Josi Thyr Poses with Leaders at the Start (Photo: Siri Raitto)

The Restart of the 2024 Iditarod took place on Willow Lake at 2pm! The starting chute was full of excitement as the dogs, handlers, media, and mushers readied to start the nearly 1,000 miles of remote winter trail travel. Checkpoints along the Iditarod Trail help the mushers and their dogs have a safe and orderly race.  Checkpoints provide for musher needs, vet care, and hot water and food. The checkpoints also provide a much-needed warm place for mushers to catch a few winks.

Every year, a group of friends comes up from Seattle to the Skwentna Checkpoint.  This checkpoint is 83 miles down the trail, and 30 miles from Yenta, the previous checkpoint. Bush planes land on the airstrip, then people and supplies are transported by snowmachine to the river where the mushers will come through the checkpoint.  The crew is a group of 6-12 volunteers who set up the checkpoint. They’re called the River Crew, and they’re legendary among Iditarod volunteers.

Banner, Straw and Drop Bags Ready for Musher Arrival (Photo: Terrie Hanke)

The work of the River Crew sets Skwentna, the first major checkpoint of the Iditarod, apart from other checkpoints. Coming up from the airstrip about five in the evening, the first thing I noticed was bright blue bales of straw for the dogs laid out at precise intervals across the snow.  Stakes labeled with alphabetical letters denoted the drop bags, sent up the trail ahead of time by all the mushers. A neatly laid out water station consisted of a hole in the ice, big orange signs that said W for water, and tools and supplies for hauling water and heating it for the mushers. Having hot water saves the mushers the time they would have to heat water themselves for their dogs’ meals. Over the top of all this hangs the Skwenta Checkpoint banner.

The Skwentna banner hangs over a well-organized checkpoint. Photo: K. Newmyer

Before all this setup can take place, the River Crew starts by packing down the powder covering the frozen river ice and designating places for the dog teams to park, if they are staying for a few hours. Scott and his brother Todd have been heading up the River Crew for years. Todd showed me two pictures hanging in the Skwenta roadhouse. One shows a chaos of dog teams spread out across the river. The other, from Iditarod 2000, depicts a neat herringbone arrangement of straw for dog teams spaced evenly. The photograph is called “The Morning After.” Innovations like this help the mushers have a better experience as they get ready for their first night on the trail.

The River Crew plays a vital role in just one of the many checkpoints of the Iditarod, and it is steeped in tradition and camaraderie. I met several members of the crew while we ate supper (delicious sloppy joes, coleslaw, mac and cheese, and Tang). Some were rookies, some were veterans.  All had happy smiles. This is their time as friends to come up to the Iditarod from Seattle and have fun setting up a checkpoint. 

A warm and welcoming atmosphere for volunteers and mushers inside the cabin, courtesy of the Skwentna Sweeties. Photo: K. Newmyer

After supper, conversation turned to the timing that the first musher, Mille Porsild, would come into the checkpoint. At an unspoken moment, everyone began sliding back into leggings, mukluks, overshoes, parkas, hats and mittens. The room cleared out in minutes—the crew was headed back down to the river. When I joined them, Mille had just pulled her team in. At first the night scene seemed chaotic—headlamps bobbed, workers called out to one another—but soon I began to discern the teams at work. There was a checker team, a hot water team, and a dog team parking crew.  Comms radioed down from the cabin that another team was coming in.  All the elements of the River Crew worked in harmony.

Does your school or classroom have a River Crew? Who are the people who help your school events run smoothly? Set-up and tear-down are not glamorous jobs, but they can be made fun just like the Skwentna Seattle River Crew does.  Find out who the people are in your school who like to do this job and do it well.  Maybe they are a group of teachers or parents who help out at every school function.  Maybe you have students in your classroom who like to help set up things.  It’s time to recognize these people in true Iditarod fashion.

Ways you can celebrate your River Crew: Set up a designated bulletin board—maybe modeled after the Skwentna River Crew’s beautiful setup—and add the names of your most dedicated helpers. You can change these out for different events or keep them the same.  Don’t forget the water station—make sure your River Crew knows they are appreciated with snacks (like the amazing trail mix and Snickers fun size I’m munching on while writing this post) and water.  You could pass out water bottles and flavor packets—even Tang! Another gift of appreciation to consider are mini-drop bags with the name of the helper and a cache of snacks and supplies inside the drop bag.  You can make these out of little bags from the craft store and write the recipients’ names with a Sharpie, just like the real drop bags.  Be sure to lay them out in alphabetical order with letter markers. 

Mushers can get hot water for their dog food at Skwentna without having to heat their own. Photo: K. Newmyer

As I’m discovering throughout my Iditarod journey, there is a dedicated group of people for every checkpoint and every job on the Last Great Race. One of the highlights of the Skwentna checkpoint is the River Crew.  Find your River Crew and celebrate them! Let me know how you do this at emailtheteacher@iditarod.com.