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Zuma's Paw Prints
Hello friends, Have you ever wondered if you could be an Iditarod racer? YES! However, you can’t just sign up and run, you need to qualify. Rule 1 in the 2022 Official Rules describes what a musher needs to do to qualify for the Iditarod. First, you need to be at least 18 years old …
Hello friends, No dog can become a K9 Journalist without reading a LOT of books. Many mushers began their Iditarod journey after reading a book by Gary Paulsen or Jack London. A few mushers have even written their own books. Want to know more? Check out the Iditarod Library for lists of books for all ages. …
The fire siren sounds in Nome to announce that a dog team is approaching Front Street. It wails for the champion, the Red Lantern and every musher in between. Family, handlers and fans put on their coats, boots, hats and mittens and gather at the burled arch to welcome another Iditarod finisher Approaching the burled …
Out in the middle of no-where on the Nome to Council Highway sits the Safety Roadhouse. Looking back toward White Mountain, you see nothing but a few hills and snow, looking toward Nome you see nothing but flat land and snow. Looking out over the Bering Sea, you see nothing except sea ice and ice …
When mushers leave Elim, they head along the shore to a spot called Walla Walla. Here the trail crosses a peninsula and climbs over the Kwiktalik Mountains. The highest point that the mushers reach is 1,000 feet above sea level at Little McKinley Trail expert, Don Bowers, says this the toughest climb on the last …
Hello friends, It’s almost time for the 2022 Iditarod and mushers are working hard to get ready. At this writing, 52 teams are signed up (11 teams have withdrawn). Some old favorites are coming back and there are 13 Rookies. A rule change for the 50th race is that “only mushers starting the Iditarod for …
Dear Friends, We know that sled dogs helped get mail and supplies to gold miners in the 1800s and early 1900s. Did you know that they also helped transport eggs? The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., has a display that talks about eggs being part of the Alaskan mail system! It was difficult …
Elim, an Inupaig village of 310 people is situated on the south shore of the Seward Peninsula or north shore of Norton Bay. Elim (EE-lum) is 100 miles east of Nome as the crow flies. Like all bush villages, Elim isn’t connected by road to the rest of Alaska. The only way to travel into …
Dear Friends, Winter is here and we sled dogs are loving our training runs with the mushers! Many of you know that we wear cloth booties on our feet when we run the Iditarod. These fit over our four paws and a Velcro strip keeps each snug on our ankles. The reason we wear …
Just out of Shaktoolik, teams will run through rolling tundra. Some of the villagers have reindeer herds that graze there. Once out on the sea ice, the great white expanse of Norton Bay can be overwhelming and confusing, especially in high winds. Don Bowers, Jr. calls the 50 mile section of trail from Shaktoolik to …