DAWSON CITY – The Sourdough Saloon at the Downtown Hotel was crowded Monday evening as folks gathered round to see Nick Griffiths reunited with his very own big toe.

Griffiths is a former British marine commando. He lost his big toe, and pieces of the next two, after contracting frostbite while competing in the Yukon Arctic Ultra in 2018. That extreme winter marathon follows the Yukon Quest trail.

Griffiths first heard about the Sourtoe Cocktail from a nurse while receiving emergency treatment in a Yukon hospital.

The cocktail, a tradition dating back to 1973, was started by Captain Dick Stevenson. He found the first toe in an abandoned miner’s cabin, where it had been preserved in a Mason jar full of rum for 40 years.

The rite involves drinking a shot of whisky containing a mummified human toe. Once the toe touches your lips, you have officially joined the club, and receive a certificate commemorating the prestigious occasion. Since those early days, more than 90,000 Sourtoe Cocktails have been served.

After being treated for his toe problems in Whitehorse, Griffiths returned to the U.K., where several months passed while he waited (and was treated regularly) to see if the toes might be salvaged.

He credits his treatment in the Yukon for the fact that he didn’t end up losing a good portion of his foot as well.

When the blackened and unsalvageable digits were finally amputated, Griffiths kept them, and decided to send two of them to the Downtown Hotel. He said he didn’t declare them as anything special; just wrapped them up and dropped them in the mail.

He planned to return to the Yukon some day and claim the rare distinction of downing the Sourtoe Cocktail made with his own toe.

They arrived intact, much to the delight of “toe master” Terry Lee, who preserved them all summer.

“It takes six weeks to mummify a new toe on rock salt before it’s ready to serve,” Lee said.

“Nick’s big toe is a beauty, and is ready to go any time, but we have been waiting for Nick to be first to do a shot with the new toe and make it extra special.”

What makes this one extra-special is that it kind of closes the circle.

The first toe was a frostbite victim. Most of the many since that time have been detached by other means: accidents with lawn mowers and other cutting tools, natural death of the donor, etc.

Some have been swallowed, some stolen, and at least one accidentally tossed out with the evening’s refuse.

The hotel, which now owns the copyright to the Sourtoe Cocktail event, has occasionally had to run a tongue-in-cheek classified advertisement seeking new toes. It can still be found on its website.

For this trip, Tourism Yukon has generously “footed” the bill to fly Griffiths from Manchester, England, to the Yukon so he could be the first to perform the ceremony with his own toe.

“We could not be more delighted to welcome Nick to Dawson City,” said Adam Gerle, the hotel’s general manager.

“He’s been a great sport, and it’s not every day a person can brag about doing the Sourtoe Cocktail with their own toe!

“We have been without a big toe for some time, so his generous toe-nation will help ensure the tradition continues.”

Griffiths enthusiastically told his story to the room and to the live audience listening on local radio station CFYT-FM.

“I am excited to be returning to the Yukon and reuniting with my detached digit,” he said.

“Doing the Sourtoe Cocktail with my own big toe will be a memory I will take to the grave.

“My last visit was in the dead of winter. This time, it is autumn, and I looked forward to seeing the beauty of the place in a new way.

“One of the things I took away from my last visit was the friendliness of the people, and I have already experienced that again while dealing with the team in Dawson,” Griffiths said.

Some day, he’d like to return with his kids and grandkids and have a multi-generational toe ceremony.

Griffiths does not walk with a limp. The only thing he really misses about the lack of a big toe is that he can no longer wear flip-flops.

An avid walker, he picked up a trails map at the Visitor Information Centre. He then spent part of one of his days here walking a trail up to the top of the Midnight Dome, where he was enthralled by the vista.

Griffiths would also like to do the Ultra again – and get to finish it this time.

He was number 92,308 in the record book of drinkers, though, given the line-up, it seems likely that the tally grew even more Monday night.

By DAN DAVIDSON
Star Correspondent