The Yukon Quest is a sled dog race where mushers, with their teams of 9-14 dogs, embark on a 1000 mile journey from Fairbanks, Alaska (US) to Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada), and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last few days following these 24 incredible mushers run with their dogs through some impressive Alaskan and Yukon landscapes. Working with the Quest as part of their photography/media team, I’ve seen an impressive display of what the Quest is and means to the people who are involved, and thought I’d share a glimpse of my experience following the Yukon Quest so far!
Behind the scenes, to make the quest happen, volunteers give up hours of their time to help where needed, community members contribute baked goods and warm food for mushers and volunteers, dedicated handlers tend tirelessly to dog teams, and hardcore fans enduring the subarctic weather to cheer on their favourite mushers and dog teams, the list goes on and on.
So, over the past few days fully diving into the race and getting to know about the mushers and understanding the relationship between them and their dogs, it’s clear that it’s more than just a bunch of guys riding on sleds behind dogs, the race itself is almost like its own a culture – of enthusiasm and passion and perseverance. Love it!
We’re only 6 days in – looking forward to what’s next!
And if you haven’t seen the video, enjoy:
