Cook County musher Frank Moe and his team taking off at the Gichigami Express Sled Dog Race in January 2013. Pony, the bighearted sled dog that was killed in the Michigan race is pictured here, closest to the sled, pulling for all he was worth.
There are hazards in sled dog racing—bitter cold, icy trails, downed trees—and unfortunately vehicle traffic. The unthinkable happened to Cook County musher Frank Moe at the UP 200, a 240-mile race between Marquette and Grand Marais, Michigan. At 5:40 a.m. on Sunday, February 17, Moe’s team collided with a truck at a road crossing. Moe was uninjured, but one of his dogs was killed and two were seriously injured.
According to Michigan State Police, the collision occurred at the Wetmore, Michigan checkpoint as teams were heading back to Marquette. The police report states that Moe’s sled dog team crossed State Highway 28 in front of an eastbound pickup truck. The driver of the truck, a 65-year-old man from Canada who has not been identified, slowed, but was unable to avoid striking the team. The driver of the truck was not injured and no driving citation was issued.
Pat Torreano, president of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association, which organizes the UP 200 told the Duluth News-Tribune, “We work hard all year round to make this as safe a race as possible. We’re all like family, and it feels like one of our own got hurt out there today. We’re just thankful that Frank and the crossing guard weren’t hurt too.”
Drag Racing! The Cook County Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club hosted its second snowmobile drag race event on Hungry Jack Lake on Saturday, Feb. 16—and this time snow was abundant! Samantha Williams on the bullhorn watches as Tony Everson takes off.
Race safety concerns
According to Torreano the accident was the first vehicle-sled team collision in the race’s 27-year history and she stressed that it was a “complete accident.” Torreano told the Duluth News- Tribune that a volunteer tried to halt Moe’s dog team before the crossing, but said, “All the dogs were barking and the musher really couldn’t hear.”
Moe answered Torreano’s comment in a letter to the UP 200 board of directors, stating, “I think everyone who’s been around sled dog races knows that they do not bark when they are running, only when stopped.”
Upper left: Not everyone came by snowmobile! Peter Schliep of Grand Marais arrived by plane. Upper middle: There were riders with interesting attire! Lower left: Not everyone was impressed with the racing! Far right: There were race fans of all ages!
Moe said he felt he had to counter some reports of the accident because of safety concerns. He wrote, “We left the Wetmore checkpoint with 12 well-rested charging dogs. Only a couple of hundred yards later they approached the busy highway crossing. I was riding my drag pad slowing the team down looking to be sure the crossing was safe.
“The rest all happened so fast it’s impossible for me to know all that happened but here is what I do know. My line of sight was obstructed by the snow berm on the side of the highway and I wasn’t able to see that a truck was approaching until my lead dogs were almost to the highway. The lights from the truck then were all I saw in front of me and while the volunteers may have been somewhere in front of me I did not see them nor did anyone make any attempt to grab the dogs prior to their running into the road and the oncoming truck.
“To be clear, I am not blaming the volunteers. They may have tried to tell me to stop but the sound of the truck, now hitting its brakes and sliding on the road, was all that I could hear. As soon as I saw the truck, I screamed ‘Whoa’ then ‘Stop the traffic.’
“Of course these were both too late and even though I jammed on the claw brake the team was out in front of the still fast-moving truck and the scene that I saw in front of me was one that was the most horrible I can imagine and one I’ll have to live with all my life.
“While slamming on my brake saved me from being hit by the truck, the truck hit the six dogs right in front of the sled squarely, killing Pony, seriously injuring his brother Cowboy and another dog Boo and scattering the rest of the team.”
“…After the crash race volunteers were incredible with their tireless assistance in finding and taking care of the remaining dogs. The vet crew in particular displayed a focused professionalism that I imagine happening at the best emergency room hospitals in the country.
However, Moe wrote, “The fact remains though that this highway crossing and how it was managed, put the UP 200 mushers and our dogs in grave danger. Statements made by the UP 200 Board claiming it was an accident and that either I failed in my own responsibility to stop my team or chose not to heed the warnings of volunteers are completely false.”
Moe added that having only two crossing guards at one of the busiest highways in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with teams just leaving a checkpoint was “a disaster waiting to happen.”
Moe urged organizers to take a close look at all aspects of the safety of the race, especially in light of accidents on the trail in 2011 in which two mushers suffered head injuries.
He also noted that the accident made him appreciate the way races in Northeastern Minnesota are organized and operated. “I’ve always felt races like the Beargrease, the Gunflint Mail Run and the Gichigami Express were run well, but this brings it home how thorough and conscientious race organizers are.”
Recovering back home
Moe, who operates MoeTown Kennels with his wife, Sherri, are still recovering from the shock of the accident. On Wednesday, February 20, after just getting home to Cook County, Moe talked to the Cook County News- Herald, describing Pony, the four-year-old dog that was killed. “He was a superstar. He was always smiling. There wasn’t a second that he wasn’t pulling for all he had.”
Frank and Sherri had just brought the other two seriously injured dogs home. Cowboy was most seriously injured, suffering broken ribs and pelvis. Boo, a 2-year-old female was treated for a collapsed lung and soft tissue injuries. Frank Moe managed a smile when he noted that they now had six housedogs, instead of the usual four.
The other dogs in the 12-dog team scattered after the accident.
Seven were still connected by harness and they traveled 13 miles before Sherri Moe and volunteers were able to stop them at the next road crossing. Two broke free completely and were eventually rounded up. All were examined and X-rayed and had minor injuries.
Moe said he couldn’t stress enough how helpful and supportive all of the other mushers, volunteers and the veterinarian team were. He expressed appreciation to the general public as well, noting that the outpouring of sympathy has been amazing.
In fact, friends in Cook County have established an account to assist the Moes with veterinarian bills. If you would like to donate, you may do so at the Grand Marais State Bank.
And while Frank and Sherri Moe will have to live with the memory of the horrible accident forever, they are grateful it wasn’t worse. “We’re grateful that I’m okay and that we brought 11 dogs home,” said Frank Moe. “It makes you realize life can change in an instant.”
Leave a Reply