There is a river long and wide that flows throughout the Yukon and Alaska. It has carried gold-seeking prospectors, husbands, wives, prostitutes, river boats and steamships, and has lead to tragedy, riches, loss of fortunes and for a select few, gold.  Today the gold has all been found, but the river still flows and prospectors continue to course through its gushing waters in search of something else entirely – adventure.

The Yukon River Quest is a 444-mile grueling river race that takes place over the course of three days. Teams begin in Whitehorse, YT and finish in Dawson City, with only 10 required hours of rest. They pee in bottles, sing songs, paddle in unison and forever keep an eye out for the finish line.

I was fortunate enough to cover this amazing race from start to finish, riding through clouds of smoke left over from forest fires, capturing racers climbing out of boats, unable to walk without the help of volunteers, watching from above as they navigate their way through the Five Finger Rapids, and finally cheering them on as they round the bend near Dawson City.

Here are some of my favorite shots on and off the river, followed by some adventuring in Dawson City, where I, along with Skagway’s team the “Alfred E. Paddlers” successfully conquered the Sourtoe Shot. Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. A five-year-old toe, dropped into the shot of your choice. Not to worry, it’s only allowed to touch your lips. But just when you think you’ve gotten past the worst, the toe juice is squeezed out of the disgusting, black member, back into your shot glass and down your throat. So while the paddlers can check the Yukon River off the bucket list, I can check guzzling down nasty ol’ toe juice off of mine. Cheers to that!