Northern Manitoba....snow and cold.

[Houndoc]

Ok, not too many wheels involved here, but a good trip none the less..

Earlier this month made my annual trip north for the Hudson Bay Quest dog sled race, based in Churchill, Manitoba.

Race started in Gillam, MB.

Morning of the start a brisk -10F or so, with light winds.

Pics from start:



Then hoped on the "high rail" (truck on the train tracks) for the 100 mile run north to our check point, M'Clintock (basically an old cabin.)

looking back south along the tracks part way to M'Clintock.

 

[Houndoc]

The teams started to arrive about 12:00 midnight, roughly 12 hours from the start (not bad to run 100 miles in 12 hours.)

Beautiful northern lights, of which unfortunately I did not get any pics.

Worked steady caring for the dogs as they arrived, until finally getting a break about 6:30 am. Cold, with air around -20F, winds about 40 mph. Put windchill in the -45 range, if not a little worse at times.



And yes, it did all result in a little frost bite (the darker spots on cheek and nose)



Slept about 1.5 hours, then up a going again until around 3:30 Sunday morning when some of the dogs and mushers who the cold forced out of the race where placed on a train and shipped off the Chruchill. The that afternoon broke camp and started a 90 mile snowmobile run to town.

First 48 miles where on the frozen Deer River, before cutting onto solid ground and following snowmobile trail the rest of the way (the entire 200 miles of the run is in roadless area, expect a temporary winder road to allow some power line repair this season.)

 

[Houndoc]

A few pics from around Churchill.



The dog in the photo had just crossed the finish line- a run of 210 miles in 52 hours (the "Red Lantern" team for the slowest finish, winner took around 38 hours).

Note the more severe frost bite on the face of the musher. I came out pretty good!

The horses are the only ones within several hundred miles and a rarity in the far north of Manitoba and other tundra areas. Had lots of fun chatting with horse owners and why the have them in the land of polar bears.

 

[Kevin B.]

Wow, awesome!

 

[Paudrhound]

Nice TR!

 

[Houndoc]

Nice TR!

thanks. Great activity for those looking for reason to avoid sleep and stay out in extreme cold. Still can't figure out why my wife won't come.