The Iditarod Air Force planes are grounded if the visibility is poor. That means the Teacher on the Trail stays put until the weather clears. Having waited two days, but following the admonition to always be packed and ready, I jumped in the first available plane out of Unalakleet to the checkpoint of Anvik! We …
Dear Friends, The 2023 Iditarod is over. What fun we had following the dogs and mushers across Alaska! Mushers described tough conditions: Too warm of temperatures around Nikolai for the dogs who are used to running in cold No snow through the Buffalo Tunnels, running sleds over mud and ice chunks Wipe outs, turned over …
Dear Friends, What exactly happens in Nome when the teams finish the Iditarod? First, the mushers and teams run along the Bering Sea coast and then up a hill onto Front Street through the city of Nome. A siren goes off when a musher is approaching so that anyone snuggled into a warm bed can …
Dear Friends, You have seen that the top three finishers in the race (including all their amazing sled dogs) are Alaska Native. What does that mean? Here is a definition: American Indian or Alaska Native means a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and …
Dear Friends, Did you hear about Eddie Burke, Jr. back on Saturday? He was getting pretty sleepy and fell off the back of his sled! His dogs just kept going! They call that a runaway team! Thankfully, the dogs made it to the checkpoint and were held there. Two kind mushers found Burke walking …
Dear Friends, As the teams are leaving Unalakleet, passing through the checkpoints of Shaktoolik, Koyuk, and Elim there will be times they will be running on sea ice, cutting off time by running “as the crow flies” rather than on land. From the air, they say it is smooth and a good run for the …
Dear Friends, If you are watching the standings or the GPS tracker of the sled dog teams, much emphasis is placed on the top five. Things are getting very exciting as teams approach White Mountain. Only 77 miles to go after their 8 hour mandatory stop! Did you know the Iditarod keeps track of finish …
Dear Friends, When sled dog teams come into a checkpoint, what happens? Sleds are checked for required items. Vets check the dogs. The musher may grab more supplies from the drop bag sent ahead. The musher may stop to snack or feed the dogs a meal, then rest. Sometimes, mushers change plastic on their …
Dear Friends, As teams make their way on the southern route of the Iditarod Trail, you may notice that it has gotten colder! For the teams leading the race, today’s question will be, “Where will they take their 8 hour mandatory rest on the Yukon River?” The checkpoints of Shageluk, Anvik, and Grayling are …
Dear Friends, Some of you may have spring flowers blooming. Those temperatures wouldn’t be good for sled dogs right now, because we love running in colder places. We have two layers of hair. The inner layer is like a soft blanket, keeping us warm The outer layer is guard hair, keeping ice and snow away …
