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Jim Lanier is camped on the west end of the checkpoint. He’s seventy-five years old and has done Iditarod in every decade of its existence. The guy is a legend. He’s written Beyond Ophir, an absolutely captivating collection of his personal mushing experiences. Lanier has finished 16 Iditarod races without scratching. In 2014 he was …
There’s still plenty happening in McGrath but the intensity has decreased. Mushers coming in from Nikolai will probably choose to take their long layover here. It’s a popular spot with good food, good parking, good places to sleep and excellent hospitality. Of note right now is Matt Failor. He’s departed McGrath for Takotna as of …
Becca Moore has an adventurous spirit. In high school she loved to kayak, backpack and back country ski. In college she spent her free time racing bikes, telemarking and snowboarding. Now at the age of 44 she’s traversing the great state of Alaska by dog team. Becca holds a degree from Colorado State University …
As the day turns into evening in McGrath, I’ve had a chance to talk with a couple mushers as they’ve arrived from Nikolai. Many, many more have come into the checkpoint today that I haven’t chatted with but hope to do so tomorrow while before they depart. Teams who came in on Tuesday evening and …
Also camped at McGrath for a 24-hour rest is Sarah Stokey. Sarah is engaged to Travis Beals. Together they run Turning Heads Kennel in Seward. It’s a tour business where their dogs are the heart and soul of what they do. The Turning Heads mushing team has be recognized by the Tustumena 200 and …
Monica Zappa has departed McGrath after a five hour rest. Her dogs came into the checkpoint trotting smartly with Monica wearing her usual brightly colored parka and musher hat. Zappa usually wears a smile nearly equal to Aliy Zirkle’s and is very upbeat and positive about the performance of her team. No deviation today, big …
Parked around the corner from Travis Beals is Martin Buser who’s NOT taking his 24-hour rest in McGrath. Buser was booting his team preparing to head to Takotna and perhaps beyond before taking his long lay-over. It’s no secret that Martin is heading to Seattle via Nome. His oldest son, Nikolai was involved in a …
In McGrath for his 24-hour layover is Travis Beals. He’s a three year veteran. In his first two runs to Nome, he claimed 37th place each time. In 2015 he improved to 11th. Do the math, that’s 26 places. He’s back this year with a core of veterans and some younger dogs for the sake …
Dallas Seavey was the first musher of the 2016 field to reach McGrath. Spectators saw Dallas as he rounded the bend of the Kuskokwim River but then lost sight of the team as they climbed the bank to the trail along the river. When they came back into sight, the team was smart looking and …
PenAir awards the Spirit of Alaska Award to the first musher to McGrath. They’ve done that since 2001. When the first musher approaches the checkpoint (folks will be watching the tracker), so will the village residents. There will be a couple hundred spectators to witness the presentation by PenAir executive Danny Seybert. That won’t happen …
