Gunflint Mail Run brings life to the trails

The start of the Gunflint Mail Run was exciting, but friendly. The crowd—including his wife, Betsy and sister, Anna—cheers as Odin Jorgenson takes off at dusk in the Gunflint Mail Run on Monday, January 30.

The 2012 Gunflint Mail Run was an impromptu sled dog race, put together by an amazing community effort, in just 12 days. By all accounts, the 120-mile race was a great success.

It was different from the 290-mile John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which had to be cancelled because of lack of snow in the Duluth area. The Gunflint Mail Run was reminiscent of the dog sled races held in the late 1970s and 1980s in Cook County. More than 100 spectators came out for the start on Monday, January 30 at 4:00 p.m. in front of Devil Track Landing.

Spectators enjoyed watching the teams working their way into the race chute—pulling so hard that they were held back by snowmobiles. Dogs howled and hopped and barked excitedly as Jack Stone of Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply shouted out a countdown for each team.

It looked a bit chaotic, but Alex Angelos, John Beargrease race coordinator and judge, who was on hand to assist, said, “The start is always a bit chaotic. That’s the fun part!”

Jack Stone of Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply kept a watchful eye on the excited sled dogs behind him as he counted down the start for each team.

Frank Moe of Colvill’s MoeTown Kennels helped organize the event and also raced his team. He was the first finisher to reach the halfway point at Trail Center, but finished the race second behind Odin Jorgenson, also of Colvill.

Jorgenson was second at the halfway point at Trail Center, right behind Moe. After the mandatory five-hour rest there, he finished the race, reaching the Devil Track Lake finish line at 8:13 a.m., spending a total of 10 hours and 59 minutes on the trail.

Moe was close behind him, coming in at 8:24 for a total of 11 hours and 10 minutes on the trail.

Do Jorgenson and Moe, both members of the Cook County Dog Mushers group, have a “home court” advantage racing on Cook County trails? Moe said no, local mushers don’t usually run on the Mail Run route, but he said having a short drive to get to the race might have helped. “The real advantage may have been that we’ve been training on snow and most of the other mushers hadn’t,” said Moe.

Odin Jorgenson, in the No. 1 bib, finished first in the 2012 Gunflint Mail Run 120- mile sled dog race, crossing the finish line at 8:13 a.m. on Tuesday, January 31. Jorgenson was greeted at the finish line by his father, Arleigh Jorgenson, a longtime musher and founder of the original Gunflint Mail Run sled dog race.

A few of the 16 dog teams did not finish the race. Moe said it might have been too warm for the dogs. And, he noted that the two legs of the Mail Run were 60 miles long. “Sixty miles is longer than most teams go on a single run,” he explained.

Moe said the race sponsors—Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply, Trail Center Lodge, Devil Track Resort, BWCABoard.com, Cook County Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club and Cook County Dog Mushers—and the mushers all said they would like to do it again.

Moe laughed, “That might sound like a better idea to me once I catch up on my sleep!”

However, he said with so much experienced help in Cook County it would be easier a second time. “This race was put together in 12 days. That was only possible because of all the volunteers and sponsors, especially Dick Parker and the Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club.”

Moe added that in addition to the snowmobile club and other sponsors, there was a long list of people to thank for making the race a success. “… The Ham Radio Club and many individuals— Matthew Brown, Mark Black, Clay Rumph, Joe Zellner and so many others. Nobody we asked for help said no.”

One sponsor who has also supported the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon for many years, Sarah Hamilton of Trail Center Lodge, just wants to have a glimpse of life on the trail as the dog teams pass by her cabin.

At 11:19 p.m. on Monday night, she took a break from the busy Trail Center to check on her dog at home. She shared this poetic entry on her Facebook page: “I am sitting here watching dog sled teams come across the dark frozen lake. All you can see is a faint headlight at first. As it grows brighter, you see the red flashing lights on the lead dogs. As they approach the landing where their fans are waiting next to a huge bonfire, I can hear the mushers talking to their dogs. And they are talking sweetness.

“It is indeed most awesome to live on a bluff above the lake. Here come two more teams. I’m out to eavesdrop as they verbally love up the pups!”

Thanks to all the people who worked to put on the 2012 Gunflint Mail Run and the mushers who ran it, we all got a little taste of life on the trails.

Gunflint Mail Run 2012 Results