[Actually, I'm not sorry]
Here is the latest CBC Yukon Quest update.
This morning (Monday, Feb. 18th), the CBC Yukon crew were back from their extended weekend in Dawson City, where they spent a considerable amount of time blowing sunshine up the Quest mushers' rear ends. At least THIS YEAR, the dogs were not freezing THEIRS in the dog yards as the temperatures in Dawson were warmer than they usually are during the 'Quest weekend' mandatory 36-hour layover.
On Friday, Yukon News reporter Genesee Keevil (one of the gutsiest reporters anywhere) wrote that this was how race leader Lance Mackey, who had just won 4 ounces of gold for being the first musher into Dawson, was planning to spend his weekend:
[Mackey, downing a glass of Crown Royal] "I'll spend 10 hours on dog care, 10 hours drinking Crown Royal, and 10 hours at Gertie's (Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall)."
Then we find out on the CBC Yukon Monday morning Quest update that after this weekend celebration, Mackey had gotten lost on the trail which caused his poor dogs to take a 4-hour detour through challenging terrain, before finding the right trail. Mackey, according to the 2008 Quest cub reporter Cheryl Kawaja, 'apologized' to his dogs for 15 minutes and gave them hugs as a way of making up to the dogs.
Mackey then ran the hell out of these dogs all the way to Pelly Crossing, in order to make up for lost time as he had lost his lead because of his mistake. Apparently, he had turned off his headlight to enjoy the moonlight and missed a trail marker.
Cub reporter Kawaja (duly indoctrinated into heaping glory on the Quest, as per CBC policy) reported that Mackey's dogs were 'perky and lively' upon leaving Pelly Crossing for the 'hell bent for leather' sprint to Whitehorse, with the two other leaders.
A brief interview was done by CBC with Mackey, explaining his version of what happened and how he planned to make up for lost time.
One of the CBC 'knuckleheads,' Roch Shannon Fraser, commended Mackey on how impossible it was to rattle the guy in difficult situations. Not a word was said on behalf of the poor dogs who were the ones who paid the price for Mackey's mistake, and who will suffer the rest of the way to the finish line in Whitehorse. Mackey has gotten lost before, in 2006 he got lost close to the [Dawson] finish line, causing his dogs to run an extra 3 hours.
Somebody get this man a 'seeing-eye' sled dog.
To file complaints about CBC Yukon Quest cheerleading, please visit:
http://sleddogwatchdog.com/howl4.html
2008 CBC Quest web site:
http://www.cbc.ca/north/features/yukonquest/
Thank you!