photos by Todd Newcomer

The San Juan Mountains were inundated with man's furry, four legged friends last weekend as San Juan Stage Racing returned to the area with the Mancos Mush and Silverton Slush sled dog races. Mushers from across the country and Canada came to compete in two races of three stages each. The long course was an exhausting 125 miles while the short course was a competitive 85 miles. The first two days of competition were held in Mancos before the event moved up in altitude to Silverton on Sunday. A biting cold blanketed the start area as racers began to get their dogs and sleds ready for the day. The sun slowly rose and thawed the racers before the competition began. Canadian Grant Beck took first place in the 125-mile race, finishing in 6:21:30 and taking home $2,175 in earnings. Clint Hallam, of Lyman, Wyo., won the short race finishing 4:49:38 and taking home $1,400 in prize money.