Volunteers help sort Yukon Quest Food Drops
The biggest challenge with these due dates is that a musher will not know what the weather, temperature or trail conditions will be in two or three weeks. It is relatively simple to pack for a race that will start the next day, but it will be over a month from today's Yukon Quest Food Drop to when Allen goes through these bags at the Circle Checkpoint.
Most mushers will pack plenty of extras. Extra dog booties, socks, neck gaiters, gloves, dog jackets, musher food and the list goes on! As well as extra gear, extra dog food is essential. The race plan might be to stay at a checkpoint for 6 hours, but... in the real world anything can happen! (Aliy stayed in a checkpoint on the Iditarod during a blizzard for 24 hours.) Always be prepared to stay longer and feed more!
As well, the dogs' appetite sometimes changes with the weather and temperatures. Fat snacks and Eagle MVP kibble are necessary in very cold temperatures, but fish snacks and Eagle Power pack are better in warmer temperatures. Will this Yukon Quest be a "Snow Cone" or a "Hot Cup of Tea" kinda race?
The bottom line in packing Yukon Quest Food Drops is: pack what you think you'll need and then pack what you don't think you'll need, then you might be finished.