New for 2026
NEw THis Year!!
The 2026 Klondike lead team will be mushed by Ralph DeQuebec, a double amputee wounded veteran and two-time Paralympic Sled Hockey gold medalist.
We can’t wait to share more about this special run soon, read his powerful story below!
Ralph’s Story…
Ralph was born and raised in Los Angeles surrounded by gang violence and poverty. In 2002 at the age of 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Shortly thereafter, he chose to become a bomb technician because, “I was interested in saving lives, not taking lives,” he says.
He worked his way up to becoming a Marine Gunnery Sargeant serving as an aviation ordnance technician and an explosive ordnance disposal technician. Between 2006 and 2011, Ralph was deployed twice to the Middle East. He chose to accept a third deployment in 2012.
This time it was to be for seven months in Afghanistan. But within a few months, Ralph was critically injured when an improvised explosive device exploded a short distance away from him. More than 30 surgeries later, the Purple Heart recipient woke to find both of his legs had been amputated above the knee, and that he had sustained other less severe but still significant injuries.
“My career, my house, my friends; it all came to an end,” he recalls. “I had to start all over.” The first year was extremely hard for the then 29-year-old. But he came to realize the best way to proceed was to achieve, and that one way to do this could be with sports.
He tried wheelchair basketball. Then swimming and skiing. And then sled hockey, which he enjoyed the most.
Ralph went on to become a two-time Paralympian and two-time Paralympic gold medalist in sled hockey. He also played on the U.S. teams that twice won gold at the World Championship.
After retiring from sled hockey, he began coaching children in the sport. But he kept thinking, what next? What else could he that involved working on a team toward a common goal involving athleticism?
Ralph shortly thereafter met Dave Hicks at the Boundary Waters Sled Hockey Combine paraplegic hockey camp outside Winton, Minn. Just down the road in Ely, Dave and his wife Heather own and operate Cast Outdoor Adventures, an organization which facilitates leadership and skills development in youth and young adults that have varying levels of different abilities.
Dave told Ralph about how Cast Outdoor was developing a program involving sled dog mushing. Ralph grew intrigued and learned more about both the sport and how Cast Outdoor was making it possible for anyone who trained to become a musher, regardless of their ability or disability.
In 2024, he journeyed to northern Minnesota to train and then mush for the first time. He fell in love with the sport, how much teamwork is involved, and how with this sport, his teammates are dogs.
“The sum of all dogs is greater than individuals”
— Ralph DeQuebec
Trail of Trust Trailer
From sled tracks to silver screens — Ralph DeQuebec’s story continues to inspire. Cast Outdoor Adventures Inc. and Rarefolks Film Company are bringing his incredible journey to life in Trail of Trust! Here’s a sneak peek.
Video Credit: Cast Outdoor Adventures Inc. and Rarefolks Film Company