DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
Two days before the annual Deh Gah Sled Dog races, Whitehorse musher Armin Johnson loaded up 17 dogs and embarked on a trek to Fort Providence.

Armin Johnson, from Whitehorse takes care of his dogs after running a 14-mile race on Jan. 15. - April Hudson/NNSL photos

A musher of six years, this would be Johnson's first time competing in the Northwest Territories.

The long drive didn't deter him, and neither did a poor showing in the 12-dog class, where he ended up in eighth place. He rallied his team for the six-dog class and ended in second place, just two seconds behind the lead musher.

Johnson belongs to the Yukon Dog Mushers Association of Whitehorse. While the Yukon is best known for longer races, such as the Yukon Quest, a core group of mushers is working to bring back the tradition of sprint-racing, and Johnson will be hosting a race in February in Whitehorse to that end.

"(Sprint racing) has actually quite a long tradition there," Johnson said.

"It's kind of seen a bit of a revival, and we're just trying to bring it back. It used to be really popular - it actually used to be one of the biggest races around . We're just part of a group who wants to see it born again."

In a territory that's best known for the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest, Johnson said sprint mushing has something special.

"Sprint mushing is neat because it's a timed thing . (and) because the dogs really run," he said.

"In the Quest, they're trotting and pretty slow for days. It's like a race to see who can go without sleep for 10 days and think properly after."

The draw of a sprint-racing revival is what brought him to the two-day annual races in Fort Providence.

Gesturing to the crowd that gathered at the Snowshoe Inn parking lot on Jan. 15 for the tail end of the races, Johnson said he hopes to learn from what race organizers Susan Fleck and Danny Beaulieu have accomplished in Fort Providence.

"(They) got this club revival going here, and it's been really positive. They've got the community out here helping. We want to just learn from them and see how they do all that," he said.

Having spent the past seven years in the Yukon, Johnson previously lived in Norman Wells, although that was before his mushing days. His introduction to mushing came at the hands of his wife, who grew up running sled dogs.

"You can see it's a lot of fun. There's a lot of energy," Johnson said. "(With) sled dogs, it's actually in their blood (to run). They're bred for that. They're not house pets - they're totally just driven to want to run. All these (mushers) out here are just giving them a chance to do that."

That's not to mention that competitions are a lot of fun, he added. The thrill of competing against other mushers is what drives him to keep mushing - and gives him the motivation necessary to haul his dogs on a two-day journey.

"The analogy would be like having a hockey team. These (dogs) are all super athletes, so you're like the coach," he said.

"You learn how to train them and sometimes they can really excel."

The race itself was on par with other races he's competed in in Alaska, he added.

"Some of these smaller communities have some of the best races, and the best money," he said.

"I liked (this race). It's really well put together."

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