This winter, 19 countries worldwide, including Japan, Germany, and Sweden, will receive letters from a unique source.
The 33rd annual Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run mushed away at 1 o’clock on February 7. 15 Mushers, two Skjors, and their teams of dogs will be delivering over 1500 envelopes to Barkerville for Sunday.
“We’ve got a beautiful, cool, winter’s day here for the Sled Dog Mail Run,” says Ric Raynor, President of the Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Association. “The sun’s out, the weather’s cool, which the dogs love. It’s going to be a great day.”
The teams were mainly comprised of huskies, with one team consisting of all Labradors. In the afternoon, the teams will complete a 30-kilometer run-up Pine Grove Mountain and around Hyde Lake. In the evening, the annual banquet will be held at 6 p.m.
Tomorrow, the Sled Dog Teams will leave the Jack O’ Clubs pub in Wells at 11 a.m. and choose from three different trails to make their run.
“We’ve got a brand new trail that goes through the community forest,” Raynor explains. “That’s all a result of the wildfires we had last year. Some new roads have been put through there, we’re hoping it’s groomed and ready for us tomorrow.”
The traditional Cornish Mountain and the long Sugar Creek trails will be run along with the new trail too. Raynor says these trails have been part of the Mail Run for around twenty years and were qualifiers for the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race.
Sunday, the teams will complete the Cornish Mountain Loop for a final time, leading into the Barkerville Dash, and mail delivery.
“There’s a lot of history with the Mail Run that the marshalls and mushers are carrying on today,” Raynor concludes. “It’s unique, and something special to this region, and always a lot of fun each year.”
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