I have been waiting for quite a while to say this…

I left Anchorage early this morning and made my way to Unalakleet on the Bering Sea coast. It was an amazing ride through the interior of Alaska. After not seeing the peak of Denali while in Cantwell for the Junior Iditarod, I was able to see it as it broke through the cloud cover below. Once the cloud cover gave way, the beauty of the Alaskan landscape was on full display.  Winding rivers, vast open snow covered areas and then the Nulato Hills before landing in Unalakleet. Getting off the plane, we were met by winds gusting up to 45mph and the footing was tricky as there is mostly ice on the ground. 

After getting a ride on the back of a truck, we arrived at the so called “UNK Bunk” or bunkhouse where the volunteers and people with the race will spend their nights. After unpacking and making my way down to the COMMS area (where I delivered the latest MusherGrams) I checked out the drop bags and the frozen river where the mushers will make their way into town, probably led by Brent Sass, later this evening. 

For those of you not too familiar with the towns and villages, there are some great resources available on the Iditarod website. By looking at the “Race Center” tab and then clicking on “Checkpoints” you can learn much more about each of these places. Here is what the site says about UNK. “Population 882 — Situated on the coast of Norton Sound, just north of the Unalakleet River, this village is the largest community on the Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Nome. Two well stocked stores, as well as two restaurants can be found here along with limited lodging by advance booking. The trail is now entering the gateway to the Bering Sea and from here on the mushers can expect sudden storms and an ample supply of wind. The checkpoint is in front of the AC store.”

Another interesting feature to look at, to get a better idea of what the terrain is like between the checkpoints, can also be found in the “Race Center” tab. From here, click on the “Race Map” and any of the blue links that say “Kaltag to Unalakleet” (for example). Here, you can find a wealth of information about the trail itself; even the “Quick Overview” provides an excellent description. You can read exactly what the mushers are experiencing on the trail and the things they might see. It’s a longer read, especially for younger students, but would be quite interesting for those in upper levels. 

Unalakleet portage. Photo Credit: Iditarod Staff

The area between Kaltag and Unalakleet is commonly referred to as the “portage”. Along this stretch are two well known cabins that are sometimes used as resting places for mushers; the Tripod Flats Cabin, and the Old Woman Cabin. Constructing Tripod Flats Cabin was a team effort that included Richard Burnham, former Iditarod musher and long time resident of Kaltag. I had the privilege of speaking with him for one of my “Voices of the Volunteers” posts earlier this year. To learn more about Richard and hear some of his stories, check out my interview with him here: https://iditarod.com/edu/voices-of-the-volunteers-richard-burnham/

Teachers: MusherGrams are a very fun way to get more involved with the race! Anyone is able to send the mushers a note or encouraging message that they receive at checkpoints along the way. My students in the past have loved doing this activity. Here is information that was provided recently by the Iditarod on their Facebook page. “The call center representative will take your name, what musher you would like it to [go to] and what you would like your message to be, and they physically hand-write the note that will make its way up the trail to the Musher.” Call anytime! (907) 248-MUSH.