The Can-Am Crown kicked off Saturday in Fort Kent with mushers from Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin and several Canadian provinces.

The 250-mile dog-sled dash across the wilderness of northern Maine takes mushers to Portage Lake and then to the town of Allagash before looping back to Fort Kent by Monday morning.

Mushers have to prepare for anything, as the temperature plummeted to minus-38 during the first ever Can-Am Crown and then soared to 61 degrees a year later.

Among the participants in the smaller 30-mile race this year is 17-year-old Caleb Hayes, whose team was attacked by a moose while training Tuesday night.

Hayes had to shoot and kill the moose to end the attack.