The stage is almost set for the 28th annual Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run in the North Cariboo.
Rick Raynor, the President of the Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Association, says the volunteers were working on the trails over the weekend and will continue to do so this week.
He says it all starts on Friday morning at 9-30 at the downtown post office with the swearing in of the mail carriers and the distribution of the mail bags.
Raynor says that will be followed by the first stage of the mail run…
“And then the event will move from their up to Umity Pit, just off Highway 97, with the mushers meeting at 10-45, with stage one of the mail run getting underway at 11 o’clock. There will be about three hours that they’ll be out on the trail carrying the mail around through the trails that we have been putting in with our volunteers through there. ‘
Raynor says they have 20 mushers registered so far this year, which is up from 15 last year, and he says perhaps the best chance to meet them will be on Saturday at Troll, which is the site of stage two of the mail run.
It starts at 11 am.
The final day is Sunday for the Barkerville Dash…
“There are two events going on that day, one is the Barkerville Dash with registration at 10-30 at the Jack O Clubs general store in Wells, and then from there the mushers for the mail run will be starting to get ready at 10-45 in Barkerville. They’ll be leaving Barkerville at about 11 o’clock in the morning, there will be some great opportunities for pictures along the way there, as they leave Barkerville across the Bowron Lake Road and through the back trails and into the Jack O Clubs to arrive there around noon which is the start of the Barkerville Dash. They will be leaving the Jack o Clubs store parking lot and they will be racing across the meadow to finish up in Barkerville at the post office around 12-15 to 12-30 and finally our awards and windup will be at 2 o’clock the Jack O Clubs in Wells.”
Raynor says they also have a special event this year, at three o’clock at the Sunset Theatre in Wells.
He says there will be a complementary showing of the story of Simon Gunanoot.