Venus; Speckles; Harry the Boy Who Lived; brothers Bradley and Cooper; Pearl and Captain the big, red Siberian husky: The dogs are clipped one by one into a tether, which itself is attached to a heavy sled with a standing driver. The dogs jump, howl and scream, and their hot breath leaves steam hanging in the winter air. It’s race day, and they're eager to get out on the snow carpeting the forest trails near Cle Elum.
Their driver, meanwhile, has never even been on snow. In Mexico, mushers race bikes through low brush on rocky, red dirt trails. But Marcos Cardenas and his companions, Marcos Padilla and Pepe Flores, are here competing in the Dogtown Winter Derby to learn how to mush on snow. Now there’s no more time for practice: After a countdown, they jolt off toward a distant tree line.
Cle Elum, Washington, is an international hub for mushers from around the world. It’s anchored by Larry Roxby of Flying Furs and the Northwest Dogsled Association, who believes the future of dogsledding lies in building bridges with mushers from different cultures. That story begins with the mushers of Urban Mushing León from León, Guanajuato, Mexico, who hope to build awareness and earn international recognition for their place in a sport where sheer love of dogs can take you far.
But first, they’ll have to finish without getting lost in the woods.
Larry Roxby kisses one of his dogs after finishing his race in the Northwest Sled Dog Association Dogtown Winter Derby at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum on Jan. 12, 2019. (All photos by Dorothy Edwards/Crosscut)
Jeanne Roxby gets her dogs ready for their first race of the day during the Dogtown Winter Derby in Cle Elum.
Marcos Padilla of Leon, Mexico, kisses one of the sled dogs before a race during the Dogtown Winter Derby in Cle Elum. Padilla and two other dogsledders from Urban Mushing Leon traveled to Washington to work with the Roxby family and their dogs and compete for the first time on snow.
A competitor races in the Dogtown Winter Derby.
Larry Roxby rewards one of his dogs after finishing his race in the Dogtown Winter Derby.
Marcos Padilla of Leon, Mexico gets lined up at the start line before his race during the Dogtown Winter Derby. Padilla and two other dogsledders from Urban Mushing Leon traveled to Washington to work with the Roxby family and their dogs and compete for the first time on snow.
From left, Jeanne Roxby, Pepe Flores and Marcos Padilla put harnesses on the sled dogs before their race in the Dogtown Winter Derby Three racers from Urban Mushing Leon in Mexico traveled to Washington to work with the Roxby family and their dogs.
A sled dog in his crate at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum.
Larry Roxby, left, helps Marcos Padilla get lined up at the start line before his race in the Dogtown Winter Derby.
A sled dog in between races during the Dogtown Winter Derby.
Jeanne Roxby visits with some of her sled dogs in between races during the Dogtown Winter Derby.
A sled dog in between races during the Dogtown Winter Derby.
Rodney Whaley puts his dogs in their crates in between races during the Dogtown Winter Derby.
