Fresh snow over the weekend was the icing on the cake for the 32nd Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run.
In all, there were 14 mushers registered as official mail carriers; 12 sled dog teams, one skier and one skijorer. About 100 spectators turned out to watch the teams, who came from all over Western Canada, and even California, to be part of the annual event.
Kicking off the morning of Friday, Feb. 9 at Troll Ski Resort, mushers were sworn in and given their mail bags for the weekend to be carried on the trails at Troll, Wells and Barkerville. A banquet and silent auction was held at Troll Friday evening. Saturday saw teams marshal at the Jack parking lot and at 3 p.m. there were mushers’ sports.
Barkerville set the scene Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. for Stage 1 departure. Stage 2 departure was at Wells at 11 a.m. (at the Jack). Stage 2 saw mushers, skiers and skijorers begin the Dash to the Barkerville post office where the mail was handed off at the Barkerville Post Office on Sunday (Feb. 11) to enter the regular postal system for delivery anywhere in the world.
Throughout the morning mushers could be seen coming across the meadow from the silver bridge, arc into the Jack staging ground and start the timed dash to Barkerville, noted the Wells and Area Trails Society (WATS).
From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. teams and skiers rounded the bend in Chinatown and headed down to the post office for the finish. Awards were held back at the Jack at 1 p.m. This year’s artwork on the 2024 envelope was an image in memory of Kim Verge, who was a vital part of the mail run for many years both as a participant and a volunteer. The artwork combined both an image of Verge and a photo she took of one of her dogs. In its early years, the Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run was a race, and even a qualifying event for both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. In 1998 the competitive focus was dropped and the emphasis shifted from competition to participation.