The recurring theme here in Takotna seems to be how good the food is, mushers and volunteers seem pretty happy! Mushers are also talking about how slow the trail has been up to this point, and speculation about the mushers that have pushed to Iditarod for their 24 hour rest. The consensus seems to be …
Ed Hopkins arrived into Takotna at 10:39 this morning, greeted by his partner Michelle Phillips who is volunteering as trail crew here in Takotna. His dogs looked super happy when they arrived, as soon as they spotted Michelle their tails started wagging and Ed’s leader jumped on her to say hi and give her kisses. …
If you haven’t heard, Takotna checkpoint is famous for their pies every year. Nell is the one in charge of running the kitchen (and almost everything else around the checkpoint!), and she has a crew of schoolkids all day, every day, helping her keep the mushers, volunteers, and villagers fed and happy. The first mushers …
It’s fascinating how much work has to happen to make the Iditarod happen every year. I’ve been in Takotna for about 24 hours, and it’s been eye opening to see how much work is going into getting the checkpoint all set up and prepared for the mushers to arrive sometime this evening. We’ve got 6 …
After rookies left the starting line Sunday it should have hit them that they were finally racing in the Iditarod – leaving the starting line is a surreal experience when you’ve spent at least a couple years preparing for this moment. Once you leave the start line, you get to high five people through the …
In talking with some of the rookies today, the general consensus was that they were all ready to be on the trail – most were very nervous, but knew that once they left the starting line they would be in their happy place! Victoria Hardwick was one of the first rookies I talked to, she …
At the start today I enjoyed talking to a lot of the rookies and their families. Some of the rookies were super nervous, many of their families were more nervous than they were though! The general consensus from the rookies was that they didn’t get any sleep last night, and they’re hoping to get more …
I always enjoy going to the drawing banquet in Anchorage, because there’s a wonderful mix of fans, volunteers, handlers, and mushers. I got to see many of the friends that I only see once or twice a year, and it was great to catch up! One of the wonderful people i spoke to, Lev …
Hi everybody! I’m Meredith, I started racing dogs at age six at the Willow Winter Carnival (in the 1-Dog race, which I won by 1/5 of a second!). I was first introduced to dog mushing through Girl Scouts and earning the dog mushing Girl Scout badges, and as a longtime volunteer for the Iditarod (I’ve …
Hello everyone! February 8-9 was one of the premier junior distance dog mushing events, the Willow Jr 100, starting and finishing at Vern Halter’s Dream A Dream Dog Farm in Willow, Alaska. The race is for kids aged 12-18 (18 year old’s allowed to race if they are still in high school!), and covers approximately …
