Photos: 2012 Yukon Quest

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2012 Yukon Quest champion Hugh Neff.

The 2012 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race got under way Feb. 4, with 23 teams hitting the trail on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, their sights set on Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, 1,000 long, hard miles away. The field of contenders was a mixed bag, with past champions and rookie hopefuls alike pulling their snowhooks and launching down the trail through an enthusiastic crowd gathered to wish them well. The temperature was a chilly 22 below, but a hearty pancake breakfast and the warm camaraderie of the mushers and fellow fans made it seem almost temperate at the starting line.

Four-time Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey was a clear crowd favorite, but the many international entries also drew plenty of attention: Team Beringia for example, with mushers Joar Leifseth Ulsom of Norway and Michael Telpin of Russia, is part of Racing Beringia, an online education program live in 2012-2013 for learners worldwide to explore the ancient region of Beringia from the runners of the mushers' sleds. A post at the 'Visit Chukotka' web site notes, "Chukotka wishes its musher some good snow, steady speed, patience and stay healthy."

Nicolay Ettyne, also from Chukotka and part of Team Racing Beringia, has been mushing for four decades, has run in the Femundlopet, the Arctic Barents, the Amundsen Race, and even the Iditarod, and states he "…entered the race to represent my native land of Chukotka and Russia in this historic race, to experience the beauty and toughness of this race, and to get across the finish line with a good team of dogs!"

Read the full story, here.

Helen Hegener is an author and a documentary filmmaker specializing in distance sled dog races and the men, women and dogs who run them. This post originally appeared on her website, Northern Light Media. It has been republished with permission.