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Stories from the Trail
Welcome back to a new school year! The 2022 race is the 50th running of the Iditarod. The anthology, Iditarod: The First Ten Years, was compiled to preserve the stories of those who launched The Last Great Race. The goal of the Old Iditarod Gang was to have this book for classrooms to use as …
We have been spending some time in class this last week learning about some of the people behind the scenes of the Iditarod that help bring The Last Great Race® to people around the world. When my students see the amazing photographs of the mushers and their dog teams along the trail, they ask …
I’ve said repeatedly that I can make an Iditarod connection to ANY topic. I’m ready to prove it yet again. Today we connect the Iditarod to our study of Lewis and Clark. And not because of the obvious fact that the Lewis and Clark Trail is a historic trail just like the Iditarod Trail. It’s …
We had a chance to take a virtual fieldtrip to Windy Creek Kennel, home and kennel of Ken Anderson. Ken completed his rookie race in 1999 and has run consecutively since 2002. He’s had five top ten finishes and has finished twelfth in the last two races. He has always finished in the top twenty …
We had the chance to catch up with Monica Zappa via Skype last week! She joined us from her home to tell us about “life after Iditarod!” The boys were so excited to talk to her and had some great questions for her. She even introduced us to Dweezil, the superstar puppy! Dweezil has become …
Once I left Skwentna today, I flew back to Anchorage, only I didn’t land at the airport, I landed right on Lake Hood, which is right behind the Millennium Hotel. I took off almost immediately again, this time headed for McGrath. I’m in the Cafe now, which is kept open for twenty-four hours a day …
I flew into Skwentna with Race Judge Jim Gallea. He has been a race judge for about ten years and is an Iditarod finisher himself. It was a beautiful day for a flight. The sky was so clear you could see forever. It was just amazing! I got to sit in the front seat of …
The Ceremonial Start of the 2014 Iditarod has been completed. Mushers and teams are doing their last minute chores and hopefully getting a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s restart. Tomorrow it starts for real, but today was all about the atmosphere, the fans, the celebration and the fun – for mushers, friends, family, fans, and …
Today I will check another item off of my Bucket List: being an Idita-rider in the Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod. I’m riding with Nathan Schroeder from Minnesota. My students have been very concerned about the idea of me riding eleven miles in a dog sled. It may be my fault; I may have filled …