Alan and his wife, Barbara Trost, and their lead sled dogs, Dryas and Lupine, on the sea ice in Nome at the end of the 2005 Serum Run.

Alan Peck, Fish and Wildlife Service hydrologist in the Anchorage Regional Office since 1999, will be participating in the Serum Run mushing expedition across northern Alaska. The Serum Run is an annual dog team journey with snowmobile support that crosses 800 miles of Alaska's frozen rivers, tundra, and sea ice from Nenana to Nome. Thirteen mushers and their 13 snowmobile partners, along with more than 150 sled dogs, will take 18 days to complete the trip from February 19 to March 9, 2006. Dog teams carry enough supplies to be independent for a day or two while each snowmobile hauls up to 700 pounds of equipment and food in a cargo sled. Daily distances traveled range from 30 to 70 miles on snow packed trails or through challenging wilderness terrain. The Serum Run route passes through Koyukuk, Nowitna, and Innoko National Wildlife Refuges located along the Yukon River. Audio and text updates along with photos from the trail can be found on the Serum Run web site (www.serumrun.org). The expedition commemorates the 20 men and dog teams who, in 1925, relayed crucial diphtheria serum across Alaska's extreme winter conditions to save countless lives in isolated Nome.

Alan began mushing in 1986 when he worked at the Denali National Park kennels using freight sleds and large dogs to haul supplies and patrol the Park. Since then, he and his wife, Barbara Trost, have raised their own dogs to travel on long distance ski-jor (harnessed dogs connected to a skier with a pulk) and mushing trips of up to several hundred miles. Most recently, Alan competed in the Knik 200 Sled Dog Race and was an expedition member on the previous Serum Run in the spring of 2005.