Dear Friends,

Have you been reading the articles on the race?  Did you see that Dallas Seavey checked the thermometer on this sled and it said -52?  Wow! That is COLD!  How do the mushers stay warm?  Examine these photos of mushers on the Iditarod Trail and see if you can infer how they survive such temperatures.

One of the keys to staying warm is layering clothing.  Sometimes the mushers have five or more layers!

What about us sled dogs?  How do we stay warm?  We have two layers of fur:  the undercoat which is like wearing a blanket, and then the outer guard hair which protects us from snow and ice.  It is more of a concern that we can overheat in warmer temperatures.  Running in below zero temperatures is better for us; that’s why we often travel at night.  If it does get really cold, our human mushers strap on our dog coats which give us an added layer.  

Wearing his dog coat on a chilly morning

The teams are heading back toward the finish line.  Look at the photos and you will be able to tell the temperature by how many layers you see upon the humans and us dogs!

Until next time,

Gypsy