The Hudson Bay Quest finished this weekend without any major incidents and Ryan Anderson from Ray, Minnesota won gold with a time of 31:56:43! Ryan held off second place finisher Sean McCarty and third place finisher Peter McClelland to claim the top prize. Anderson also was awarded the Calm Air sportsmanship award as well as first to halfway honor. All in all this year’s race had fantastic weather and a great group of volunteers to facilitate all the challenges. Congratulations to all the mushers that competed in what has become one of the best races in the north!
Ryan Anderson wins the Hudson Bay quest. HBQ photo.
Ryan Anderson accepting the winners trophy. HBQ photo.
2016 Hudson Bay Quest mushers. HBQ photo.
The 2016 Vet award for exceptional animal care was presented to Jacob Heigers. HBQ photo.
Ryan Anderson also won the Calm Air sportsmanship award. HBQ photo.
As always the Canadian Rangers were key support for the 2016 Hudson Bay Quest. HBQ photo.
Here’s the official Hudson Bay Quest results for the top three finishers in Gillam. We will post the complete official results Monday or Tuesday. Congratulations to all the mushers and all the volunteers that made the 2016 Hudson Bay Quest a great race!
Bib # 7 Ryan Anderson in at 17:26:43 Bib # 5 Shawn McCarty in at 18:42:56 Bib # 11 Peter McClelland in at 20:16:52
Finish line at the HBQ in Gillam. HBQ photo.
Peter McClelland at the Hudson Bay Quest finish line. HBQ photo.
Hudson Bay Quest winner Ryan Anderson. HBQ photo.
Hudson Bay Quest runner – up Sean McCarty. HBQ photo.
Owl River Update:
Bib # 7 Ryan Anderson in 0750, out 0750
Bib # 5 Shawn McCarty in 0939, out 0941
Bib # 9 Stefaan De Marie in 0947, out 0948
Bib # 10 Nathaniel Hamlyn in 1004, out 1004
Bib # 4 Dan Di Muzio 1009, out 1009
Bib # 11 Peter McClelland in 1014, out 1115
Bib # 1 Charlie Lundie in 1100, and resting
Ryan Anderson from Ray, Minnesota is leading the pack of mushers surging toward Gillam, Manitoba as the annual Hudson Bay Quest dog – sled race enters the final stages today. He leads Shawn McCarty from Ely, Minnesota by nearly two hours en route to the finish line. Both mushers are past Hudson Bay Quest champions. Last year the two finished third and seventh respectively. A battle between the seasoned mushers will culminate this evening in Gillam around dinnertime. Peter McClelland, also from Ely, Minnesota is a close third just minutes behind McCarty. Churchill mushers Dave Daley and Justin Allen are forging along just behind the main pack with respectable times. These placements could change quickly as teams rest along the course. To view updated race standings go to https://hbqrace.com/.
The Hudson Bay Quest start in Churchill. Alex De Vries – magnifico photo.
Dave Daley’s dogs raring to go at the Hudson Bay Quest start line. Ales De Vries – Magnifico photo.
Justin Allen from Churchill tears out of the gate in the Hudson Bay Quest. Drew Hamilton photo.
Natural Habitat Adventures group arrives just in time Thursday for the Hudson Bay Quest start in Churchill. Drew Hamilton photo.
Justin cruising along in the HBQ. Alex De Vries – Magnifico photo.
A happy St. Patrick’s Day from Churchillpolarbears.org. looks like the green northern lights are still blazing in the Arctic sky. Thanks Natural Habitat Adventures guide Court Whelan for the awesome aurora borealis shot. Sliante!
Aurora green in the sky for St. Patricks Day in Churchill. Court Whelan photo.
National Geographic wildlife photographer Nansen Weber has been going to Cunningham Inlet by Canada’s Somerset Island in the high Arctic with his cameras for 16 years. Every summer thousands of beluga whales join him for an amazing spectacle in the shallow inlet. For about a month, the beluga whales gather for what is a very social time as well as molting period and nursery time for newborns. The Cunningham River is a northerly version of the Churchill and surrounding estuaries in the southern Hudson Bay in that its’ temperatures average eight degrees F warmer than the surrounding ocean waters. The warmer water is a welcome respite for the whales and facilitates the behavior mentioned.
Weber and the whales seem to coexist in the inlet with the belugas approaching him closely as if they remember him from the year before. The drone footage of the whales, polar bears, and the incredible rugged landscape lends perspective to the massive wild region that is largely unspoiled.
That notion could be changing however with climate change and federal policy allowing research and transport throughout the Arctic. Shipping channels around the Northwest Passage are becoming more accessible with ice reduction due to warming temperatures. This will allow large ships in the region and they, with all the noise they produce, will undoubtedly have an affect on the animals echolocation faculties.
“This might be the only place on Earth you can enjoy the beluga whales like this that is still wild like it’s been for the last 500 years, but maybe it’s going to be changing. Just in my lifetime of being in the Arctic for 20 years, I’ve seen climate change. There’s new birds that are migrating up north that I haven’t seen before, there’s mosquitoes now where there shouldn’t be mosquitoes, the ice patterns and weather patterns are all weird. It’s kind of a dilemma that’s always there in the back of your head while you’re enjoying the beluga whale spectacle in front of you,” Weber says.
Weber’s videos and photos shed light on how ship traffic and resulting noise pollution may alter the beluga whale population’s migratory routes. “There has been scientific evidence that the ship traffic—the sonar—affects the communication between the belugas, so that could definitely be a problem for the future for our belugas in Cunningham Inlet.”
All of the Arctic region and all of its inhabitants will be affected with changing climate. “It’s not only about the beluga whales. I mean, we have polar bears, there’s narwhals and bowheads along the Northwest Passage, arctic char that run in the rivers. Inland you have the musk ox, the caribou that graze, all the migratory birds that fly up every summer to enjoy the short arctic summer, the snowy owls, the falcons. It’s just a huge ecosystem that’s all tied together,” states Weber.
