IT BEGINS WITH NOISE: dogs baying in anticipation, bundled locals cheering, a crude speaker system blaring “Who Let the Dogs Out.” But within minutes, silence: a quiet chorus of panting, the muted patter of paws in snow, the icy sluice of toboggan rails, and the occasional whistle piercing thin, frigid air. Ahead lie 200 miles of trail: through trackless, virgin snow, over 6,000-foot mountain passes, dropping into gaping canyons, and through the brawny timber of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Ahead lie 45 hours of quiet.Read more here: http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/eastern-oregon/articles/dog-stars-of-the-eagle-cap-extreme-december-2013