Old Crow musher completes Yukon Quest

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Musher Stan Njootli, from Old Crow, Y.T. crossed the finish line of the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race almost a week after first-place finisher John Schandelmeier, of Paxson, Alaska. But winning the red lantern for the last-place musher doesn't bother him a bit.

"A thousand miles and this is all I get?" the 42-year-old driver said as he was handed the Coleman lantern. "Oh, well. It was a good training run."

This was Njootli's second attempt at the race. He scratched in Dawson City, Y.T., last year after his dogs came down with a virus that left them dehydrated. That's why it was so important that he finish the 1996 quest, he said.

"I feel pretty good and the dogs are OK. We felt pretty good all the way through," he said. "I'm glad we're here. It's great we finished the race."

About 50 people, including Council for Yukon Indians chair Harry Allan and New Democrat member of the territorial legislature Margaret Commodore, gathered at the finish line to watch Njootli finish. He's the first Yukon Indian ever to complete the race and the first musher from Old Crow, a fly-in town of about 200 people north of the Arctic Circle, to run in the quest.

Njootli got into trouble early in the race when he lost both his main leaders. His best one got into a fight before the start in Fairbanks, Alaska, and was dropped shortly afterwards. His back-up leader, Jolly, was left behind at Biederman's cabin-between Circle City, Alaska, and Eagle, on the Yukon-Alaska border-after it injured its foreleg.

Njootli had been traveling with Dan Turner of Haines, Alaska, who was also short on leaders until Turner scratched in Dawson. But that didn't pose too much of a problem, Njootli said.

"I knew as long as the dogs were doing well I'd get here," he said. "There were a number of situations to deal with, but nothing serious. I had lots of help from the vets but I've been running without leaders for 700 miles.

"I knew I had to finish this year," he continued. "Dan tried like hell to get out of Dawson but he couldn't do it. I waited for him four or five times but my dogs were jumping around. They wanted to go. Once we got out on our own, they did really well.

Njootli finished the race with eight dogs in just less than 17 days, about four days later than the first-place musher, John Schandelmeier. He said he never got discouraged on the trail, even though he was so far behind.

"There was nothing really that difficult," he said. "I worried about the dogs but, other than that, it was OK. I never thought about scratching. I've got a good pair of snowshoes. I just had to finish it. That's what I got into the race for. I'm pretty happy with these guys."

Njootli lingered around the finish line for about an hour after finishing, munching on caribou stew and feeding the leftovers to his dogs. He also attempted to breed one of his female dogs with a male from Michael King's team. King finished about 13 hours before Njootli.

"I've got this dog, Bill, who ran three quests and two Iditarods with Bob Holder before I got him, so he's a pretty good dog," said King, who was also on hand to greet Njootli. "He's got the toughest feet I've ever seen and that's the most important thing. Stan really likes him and wanted to breed him before we left one of the checkpoints.

"I told him he was just trying to wear out my dogs and we had a long run coming up," he continued. "We'll do it now and then split the litter. "

Njootli said that, although those puppies won't be able to run for a couple of years, he's planning to enter the 1997 quest.

"I'll probably do it again," he said. "At four in the morning, when you're cold and tired and hungry, you don't feel like it, but I'll probably do it. I've got to go have some sleep, then I'll see."

King said he ran two yearlings, just 18 months old, in this year's race. Those dogs, which he planned to drop in Dawson but made it all the way through, will be ready for next year's race. He should have aout seven two-and-a-half-year-olds and a few four-and five-year-olds, for next year. If he can buy a couple of dogs, he might sign up for the 1997 race, he said. And the friendship he formed with Njootli is pushing him towards that, he added.

"Maybe Stanley and I can work something out," he said. "He's got some awfully tough dogs. After we left Angel Creek, we traveled all the way into Biederman's together and I broke trail into Eagle and started gaining time. He taught me quite a bit out on the trail. We talked a lot and he's a real nice guy. I'm real proud to see him finish. He had a tough time last year, so his goal was to finish and he did it."