Shannon and Richard Oelkers: Trek 2007

I found myself thinking “What in the hell was I thinking?” on Thursday, March 1, 2007. It was 3PM and we’d just left Chicken, Alaska on a snowmachine. The temperature was -35 F and the sun was starting to set – which meant the temps were also starting to creep lower.

What was I doing in the middle of nowhere in such cold?

Why, the Trek Over the Top (http://www.trekoverthetop.com ) – a classic fun run between Tok, Alaska and Dawson City, Canada over the Taylor Highway. The highway, which is drivable in the summer, is covered in snow and unplowed in the winter. With a little grooming it becomes the perfect snowmachine trail. Each year approximately 500 folks Trek the 400 mile round trip journey and enjoy a weekend of fun in Dawson.

Rich, my ever-loving husband convinced me to try this ‘amazing’ journey for the first time this year. As the time drew near, and the temperatures stayed low, I got nervous. How cold is too cold? Apparently -45 is still okay. I was cold, that’s for sure, but I made it across the border safely and in one piece (minus a few inches of frostbite from my cheeks!).

Our friends Karina, her family, and the bachelor squad Jarkko, Lundy and Matt all came with us, we all had a blast!!! Enjoy the pics – I’m the one in black with red mittens, and the RMQ snowmachine (Rocky Mountain Queen for those of you who know your Polaris from your Ski-doo). Richard is in yellow – and yes, I joined the Sourtoe Cocktail club.

It was trickery – Damn you Karina and Sarah!!!

It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever done - the alpenglow as the sun went down, the moon shining on the silken snow, the stars very clear in the COLD air! Sadly, it was too cold to take many outside pictures...