Percy de Wolfe

the local Percy de Wolfe race just set off, following the last mail route from Dawson City to Eagle, Alaska. i only remembered at ten to ten that the dogs were set to leave at ten, so we leapt out the door like batman & robin and rushed downtown to watch the teams head out onto the Yukon river. in the first photo, the dogs are waiting impatiently in their coats (and there's a truck with dog hutches & an extra sled in the background). the route takes about 24 hours, there & back, and starts in front of the original Dawson post office. the race is named for the most famous of the Dawson mail carriers, Percy de Wolfe, known as the Iron Man of the North for his ability to mush through any weather, three times a month...the last photo shows him with one of his sled dogs.

and in other race news...fresh from winning the Quest, Lance Mackey & his comeback kennel won the Iditerod two days ago, despite a broken sled runner on a brutally icy bit of track. Mackey says he's planning to spend the winning money on a new dog truck. the Iditerod doesn't seem to give the winning dogs a big steak...the lead dog just gets a flower wreath to wear (which doesn't taste as good as a steak.)