source: Farm and Food Report
Picture this: a hundred or more sleek, exuberant sled dogs straining at the lines — raring to get started on a 600-km race. Yips of excitement; prancing animals; breath on the cold air; fit, lean mushers — teenagers and retirees checking their gear, as handlers make sure the teams have everything they need.
On February 17, that will be the scene on Central Avenue in Prince Albert, as the 8th annual Northern Lights Canadian Challenge sled dog race gets under way.
Twelve-dog teams will make the trip to La Ronge and back, while six-dog teams will undertake the return leg only, with means that allow little error. Spruce Home’s Stewart Elliott led that six-dog race last year, until the last 25 kilometres.
“The dogs just got played out. But it was a learning experience.”
Elliott is no ordinary musher. He is a 68 year-old retired farmer who discovered the world of dog sledding a bit by accident.
“My son was into dogs. It kind of grew on me. I was looking for something to stay active and outdoors. It is so relaxing; so peaceful. It is also rewarding to see the dogs evolve as a team while you work with them. When you are out there, it is just you, the dogs and the bush. There is a great sense of accomplishment I get from just that.”
And what a journey it is. The race follows a route into the north similar to that of the old dog trail used by trappers, the North West Mounted Police and the First Nations community before the advent of roads.
“You actually race all night,” says Elliott. “So you stay up. I hadn’t done that since I was a teenager. There is an 85-mile stretch without stops that you must undertake in total darkness. If there is a full moon out, it is just incredible. Your adrenaline gets going. And, you know, the dogs race better at night because they just focus on the trail.”
Elliott is a well-known figure in the mushing community. He built his own sleigh and has worked on up to seven of those that will be used during the race. Apparently, bragging about your abilities to win among your peers is a bit of a tradition in mushing culture.
“I want to get to the finish line first. A lot of this is psychological, but you have to set yourself a goal — that’s what experienced mushers say — and just go for that goal.”
The racers won’t go unnoticed. The first checkpoint is at Land of the Loon Resort at Anglin Lake. Here, handlers and vets will be standing by to check the dogs before they proceed onto the lake and through the bush to Elk Ridge Resort. These are both good opportunities for the public to follow the race; both resorts offer accommodations and restaurant services for visitors.
The teams leave Elk Ridge eastward along the highway, then go north on Highway 2 to Timber Cove, where they will follow the recently closed road to the third checkpoint at Montreal Lake.
The Montreal Lake Cree Nation is planning a major celebration, including bonfires and food on the lake ice. This would be another great place to follow the race. Vehicle access to Montreal Lake is now via a new highway accessible through the intersection four kilometres south of the Waskesiu River.
The next stage of the race is northward on Montreal Lake, through the forest, to Weyakwin, a highway community at Kilometre 205. More celebrations are planned there before the teams begin the last and longest leg to La Ronge, where they are expected to arrive during the evening of Friday, February 18.
It will be winter festival time in La Ronge, and all kinds of fun and games are planned for that evening at the turnaround point of the race. A large marquee will be set up close to where the dogs finish the first part of the race and bed down for their mandatory 10-hour layover. Chili and bannock will be available to all for a small fee; there will be local entertainers, a jigging contest, king and queen trapper events; hot dogs, marshmallows and hot chocolate later over the outside bonfire, and a silent auction of donated items, with proceeds going to the Children’s Wish Foundation.
Saturday morning, the six-dog race gets underway at 10:00 a.m. The 12-dog teams can head for the finish line back in Prince Albert at anytime after their mandatory rest.
Stewart Elliott explains how important this event is for northern communities:
“It is helping keep the culture and knowledge around mushing alive. I noticed that more and more native people in the north are getting back into dogs. When snowmobiles came, people just got rid of their dogs. It seems now more people are getting around with the dogs, conducting some of their traditional trapping activities with dogs again now.”
Elliott takes pride in seeing 16, 17 and 18 year-olds developing an interest in this special relationship humans and dogs have enjoyed for so long in this land of trees, lakes and rock we call the boreal forest. Increasing awareness about how people traveled before cars and airplanes, over this vast territory, can only help generate renewed interest in the North and its peoples.
For more information, contact:
Stewart Elliott
(306)764-7843
Dave Young
President, Gateway North Sled Dog Association
(306)764-1711 (W)
(306)960-7521 (Cell)
Gill Gracie
La Ronge Challenge Committee
(306) 425-3826 (W)
(306) 425-7280 (Cell)
http://www.canadianchallenge.ca
Picture this: a hundred or more sleek, exuberant sled dogs straining at the lines — raring to get started on a 600-km race. Yips of excitement; prancing animals; breath on the cold air; fit, lean mushers — teenagers and retirees checking their gear, as handlers make sure the teams have everything they need.
On February 17, that will be the scene on Central Avenue in Prince Albert, as the 8th annual Northern Lights Canadian Challenge sled dog race gets under way.
Twelve-dog teams will make the trip to La Ronge and back, while six-dog teams will undertake the return leg only, with means that allow little error. Spruce Home’s Stewart Elliott led that six-dog race last year, until the last 25 kilometres.
“The dogs just got played out. But it was a learning experience.”
Elliott is no ordinary musher. He is a 68 year-old retired farmer who discovered the world of dog sledding a bit by accident.
“My son was into dogs. It kind of grew on me. I was looking for something to stay active and outdoors. It is so relaxing; so peaceful. It is also rewarding to see the dogs evolve as a team while you work with them. When you are out there, it is just you, the dogs and the bush. There is a great sense of accomplishment I get from just that.”
And what a journey it is. The race follows a route into the north similar to that of the old dog trail used by trappers, the North West Mounted Police and the First Nations community before the advent of roads.
“You actually race all night,” says Elliott. “So you stay up. I hadn’t done that since I was a teenager. There is an 85-mile stretch without stops that you must undertake in total darkness. If there is a full moon out, it is just incredible. Your adrenaline gets going. And, you know, the dogs race better at night because they just focus on the trail.”
Elliott is a well-known figure in the mushing community. He built his own sleigh and has worked on up to seven of those that will be used during the race. Apparently, bragging about your abilities to win among your peers is a bit of a tradition in mushing culture.
“I want to get to the finish line first. A lot of this is psychological, but you have to set yourself a goal — that’s what experienced mushers say — and just go for that goal.”
The racers won’t go unnoticed. The first checkpoint is at Land of the Loon Resort at Anglin Lake. Here, handlers and vets will be standing by to check the dogs before they proceed onto the lake and through the bush to Elk Ridge Resort. These are both good opportunities for the public to follow the race; both resorts offer accommodations and restaurant services for visitors.
The teams leave Elk Ridge eastward along the highway, then go north on Highway 2 to Timber Cove, where they will follow the recently closed road to the third checkpoint at Montreal Lake.
The Montreal Lake Cree Nation is planning a major celebration, including bonfires and food on the lake ice. This would be another great place to follow the race. Vehicle access to Montreal Lake is now via a new highway accessible through the intersection four kilometres south of the Waskesiu River.
The next stage of the race is northward on Montreal Lake, through the forest, to Weyakwin, a highway community at Kilometre 205. More celebrations are planned there before the teams begin the last and longest leg to La Ronge, where they are expected to arrive during the evening of Friday, February 18.
It will be winter festival time in La Ronge, and all kinds of fun and games are planned for that evening at the turnaround point of the race. A large marquee will be set up close to where the dogs finish the first part of the race and bed down for their mandatory 10-hour layover. Chili and bannock will be available to all for a small fee; there will be local entertainers, a jigging contest, king and queen trapper events; hot dogs, marshmallows and hot chocolate later over the outside bonfire, and a silent auction of donated items, with proceeds going to the Children’s Wish Foundation.
Saturday morning, the six-dog race gets underway at 10:00 a.m. The 12-dog teams can head for the finish line back in Prince Albert at anytime after their mandatory rest.
Stewart Elliott explains how important this event is for northern communities:
“It is helping keep the culture and knowledge around mushing alive. I noticed that more and more native people in the north are getting back into dogs. When snowmobiles came, people just got rid of their dogs. It seems now more people are getting around with the dogs, conducting some of their traditional trapping activities with dogs again now.”
Elliott takes pride in seeing 16, 17 and 18 year-olds developing an interest in this special relationship humans and dogs have enjoyed for so long in this land of trees, lakes and rock we call the boreal forest. Increasing awareness about how people traveled before cars and airplanes, over this vast territory, can only help generate renewed interest in the North and its peoples.
For more information, contact:
Stewart Elliott
(306)764-7843
Dave Young
President, Gateway North Sled Dog Association
(306)764-1711 (W)
(306)960-7521 (Cell)
Gill Gracie
La Ronge Challenge Committee
(306) 425-3826 (W)
(306) 425-7280 (Cell)
http://www.canadianchallenge.ca
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