THE FAMOUS IDITAROD DOGSLED MERCY MISSION PALES BY COMPARISON

FIRST BEER RUN OF THE WINTER?

Wednesday, 9:00 AM.  16 degrees F and rising, at the ferry dock and on the back porch as well.  The wind is variable and calm.  The sky has some clouds, but the sun is bright.  The humidity is 74% and the barometer is steady, at 30.33".  It is a nice winter morning,

   As of yesterday, the ferry was still running and the wind sled was not.  The weather has warmed up some again so it looks as though the ferry may struggle on a bit longer.  At this juncture there is a long pressure ridge near the ferry dock that is hampering access for the wind sled, and there are probably other weak spots and hazards as well.

   After the ferry stops running and prior to the ice road being open, the wind sled takes over the transportation of people, but it can carry only limited supplies.  So, traditionally this is when Madeline Island runs out of consumables, such as propane, fresh fruit, milk, and most importantly...BEER!

   The precious commodity is, fortunately, able to be transported in considerable quantities by snowmobile, and I think I witnessed a practice run yesterday afternoon.  Or, perhaps the cargo was something stronger.
   I have heard tales of dogsled runs from Canada to bring whiskey to the Island during prohibition, from whence it was distributed by bootleggers to the big cities.  If such tales are true, the famous Alaskan Iditarod dogsled  mercy mission pales by comparison.