Cindy Abbott was at the dropped dog lot adjacent to the airport waiting with her dogs for transportation out of McGrath to Anchorage. I was pleased to catch up with her to hear her impressions of her run. Abbott attempted Iditarod in 2013 but injured herself at about mile twenty. Thinking it was a groin strain, Abbott persevered to the Yukon River where she post holed and injured herself further. She scratched from the race and soon after found out she had a broken pelvis.
Cindy was very upbeat today although she knew that this would be her last attempt at Iditarod. While she’s climbed Mount Everest, the Iditarod finisher’s belt buckle would never be hers. Abbot is quick to say that climbing Everest is far easier than Iditarod. On Everest it’s about taking care of yourself. With dogs, they are your main concern and each dog has different needs and different character traits. Together everyone achieves more but taking care of and driving a dog team is a whole lot more difficult than just taking care of yourself.
Cindy was not unhappy with her efforts in Iditarod XLII. The very first thing she stated was that she never let go of her team – NEVER! That’s the cardinal rule of mushing – Never let go! Not letting go of the sled is a very big trophy for Cindy.
Abbott, coached by Vern Halter of Dream a Dream Dog Farm and Musher Training Center ,was prepared for the steep and tricky descents of the gorge. She had chains to wrap around the runners to slow her down. This provided the control she needed to descend the Gorge.
To get across the ice bridges she removed the chains for better control. It was on one of the crossings that she slipped off the sled and injured her shoulder but she didn’t let go.
Working with dogs in preparing for Iditarod takes a good many hours. In all those hours – training runs, camping trips and races, one becomes very attached to the dogs. One knows them like their children and it’s hard for Cindy to say goodbye.
Cindy has been diagnosed with a serious and rare disease, Wegener’s Granulomatosis. As a result Cindy, a Health-Science teacher at CSU-Fullerton, is a rare disease awareness advocate for the Rare Disorders and the Vasculitis Foundation. Abbott is the author of Reaching Beyond the Clouds: From Undiagnosed to Climbing Mt. Everest.
Cindy you have dream big and have dared to try. You are a winner!
