One of the mushers at the Yukon Quest Rookie Workshop held at Mount Mac Saturday was Michael Burtnick, 33, who is racing in the YQ 250. His kennel is Keystone Sled Dogs https://www.keystonesleddogs.com

“It’s my first time racing in the Quest but I guess the deeper answer to that question is I moved up here for the Quest. So, we’re based out of Manitoba. I lived there most of my life and dreamed about the Quest and my very supportive partner told me that someday is gonna be today and I sold the farm and packed up all the dogs and the animals and drove out here this spring and we’re starting to establish ourselves and get ready to run dogs in the Yukon, which is the dream.”

Burtnik and his partner moved to the Yukon from Teulon, Manitoba in May. They now live in Mendenhall.

“That was my long-distance dream to move there and we finally found a property that was OK for the dogs and for all the other animals.

“There is probably hundreds of miles of trail that I don’t even know about but at least a hundred that I do, so it’s definitely a good spot to be for mid to long-distance racing.

“There’s quite a few people in the community who have ran Quest already, so definitely some mentors there, which we’re very appreciative of and a lot of people who’ve been involved in the Quest in various ways, so it’s a wealth of knowledge, for sure.”

Regarding the workshop, Burtnick said he learned “a lot of the really basic things you overlook as a rookie to a long or mid-distance race. Just the simple details like where to put stuff in the sled or maybe best routines for stretching your dogs out for those long miles. We do a lot of very comfortable training miles at home, where you get to come home and you’ve got everything at your fingertips but it’s a little different when you’re on the trail, making sure you’re prepared for the inevitable.”

Burtnick added “Feb. 11 is probably going to come up sooner than I know. We’ve got a lot of stuff on our plate right now. The place we moved to, there’s no house, so we’re building a house right now.

“I also have an 11-month-old daughter, so that’s keeping things very interesting while training dogs and getting ready.

“But to sum it up, I’m just excited. It’s something I’ve been a fan of for a very very long time and … I’m living the dream now and I get to participate in it, so Feb. 11 can’t come soon enough.”