The National Park Service Sled Dog Kennels are amazing. The kennel manager, Karen Fortier, runs a first class operation, with well cared for, healthy and happy sled dogs. Karen's team of Carmen, Sarah and Krusty will assist me by helping to haul out research materials, gear and food on Monday, January 21st.

The plan is for me to take off on skiis at about 8am on the 21st. Christine will ski a few miles with me, we will say our goodbyes and then she will turn around and go back, really looking forward to that, not. The 3 dog teams will then leave at about 11am and when they get to me throw a tow line, snow conditions permitting, for the remainder of the journey. The total first day's journey from Park Headquarters to the Sanctuary Cabin is about 20 miles. The next day we will proceed another 10 miles to the Igloo Cabin followed by a day to break trail over Sable Pass if needed and if not up and over Sable 10 miles to the East Fork Cabin. The last day will take us the final 10 miles from the East Fork to the Toklat River.

Charles Sheldon hired Harry Karstens as a guide and to assist him while he was in Denali. Karstens was an experienced dog musher who has his own rich Alaskan history. Before he was twenty years old he had left his home in Illinois for Alaska. Karstens had a variety of jobs including delivering mail by dog team in between Fairbanks and Valdez. The winter before he met Sheldon his dog mushing route had changed and he was carrying mail in between Fairbanks and the Kantishna mining district. The Denali National Park Kennels have a rich history of patroling through Denali's borders. Karstens was hired as the first ranger in 1921. He and his dogs would spend months at a time on patrol searching out poachers who were hunting caribou, moose and Dall sheep in the new Mt McKinley National Park.

Today Denali's sled dogs continue to supply transportation for rangers during the winter months. "On average, 3,000 miles are logged throughout the Park's interior, all on the backs of sleds pulled by NPS huskies."1 I am totally indebted and thankful to the National Park Service team of dedicated dog drivers who will help me get out to the Toklat.