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Sanka W. Dog
Being in Nome for the finish of the Iditarod is amazing. It’s an immense change for the dogs and drivers. Since leaving Willow eight or more days ago, they’ve really been away from all the hustle and bustle of civilization. Except for checkpoints, they’ve been alone with their dogs in remote Alaska. Following the two-minute …
The communication specialists in Unalakleet have the live video feed from Nome playing on the one computer inside the checkpoint that’s connected to Internet. There are half dozen people sitting close enough to the computer to see and hear the broadcast from Nome. Mushers, Paul Johnson and Mike Santose, are in the group. When team …
The definition of trail user expanded early on Monday morning at the Checkpoint in Unalakleet. While waiting in the pre-dawn hours for Cym Smyth and Nicholas Petit to arrive, the checker spotted a couple of headlamps in the distance and hurried into warm gear to greet them down on the frozen shough. Much to everyone’s …
The headlamp was visible for some distance. The light and the musher wearing it made steady progress toward the checker holding the clipboard. John Baker and eleven dogs marched into the Unalakleet checkpoint 5:04 Sunday morning. He was officially greeted by checker, Doug Katchatag and heartily welcomed by a few hundred villagers, family, friends as …
Right now the temperature and the number of mushers in Unalakleet are both sitting at zero. Before morning, the temperature will drop while the number of mushers will rise. A whole crew of checkpoint volunteers came together this afternoon to organize musher needs at the checkpoint. Pallets of straw, sleds, drop bags and heet had …
Handler described the flight from McGrath to Unalakleet as absolutely magical. Imagine being in a boat on crystal clear water that is as smooth as glass. The lake you’re on is very deep – four or five thousand feet. The bottom fluctuates by a couple thousand feet. Structure is plentiful along the bottom and sides …
Breakfast in bed is a real treat, like a special celebration treat. Musher G.B. Jones just brought these dogs bowls filled with warm broth and kibble. The dogs have been laying around most of the day, just taking it easy and enjoying the warm sunshine. Breakfast in bed is their reward for putting together a …
Handler flew over the Alaska Range in a Cessna 180 to get to McGrath where she is writing stories for Iditarod’s Eye on the Trail Exclusive Coverage. It was a little bumpy below 5,000 feet so the pilot took the little plane up to 6,500 and the ride was smooth as cream. On the trip …
After all the teams had cleared the Skwentna checkpoint, ten dogs remained on the dropped dog line. Dogs take priority when clearing a checkpoint. The first planes dedicated to clearing the checkpoint transport dogs ahead of any people. It seems that the dogs really like to fly. The get lifted into the back of the …
It’s pretty amazing to be at a checkpoint during the race. Tourists get onto small planes and fly out to Finger Lake and to the Rainy Pass Checkpoint on Puntilla Lake. There you’ll find spectators wandering between the rows of straw observing the dogs and the mushers. How about a virtual tour of the historical …