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“Houston, We Have a Connection:” Celestial Observations

The second question people ask me about my time on the Iditarod Trail, after “did you survive the cold?” is usually, “Did you see northern lights?” My answer is, yes, sort of. On the second night in Galena, a checkpoint along the Yukon river, a faint swirl of northern lights appeared in the sky. It …

Post-Race Video Subscription

Post-Race blues? Idita-withdrawals? US TOO! Get access to all of the 2024 video content that aired during the race: on-trail interviews, Run Dog Run videos, videos from before, during and after the race, post-race interviews and so much more! This subscription is valid until June 30, 2024 and will not automatically renew.

Classroom Culture: Mandatory Gear

This year’s Iditarod has come and gone, with lots of great stories, memories, and lessons.  One of the things that stood out to me after watching mushers come into checkpoints was how they carried and located their mandatory gear.    What is mandatory gear?  Rule 16 of the 2024 Iditarod Race Rules states:   Rule …

“What’s in the Sled?” STEM: Building the Best Insulated Water Bottle

Have you seen Dallas Seavey’s video about the boots he created for the Iditarod Trail this year?  The six-time champion shared his new footwear system shortly after the race concluded. In the video, he talked about the types of problems he hoped to solve by rethinking the entire concept of footwear on the trail. Seavey …

2024 Iditarod Winter Raffle Winners Announced

  The 2024 Iditarod Winter Raffle drawing took place at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 7, 2024 at the Great Alaska Sportsman Show in Anchorage, Alaska. Fifty-five (55) lucky raffle ticket holders now share $200,000 in cash prizes which consist of forty-nine (49) $1,000 prizes, five (5) $10,000 prizes and one (1) $101,000 grand prize. …

“Houston, we Have a Connection:” The Overview Effect

If you’ve ever flown in an airplane and looked down at the ground with a sense of wonder, you are getting a similar feeling to what astronauts experience when they look at Earth from space. Astronauts say that this emotion is very difficult to put into words—that perhaps there are no words for it. They …

Introducing the 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™️

Join the Iditarod Education Department in welcoming our 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the TrailTM, Maggie Hamilton, to the elite group of educators to earn this honor.  After completing an involved and thorough application, and the selection process as a finalist in Alaska prior to this year’s race, Maggie accepted this year-long job. All finalists have …

Introducing the 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™️

Join the Iditarod Education Department in welcoming our 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the TrailTM, Maggie Hamilton, to the elite group of educators to earn this honor.  After completing an involved and thorough application, and the selection process as a finalist in Alaska prior to this year’s race, Maggie accepted this year-long job. All finalists have …

Classroom Culture: Learning through Storytelling

Miriam Körner, the author of the young adult novel Yellow Dog, says, “There is a power that comes from personal story, and that power is strongest when it is shared through storytelling.” Körner lives in Canada with her husband, who grew up in northern Saskatchewan. The novel demonstrates the power of learning through storytelling as …

“Race Day!”: Engineering-Design and the Iditarod Air Force

My experience with the Iditarod as Teacher on the Trail has put me up close and personal with a facet of the race that people might not think about much: the Iditarod Air Force (IAF).  This is why I wanted to highlight the IAF in my March lesson. The race would not be possible without …