Photo by Justin Kennedy
MISSION HALF-ACCOMPLISHED – Rookie Yukon Quest musher Johannes Rygh enjoys an evening arrival into Dawson City at 7:40 p.m. Wednesday. The SS Keno is also seen in the photo. Rygh crossed the halfway point as the 15th musher, and now has a 36-hour layover. Leader Hugh Neff pulled out of Dawson at 3:30 this morning (top). DOWN TIME – Dogs take a much needed rest at the Pelly Crossing checkpoint of the Yukon Quest on Monday night.
Yukon Quest frontrunner Hugh Neff set off from the Dawson checkpoint with a song this morning.
DAWSON CITY – Yukon Quest frontrunner Hugh Neff set off from the Dawson checkpoint with a song this morning.
Cindy Godbey, a.k.a. Dawson Dolly, was all dolled up and was literally singing Neff's praises as he headed back on the trail toward Eagle, Alaska, 236 kilometres away.
"This is my second year following the Quest,” Godbey said of the passion for sled dog racing that brought her to Dawson this year.
"My husband used to be a musher ... but the dogs wouldn't listen to him so now he's a gold miner and I'm a gold digger.
"... I just love the sport; it's my passion. I love to come and bring love and light and excitement because these guys are the toughest athletes in the world; they deserve a ‘Rah-rah-rah shish-boom-bah!' and happiness and celebration and colour, so Dolly loves to bring laughter and colour and share the passion of dog sledding.”
Godbey is anything but coy about who she wants to see win this race.
"Hugh is my number one man – he's like a little brother to me, and I love him and I love (Neff's partner and handler) Tamara, I love the dogs.”
She was ecstatic to see Neff cross the Dawson line first, and put on her full regalia to send him off with a song at 3:35 this morning.
"Hugh's a trip. He's very funny, but he's very smart,” she said
"He's somebody that'll sneak right out of the woods on you just like that, just like he snuck right in, nobody knew it was him.
"He's that kind of a guy and that's what I love about him.
Neff had Quest followers in a tizzy Monday, as he bulleted toward Dawson in record time.
The SPOT tracker attached to Neff's sled stopped sending messages at Scroggie Creek, leaving everyone guessing as to where he was, how fast he was moving and when he would arrive.
It wasn't until he had reached the top of King Solomon's Dome 44 kilometres outside of the Klondike town that the speculation swirling around the checkpoint building was confirmed.
"He's sly as a fox and he's cute too!” Godbey said on his arrival.
Neff was followed out this morning by Hans Gatt, Ken Anderson, Brent Sass, Allen Moore, Sebastian Schnuelle, Wade Marrs and Dallas Seavey.
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