So
you're interested in racing
in the Yukon River Quest Canoe Race!
by
Norm Miller
You
must have some interest in paddling
the Longest Annual Canoe Race in the
World of you would not be reading this.
Take it from someone who has raced the
Quest, I know you probably have
many important questions regarding the
race. I myself became interested
in the race after reading an article
in Canoe & Kayak Magazine
and thought it would be a great challenge.
The spell of the Yukon called me! I
wanted to be immersed with the feel
and smell of the river, experience the
rugged wilderness, and even maybe hear
the ghost of the stampeaders in search
of gold.
When
I first decided to race in the Quest,
I had a lot of questions that went through
my mine. I had no idea how I was going
to get to Whitehorse, who my paddling
partner would be, where would I stay
prior to the race, how would I train,
or what to expect along the way. I have
compiled some information for you in
hopes that it will make your race more
enjoyable and less stressful. Your goal
in the race maybe just to finish, which
is a great achievement in itself, or
you may want to win! Whatever your goal,
these tips will help save you time and
worry in your planning and preparation.
I have geared this more towards those
that want to finish the race in under
65 hours. However most of the tips will
help anyone who is a first time entrant
in the Quest. I feel these
helpful hints will save you time and
energy in not only paddling the river
but in getting yourself and gear
to Whitehorse. Included below are the
topics
§
General Information: Flying
to Whitehorse, and getting your canoe
and equipment to Whitehorse.
§
Where to stay and eat
prior to the race?
§
Pre-race preparation.
§
The Race!
§
Suggestions and training
i.e. How not to end up in the Dawson
City hospital.
§
Rapids and Hazards
General
Information: Whitehorse is
a long ways from home for most of us,
especially if you're coming from overseas.
Most of you will want to fly directly
into Whitehorse. It is a very small
airport with flights coming in about
2 times per day. I would suggest arriving
to Whitehorse at least two days before
the race just so you can relax and get
organized. When I raced in the 2001
Quest, I flew from Salt Lake City to
Whitehorse 3 days prior to the race.
My paddling partner also flew from the
States. We had made arraignments about
6 months in advance to rent a canoe
from Kanoe People in downtown
Whitehorse. It is nice to know that
the Quest Race committee now has Jensen
18 kevlar canoes, which you can rent.
This will save you a lot of expense
in trying to get your personal kayak
or canoe to the Yukon Territory.
I would highly recommend doing this.
I believe Kanoe People still
rent out canoes as well as kayaks if
you decide on that option. The were
very helpful.
We
had taken the rest of our gear on the
airplane with us. We checked 4 carbon
fiber paddles on the plane which we
owned. I highly suggest taking your
paddles to a shipping/postal packaging
company prior to leaving and they will
gladly make you a custom box
to pack them in. If you don't do this,
I would be amazed if your paddles arrive
unbroken to Whitehorse. You really donât
want to start your day off with broken
paddles do you? So for about $20.00
you can have your paddles boxed and
well padded for the journey to Whitehorse.
Most towns offer a shipping and packaging
outlet.
I
suggest making arraignments for lodging
several months in advance as well. Whitehorse
is a busy town in the summer so you
will want to plan ahead We preferred
to stay in a B&B rather than
a motel. Whitehorse has many wonderful
hotels, motels, B&B's, and camping
areas.
We
brought the rest of our paddling gear,
including sleeping bags, life jackets,
high-energy drink mixes and misc. clothing
with us from the States. We did not
want to purchase these items in Whitehorse
since we already owned them. If you
want to buy this equipment instead of
bring it with you, there are several
places to purchase these items in town.
Where
to Eat and Stay before the race:
I
suggest making reservations at a hotel
or B&B several months prior to your
arrival. Whitehorse has many to choose
from. Most are located right in town
or within a short walking distance.
If you stay in town, you do not need
to rent a car. Many of the hotels and
B&B's will pick you up at the airport.
This will save you a lot of money. The
links below will give you many choices
to choose from for lodging and restaurants
during your visit.
http://www.touryukon.com/vg
http://www.explorenorth.com/library/communities/canada/whitehorse.html
http://www.yukonbandb.com/whitehorse.html
We
stayed at a great cozy B&B called
"By the Bluffs". I
would recommend staying at a B&B
over a motel for several reasons. They
usually have a kitchen that most owners
will let you use to prepare and plan
food/meals for the race. They also make
you breakfast in the morning, which
is one less thing for you to worry about.
Some owners will be glad to drive you
around town to get supplies and are
helpful with information about the area
too. The B&Bs are much quieter so
you can get some good rest prior to
the race. We were allowed to leave some
items at the B&B until we returned
several days later. I am not sure about
with the hotels and motels. Most are
right downtown and may be noisier.
As
far as camping, there is a large campground
a few miles south of town. It is a 40-minute
walk to and from town and I have had
friends get gear stolen from their tents
while they were gone. So be cautious
as to leaving things around your tent.
I would recommend having someone stay
at camp while the other ran errands.
Whitehorse
has many fine and not so fine restaurants.
There are all types of food. From seafood,
pasta, Mexican, Asian, and vegetarian
to choose from. You usually do not need
reservations. All are within walking
distance from anywhere in town. Prices
vary from $8.00 to $25.00 for dinner.
It's all part of the adventure in finding
out where to eat. We ate out every night
in Whitehorse and had great food and
drink.
There
are several grocery stores and an organic
grocery which has a large selection
fo bulk foods which you can purchase
for the race or to eat prior.
Pre
Race Preparation: Whatever you
do, donât miss the pre race meeting/dinner
put on by the race committee. It is
mandatory! It will be an opportunity
for you to meet the organizers as well
as the paddlers you will be competing
against. Itâs a good way to size up
the competition and to learn a secret
or two. The will inform you on the river
levels and conditions of Five Finger
Rapids and Lake Leberge.
As
far as planning goes, the days prior
to the race should be set aside for
preparing your food, canoe, and your
body for the long paddle to Dawson.
You may want to put the canoe in the
river for a short paddle upstream to
get a feel for it. If you have never
paddled the type of canoe or kayak you
will be using, I highly recommend that
you find one in your home area to practice
with. Test out the spray cover to make
sure it fits well. Organize your gear
and food inside the canoe to make it
more convenient for you to reach while
paddling. We added extra padding and
cushion on the seat with duct tape so
our butts and legs would be more comfortable.
You will want to do this a day or two
before the race since you will not have
much time the morning of the race unless
you are accustomed to racing. But if
you're a first timer I suggest you do
this if possible.
An
important thing to consider is your
drinking water and how you want to access
it. We obtained empty gallon plastic
milk jugs and drilled holes in the caps
big enough for us to stick a 4-foot
long drink tube into it tightly. (We
purchased these plastic hoses at a hardware
store in our hometown. You may not find
them in Whitehorse.) Add a small strip
of duck tape to the inside part (under
the caps) of the tube so you can't pull
the tube back out through the hole etc.
We each had two. One was filled with
water and the other with high-energy
replacement drink. These 4 gallons added
up to a LOT of weight in our canoe.
Over 30 pounds! This is the same weight
as our canoe! We had wished we had brought
1/2 the amount to start with to save
on weight. We also brought a PUR water
filter, which pumps water very fast!
One of us paddled while the other filled
the water jugs with filtered water.
You can drink from the river, but you
may get sick or contact giardia so I
do not recommend it! I recommend getting
a filter system or water purification
tablets. It is very important to stay
hydrated. When you feel thirsty, it
usually means you're already dehydrated.
You will want to avoid dehydration,
which could become serious if not taken
care of. I cannot over emphasize this!
Drink LOTS of water! We each drank about
a gallon every 8-hours or less. You
may be asking the question of "You
must have had to stop and urinate a
lot?" We had to go, but we never
stopped! We each had an empty water
jug in which we relieved ourselves.
Having a jug will save you a trip to
shore every 30 minutes. This may be
a problem for the woman. I cannot speak
for them. This will save you valuable
time especially if you want to compete
with the top 10 boats. If that is not
a worry, then getting out of the canoe/kayak
will be a great reward if you have to
relieve yourself.
We
carried several important items, these
were optional, but had we needed them
they would have been well worth it.
We brought lightweight sleeping bags
and small tarp in case we had an emergency
where we needed to get warm. Had we
fallen in the river, it would have been
a life and death situation. The Yukon
is very cold. Be aware of this! I know
many of the team's cut the extra weight
and did not bring this gear. Make sure
you bring some fire starter or matches,
which are in a waterproof container
of some sorts. If you need to go to
shore to build a fire there is plenty
of wood to do so.
Maps:
I bought Mike Rourkes maps of
the Yukon River. You can purchase them
in Whitehorse at any bookstore. They
are more detailed than the topographic
maps. They have excellent "mile
by mile" coverage from Whitehorse
all the way to Dawson. They show landmarks,
side channels, rapids, and shortcuts.
I made a copy for my stern paddlers.
I also used a "highlighter"
to color in the river and a different
color to mark the shoreline.
Otherwise it's very hard to read them
at a quick glance since they are black
and white maps. I numbered each one,
placed them in order and put them
in a water proof map case. The map
case was large enough to view 4 maps
at a time without having to open and
find them so frequently. This will save
you valuable time. I kept these maps
between my legs the whole way. I could
easily glance down to see what was around
the next bend.
Some
teams (Not us.) carried a GPS. They
used them to calculate their speed.
This is a great way to determine your
pace. If you donât know this, then it's
easy for you to slack off and paddle
slower. This is an option you may want
to consider, especially if you're planning
to do well in the race. Every little
tip will help you shave off a few minutes
or even hours of paddling. We wished
we had a better idea of how fast we
were paddling. We were passed the last
day by 3 canoes since we had slowed
our pace due to not knowing our speed.
Pre
Race Training: This was the
1st canoe race I had ever
been in. My paddling partner and I had
trained about 9 months prior to the
race. Our intentions were to do well.
We could not paddle together very often
since we lived far away from one another.
We each had solo canoes, which we regularly
paddled. I had approximately 250 hours
of paddling time prior to the race.
I paddled 6 days of 10-20 hours, numerous
days of 3-7 hours and a great deal of
1-3 hours. My paddling partner and I
got to paddle about 60 hours together
in the same canoe we used for the race.
(Jensen 18 by Wenonah Canoe Co.) This
was very helpful! My partner is blessed
with good set of lungs and probably
had 1/2 the paddling time I did. He
has a well-developed cardio system.
One of the racers I talked with after
(that beat us) said they had only about
8 hours of paddling prior to the race.
They were either trying to make me feel
out of shape, or they were in excellent
condition to begin with. Those that
either won or were in the top 3 places
have been racing for a number of years.
They are efficient at paddling, food
preparation, and training. I recommend
biking, running, cross country skiing,
and weight lifting to round out your
training.
I
would highly recommend getting the book
"Marathon Canoe Racing"
by Peter Heed. You can buy it at www.amazon.com
or www.barnesandnoble.com
. If you are unfamiliar with the
marathon canoe-racing stroke, this book
will teach you it. Knowing this stroke
will cut your time by hours! It is designed
for comfort and efficiency. Once you
learn it you can easily paddle 45-75
strokes per minute for the entire race.
If you don't know it, then you're going
to be miserable the entire way due to
inefficiency of your paddling stroke.
This book contains a wealth of useful
information on canoe racing.
You
may even want to consider buying the
canoe racing video from We-no-nah
Canoes. This is a great video that
also teaches the marathon-racing stroke.
You can find it by searching the Internet
for their web site.
Food
Preparation/Planning: We
were able to purchase most of our food
in Whitehorse except for the specialty
foods, which we brought. We had planned
on eating 400 calories per hour for
60+ hours. This ends up being a lot
of food. We discovered that after the
race we had a lot left over. You may
want to take more or less depending
on your bodies ability and what it demands.
You may discover while paddling long
hours that you donât have the desire
to eat. It's important to have enough
food with you. I HIGHLY recommend buying
a variety of foods. The same food
gets very boring to eat if all you have
is say peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I recommend a diet high in carbohydrates
and fats. We took bananas, apples, P&B
sandwiches, Snack Pack Puddings
and fruit cups, macaroni and cheese
that we made up prior, nuts, dried fruits,
and energy bars. This was plenty! We
also brought high-energy drink mixes
and drink supplements such as Ensure.
Sometimes it's much easier to drink
your food than to eat it. We had placed
our food in plastic Tupperware containers
which we sat on the bottom of the canoe
usually under the seat or between our
feet. This made it easier to grab. I
donât recommend taking any proteins
such as tuna since it is very hard to
digest while exercising so intensely.
Stick with the carbohydrates, easy to
digest foods, and things that you particularly
like to eat.
Race
Day/ Race: Check with the
current rules and regulations regarding
the start of the race and pre-check
of your boats. The rules state you the
race committee must look over your canoes
and gear prior to the race. Allow plenty
of time before the start for this. They
will want to make sure your boat is
"legal", and that you have
the required items with you. This is
a great time to have everything ready
to go. Your food should be ready and
stored in your canoe at this point too.
The spray covers should be on and fitting
well.
By
now the butterflies are filling your
stomach and the crowds are milling about
the start area. The race starts on Main
Street, The crowds will be yelling and
cheering. It takes about 5 minutes to
run to your canoe. There is no need
to sprint to the river. The race is
going to last for two days and whether
youâre the first to the river is not
really going to make a world of difference,
unless your expecting to win. Ten seconds
wonât make that much of a difference.
The
first few hours were our way of getting
a feel for the river, canoe, and competition.
We paddled our own speed; not being
intimidated by those that passed. Once
we got to Lake LeBarge we made sure
the water was somewhat calm before heading
off across it. You will be warned by
the race committee about this lake.
Its it very dangerous and can kill you!
Sudden storms blow up out of nowhere
causing large waves to form in minutes.
It is in your best interest that you
head towards shore if this is the case.
Since it was fairly calm when we arrived
we made a dash across it following the
other canoes that we could see. If you
happen to be in a pack of other canoes
and kayaks, I highly recommend staying
close to them for two reasons. One,
its safer in case you tip over, and
two, you can draft off one another saving
you valuable time in getting across
the lake. You will want to get off as
soon as you can. It took us about 6
hours to paddle across it, and we were
glad when we arrived! Once you reach
the main river, you can feel the pull
of the current Usually by then many
of the teams have spread out and you
will be paddling all alone. The time
will be approaching midnight and the
temperatures will be dropping. We passed
a couple of teams who actually found
the time to sleep. In several canoes,
the bow paddler was sleeping while the
stern person kept paddling allowing
the front guy to sleep for an hour or
two. We paddled through the night. The
beauty of the Yukon River is overwhelming.
You will pass mile after mile of some
the most beautiful country. You may
even begin to hallucinate by then and
see one of the old stampeder's panning
for gold along the riverbank. The hours
will go by and it's important that you
eat and drink regularly, when your done
doing that, eat and drink some more.
There
is a mandatory stop during the race,
which the committee will discuss prior
to the start. It usually is 8 hours
long and may vary. This is a welcome
sight. If you have been sitting in your
canoe for 20-30 hours, it may be the
first time you tried to stand. You will
know what it's like to be a member of
the primate family. It took me over
an hour to feel like my legs were attached
to my body. This is a good time to stretch
or even do some yoga to get your body
loosened up before you try to sleep
for a few hours. I happened to be in
a delirious state at the layover and
not just from paddling, I was notified
by the RCMP that my mother had just
died. Hopefully you won't have to deal
with such emergency situations like
this in the far north. But if you do,
you can be assured that the RCMP and
the race committee will be there to
help you out in any way. They were so
helpful with letting me us their satellite
phone to call home. You can be assured
that these local people have good hearts
and are willing to help.
The
race committee had a large tent set
up at the checkpoint for us to crawl
into with our sleeping bags. It felt
so good to drift off into sleep for
a few hours. Don't oversleep! I suggest
getting up over an hour before you need
to depart so you can eat, repack and
organize the canoe, tape blisters, mend
hemorrhoids, and to even stretch your
tired and stiff muscles for the long
pull to Dawson. It will be a relief
to get back on the river. The toll of
the race and my mental state began to
take their toll later in the day. I
remember hallucinating and seeing U.S.
President Richard Nixon standing on
the riverbank holding out a tin cup.
"Poor guy" I thought and paddled
on. Mile after mile of twisting river
will eventually bring you to Dawson
City. Hopefully the crowds will be there
to cheer your accomplishment of having
completed the Longest Annual Canoe Race
in the World.
Rapids
and hazards: You may encounter
a few obstacles on your 750km paddle
to Dawson City. The first one is Lake
Leberge. This is a very large body of
water that has frequent sudden storms,
which can turn the calm waters into
a raging sea. Be aware of the weather.
Know you limits. If you have problems,
seek the comforts of the shoreline.
This is no place to tip over! It will
take you between 5-9 hours to cross
this lake.
Five
Finger Rapids: These rapids are located
a few hours below Carmacks. The river
is divided into numerous channels by
large pillars of stand rock and cliffs.
Take note of your maps as you approach
these rapids. Make sure you are to the
far RIGHT side (east) of the river as
you near them. You will hear the roar
of the water and see the large pillar
of rock ahead of you. You will want
to go through the far right channel.
Make sure you avoid the other channels!
They can be very dangerous! From year
to year with the changing water levels,
Five Finger Rapids may be rougher than
other years. As you approach the drop
your canoe should be in the center of
the right channel. By being in the center,
this will give you the opportunity to
move left or right according to what
the big waves look like once they come
into view. In past years, the optimum
place to run the rapids was either dead
center or slightly to the left of center.
When we approached the drop, I was able
to see that the left side had fewer
standing waves than the center. (Do
not mistake my comments for being on
the left side of the river. We were
in the left side of the far RIGHT channel.)
You will feel you are riding on a seesaw
as you bounce and plow through the large
waves. Make sure you keep you boat straight.
This would not be a fun place to tip
over. There are several large waves
below the rapids about 100 meters as
well.
Rink
Rapids: Below Five Finger Rapids you
will encounter Rink Rapids. They are
not a problem as you stay to the far
right side of the river. If you are
too far left there will be numerous
rocks and ledges to worry about. It
will literally take you seconds to pass
this set of rapids as long as you stay
to the right. We were approximately
10 meters from shore.
The
rest of the Yukon River contains some
fast powerful currents with boils and
choppy undercurrents. Be aware of the
conditions ahead and pay attention to
any obstacles such as logs, trees, or
animals swimming the river. There are
many side channels, some of which may
shave off a few minutes of your time
or may cost you time. It's best to stay
with the main flow of current as much
as possible.
