JOSEPH — Gee! Haw! Mush!

That’s what Craig Anderson will be hollering again as he sets his sled dog team on the course of the 2025 Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race outside of Joseph this month.

Anderson, who has raced four or five years, will be doing the two-day, 62-mile short race.

“This year I’m doing the short one,” he said. “Before, I ran the 100-mile race once.”

He’ll be running six of his eight Alaskan huskies. They range in age from 3 to 12 years old. Most are 5-6.

“The dogs trust me and I trust them,” he said of his canines. “You don’t want to lose their trust, so you have to be careful not to overwork them. It’s an extremely tight bond between mushers and their dogs.”

Anderson hopes to win, but for him the race is mainly about having fun.

“For me it’s more of a social event,” he said. “For me, it’s fairly satisfying.”

The race consists of three different lengths. There’s a 200-mile run, a 100-mile run and the 31-mile run done on two days for a total of 62 miles. As of Tuesday, Jan. 14, there were six mushers and teams entered in the 200-mile race, 10 in the 100-mile race and five in the 62-mile race, race board member Michael Moore said.

“It’s completely full,” he said. “It changes kind of regularly, but that’s the nature of the sport.”

According to the race website, the event starts on Jan. 22, with dog checkups by veterinarians in downtown Enterprise beginning at 9 a.m. and in downtown Joseph beginning at 1 p.m. Race enthusiasts are welcome to come and meet the mushers and their teams. Veterinarians are willing to answer questions when they are not examining dogs or talking to the mushers.

Race Central and the Kids’ Corner are at the Joseph Community Events Center at 102 E. First St. this year. In recent years it’s been at the Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise, but organizers wanted to bring it back closer to the race.

It’s open Jan. 22, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Jan. 23-24, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (closed during the race start), and Jan. 25, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The race itself starts Jan. 23 at noon at the Ferguson Ridge Ski Area east of Joseph. The first mushers to hit the trail are those in the 200-mile race, followed by those in the 100-mile race and then the first stage of the 62-mile short race. On Jan. 25 at noon, the second stage of the short race kicks off.

An awards reception takes place Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at the events center.

Shuttles are available from the parking area below Fergi starting at 9:45 a.m.

Moore, who is not a musher, said he expects plenty of spectators this year, especially after last year’s race was canceled for lack of snow.

“We’re hoping for good turnout,” he said. “The Fergi managers say the snow is great. They say the snow is 110% above average, so we’ve got enough snow.”

He said that in addition to locals turning out for the race, he expects race enthusiasts to be coming from all over the region. He’s aware of one local school bus and one from Union County planning to make the trip.

Moore said that one new element this year is that supporters can sponsor a particular mile marker for the first time.

“It’s just a way for the community to take part,” he said.

The ECX isn’t the only race Anderson competes in. He also often runs one that takes place outside of McCall, Idaho.

His daughter, Morgan, also has competed in the ECX, he said, but this year, the 26-year-old is away at graduate school.

But for Anderson, it’s really all about the dogs.

“They’re very friendly. I have a couple who are a bit shy, but they all love attention,” he said. “It depends what kind of dogs you’ve got, but you get pretty attached to them.”