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2010 GOLD RUSH TRAIL DOG SLED MAIL RUN - PRESS RELEASE
January 20, 2010 - Countdown #1
It has come to this, the Countdown is approaching zero and the start of the 18th Annual Gold Rush Trail Dog Sled Mail Run. As some of the participants are no-doubt already en route to Quesnel, final plans are being made and implemented and we are looking forward to the first event get-together, the Mushers’ Meeting on Thursday evening January 21st. The meeting venue will actually open at 5:00 p.m. for the Meet and Greet, picking up registration packages, buying last-minute envelopes and souvenirs and a no-host supper, but the discussion about the trail and schedule of events will begin at 7:00 p.m. In past years it has always been rewarding to watch a group of people, many of them strangers, come together and move together across 100 kilometres of rugged back country, emerging three days later as fast friends, everyone on a first name basis and with endless stories to share for the months to come.
I want to offer a BIG thank you to all of the Mail Run organizers and volunteers. It may seem hard to believe, but almost 100 individuals are volunteering their own time doing everything from trail development and maintenance to hand cancelling envelopes, cooking at the barbeque and breakfast….I’m sure you can imagine all of the volunteer tasks involved. The Mail Run is a completely volunteer-run event. Working hand-in-hand with the volunteers and organizers are community sponsors and supporters, providing goods and services that make the Mail Run possible. A full listing of our sponsors and supporters appears on the website.
A trail update was sent out on January 17th. We have received telephone calls for additional information so here is the January 20th trail update. The weather continues to be unseasonably warm, generally with above freezing temperatures during the day but with below freezing temperatures most nights. Yesterday, on January 19th, a dog team ran most of the first stage of the route from Umiti Pit to Cottonwood and the musher’s description of the trail was the one word - AWESOME.
Miraculously, despite the very unseasonable weather most of B.C. has experienced, the trail remains quite good. There is no open water, some icy patches but very few, the trail is hard-packed (there has been no new snow for almost a week on the first stage trail), no problem setting a snowhook….we are good to go. The trail for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th stages gets better and better. There has been some new snow in the past week and as the elevation increases, the trail is more and more like the regular trail you would expect for the end of January. The temperature predictions (if you still have any faith in them) are for a gradual cooling trend with below zero temperatures at night and for the daytime as well on Saturday and Sunday.
We want to encourage everyone, participants and spectators alike, to really enjoy the spirit of the Mail Run. Remember, this event is not a race. If you are out on the trail, don’t hesitate to stop your team or your snowmobile or just stop skiing long enough to take in the scenery, to visit with others along the trail and to enjoy all that winter has to offer us. The warmer weather will make it easier on spectators and hopefully people will come out to meet the dogs and the mushers. Most importantly, the Mail Run is a family event, there are parents and their children participating in the Mail Run and hopefully there will be parents and children coming out to watch together. We have had to make arrangements to have all of the logging truck traffic stopped for about 4 hours on Friday morning to allow us to safely start the event on the Umiti Pit Road. At this stage of the logging season, especially with melting weather, time is money. One operator responded to the request to shut down for a few hours by saying… “no problem, I think I am going to bring my children out here with me to watch the start of the race”….that is the spirit of the Mail Run.
Remember the Saturday night banquet and auction at Troll Ski Resort. To reserve tickets email Margaret@dogsledmailrun.ca with your request. Tickets are a very reasonable $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for children 12 and under and seniors aged 65 and over.
For more information about the Mail Run, please go to the website at www.dogsledmailrun.ca
TRAIL UPDATE Sunday January 17
No-doubt everyone is aware that there has been universally mild weather throughout all of western Canada. In the Quesnel/Wells/Barkerville area there has been no exception and we have watched the snow pack shrink as temperatures have remained above freezing during the day and occasionally also at night. The Mail Run trail crew spent the weekend travelling over every kilometre of the Mail Run trail with an eye to determining just what shape things are in and we are pleased to report that as of tonight (Sunday), the trail remains in very good shape and plans are to run the whole trail over the three days of the Mail Run, just as it is outlined on the website. On Friday, participants will start at the 11 km. mark of the Umiti Pit - Ahbau Road (1700B Rd.) and run a 45 km. route to Cottonwood Checkpoint. On Saturday the route will run from Cottonwood Checkpoint to Troll Resort for a distance of 28 km. On Sunday the trailhead is at Stanley and the trail covers the 25 km. over the Cariboo Waggon Road to Barkerville, followed by the 9 km. Dash to Wells.
The trail crew stated this evening that as it is now, a safe and enjoyable run should be the norm. There is no open water to worry about, very few bare spots and very little in the way of icy sections. It is clear that the fact the trail has been well packed throughout the winter has been beneficial. It should be noted that the trail starts in the west and moves eastward and in the process the elevation increases and with the increase in elevation there have been small amounts of new snow falling on the trail almost daily. From just past Cottonwood Checkpoint all the way to Barkerville and Wells, there are excellent, mid-winter conditions with new snow on the trail.
Conditions will be reassessed on Wednesday and if there is a noticeable deterioration, the route will be modified.
Temperatures remain above normal but the forecast is for a gradual cooling, with freezing temperatures over the Mail Run weekend.
Participants and volunteers are encouraged to rendezvous at the Mushers' Meeting any time after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday December 21st at the A&W on Two Mile Flat in Quesnel. The discussion about the route and trail conditions will take place at 7:00 p.m. For those participants who will be unable to make it to the meeting, the swearing in ceremony for mail carriers will take place Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. in front of the downtown Post Office in Quesnel and teams will begin to leave the Umiti Pit Road staging area at 10:30 a.m. on Friday morning. Any questions should be addressed to Jeff.