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Carmacks to Pelly Crossing
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Overview: Pelly to Carmacks |
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| Another short stretch, the trail from Pelly Crossing to Carmacks
is just 75 miles. When teams first leave Pelly Crossing, they
travel across small lakes and they pass through a recent forest
fire area, with most of the trail running close to and parallel
to the Klondike Highway. The trail runs along the ditch beside
the highway for several miles. It is just 31 miles from Pelly
to Jerry Kruse's farm, at McCabe Creek, but many mushers stop
there due to the trail conditions before and after McCabe.
From McCabe to Carmacks teams travel on bush trail, going
on and off the river, then follow an old mining road into
the village. The river stretches of this part of the trail
are notorious for being rough and hummocky, dog sled moguls,
if you will. |
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Pelly Crossing to McCabe Creek |
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When teams leave the checkpoint in Pelly, they will follow community
roads for a little way before going onto a bush trail that parallels
the Klondike Highway. The trail goes through a forested area
devastated by fire. There are thousands of standing fire-killed
trees, along with thousands of fallen trees. It took a huge
amount of work to get a functional trail in place through this
area, work done by members of the Selkirk First Nation (Pelly
Crossing).
The trail also crosses several small lakes and a few gullies
with makeshift bridges (some of which can be quite challenging).
After about 30 miles, the trail turns down a farm road into
the Kruse Farm at McCabe Creek. |
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McCabe Creek |
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| The Kruse family always opens their door and rolls out
the welcome mat for the 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. The children
were home-schooled using computers powered by solar energy
and information beamed in with satellite technology. They
also have had sled-dogs themselves, and have a real appreciation
for long-distance mushing. |
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McCabe Creek to Carmacks |
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| From the farm, the trail drops down onto McCabe Creek itself.
While notoriously rough, this section of trail is very photogenic,
and photographers have captured some particularly beautiful
images of teams navigating the rolling, ragged ice and snow
of McCabe Creek.
When the teams leave the creek, they move onto a bush trail
that takes them on and off the river, through some very rough,
hummocky terrain with stumps and fallen trees. For the last
12 miles into Carmacks, teams will travel on the Freegold
Road, an old mining road. |
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Carmacks Checkpoint |
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| The village of Carmacks is located on the Klondike Highway,
just 109 miles from Whitehorse, near the ancestral lands of
the Little Samon Carmacks First Nation. The history of the Southern
and Northern Tutchone First Nations in this area dates back
more than 10,000 years, as evidenced by many archaeological
finds in the area.
Named after one of the people who discovered Klondike gold,
George Washington Carmack, the community began life as a riverboat
fuelling station, and became a major stopover on the Overland
Trail from Whitehorse to Dawson. To the left is a picture
of the first building constructed in Carmacks, the Roadhouse.
Today, it takes an hour and a half to drive there, in good
conditions, and it is still a major stopover for travellers
going from Whitehorse to Dawson – both on the highway
and on the river. In the summer, you will find that canoeist
and RV-ers alike stop for supplies, refreshment and/or fuel
in Carmacks. Yukon Quest Teams, taking rather the long route,
should reach this checkpoint about 30 hours after leaving
the start line, with moderate weather and trail conditions.
For many years, the checkpoint was situated in the Carmacks
Community Center. Construction has made that impossible a
few years ago, so the checkpoint moved to the Carmacks Little
Salmon First Nation community center, on the other side of
the river.
The site is a little further from the restaurant and general
store, but is otherwise good for mushers and dogs. And the
local volunteers always put on great feast for Quest mushers
extend wonderful hospitality to their crews, race officials
and media. In the picture to the left, Frank was settling
in his team in the dog yard by the community centre.
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