Top: The Hudson Bay Quest is an arduous adventure, but it has its benefits, such as the amazing aurora borealis that light the sky. 10 Squared Racing dog handler Nace Hagemann of Grand Marais spent much of the trip photographing the ever-changing Northern Lights. Above: Musher Matt Groth gives a thumbs up in celebration of finishing in 5th place in the challenging race.
Matt Groth of Oomingmak Kennels in Colvill teamed up with Troy Groeneveld of 10 Squared Racing in Two Harbors and made the trek to Manitoba, Canada to take part in the Hudson Bay Quest on March 15 – 18. The North Shore men and dogs not only survived the grueling race in the Arctic environment; they finished in the top five.
Groeneveld of 10 Squared Racing, who won the 2013 Gichigami Express Sled Dog Race, and Groth have practiced and run races together for a few years. Groeneveld told Groth that he wanted to take two teams to the Hudson Bay Quest. Would Groth be interested in running a team? Groth jumped at the opportunity. “It was kind of like an all-expense paid vacation,” he laughed.
If your idea of a vacation includes traveling 220 miles in a frozen wilderness— alone. Unlike most sled dog races in the United States, this race is completely solitary. Handlers help get the musher and dogs ready at the start and then wait at the finish line to help load the dogs aboard a train for the trip home.
Part of the challenge was just getting to the race start. The mushers, and handler Nace Hagemann of Grand Marais, had to drive 25 hours to reach the town of Thompson where they bounced along a rough, remote gravel road another four more miles to Gillam, Manitoba. There, the road ends. The only way to reach Churchill is by air or rail—or dog sled.
“People think we live in the middle of nowhere,” laughed Groth, back home in Cook County. “This really is it.”
At the start of the race the unthinkable happened—Groth needed a bolt for his sled. There was nowhere to buy one, but they were able to borrow one from another dog sled team. “People were super friendly,” said Groth.
The weather however, was not. Even race veterans said conditions faced this year were probably the second-worst they had ever experienced. Groth said it was definitely the worst weather he had ever run in, with sustained 40 mph winds. He said the wind chill was estimated to be 53 below zero. “Our dogs are not used to that kind of wind. I had to really work to keep my team going,” said Groth.
Groth said he had jackets on the dogs the entire race, something unheard of in U.S. races like the John Beargrease. Groth said he has always carried an extra jacket liner and never used it. In the Hudson Bay Quest, he did. “About halfway, I put it on. I thought, ‘Right now I have on every piece of clothing I have with me.’ It’s a nervous feeling.”
“The wind was horrible. Snow would accumulate on the dog’s faces. When I stopped to wipe them off, they would be super happy,” said Groth.
The lack of trees was especially challenging. “I’m used to being able to tuck into a little spruce swamp to get warm. Not there. All you can do is tip your sled over for cover.”
Much of the race is run on a frozen river and because of the whipping winds that meant glare ice. Groth said several times his dog team was literally skating sideways on the ice because of the force of the wind. “They would look for the shortest route to stay on snow. Sometimes that meant going off trail and we would have to meander back on track.”
Not that the trail was that easy to follow anyway. According to the race website, the trail was broken and marked prior to the race, but due to weather conditions, there was no guarantee of broken trail during the race. Groth found that to be true. He said there was the vaguest of scratching from a snowmobile marking the way at some points. It was especially bad toward the end of the three-day race, when he was really tired. “I wasn’t totally sure we were following the race trail or just the tracks of someone out snowmobiling. The snow is so wind-driven and hard-packed; you can’t even see the dog tracks. I was really glad to see the next markers.”
And the lights of Churchill. Although Groth said it was a little frustrating—on the frozen plains, the village’s lights could be seen two hours away.
Were there times when he had second thoughts about saying yes? Groth chuckled, “Lots of them!”
He and the 10 Squared Team came through well though. Some of the dogs had minor frostbite and Groth had a windburned face. “I ended up with some peeling,” he said.
He also ended up in fifth place, along with three other Minnesota mushers. Peter McClelland of Ely finished first, followed by Shawn McCarty, also of Ely. The men both race for White Wilderness Kennel. In third place was Groth’s racing partner, Troy Groeneveld.
Groth’s share of the purse was $2,000, which went toward covering travel costs.
Groth would like to go back with his own Oomingmak Kennel team. The 10 Squared team he raced with were young dogs that were not familiar with him. “I’d like to go back with my dogs, to see how they would do. I think they would run a great race.”
Groth is hoping to find some sponsors. He, Hagemann, and Groeneveld would likely “car pool” to the frozen tundra, but it still an expensive undertaking. If you are interested in helping sponsor another Hudson Bay Quest for this local kennel, contact him at (218) 387-2865.
Leave a Reply