Be there as Montana Turns to “Mush” for the 40th Year

It won't be quite as cold as Alaska this year, but mushers hitting the trails for the annual Race to the Sky race across the trails of the Upper Blackfoot Valley the next few days might feel that way with incoming weather.

But cold, snow and isolation are some of the challenges that have made this one of the most revered sled dog races in North America, and a qualifier for the Iditarod since its inception in the 1980s.

The Race to the Sky is 40 years old this year and ready to run another spectacular race, which starts Saturday.

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The Historical ties of Race to the Sky

Race to the Sky started in the mid-1980s as a way of promoting the sport, but also the history of the Camp Rimini War Dog Reception and Training Center, which operated west of Helena during World War 2. Although the plans to use the dogs for an invasion of Norway were never used, having up to 800 dogs at the camp created a lasting memory remembered by the races.

Racers come from all over for this one

Two different races draw participants from all over North America as well as here in Montana. This year, mushers will be here from Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, California, and Utah plus a team from Manitoba, Canada. All racers start in sequence west of Lincoln at 2 pm Saturday.

The 300-mile teams will start at Lincoln on Saturday, climbing over Huckleberry Pass to White Tail Ranch and continuing to Sullivan Memorial Community Center in Seeley Lake which is the next checkpoint. From there, they will go to Owl Creek Wilderness Checkpoint and continue back to Seeley Lake, White Tail Ranch, and finish under the archway at Hi-Country Snack Foods west of Lincoln.

The finish for the 300-mile race is expected to take place from 7 p.m. Monday into early Tuesday morning. An awards ceremony will take place at Hi Country at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

The 100-mile teams will start at Lincoln right after the 300-mile teams, also crossing Huckleberry Pass to White Tail Ranch. Following a 6-hour mandatory layover, they'll finish at the Morrell Creek/Seeley Creek checkpoint just north of Seeley Lake from 5 a.m. into the morning on Sunday.

The 100-mile awards ceremony is at Sullivan Community Center in Seeley Lake at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Weather will be a challenge

While the 100-mile teams should have fairly good weather, and certainly plenty of snow, the 300-milers will face some bitter cold on Monday. As skies clear, temperatures are expected to plunge to as cold as -15 below.

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