At the Lonesome Pine Lodge in Fort Kent, tables are covered in bags of dog food, paperwork and emergency supplies.
This is where mushers, or people who train sled dogs, stop to register their teams and go through required checks with veterinarians before the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races.
Dogs and their mushers started arriving in the northernmost tip of Maine as early as Thursday for the longest and most intense competition in the eastern United States.
Can-Am President and Trail Boss Dennis Cyr said, if all the preparation goes well, the small town of Fort Kent will look completely different in less than 24 hours.
“If you've never seen 400 too 500 sled dogs together, all barking in one area, anxious to do what they love to do... then this is an event you should have on your bucket list," he said.
Mushers come from all over North America to participate in either a 30, 100 or 250-mile race through the Upper St. John Valley and deep into the Allagash Wilderness.
The top 12 in each race will get a cut of a $51,000 prize purse. But more than that, the Can-Am is a chance for mushers to showcase skills that can only come from hundreds of hours of training.
Last year, Martin Massicotte of Saint-Tite, Quebec claimed his 11th victory in the 250-mile race and hopes to do so again.
"I don't feel any different this year," he said in a message translated by his wife Marie-Josee Dulong. "I always strive to do my best with my team of dogs."
Massicotte will have twice the competition compared to last year with 14 teams participating in the 250-mile race this year.
While first place is the holy grail, most mushers say they have goals apart from a first-place finish.
For local kennel owner Jonathan Hayes, it’s about bringing attention to his own particular breed of sled dogs, Seppala Siberians.
They're named after Leonard Seppala — who famously transported lifesaving serum through the Alaskan wilderness to save a town gripped by diphtheria in 1925. His journey inspired the animated movie "Balto."
“They are as rugged as anything you could ever imagine. And I think they really encapsulate the Maine spirit,” he said.
Hayes was part of an effort last year to make Seppela Siberians Maine’s official state dog.
While other sled dogs have since been bred to outperform the Seppela in both speed and strength, Hayes said he continues to raise them to honor the origins of sled dog racing and to share Leonard Seppela’s story.
“I'm showing up to a Formula One race in a '67 Camaro," Hayes said. "Obviously my goal is not to win. My goal is to let these dogs show that 100 years after Leonard Seppela brought them to Maine, that they can still do what they were bred to do.”
At a home a few miles outside of town, the Baril family arrived from their home in Quebec with two dozen dogs rather than the 12 that's required for the 250-mile race.
That’s because three of the four members of the family are participating this year.
Jeffery Baril will be competing in the 250-mile race, while his wife Caroline and his 13-year-old son Mathys will run the 30-mile.
The amount of work it takes to raise over two dozen dogs can cause friction in the family, Jeffery said. But watching his kids learn to race makes it all worthwhile.
“When they jump on the runner, your enjoyment starts there," he said.
Jefferey expects this will be one of his toughest Can-Am yet, because if one of his dogs gets injured, he likely won’t be able to replace it immediately with another dog in the kennel.
This year, he says he’s focused on making sure not to overwork his dogs and on what his family can accomplish in their respective races.
“As a family, I've always taught my wife, my son, my girl, what is important is not winning, it's when you arrive at the finish line and those dogs are all fired up ready to run the whole thing again. That's what we like to see,” he said.
On Saturday morning these mushers and over 40 more will take to the starting line on Fort Kent’s Main Street.
The 250-mile race likely won’t be completed until Monday or even Tuesday. Mushers will carry GPS trackers so the race can be followed on the Can-Am Crown website.
