Laura Neese sets off at the start of the 1000 mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, February 3, 2018 in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska.
Once again I had the joy of hosting Laura at our house along with her handlers and 15 beautiful Alaskan Huskies in the days leading up to the start of the Quest.
The fella in the blue coat with his hands in his pockets is Bill Cotter, a mushing legend in Alaska. Bill ran the very first Yukon Quest in 1984 and he won the race in 1987. Back in those days it was more of a camping trip than a race.
Late last night (Feb. 9) Laura left the halfway mark where mushers and dogs take a mandatory 36 hour rest in Dawson City, Yukon Territory on their way to Whitehorse. It's been a cold race with temperatures consistently hovering at -40 and colder, and wind chills on exposed stretches of the Yukon River recorded to -90F.
Laura is doing great under these tough conditions. You can live track the race here:
www.yukonquest.com/race-central/current-standings/live-tr...