Sass, was competing in the Yukon Quest 300, a qualifying race for new mushers on the scene.
This here is a picture of Brent in his younger days, cruising along in the White Mountains.
After the start in Fairbanks, we made the long drive to Circle to prepare the checkpoint for the mushers. On the way to Circle, we stopped in the town of Central to gas-up and get a quick drink. As we entered the Steese Roadhouse, we were greated by this sign.
We arrived at Circle just after sunset on Saturday, we found this sign, shoved in the corner of the local firehouse. The firehouse would soon serve as headquarters to all Quest-related operations, including race veterinarians, radio operators, media, dog handlers, check point crew (that's me!), locals, trail breakers, and spectators.
One absolutely critical member of our checkpoint crew was Betty the Cook. Betty used to live in Alaska but now lives in New England. However, she returns once a year, just for the Quest, and to cook for all of the aforementioned firehouse dwellers.
Betty's secret incredient in most recipes...
This here is Josh Horst, check point manager (and potential life coach). Josh is a fantastic facilitator and a natural leader. Here, Josh is instructing various members of the crew, urging everyone to keep busy and stay on their toes. His years of experience echo in his warning: "Unconfirmed reports are exactly that...unconfirmed."
As a member of the Circle City checkpoint crew, we had many critical responsibilites. This picture is of all of the mushers drop bags, which contain lots of dog food and various supplies. The hay is for the dogs to bed down on while they are at the checkpoint. Our job was to deliver each musher's supplies to them upon arrival in Circle.
As night set in, we started to get excited in anticpation of the first musher's arrival.
Many of the musher's were slowed by the foot of snow that hit the interior during Sunday. Thus, there was a lot of standing around, waiting.
When the standing and waiting got old, some of us decided to spice things up. This is Thom Walker performing a reverse extreme snow angel maneuver off of the abandoned hotel porch.
By Monday afternoon, the first musher's had finally arrived in Circle. All of them looked like they had scene some hard times up trail. Here, some mushers work away at getting their dogs bedded down and fed.
This here is a picture of Brent in his younger days, cruising along in the White Mountains.
After the start in Fairbanks, we made the long drive to Circle to prepare the checkpoint for the mushers. On the way to Circle, we stopped in the town of Central to gas-up and get a quick drink. As we entered the Steese Roadhouse, we were greated by this sign.
We arrived at Circle just after sunset on Saturday, we found this sign, shoved in the corner of the local firehouse. The firehouse would soon serve as headquarters to all Quest-related operations, including race veterinarians, radio operators, media, dog handlers, check point crew (that's me!), locals, trail breakers, and spectators.
One absolutely critical member of our checkpoint crew was Betty the Cook. Betty used to live in Alaska but now lives in New England. However, she returns once a year, just for the Quest, and to cook for all of the aforementioned firehouse dwellers. 
Betty's secret incredient in most recipes...
This here is Josh Horst, check point manager (and potential life coach). Josh is a fantastic facilitator and a natural leader. Here, Josh is instructing various members of the crew, urging everyone to keep busy and stay on their toes. His years of experience echo in his warning: "Unconfirmed reports are exactly that...unconfirmed."
As a member of the Circle City checkpoint crew, we had many critical responsibilites. This picture is of all of the mushers drop bags, which contain lots of dog food and various supplies. The hay is for the dogs to bed down on while they are at the checkpoint. Our job was to deliver each musher's supplies to them upon arrival in Circle.
As night set in, we started to get excited in anticpation of the first musher's arrival. 
Many of the musher's were slowed by the foot of snow that hit the interior during Sunday. Thus, there was a lot of standing around, waiting.
...and more standing and waiting.
When the standing and waiting got old, some of us decided to spice things up. This is Thom Walker performing a reverse extreme snow angel maneuver off of the abandoned hotel porch.
By Monday afternoon, the first musher's had finally arrived in Circle. All of them looked like they had scene some hard times up trail. Here, some mushers work away at getting their dogs bedded down and fed.
Sunset behind the dog yard. The mushers would stay in Circle for no longer than 8-10 hours before packing up and heading down the trail towards the village of Eagle.
For the second year in a row, Lance Mackey won the Yukon Quest. His German rivals, Hans Gott and William Kleedhen, finished just behind him.
But the reals news....
But the reals news....
Brent ended up WINNING the Yukon Quest 300, defying the odds and some intense weather on Eagle Summit. Check it out.
posted by Jon O'Donnell @ 9:03 AM
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