“Here meet heaven and hell”: a Mauritian takes part in an international dog sled race


The last few days have been particularly trying for a sled driver from St-Tite who is taking part this week in the Iditarod, a 1,600 kilometer international dog sled race through the mountains of Alaska.

“The ‘trail’ is awful,” shared Martin Massicotte straight away, when reached by phone during his mandatory 24-hour stop at McGrath. “I never thought I would be able to go through such difficult conditions with the dogs. Conditions no snow, you ride on dirt, on gravel, on lakes, blue ice, winds that push dogs. The Gorge de Dazel was particularly difficult. Some ascents and descents were close to vertical. “I thought I was going over the handle of the sled.”

Despite the challenges, Martin Massicotte is enjoying every second of his journey. The landscapes there are breathtaking. “Here meet heaven and hell. There are ends, you are surrounded by white mountains, you would like to be nowhere else. It is paradise. But when you go up, you go down, you cross a stream with clear water, it’s more on the side of hell,” admitted the Mauritian, laughing.

He should have the opportunity to fill up with beautiful landscapes over the next few days since the terrain will be much less rugged up to the Bering Sea. The dogs are in good shape and would like to run faster, but their master intends to hold them back. “For now, the goal is to finish the race with healthy dogs, regardless of position.”

The representative of the Patriotes kennel is the first representative of Quebec in this legendary race. Other native Quebecers have already done so, but resided in the Yukon or Alaska.




Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com

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