Teams of dogs from Montana to Minnesota charged into a brisk wind Sunday, their masters gliding in tow and commanding the runners on the first leg of this year's 350-mile Race to the Sky.

Seeley Lake offered welcome to the teams as they arrived by caravan shortly before the 5 p.m. starting time. With sleds stacked atop trucks and cages — trucks piled high with bales of hay — the convoy looked something of a safari moving into the depths of Montana's wild heart.

But as each team surged from the gate separated by three-minute intervals — the hounds yelping and dashing under a low winter sky — dogs, men and women looked ready to confront the chill of a dark winter's night.

While the race began in Seeley Lake, much of Sunday's hype took place in Lincoln, the customary home of the popular event. Although lack of snow forced officials to move the race north this year, Lincoln wasn't willing to completely relinquish its role in the annual affair.

Race teams displayed their gear at the Lincoln Public School. Flurries fell throughout the afternoon as high winds cast drifts across the highway. Race fans arrived by the dozens to mingle with the mushers.

"Let's get on the trail," said Mary Lambirth, a Race to the Sky veteran. "We're just out here to enjoy the race. We just want to finish with wagging tails."

Lambirth, a fishing guide who hails from Minnesota, said her team had compiled 1,600 training miles in preparation for Sunday's start. Her dogs are fit and ready to run. With nine veteran dogs returning to the line, boasting finishes of second, tenth and eighth, Lambirth was confident in her team's potential performance.

Bruce Kohlhase showed no sign of pre-race jitters. The tall musher stood beside his truck contemplating the challenge ahead. But where veteran Lambirth sat relaxed, Kohlhase the rookie — a psychologist by trade — expressed his doubts regarding the 350 miles that stood between him and a successful finish.

"Things are a little uncertain," he said. "We should be OK, but I think we're a wildcard. This is a different game."

Kohlhase, who also stems from Minnesota, said it was his team's first run on snow. While a few members of his lineup have raced before, those races have been short. Montana's Race to the Sky, he said, will pose challenges of a different sort.

"We go more for speed in a 100- to 150-mile race," Kohlhase said. "Here, it's more about endurance and holding the dogs back."

Bill Smith, former Race to the Sky marshal, said it was his first try as well. But the Deer Lodge man wasn't intimidated by the field of veterans, as nature can render all men and women equal.

While feeding his team hot dogs and a special blend of stew, Smith liked his odds over the next four days.

"I ran the course two weeks ago," Smith said. "I'm here to qualify for the Iditarod and we're just looking to finish."

Smith's primary goal is to bond with his dogs. His team, he said, knows this: When the dogs leave the checkpoint, their master will bring them home. Finishing high in the standings comes second to safety.

"I really try to care for the dogs," Smith said. "They tell me when to go. I won't leave a checkpoint until every last one of them has eaten."

As the sun fell low on the horizon, the race countdown had begun. Two hours before the chase, mushers downed a meal of hot chili, summer sausage, crackers and banana bread. Nerves were kept in check by conversations regarding the task at hand, where the challenges were hidden, and the upcoming Iditarod in Alaska — the crown jewel of the dog-racing world.

But after the meal, matters got down to business. The last supper was set aside and the maps came out.

Crowded into the makeshift cafeteria at the Hi-Country jerky plant in Lincoln, teams were told by Charlie Ackley, the race's trail boss, to stay on course and stand vigilant to unseen hazards.

Holding up two wooden sticks, Ackley referred to them as "standard little ol' hunks of wood."

Never mind their standard nature, he said, these stakes will keep you from getting lost.

"This trail is completely outbound — there isn't a return trail," Ackley said. "But you'll end up where you started. Understand?"

It wasn't a riddle and, as Ackley said, this isn't last year. He reminded mushers that this year's race consists of four 84-mile loops. In past years, the course took teams 150 miles north of Lincoln to Holland Lake — the turnaround point.

But despite the change in course, race official Bobbie Pomeroy said teams will still face mandatory two-hour and four-hour stops at the Fawn Creek checkpoint, where veterinarians will check the dogs.

Ackley said if the moose haven't chewed up the stakes, then race teams shouldn't have any trouble finding their way.

Pomeroy also said the first race updates weren't expected until later today.

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or by e-mail at mkidston@helenair.com.