The Icefield Expeditions camp on Denver Glacier. (Claire Stremple/KHNS) - Skagway, AK 
Unseasonable warmth causes sled dog camp to close early
Record breaking temperatures are searing the globe. One spot where the evidence of that heatwave is especially apparent is on a glacier near Skagway. Icefield Expeditions operates a sled dog tour on Denver Glacier above the city. Their hopes for a full season melted in the heatwave—the snow was gone before August. But they’re not giving up, just moving to a new glacier
About six thousand feet above Skagway, hundreds of sled dogs spend the summer taking tourists for rides. The camp looks improbable perched on a high glacier, nestled between jagged peaks. Rows of dog houses and tents form a tiny spot on the blank landscape.
Icefield Expeditions has been running tours since 1999. They fly tourists up to remote glacier camps by helicopter and take them for a spin with professional sled dog teams.
It’s a way for elite dogs from around the country to stay active in the off-season—the part of the year when they’re not racing the Iditarod or the Yukon Quest.
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