“We broke trail, cut trees, built snow crossings, cleared stakes and big rocks. Sometimes there were feet of snow to break, to create trail. “I’m a capable rider, but I’m also a small woman! I can’t pull a machine out of a creek bed. There were multiple snow drifts where we all got stuck. It’s the decisions you make on the trail, to be safe.” The experience was packed with memories, she added. “I learned so much from the pro class riders. And to meet and talk with the people in these communities in a totally different way. “I have been hunting on the Yukon River, but it's massively cool to be riding that frozen river, at midnight, under a full moon, going 100 miles an hour! “My dad grew up with a dog team, while I grew up using snow machines, so the modes of transportation in Alaska have modernized greatly. But I’m not a mechanic, and that’s part of being pro class racer.” An active rider, trail runner and mountain biker, she admitted the rides were demanding. “I’d only been able to do three rides before the race. I’d worked out two or three hours a day, doing a thousand squats, but you can’t account for the wear and tear and impact of the trail. Like through The Burn, going over dirt. Your hands are raw, everything hurts.” Conditions can change radically, too. www.AlaskaMiners.org 17 From exploration to production, we have decades of experience serving the mining industry in all stages of operations. Streamline your camp services with NMS, an Alaska Native-owned company. Let’s Talk Bradley Berberich Strategic Account Manager | 907.982.2533 Bradley.Berberich@nmsusa.com nmsusa.com RUNNING ALASKA’S REMOTE CAMPS SINCE 1974 CONTINUED on PAGE 18
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==