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Carmacks to Pelly Crossing
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Overview: Carmacks to Pelly Crossing
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One of the shorter stretches of Quest trail, the run from Carmacks
to Pelly Crossing is just 75 miles. Teams travel out of Carmacks
on an old road, then follow a bush trail, going on and off the
river. Just over half-way to Pelly, teams can rest at Jerry
Kruse’s farm, at McCabe Creek. From there it is just 31
miles to Pelly Crossing, with most of the trail passing through
a recent forest fire area, across small lakes and alongside
the Klondike Highway. |
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Braeburn to Coghlan Lake |
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For the first 12 miles out of Carmacks, teams will travel on
the Freegold Road, an old mining road. When they leave the road,
they move onto a bush trail for the next 32 miles to McCabe
Creek. The trail takes them on and off the river, through some
very rough, hummocky terrain with stumps and fallen trees. While
notoriously rough, the last part of this section of trail is
very photogenic, and photographers have captured some particularly
beautiful images of the rolling, ragged ice and snow of McCabe
Creek, along with some striking images of teams navigating that
difficult terrain. |
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Coghlan Lake |
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The Kruse family always opens their door and rolls out the welcome
mat for Quest mushers. They serve warm drinks and hot stew,
and have a warm shack for mushers to rest in. The Kruse farm
is very remote, situated many miles from hydro and other amenities.
So the family operates with solar and diesel power.
Their children were home- schooled using computers powered
by solar energy, with information beamed in with satellite
communications, long before such technology was popular. They
also had sled-dogs themselves for a time, and have a real
appreciation for long-distance mushing.
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Chain Lakes |
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When teams leave the Kruse farm, they travel along the Klondike
Highway for several miles, and then head into a forested area
devastated by fire. There are thousands of standing fire-killed
trees, along with thousands of fallen trees. It has taken a
tremendous amount of work to get a functional trail in place
through this area, work done by members of the Selkirk First
Nation (in Pelly Crossing).
The trail also crosses a couple of small lakes, and a number
of gullies with makeshift bridges. Some of the bridges can
be quite treacherous, as they are made of logs, laid parallel
to the trail, often with gaps between the logs, creating a
real hazard for the dogs small feet and wrists. Finally the
trail drops down to the small community of Pelly Crossing,
and the third Official Checkpoint.
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