Yukon Quest

One of the things I love about living in interior Alaska is waking up every day knowing that something amazing can happen before day's end.  Seeing arctic grayling spawning in the Chena, a couple of moose cows posturing at each other and negotiating their own space across a pond, firewood shattering at -50F, northern lights filling the sky, even small moments when you suddenly notice that you don't hear anything but the wind through the trees.

Living in Two Rivers, the Yukon Quest runs through my backyard and I've seen nearly all of this year's teams come through.  Each one of those was one of those amazing moments, when you know you're seeing something rare and beautiful and extraordinary.  It's not a small thing that these dog teams were coming in from 1000 miles across the Yukon and Alaska looking strong and happy, but it certainly goes well beyond that, to the team and the experience they've just had.

So, many thanks to the mushers, their incredible dogs, the Quest professional and volunteer staffs, the veterinarians, the cooks, the handlers, and the entire organization for giving us another extraordinary event and not a few transcendant moments.