Musher Arrives in Takotna (Photo: David Poyzer)

A dozen rookies, all in the back of the pack are either in Takotna or will arrive yet tonight.  They are soon to find out what all veterans know. Takotna is the friendliest little checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail.  The checkpoint is one of the favorites for doing the long 24-hour rest.  There’s a woodfired boiler for hot water, a comfortable place to sleep and unbelievable food, including pie.  Long ago the checkpoint was headed up by Jan Newton.  After Jan passed in 2012, Nell Huffman became the chief cook and pie-maker assisted by other villagers. 

Now a new generation is stepping up.  Nell’s daughter, Tabatha Meglitsch, is making pies and cooking for mushers and volunteers.  Tabatha is the principal and teacher of the Takotna School.  The children are off school when Iditarod comes through and take shifts helping in the checkpoint.

What’s on the menu?  Burgers, stew, soup, pancakes, egg sausage and of course, PIE!  There are cream pies and fruit pies in a variety of flavors.  Not staying at Takotna but passing through, that’s not a problem.  They’ll hand you a TO-GO sack lunch.  During the years of COVID when the race passed by rather than through Takotna, mushers still received sack lunches from a resident standing on the river.       

Musher Pam Flowers talked about her Takotna experience in the 1983 race.  She said, “My dogs and I arrived in Takotna in the early evening. I went inside the community center to find the checker and was greeted by a small, enthusiastic group of people. I was running in the back of the pack and was surprised not only by how welcome they made each musher feel but also amazed at the huge array of food they had available. They invited me to stay and eat but I explained that I was anxious to get back on the trail while there was still light. Jan looked so disappointed and said something like, “Everyone is rushing through this year. We have all this good food. Won’t you just stay for awhile and eat something?” Well, since I was in the back of the pack and these people had obviously worked very hard to provide us with hospitality, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave right away. So, I sat down and had a huge and delicious meal. I remember how happy this made them. Takotna was a small checkpoint but like Jan Newton, big on hospitality.”  The same is true today thanks to Nell and Tabatha.

Pete Kaiser who rested in Takotna told Casey Grove of Alaska Public Media, “The better I can take care of myself, the better I can take care of my dogs.”  Both Kaiser and Jessie Royer told Grove that Takotna has always been their choice for 24ing.  Royer said, “It’s where I can get the best rest for me and my dogs.”  Hospitality has been a long tradition in Takotna and continues to the present day.

Mackey Dogs Resting in McGrath (Photo: Siri Raitto)

Speaking of the 24-hour layover, Insider KattiJo Deeter talked with Jason Mackey back in McGrath about the long rest and what it does for the dogs and the musher.  Mackey said that it’s his philosophy to shut down when the dogs are looking good rather than having to use the 24 to build back.  Mushers pay extra attention to feet, wrists and shoulders during the 24 using massage, heat therapies and wrist wraps as necessary.  The dogs and the mushers both sleep and eat.  After a 5-6 hour nap, the dogs are fed and maybe walked than the cycle is repeated.  Mackey says that so far his run has been magical.  His team is in the best condition of any of his previous Iditarod teams.  What he’s wishing for is cooler weather and faster trail.  Looks like Mother Nature is ready to grant that wish for all the teams.  Mackey has completed 7 runs to Nome with a best finish of 21st place.  He was the Red Lantern recipient in 2023, a race where he carried the ashes of his mother and brother Lance.  Jason Mackey is soon to arrive in Cripple at mile 425.

McGrath Insider spoke to rookie Isaac Teaford who is running young dogs for Dallas Seavey.  Teaford said there have been some ups and downs but the trail has been really beautiful and my dogs are really awesome.  He also acknowledged the relatively slow trail and then told a story about crashing in the burn and demolishing the stanchions on the right side of his sled.  After the crash he stood for a while looking at the sled as it sat on bare dirt then started digging in the sled bag for his repair kit and whatever might be used to splint the broken stanchions.  He’s a great innovator and with his mandatory axe, wire and hose clamps he was able to make the sled trail worthy and travel onto Nikolai and then to McGrath.  In McGrath, he was able to acquire a sled left behind by Dallas.

Isaac Teaford Makes McGrath With Damaged Sled (Photo: Siri Raitto)

Before the Race, Insider Greg Heister visited with Teaford up in Talkeetna at the Seavey Kennel.  Isaac is an amazing trumpet player – a mushing musician.  Insider captured Teaford’s beautiful jazz rendition of Misty.  Isaac enjoys music and started playing trumpet in 4th grade.  He played with his father growing up and has even played half-time shows for the Utah Jazz when he lived in Salt Lake City.  He studied music his first two years in college but now he finds himself on the runners but occasionally plays with bands in Talkeetna.  Isaac says, “Music is a big part of who I am.”  Isaac has seen the world with the Navy while serving two deployments overseas.  Upon being discharged he went to Alaska and guided trips in the bush before he sought a job working with sled dogs.  This Iditarod has been five years in the making for Isaac.  After swapping out sleds and reclaiming his axe, Teaford is soon to arrive in Ophir.

Rookie Lauro Eklund has just come off his 24 in McGrath and is headed to Takotna.  Will he stop for pie?  It’s only a run of 18 miles but maybe he’ll take a piece to go.  Lauro told insider his team was really spunky right up to the 24 hour rest.  The dogs are eating well with all the food options he sent out to the trail.  He knows who likes what and said he sent a ton of options to cover all their desires.  During the rest, Lauro said he liked to walk his dogs.  It’s a chance for them to get up off the straw and play a little and in so doing he could see any stiffness or soreness.  Lauro really appreciated the sleep saying, “I’m not so sluggish now.”  Before departing McGrath he plans to pare down some of what he’s carrying in the sled, “get down to the bare bones with mandatory gear and survival gear and that’ll be enough to take care of us.”   Eklund is very pleased with how all the rookies are running, “We might be at the back, but we’re keeping up with the middle of the pack running a ten day race.”