We are retired from the racing scene but still have a love for, and support long distance racing.

The DOGS!
Each and every dog in our team is a family member.  From birth they are socialized and given the freedom to run loose.  Thus they have a love for us, a desire to be with us and seek us out for affection.  Ever member of the yard gets time to be free and play.  They know their names, are happy to come when called and love to be hooked to a sled.  Just ask anyone who has been around when we touch a sled or pick up a dog harness.  Of course they love the summer just as much, when they get to run free along the Yukon River as we jog or take the 6 wheeler to the fish wheel to pull fish.

Winning or placing high in the Yukon Quest requires not only fast dogs BUT tough dogs as well!  In a race such as the Yukon Quest, the fastest team does not always win.  Extreme temperature can influence physical and mental handicaps.  Perfect training and conditioning for both dogs and musher, race strategy, attention to detail, specialized veterinary medicine combined with specific nutritional requirements, not to mention a good dose of luck, all play into the equation of who finishes in the front and who brings up the rear.

The new type of winning long distance sled-race dog is a finely tuned cross breeding of Alaskan Husky with hound and/or pointers.  We have an ethical problem with this in our dog yard and refuse to become a part of these changes.  There is just enough northern breed bred out of these dogs where the dogs now have to wear coats and many need protective sheathes to prevent their private parts from freezing and many other undesirable traits.  But…they are faster than Alaskan Huskies.  Our kennel and many others do not want to see the REAL Huskies of Alaska disappear into oblivion just for the sake of winning races.  Therefore our team is the real thing 100% Alaskan Husky. 

Wayne ran the Yukon Quest in 2002 and crossed the finish line with a full team of 14 dogs capturing the “Challenge of the North” award.  This was the first time in the history of this race that any musher finished with all 14 dogs.  We have already proven that our dogs are tough.  We then took this “Tough Line” of genetics and bred with one of the fastest Alaskan Huskies to have run the Quest and placed 10th in the 2006 Yukon Quest. Wayne received the Sportsmanship Award in this race.

In 2009, Wayne ran the race one more time with a young team of dogs that had never raced before. They finished a respectable 15th under the shifting colors of the Northern Lights. 



The Human Side of the TEAM!

Wayne, his wife Scarlett and 19-year-old son Matt live in the very heart of Wilderness Alaska.  There are no roads to our cabin, access by boat in summer or dog team/snow mobile in winter.  The log cabin/homestead is located off the Yukon River, nestled on a ridge over-looking “Last Chance Creek.”  The life-style year round revolves around the dog yard.  Running extremely remote dog tours, in winter, provides their main source of income. 

Most of the summer months are spent gardening and taking fish from the Yukon River.  Catching king (Chinook) salmon for us and chum salmon to supplement the dog food for the kennel.  Red meat comes from the harvest of a moose or caribou in the fall. 

There are no power or telephone poles and no running water.  However there is a battery bank that powers starband, a satellite dish that gives them Internet capability and other small electrical needs.  Solar panels and a windmill charge the batteries.

Many hours of the short summer season are spent training dogs and preparing for winter, when the snow starts to fall we have to be ready.  Snow often comes in early September in this area of Alaska.

Our way of life results in the highest amount of individual independence and quality of life interlaced with a tightly loving family surrounded by God and nature.

Run your own sled dog team of

Alaskan Huskies through the

Alaska / Yukon Wilderness.

We specialize in extreme, hard-core wilderness travel using highly trained Alaskan huskies. This area of Alaska is one of the most remote locations left on earth.  Because a true wilderness experience becomes tainted with a large group or "party," we limit our tours to one or two clients plus your guide.  (Except on special request for a larger group, by you.)  You can customize your tour to your own personal physical abilities and expectations which can include day trips and a simple overnight in a tent camp or an original miner/trapline cabin dating back to the early part of the century or you can experience a full-blown expedition as long as you want, mushing into country inhabited only by God's creations, including caribou and wolves. 

CONTACT: For more information and/or questions e-mail us at bushalaskaex@starband.net or bush_alaska_expeditions@hotmail.com ask for our brochure or write us at:  Bush Alaska Expeditions, P O Box 161, Eagle, AK 99738.  No incoming phone calls due to the remote location but there is Internet access via satellite. Phone calls can be arranged via computer and satellite.   

OCT-NOV-DEC each year finds us at our American Summit Base Camp.  Our internet access is limited to once every 7 to 10 days.  Please contact us with any questions but also be aware that during that period you may not receive a reply for a period of time depending on weather and travel conditions.