The Hope '91 Sled Dog Race: From Nome, Alaska to Anadyr, Chukotka, Russia [Print Replica] Kindle Edition

The story of this historic race from Nome, Alaska to Anadyr, Chukotka, Russia is a testament to the courage and vision of a handful of Alaskans, and their counterparts across the Bering Strait, who saw the value in building a bridge between their countries via a month-long 1,200-mile sled dog race across some of the wildest lands on Earth. They brought together mushers from Alaska, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Japan and Chukotka, in an effort to share the skills and knowledge of long distance sled dog racing. Along the way they shared friendships, faced unimaginable perils, and inspired a renewed interest in the ancient sled dog breeding traditions.Original artwork is by the legendary Alaskan artist Jon Van Zyle, who was a race judge and a major coordinator of the race, and color photographs by Jon and by official race photographer Frank Flavin bring the sparse landscape and the details of the race to light. A comprehensive retelling of the story of the month-long 1,200-mile race is the long-lost writing of the offiicial race media liaison, Sandra Medearis, who worked at the time for the widely respected newspaper The Nome Nugget.The story takes a number of unexpected turns, such as when the leading musher goes missing for days, when the runners of the mushers' sleds are chewed to nothing by the windblown gravel trails, and when armed Russian authorities fly into a remote checkpoint searching for answers to the deaths of several villagers in the wake of the race. Jon Van Zyle shares personal stories of incidents along the trail, from the amusing and humorous to one harrowing night at the edge of a cliff which still gives him nightmares. Along the route the villagers and race volunteers--the people of Chukotka--welcome the intrepid mushers and their sled dog teams with warmth, friendship, hospitality, and an enduring grace. Read more