Today, “N” is for new adventures! The day dawned with promise as I received news I would finally be heading northwest out on the trail, nerves and all! I made some final adjustments to my necessary gear and hauled the pack of numerous items to the shuttle. I lug my pack thinking it must weigh ninety pounds, when in reality it’s only thirty-eight. My first flight brought me to the native village of McGrath near the early evening. Crossing the notable Alaska Range was a surreal experience when you grasp the sheer size of the mountains. I hovered near the window the entire journey my mouth hanging open. I will never forget such stunning beauty. Immediately upon hitting the runway, we loaded into the back of a truck for the short trek to the lodge for a nutritious dinner. I’m not sure what I expected, however it certainly wasn’t the nice spread we were given. Afterwards, we navigated to the community center where we will be for the night. I’m not expecting more than a nap or two, but that is definitly part of the experience. The incredibly nice people I have met so far, including Neda, will be my neighbors on the narrow office floor tonight. We settled in to explore the race GPS on the big screen, taking time to evaluate the happenings so far. Looking at the different names, out on the trail, Jessie Holmes came into Rohn just shy of three hours ahead of Bailey Vitello, followed by Paige Drobny an hour later. Paige, bib number 10, wasted no time grabbing needed food and straw before jetting out on her way to Nikolai. Time will tell how long before someone chases her into the night. Numerous mushers have commented in interviews how mild the weather has been compared to what was expected. Nearing Rainy Pass is Adam Lindenmuth, Sam Paperman, Sadie Lindquist, Grayson Bruton, and Jaye Foucher. They continue to navigate the trail in the darkness, I’m predicting looking skyward for the Northern Lights. We will wait to see what tomorrow brings and whether I will backtrack to Nikolai or on towards Takotna next. As I settle into the new normal, I continue to be amazed at the number of new friends that are ever welcoming and nice!
Now… try this!
- Letter N- Brainstorm words that both begin with the letter N and have n in them pertaining to the Iditarod. Then have students create a word cloud collage using either wordart.com or wordclouds.com.
- Nikolai on the River- This checkpoint sits on the Kuskokwim River. Have students trace the river to where it empties, taking time to discuss the river landform, what it does, what makes it different, and how it is useful to mushers on the trail.
- Nikolai- Compare and contrast the village of Nikolai and student’s town.
- Nikolai Roleplay- Give students jobs to role-play such as musher, checker, vet, dog handler, volunteer, reporter, etc. Have students act out what would happen as teams enter the Nikolai checkpoint.
- Nikolai Culture- Design a village information poster about Nikolai and the Athabascan native culture including the subsistence lifestyle, river travel, sled dogs, history, etc.
