Mushers shrugged off jackets and dogs sunbathed in the snow as temperatures hovered around 40 degrees — hot by Alaska winter standards.
Many mushers have seen high numbers of moose while training, spurring them to pack guns during this year’s 1,000-mile race to Nome.
Some mushers worried what the warm weather would mean for the trail ahead.
For safety dogs and mushers will be trucked from Braeburn to Carmacks.
For a March evening in the Interior Alaska village of Nikolai, Tuesday was warm.
The route of the Yukon Quest traverses Lake Laberge for the first time in decades, and that's not the only dog sled race affected by the changing climate.
Observations From Members 