Yukon Quest: The Story of the World's Toughest Sled Dog Race

by Lew Freedman

Overview

Over beer and hamburgers at the Two Rivers Lodge near Fairbanks, Alaska, a small group of mushers conceived a gutsy idea for a new sled dog race that would be more challenging than any other marathon race in the Far North. In 1984, mushers organized the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Soon, mushers adopted an unofficial race motto, "Survive first, race second." The Quest trail boasts fewer checkpoints, longer wilderness runs, and more campouts. The trail crosses three mountain passes, including the dreaded 3,685-foot Eagle Summit, a killer of mushers' dreams. Outdoor survival skills and self reliance are on a par with commercial sponsorships and high-tech sleds and mushing gear. Yukon Quest is an exciting, inspirational story full of bigger-than-life characters told by Lew Freedman, best-selling author of eight books about sled-dog racing. Includes a list of race champions, names of all finishers, and 16 pages of photos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935347057
Publisher:	Epicenter Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/15/2010
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.49(d)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Lew Freedman is a former Alaska resident who spent 17 years at the Anchorage Daily News as sports editor and columnist. The author of 58 books, Freedman is a graduate of Boston University with a degree in journalism and he earned a Master's degree from Alaska Pacific University. He currently resides in Indiana with his wife Debra. Among his Alaska titles are: the best-selling Iditarod Classics, More Iditarod Classics, Father of the Iditarod: The Life Of Joe Redington, Dangerous Steps, George Attla: The Legend of the Sled Dog Trail, Diamonds In The Rough, Iditarod Dreams, and Fishing For A Laugh. Freedman, who has also written for Alaska magazine and Alaska Newspapers, has won more than 250 journalism awards in his career and worked on the staffs of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Chicago Tribune, covering government, writing feature stories and sports stories. He considers Alaska to be as beautiful place as there is in the world and as special as when he first saw it in 1983. Freedman still makes regular visits to Alaska to fish, gaze at the mountains, and spend time with family.

Table of Contents

Map 18

Introduction 13

Prologue 15

1 Mushers on a quest 23

2 A bold idea 33

3 A man with a dream 43

4 The race takes hold 50

5 The comeback 56

6 Of cinnamon rolls and other treats 63

7 Mysterious bush man 67

8 Danger and tragedy 76

9 A place to catch some shut-eye 83

10 Two kinds of rookies 87

11 Iron will 96

12 No disgrace to be last 102

Yukon Quest Photo Gallery 109

13 A Canadian triumph 125

14 Trail break 136

15 Rick Mackey's quest 142

16 A gold-rush centennial 149

17 Alaska Native hero 158

18 A woman's turn 164

19 Doing a double 170

20 So close 176

21 First three-peat winner 182

22 A legend is born 189

23 Mackey makes his mark 196

24 Surprise, surprise 205

Appendix: Yukon Quest champions 213

Yukon Quest finishers 215

Author's Source Notes 220

About the Author 224