From reading the Rendezvous schedule of events last week, a person might have thought that the Babe Southwick Memorial Dog Sled Races had been dropped from the program.
In fact, Mandy and Armin Johnson heard Rendezvous wouldn’t have dog races this year and staged the race themselves at the home of their business, Yukon Horsepacking Adventures, on Fox Lake this Sunday. Mushers from as far as Fort Nelson came to meet Yukon mushers and compete in friendly competition with 15 teams in the 15-mile event and eight in the five-mile.
It would have been the 50th anniversary of the race in Babe’s name and a shame to lose the tradition captured in Les McLaughlin’s Yukon Nugget about Babe Southwick.
Thank you Mandy, Armin, Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon and all our faithful sponsors for honouring the memory of a legendary Yukon pioneer and ensuring the spirit of the race lives on. For results and a taste of the action visit Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon on Facebook.
Jessica Simon
Whitehorse