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Sanka W. Dog
Meredith Mapes is camped in McGrath next to the Kuskokwim River. She sent a lighter sled ahead to McGrath and will be changing out sleds before leaving. Take a look at this photo. Do you think she’ll get it all in the sled? What mandatory gear can you spot?
Monica parked her dog team in front of the McGrath Checkpoint. This picture shows a great deal of action and all that has been accomplished in the short time Zappa, Blue Steel and the rest of the team have been parked. What do you see? The vet (wearing orange pants) is making notes in Monica’s …
The PenAir Spirit of Alaska Award is designed cooperatively between CEO Danny Seybert of PenAir and artist Jon VanZyle. The award represents the spirits of the sixteen dogs and the spirit of the musher becoming one in the Iditarod. The Aleut hat became a part of the art work because of Seybert’s Aleut ancestry. What …
Mushers have shipped these sled to McGrath. How many sleds do the rules allow the mushers to use? What might be a reason why the musher would want to change sleds?
Sled dogs are real characters. They love to run. Their excitement is over the top. This dog from Allen Moore’s team seemed to be very eager to get going. Every so often it’d stand up to check out the situation up in front with the lead dogs.
Four Countries are represented in Iditarod 46. Fifty-six teams are from the United States. Eight teams are out of Canada, two teams from Norway and one team from Sweden. With Alaska being the 49th State, it’s a nice coincidence having 49 musher from the state of Alaska. Other states represented are Washington, Kansas, Michigan, New …
Musher Matthew Failor of 17th Dog Kennel will be running Iditarod 2018. Teachers attending the Iditarod’s Winter Teacher Conference visited Failor’s Kennel. One of the many highlights of the trip was meeting the new batch of puppies. They are 22 days old. Their eyes have been open since they were 10 – 12 days old. …
The 41st JR Iditarod is history. Bailey Schaeffer is the Champion. Bailey also received the Humanitarian Award for outstanding Dog Care. Bailey’s lead dog, Bill, received the Blue Harness Award. Bailey says that Bill is a dependable leader who keeps the team lined out.
With new fallen snow, the JR Iditarod start felt like a magical winter wonderland or perhaps the Alaska version of Narnia. The mushers are on the trail for the first 75-mile leg of the race. They’ll rest for ten-hours then apart for the 75 mile finish run. Check the JR Iditarod webpage for updates. GPS …
The JR Iditarod begins on Saturday, February 24th. Each of the athletes has a pre-race physical. The vets check heart, hydration, attitude, appetite, weight, legs and lungs as well as making sure that all vaccinations are up to date.