Old habits die hard!  Having worked comms at Skwentna for so many years, the first thing I did this morning was look at the tracker to find out who was still camped on the river in front of the Skwentna checkpoint.  Since 2007, I’ve been out there on the ice with those teams, talking to the mushers as they were preparing to leave.  More than once, I’ve stood on the brake and snow hook or held out leaders as the musher got mittens on to leave.

Cindy Gallea pulled out at one minute after 0900 for the 40 miles to Finger Lake.  At the Banquet in Nome last year, Cindy announced it would be her last Iditarod.  Needless to say I was surprised to see her at the Wednesday vet check.  Having said “last race,” Cindy also says, “It’s difficult to let go of something that is deep in my soul and that gives me the opportunity to run my dogs for days through the beauty of Alaska.”  She grew up on a farm in Minnesota loving the out of doors and interacting with animals.  She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in nursing.  As a Nurse Practitioner, she found her way to mushing paradise, good training and breathtaking views, in Montana.  The more she ran dogs, the more she loved the sport.    This is the 15th attempt Cindy has made for Nome.

Thirty minutes later Patrick Beall headed down the river out of the checkpoint.  Beall is a rookie who grew up in Norman, Oklahoma.  After graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Environmental Science he found work at a lodge in Bettles, Alaska.  Taking care of sled dogs in Bettles ignited his love for the working animals and also the sport of mushing.  Next stop for Patrick was Sterling, Alaska where he worked for Mitch Seavey.  Work included training dogs, training himself as well as qualifying for Iditarod.  Patrick has also trained with Dallas Seavey.  Beall’s hobbies include hiking with his dog Umiak.  

Rookie Mary Helwig left Skwentna a couple of minutes after Patrick.  One of the things she’s looking forward to in Iditarod is returning a village she previously called home, Unalakleet.  After earning a degree in Psychology from the University of Chicago, Mary moved to Alaska to work for Covenant Youth of Alaska.  While in Unalakleet, Mary worked as a youth leader in the local church and as bible camp cook.  Helwig says, I had my first experience on a sled during a short women’s sled dog race put on by the Norton Sound Sled Dog Club.  Helwig fell for the sport hook, line and harness.  She’s worked for DeeDee Jonrowe and Middy Johnson.  In 2013 she established her own kennel and began breeding her own dogs.  Iditarod 44 was to be the year she made the 1,049 mile journey to Nome, that was until the Sockeye fire in June.  Helwig lost her home and nearly all her possessions.  Her dogs were evacuated and some of her costly mushing gear like her parka went out with the dogs.  Helwig is looking to a new career as a veterinary technician.

Iditarod XLIV started out on a very lucky note for Ellen Halverson.  Two musher’s names are drawn for free entry fees for the race.  Ellen’s name came out of the hat along with DeeDee Jonrowe’s.  Born and raised in North Dakota, Ellen came to Alaska after graduating from medical school to work as a psychiatrist.  She’s attempted Nome seven times, finishing twice.  Both finishes have been in the Red Lantern position, something Halverson says she’d prefer not to receive again.  In her race bio, Ellen says, “There are always many things that affect the Iditarod; the weather, the trail, and the health of the dogs.”  More or less that translates into the line on the map being the same every year but the race always being different.  Ellen says she’s most content when she’s with her dogs.  Ellen knows perseverance and knows it well.  She was a rookie in 2002, 2003 as well as in 2007 when she completed the race to Nome.  Ellen and Kristin Bacon departed Skwentna at 0942 followed by Elliot Anderson at 0958.

For Kristin Bacon it must have been a rather nostalgic stop at Skwentna checkpoint.  While working as a Skwentna Sweetie she was introduced to Ryan Redington.  Bacon was considering getting into dogs and was introduced to Redington for that reason.  The two agreed to “talk” after the race.  When they talked, Kristin went back to Bacon’s Acres with Libby.  Libby gave birth to eight pups.  Bacon has learned to mush right along with those pups.  She’s on the trail for her rookie run to Nome with those pups as the nucleus of her team.  Kristin has a degree in physical Therapy.  When she’s not working with her dogs or with her clients, she’s sharing the sport of mushing with special needs children.  

Running out of Happy Trails Kennel is Elliot Anderson.  Elliot attempted Nome in 2014 but scratched in Elim.  He was working as Martin Buser’s apprentice for that race.  It’s a two year commitment that culminates in taking Buser’s puppy team to Nome after nurturing and training them since birth.  Elliot grew up in Wisconsin then moved to Wyoming where he worked on a ranch with horses.  He ventured to Alaska to be a tour guide on the Mendenhall Glacier that involved running dogs.  That job lead him to the Buser apprenticeship.  He credits his love for nature to family camping trips.  Elliot is an Eagle Scout.

When Billy Snodgrass began mushing his dogs were a working dog team.  He lived in Wyoming and used dogs to get into his ranch.  Snodgrass is a fourth generation cowboy.  He lives with his horses and 140 sled dogs.  He’s wanted to run Iditarod since he began mushing.  He’s a four-time Iditarod veteran and has also run many mid-distance races.  He runs Iditarod for the adventure.  Billy has a rather unique life motto, “It’s a great day to be alive – if you don’t think so, you’re going to have to leave because you’ll only bring the rest of us down.”  Billy was the final musher to move on down the trail from Skwentna checkpoint.  

The trail for these back of the packers should be hard and fast.  They’ll be in Finger Lake before they know it where a wonderful musher awaits.