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Kelly Villar 2020 Teacher on the Trail
Tails from the Trail- Homeward Bound Snow, blizzard conditions, -40 to 34-degree temperatures, COVID19, checkpoints being moved, and so much more. One thing for sure is that this has truly been an Iditarod to remember! It has been a race of change and resilience. When the rest of the sports world was shutting …
Tails from the Trail Welcome to Nome! Nome is not only the end of the Iditarod Trail, but it is also a historic town located along the Bering Sea. With a population of 3576, Nome was once a thriving city of over 30,000 when gold was discovered in the beach sand in 1899. Nome is …
Tails from the Trail The Burled Arch was ready. The crowd was gathering. After 9 days 10 hours 37 minutes and 47 seconds, an amazing run, and a race like no other, Thomas Waener of Torpa Norway has become the 2020 Iditarod Champion! Thomas left Saftey at 9:17pm traveling at a little over 6 mph, …
Tails from the Trail The sun is shining, temperatures in the mid 30’s, and teams are steadily coming into Unalakleet. About half the teams have arrived now and many more will continue through the night. With these warmer temperatures it could slow down a team. Mushers are taking extra care not to let their dogs …
Tails from the Trail Welcome to Unalakleet! Unalakleet is the largest village along the Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Nome, with a population of 882. Unalakleet is the beginning of the mushers trek along the Bering Sea. During this part of the trail the mushers can expect higher winds and possible snow storms. However today …
Tails from the Trail A quick stop in McGrath before Unalakleet tomorrow. McGrath is located at the meeting point of the Kuskokwim and Takotna River. It is a larger village, with a population of 479. This is the last hub for larger aircraft before Unalakleet, so many volunteers and Iditarod crew will pass through McGrath …
Tails from the Trail The last mushers have come and gone in Takotna, so what happens next? Clean up and closing a checkpoint. We spent the afternoon checking drop bags. Drop bags are sent by the mushers to each checkpoint along the trail. Mushers pack these bags about a month before the start of the …
Tails from the Trail Next stop Takotna! It was a beautifully clear day, so the flight was spectacular. We even got an overhead view of several mushers heading into McGrath. Takotna is a smaller village, population 51, located on the Takotna River. This village has been known by many different names in its history, Berry …
Tails from the Trail Today we hear from Cindy Gallea about her special dog Orchid. Cindy is not mushing this year however she has run in 15 Iditarods. Her first Iditarod was in 1998 finishing in 48th place with a time of 14 days 0 hours 48 minutes and 36 seconds. “Orchid joined my …
Tails from the Trail Nikolai was busy and quite chilly this morning. It was -30 degrees and the sun was shining brightly across the clear blue sky when the first musher, Richie Diehl, arrived in Nikolai. It was energizing and wonderful to see many in the village come to cheer him on as he …