Everyone had to be evacuated by helicopter - two days prior he let the sled dogs go - did the dogs make it make back? I know this is an old episode and not that important of a question but I'm very curious... I wanted to add it to the Q&A but I don't see how to do so...

There is actually a very long thread on this already, but yes they did. They were on an established trail that the dogs knew well, and their owner was waiting for them "over the horizon"

Come on, you don't really think he'd take a hitch of valuable working dogs and just let them go without the owners full knowledge, consent and assistance...do you?