2004 HUDSON BAY QUEST

OOLOOYAK, BLIZZARD DOMINATE QUEST

Churchill, Manitoba's first annual dog sled race meets (...hopefully not) first annual blizzard

In the midst of a raging blizzard and howling winds, David Oolooyak of Rankin Inlet entered Arviat, Nunavut to become the first winner of Hudson Bay Quest Dog Sled Race. In a race that was ‘tough, even for the Inuit, given the unforgiving weather’, David finished the Quest at 2:15 CST, Tuesday, March 23, after four days on the trail.

David and, third place finisher Phillip Kigusiutnak actually crossed the finish line together, as David had turned around give the 71 year old Phillip a hand after his dogs broke away from him on the trail.

Second place went to Andy Kowtak of Arviat, Nunavut, partially due to several time penalties awarded to mushers Phillip and Moses Kigusiutnak, Phillip’s son and ‘red lantern’ musher. Phillip and Moses both missed two checkpoints. Moses also missed the first, Prince of Wales Fort! This was primarily due to the language barrier, as both mainly speak Inuktitut

Four days previous, cold temperatures and clear skies heralded the start of the race. In a great display of community support, trucks, snowmobiles and even a tundra buggy lined the starting gate as seven teams set out across the Churchill River to begin this epic journey.

First to withdraw was Robert McDonald. McDonald turned back on Button Bay after having continued difficulty with a couple of young dogs on his team.

Six mushers arrived at the Seal River veterinary checkpoint with Oolooyak in the lead. Mushers from the neighboring territory of Nunavut were already pulling away from our local teams. Both Churchill teams remaining in the race had also encountered dfficulties on the trail. Gerald Azure was injured breaking up a dog fight while Dave Daley lost valuable time after his team broke loose.

Chances looked even slimmer for the Manitobans when it came to feeding time. Inuit mushers could simply chuck seal meat to their dogs while still in the fan hitch formation and then maybe keep a piece for themselves too!

After a thorough vet check, racers headed back onto the trail. Soon after, Azure of dropped out of the race with an injured shoulder, only to have to mush back to Churchill (with the help of some painkillers, the Canadian Rangers and veterinary assistant Jenafor Ollander).

Near the halfway point, Nunalla, the weather changed drastically. A severe came off the Bay just as teams emerged onto the barrenlands. With winds constantly changing from north to south and back again, navigation became next to impossible. Cold temperatures froze GPS systems and strong winds wreaked havoc with the dog teams. Dogs are not really thrilled with running headlong into 80 km winds, therefore they slowly alter their course to something a little more comfortable. In fact, one racer flagged down the Canadian Ranger’s bombardier to find out what direction he was going. His dogs had turned him around in the storm and were heading back to Churchill! With the formerly well-groomed trail now just a memory, racers were forced to set up camp and wait it out in quickly constructed igloos and tents.

These winds were so powerful as to push Dave Daley’s tent across the tundra with him in it! Daley, who was drying his gear near the coleman stove, narrowly escaped disaster as the wind finally snapped his tent frame.

While the storm did not abate, mushers did carry on. Traditional knowledge and experience played a key role as some mushers used snow and local land marks, including a 3” stick, to find their way to Arviat.

The Canadian Rangers, a volunteer-based search & rescue organization, were present throughout the race. Aboard snowmobiles and bombardiers, the Rangers work diligently, including several trips into the heart of the blizzard, to ensure the racers’ safety.

Ranger Camille Hamilton escorted Dave Daley and his dogs to Arviat from Nunalla. The two were forced to set camp and head out on foot only one kilometre from Arviat.

Race marshal Bruce Andrews has nothing but praise for the efforts of the Rangers. ‘Without them, there would have been no race. A fantastic organization.’

Even with the final Rangers reporting in at 12:30am Tuesday evening, one race participant was yet to be found. Thor, a strong-willed dog in Daley’s race team, escaped from the ‘dog box’ that was carrying the team back to Arviat. After three days ‘on the land’, Thor popped up at the Arviat airport in time for the banquet!

With everyone in, Arviat prepared for a community feast - delayed for one day by, you guessed it, a blizzard. With caribou and beluga whale on the menu, there was an incredible turnout, young and old, at the community hall. Visiting ‘kabloonas’ (non-Inuit) were treated to a display of traditional Inuit clothing. Awards and speeches eventually gave way to a good ol’ square dance that lasted well into the night.

Phillip K. is very hopeful for the years to come. With a translation by Andy Kowtak, he recommends that ‘young people should join the Rangers to get to know the land. Nowadays, people have to travel by GPS because they don't know the landmarks, every landmark has a name.’ He continues, ‘I would like to see another race next year. I really enjoyed this one.’

- prepared by Kelsey Eliasson
- courtesy of the Hudson Bay Post, Churchill's Community Newspaper