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The 19th annual Grand Mesa Summit Challenge Dog Sled Race will be held this weekend – KJCT

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) – Hundreds of paw imprints left soft marks on the fluffy white snow. Tails wagged and rumbling howls came from competitors as they were unloaded from the trailers they arrived in.
The Rocky Mountain Sled Dog Club is hosting the 19th annual Grand Mesa Summit Challenge on Saturday and Sunday. The race starts at 9:00 a.m.
A lot of preparation goes into hosting the event each year. The club starts filing permits in August. They have to make sure there is insurance, create advertisements, get sponsors and much more.
“It takes a village. It takes your whole board jumping in and doing everything,” Laurie Brandt, RMSDC board member and competitor, said. “It’s been the past week that our trail boss has been out here packing the trail with the help of Delta Snow Cruisers. They help pack it down and then we hire an actual groomer to come out and set the corduroy.”
The RMSDC crew spent several hours on Friday setting up the start chute, the end chute and the courses.
“The greatest part about Rocky Mountain Sled Dog Club is that we all have this common energy and common bond. Behind the scenes, I love it when people are picking up the slack for one another,” Shannon Greene, the club’s race coordinator, said.
Competitors from all over the state and neighboring states signed up to compete. A total of 23 teams entered, which club members said is about average for their races. Greene says being a musher is a lot of work, and a lot of people don’t understand how much goes into the sport.
The president of the RMSDC, Lynn Whipple, said she is excited for this year’s event.
“We just really love having people come up and just see how much the dogs love to do this,” Whipple said. “It’s just super positive to have your dog out there. Working with them is a discipline for the dog and it’s also a discipline for the human. We encourage people to come and see what it’s all about.”
The race will feature:
The event is the highest elevation dog sled race in North America, at 10,500 feet. The event is free, and community members are invited to attend. It will be held at the Mesa Top Trailhead on the Grand Mesa.

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