Husky News

As many as eight teams of sled dogs will race into Halfway Friday morning for a mandatory layover during the fourth-annual Eagle Cap Sled Dog Race.

The race begins at 11 a.m. Thursday at Wallowa Lake, and the public is welcome to watch the racers take off.

The Eagle Cap event features two races: a 100-mile course for eight-dog teams, and a 200-mile course for 12-dog teams. The longer race is a qualifier for two Alaskan races: the Iditarod, which covers 1,150 miles, and the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest.

To qualify for those races, mushers must have logged 500 miles of trails.

Ray and Buck Potter of Joseph founded the Eagle Cap Sled Dog race, and this year brought nine 100-mile entrants and eight for the 200-mile race. (The numbers fluctuate until the race begins.)

“The reason it grows is the mushers feel comfortable doing it, and they get a lot out of it,” said Clyde Raymer, who is working on race communications this year. He recently moved to Lake Oswego from Alaska, where he was in charge of the Iditarod communications for 16 years.

This race also features cash and prizes for all mushers a total purse of $8,675.

GPS tracking

Teams on the Eagle Cap’s 200-mile course are the ones who spend six hours in Halfway at Bigelow Field, located about five miles north of Halfway on Cornucopia Road.

The earliest racers could begin arriving at 6 a.m., but that will depend on conditions. Race volunteers stationed at the Halfway site will, for the first time, have advance notice of the racers’ position thanks to GPS trackers and a remote web cam located 10 miles up Cornucopia Road.

“To give everybody a heads-up the mushers are on their way,” Raymer said.

Mushers must stay at Halfway for at least six hours to feed and rest their dogs and themselves, and allow race veterinarians to examine the canines for any health problems.

“We expect the checkpoint to be active for about 18 hours,” Raymer said.

During that time, visitors can speak with mushers and learn about sled dog racing.

“Kind of give them a job description of what it takes to be a musher,” Raymer said.

Entrants this year are coming from Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana and Canada.

New this year is an Internet connection at the Halfway point that will allow mushers to e-mail family and friends. Also, organizers will post updates on the Web site, www.eaglecapsleddograce.net, when mushers enter and leave various checkpoints.

The Internet service is provided by Pine Telephone.

Members of the Panhandle Snowmobile Club are again assisting the race by doing “trail sweeps” in front of the mushers to check for dangers, and behind the teams to ensure no one is left behind.

Both races will culminate with an awards dinner and dance Saturday at the Joseph Community Center. The dinner starts at 6 p.m. and dancing at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 for dinner only, or $20 for both the dinner and dance, and available in Joseph at race central, The Sports Corral and Strawberry Wilderness bed and breakfast.

For more information about the race, log on to this Web site: www.eaglecapsleddograce.net.

Source:The Baker City Herald