Well, “Q” is for lots of things, but none of them are what I expected. In this case, Q is for the quirky bug I caught somewhere along the trail. Q is for the quick trip desperately needed back to Anchorage. Lastly, Q is for quench to get those fluids going, the quilt to snuggle into, and the quiet rest in order to not have to resort to quarantine. With any luck tomorrow’s “R” will be all about recovery so I can get back out on the trail!
More importantly, we need to focus on those quality mushers still out with their dogs, pushing towards Nome. Jessie Holmes has once again shown his “never quit” attitude as he was the winner of the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award, choosing $3,000 in pure gold as his prize. Ryan Redington was definitely sick along the trail but is feeling much less queasy after his 24 and is ready to race once again. Jodi Potts-Joseph had quite the scare just outside of Rohn as she came across a bison on the trail. She explained that it put its head down and was pawing at the ground. It charged but stopped inches from her dog team, who began backing away. After her firearm misfired 4 times, she placed herself behind a tree and threw sticks at the animal. She said it was then that she remembered her grandmother repeating a native phrase when she and her own children were facing a grizzly bear in the yard. That phrase in English means, “Go away. Have mercy on us. Leave us alone.” Trusting in those words of wisdom, she did the same and the bison looked up, turned, and trotted off. I would say that qualifies as some amazing advice from a loved elder that she will always be grateful for. So many mushers are quoted as saying how great the trail has been so far as well as being really happy that the intense windy sections have eased up. Sadie Lindquist even compared The Gorge to snowboarding with the twists and turns. She loved it! As 24-hour layovers are being taken, the race is coming into sharper focus. While Jessie Holmes and Mille Porsild chose to rest in Cripple, Paige Drobney blew through on her quest for Iditarod glory!
Here are some quick activities for you!
- Quiet Checkpoint- Sit with the lights off in silence for 2 minutes. Imagine being a musher coming into a remote checkpoint like Nikolai. Imagine what they might hear, see, and feel. Write a short sensory paragraph of that experience.
- Question the Musher- Write questions students would ask a musher if they were to interview them. Partner up, and try creating an interview video having one as Iditarod Media and the other as a specific musher. Details can be used and discussed from this year’s race in particular.
- Quick Freeze Science- Explore how extreme cold affects materials. Freeze water bottles overnight and then observe how they melt in different environments: outside, refrigerator, classroom, locker, heater. Discuss how mushers manage food, water, and self-warmth in extreme cold.
- Trail Quilt- Give students paper squares to create a quilt piece documenting something from this year’s race so far. Put them together to create a quilt of the race. Discuss together what each quilt square means.
- Quiz- Find my Kahoot for both lower and upper elementary students on Iditarod.com under Education/Teacher on the Trail for some fun trivia!
