January 23- 24-25-26-27, 2008

Tell you all about it when I get back! And thank you to my dear friend and her husband who are house sitting for me to keep my cats happy and the house from freezing. I told them to bring alot of movies as I do not have television. 

But if you want to follow along a bit, this is my day-to-day agenda. This is the only sled dog event I do each year and this year will be my 7th season. I knew this year was big due to the BC150 thing, but it is actually huge! We have media coverage from all over the world, CBC radio, the 2010 Olympics cameras, major magazines, other television news media and newspapers attending. 

There are 40 dog teams carrying over 5,000 pieces of mail. That means there will about 250 sled dogs at this event. Which is not a race, we do not get a placing or times or anything. We just do it for fun and the historical aspect of it. 

Thursday January 24th
Everything starts at the Atrium of the UNBC/CNC Complex in Quesnel, for the BC150 Years Kick-off Rally scheduled to commence at 7:00 p.m. This event is open to the whole community and will be an exciting time of music, video, fun and positive anticipation as we all look towards the great events that are in store for our whole province during 2008’s BC 150 Years Celebrations. Come and learn about BC150, meet the Mail Run participants, watch some exciting video presentations, hear great music from local band Fibber and be ready for some more great surprises. Official mail carriers will be sworn in at this special celebration. All of this will take place in our own Olympic Live-Site Venue….it is guaranteed that everyone will go away with a wonderful positive feeling about just what we have to look forward to.

There is more this day actually, starting early in the day. I will note it later when I get back. 

 Friday January 25th
The Official Mail Run Ceremonial Send-Off will take place on beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Alex Fraser Park in downtown Quesnel. This will be an opportunity for VIP’s to get on the runners behind a 4 dog team and to ceremonially begin the 16th Annual Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run as they mush a short distance over a prepared track. Look for lots of BC150 Flags as well, this is the beginning of the journey of the specially-stamped Mail Run mail that will be carried over the Gold Rush Trail for eventual delivery throughout the world, telling everyone about our event and inviting them to come and visit British Columbia during BC150 celebrations.

The first section (stage) is 24 miles (40 kilometres) long and runs from Umiti Pit (north of Quesnel) to Cottonwood which is located on Highway 26, the main highway from Quesnel to Barkerville. The route follows the well-established Umiti-Ahbau Lake trail until the 13 mile (21 kilometre) point where it branches off to join the 600 Road at the 14 kilometre mark . The route then follows the 600 Road to the one kilometre point, the turnoff for the checkpoint at the Cottonwood Trading Post and campground, site of an overnight campout for those who would like to camp overnight. (The campground has outhouses, firewood will be available as well as water, and access roads and parking will be ploughed. All campers must be self-sufficient and prepared for winter camping).

The Cottonwood Community Dinner is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Cottonwood Community Hall. There will be meat and tea/coffee/juice provided however those attending are invited to bring something more to share…..in other words, this is a pot luck. At approximately 7:15 there will be some awards as well as some entertainment including a slide show review of the day’s activities. Things will begin to wind down around 8:00 p.m.

Saturday January 26th
The second section (stage) of trail is run from Cottonwood to Troll Ski Resort (site of former Pine Grove House), a trail distance of 15 miles (25 kilometres). Dog teams and skiers who did not participate on Day 1 may choose to start at Cottonwood on Day 2. A pancake breakfast will be available for purchase at the Cottonwood Store and participants should begin to leave Cottonwood by 10:00 a.m. to arrive at Troll by 1:00 p.m. although this timing is not too crucial. Initially participants will backtrack on Friday’s route, travelling along the 600 Road for 4.2 kilometres to the junction with the 3500 Road. At 3505 participants take a right turn and follow a series of interconnected trails and logging roads to Troll Resort. There is significant elevation gain as teams travel past Hyde Lake, followed by an exhilarating five kilometre descent down Pinegrove Mountain ending right in the heart of Troll Ski Resort.

 Troll Resort is located on Highway 26, 27 miles (44 kilometres) from Quesnel and 11 miles (18 kilometres) from Cottonwood. There will be an overnight campout at Troll, with a specially designated camping area for mushers, handlers, volunteers and family members. Again, campers should be self-sufficient although at Troll there are public washrooms with hot and cold running water, and it will also be possible for participants to bunk on the floor in a heated section of the lodge if they provide all of their own camping gear. Note: Troll Resort is private property and all participants are guests who are asked to treat the property and other participants with total respect. Because of the proximity of Troll, dog trucks have easy access and again, if participants wish, non-campers may choose to travel back to Quesnel or to Wells for the night.

 Once participants arrive at Troll, lunch can be purchased at the snack bar. In the afternoon there will be a series of contests (Mushers’ Sports) for participants, mushers and their dogs. The intent is to offer the public some insight into the world of sled dogs and the public will be invited to come to Troll to watch the teams.

 Mushers’ Sports Competitions

The setting at Troll Resort lends itself perfectly as a venue to showcase sled dogs for the general public. In keeping with our desire to maintain a focus on the history and traditions associated with sled dogs and dog mushing, a number of Mushers’ Sports will be staged for everyone to enjoy. This is truly a fun event and an opportunity to showcase sled dogs for the many spectators. There will be prizes!!!

 At 2:00 p.m., mushers are asked to consider putting their dog team on display for the general public to view and appreciate. Please consider presenting a team of up to six dogs along with your sled and equipment for display adjacent to your dog truck or trailer. Also, your own attire could be part of the display. This is not a “dog show” in the traditional sense of that term, rather it is an opportunity to show the many different faces of dog mushing. ALL DOGS AND EQUIPMENT ARE WELCOME and you are particularly encouraged to use equipment and clothing that you have made yourself.

 At 2:30 p.m a weight pull demonstration is planned. This will be simply a demonstration event, to show the working abilities of sled dogs. Enter your dog(s) as you feel comfortable, every dog will be a winner, you can bait or lead your dog with a leash. There will be no attempt to come up with a champion.

 A lead dog demonstration is planned for 3:00 p.m. Again, this event is designed to demonstrate the abilities of your dogs….a slalom trail using pilons will be set up, the intent would be for you to show how your lead dog(s) take commands, you could use up to a three dog team if you wish. This event will be timed

 At 3:30 p.m. there will be a demonstration of skijoring. Any skijorers are asked to take the time to demonstrate their equipment, hooking up their dogs and to take a short run around a measured loop. The intent is to introduce this sport to the public

 Finally, at 4:00 p.m. the popular and hilarious Trapper’s Triathlon will be staged. This event requires a team of five people who will chop and split firewood, light a fire, melt snow to make water, prepare tea, bake bannock, snowshoe the distance of a measured trail. There will be demerit points for any indication of cheating….get your team together.

 Following the Mushers’ Sports events, the afternoon celebrations will begin winding down as everyone looks forward to the evening events.

Banquet and Everything Sled Dog

Saturday evening will see the Saturday Night Celebration of Everything Sled Dog which will take place at Troll Resort. Tickets must be pre-purchased (at a cost of $20.00 each for adults and $10.00 for children 12 and under and seniors 65 and over). Socializing will begin at 6:00 p.m., the meal will start at 6:45 p.m. Following the meal there will be entertainment along with a spirited auction, and prizes and awards will be presented. This should be a great evening of fun and the evening will also include a special tribute to Holger Bauer. Please pre-order your meal tickets when you register, however they will be available until Thursday evening at the participants/ volunteers, VIP’s supper and meeting. All participants (including mushers, skijorers, skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers), volunteers, handlers, family members, and members of the public are invited to attend, but tickets will be limited.

Sunday January 27th
The third section (stage) will begin on Sunday morning with a pancake breakfast which will be available for purchase beginning at 7:00 a.m. Participants will then travel by vehicle along highway 26, past Beaver Pass House for a distance of 10 miles (16 kilometres) to the ghost town of Stanley.

Dog teams and all other participants should be ready to leave Stanley by 10:30 a.m. and everyone will travel along the original Cariboo Waggon Road, along Lightning Creek, past the site of the former town of Van Winkle, up onto a plateau, past the headwaters of Jack of Clubs Creek, before descending through Richfield to Barkerville. This is a well marked trail running a distance of 15 miles (25 kilometres). This stage is open to every participant, even those who did not take part in earlier stages.

The fourth section (stage) is called The Barkerville Dash. This event will commence at 1:30 p.m., even if all of the participants have not completed the Stanley to Barkerville trail. Covering a distance of 5 miles (9 kilometres), this is a fun race for teams of three to six dogs, passengers are allowed. This event, which is essentially a mass start sprint race, is open to all participants, dog teams, skiers, skijorers, and snowshoers are encouraged to participate. Participants need only take part in the Dash if they wish and for those dog mushers who choose not to participate but who have completed the previous stages, they must ensure that another mail carrier delivers their mail bag to Wells. The trail is a straight, flat run along the meadow between Barkerville and Wells. Every participant contributes a prize and the Dash will end in the parking lot of the Jack ’O Clubs Casino in Wells where dog trucks will be waiting, prizes will be awarded, the mail will be turned over to Canada Post and the 16th Annual Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run will wind up.