The 50th running of the Iditarod is finally upon us. The mushers have all left the chute on Willow Lake, heading 1000 miles across the breathtaking landscape of Alaska. 

Photo Credit: Annie Kelley

The teams this year will follow the Northern route going through the checkpoints of Cripple, Ruby, Galena and Nulato on their way to the Bering Sea coast. Although the checkpoint of Takotna will not be utilized in this year, and their famous pies will be missed by all, the race is once again, finishing in Nome. Mark Nordman stated a few days ago that the villages are once again excited and are looking forward to welcoming the race back to their communities. I can only imagine how the mushers must feel about regaining some of that sense of normalcy too. 

Yet today, the feeling for the mushers was quite different than yesterday. Yesterday, was a day for celebration, a day for honoring the past and looking towards the future. But today, today was race day. The rookies were trying to stay relaxed while packing their sled, prepping their teams, and looking out at the first mile of trail. The veterans were a little more excited, they have done this before and know what to expect. But the focus from everyone was heightened. The one thing that was still apparent with everyone at the start, were the big smiles visible on the faces of every single person (and dog) out there. There were still high fives being given out, well wishes being sent and excitement, but it was more honed to the game plans and schedules of the dogs as the temperatures and weather were quite different from yesterday.

Yesterday was truly a winter wonderland. Huge puffy flakes of snow fell all over the mushing district in downtown Anchorage, building up almost a foot of snow when it was all said and done. Today in Willow, the skies cleared, the sun was shining and it made for yet another beautiful backdrop. Even Mt. Denali decided to make an appearance in the distance. Again, both days of beautiful mushing weather. 

Denali at the Restart. Photo Credit: Annie Kelley

With the change in the weather, came changes in the temperature too. This quickly became the hot topic of the morning. It was above freezing at the starting line, and hydration, run/rest schedules, starting speeds were all factors being considered already by the teams. As Amanda Otto said this morning “My job is going to be slowing them down the first three days.” It is supposed to get cooler at night, and that could lead to more night running in 2022. The mushers were also already thinking about the food for their dogs. Jessie Holmes mentioned that during warmer temperatures, it is important to give the dogs more protein and less fat in their diets. However, not all of the mushers were looking at the temperature as an obstacle. Dallas Seavey noted pre-race that “The warm will help keep them (the dogs) slowed down today, that’s the bright side”. Having the teams get out to a slower start is important to maintain that speed and energy later in the race. We’ll see how this race plays out. Iditarod 2022 is now officially underway!

Teachers: An important thing to discuss with your class at the start of each year are the different routes. On even years, such as this one, the trail heads North through the interior of the state. Whereas during odd years, it heads South. Here is a past lesson that I have done that talks about these routes, the route of the Serum Run, and the Historic Iditarod Trail and compares them all. I love having my students look carefully at the different maps and discuss the things that they notice. Analyzing the Historic Routes of Alaska