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Winter in Alaska can be bitterly cold and dull. Why would anyone want to be there?
Two reasons -- events -- seem to stand out. The first is the northern light or aurora, the magnificant, colourful curtain of lights that adorn the night sky far north. And Fairbanks, Alaska, is one of the best places to view the natural display.
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The second is the Yukon Quest, dubbed the Toughest Sled Dog Race in the World. The Yukon Quest is one of the two sled dog races Alaska hosts each year. The other is the Iditarod. While both races cover the same distance of about 1,000 miles, the cross-country Yukon Quest starts from Fairbanks, Alaska, to end at Whitehorse, Canada whereas the Iditarod starts from Anchorage to end in Nome to the northwest of Alaska. This year's Yukon Quest began in early February, one of the coldest months of the year. Through the northern wilderness, each team, consisting of one musher or sled driver and 12 or 14 dogs, had to negotiate the treacherous landscape, ferocious cold and loneliness that threaten to destroy the
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human spirit. The temperature can go down to minus 60 degree celcius. The trail can reach up as high as 3,800 feet. Each check point can be as far apart as 200 miles. All these mean most of the time, each musher has only him or her self and the dogs to rely on for survival.
The race is a rare opportunity to witness the special bond between mushers and their dogs. Indeed, one of the goals that the Quest strives for is the promotion of a low-impact means of transportation and fostering excellence in dog cares. Those who have a chance to view the event will also see the loving care that mushers give to their dogs -- making sure that they rest warm on straw and massaging their feet when they are at rest.
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It is said that there is no other race like the Yukon Quest. Perhaps that is why many people believe it is worth braving Alaska's cold and dull winter for!
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