47的閑言賢語‧愛貓愛旅行

今年的Yukon Quest(1000-MILE INTERNATIONAL SLED DOG RACE)成績已出來，
由Frank在1995年所創下的紀錄，10天16小時20分，在今年終於被刷新，
由36歲的Lance Mackey以10天2小時7分創新紀錄，獲得獎金4萬(應該是美金)。

Frank(現年59歲)是我去白馬時參加Dawson Trail Day-Trip的Muktuk的老闆(請參考Day 7的日誌)，
今年的比賽他在第5天跑到Dawson City時因故棄權，可惜...
其實想想...我滿怕冷的...卻感覺還滿喜歡被雪覆蓋的世界...真怪...下次還想去更冷的地方...
以下是Yukon Quest的介紹，有興趣的人可以參考看看(也可以參考小古巴古丁的冰狗任務)，
轉載於Yukon Quest的網站。
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Introduction

At the Top of the World, in the Yukon-Alaskan Interior, an epic event takes place every year that few people from "down south" have experienced. Covering 1000 miles between Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and Fairbanks, Alaska during the depths of the Arctic winter, the Yukon Quest is known as the 'toughest sled dog race in the world'.

The Yukon Quest Trail follows historic Gold Rush and Mail Delivery routes from the turn of the 20^th Century. Once the travel highways of the Northern frontier, the trail now comes alive every February with the breath of hundreds of sled dogs. Teams of one human 'musher' and 14 canine athletes, travel for two weeks, racing through some of the last pristine wilderness remaining in North America.

The Yukon Quest is dedicated to excellence in canine care. Yukon Quest mushers are coaches, cooks, cheerleaders, and companions to their dogs. Yukon Quest dogs are elite, marathon athletes. Bred from stock that survived and thrived during the Klondike Gold Rush, no animal on earth can match them for endurance, dedication and their ability to perform in the extreme conditions of the North.

The Spirit of the Yukon Quest is still true to its northern soul. Mushers carry mandatory equipment, food and supplies at all times. They cannot replace their sleds, and are not permitted to accept any help, except in Dawson City (the home of the Klondike Gold Rush) the half-way point along the race route. Ten checkpoints lie along the trail, some more than 200 miles apart. Teams are truly on their own, relying on a combination of toughness and skill, the commitment and endurance of the dogs, and sometimes luck.

The race route runs on frozen rivers, climbs four mountain ranges, and passes through isolated, northern villages. With temperatures hitting 40 below, 100 mile-an-hour winds, open water and bad ice all working against the teams, the Yukon Quest is a true test of the capacity of humans and canines, and a tribute to the strength of the ancient bond that unites them.