There’s so much for your senses in Nome, eyes and ears especially. I’ve taken lots of notes and as the race wraps up, I want to share some of the flavor of Iditarod along the trail and in the Community of Nome. Here goes…

Last year in Unalakleet, I noticed this little stuffed critter hanging from the driving bow of Joar Leifseth Ulsom’s sled. I was sure it was there for a reason but I’d have to wait until this year to find out as I forgot to ask while Ulsom was in the checkpoint. Much to my surprise, the same little critter was hanging from his sled while it sat in the Nome dog lot awaiting transport to Anchorage. The critter had seen thousands of training miles, before the 2014 Iditarod. Then along with Joar it survived the treacherous trail and brutal winds Iditarod 42 has become known for. When asked about the critter, Joar said the cat or mountain lion was given to him by a Russian government official who traveled with the Racing Beringia Team last year. It’s symbolic of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Joar changed sleds in Nicolai. Not only did he transfer all of his gear, he also remembered to transfer the critter. Mystery solved. The critter case is closed.

Libby Riddles has been in the chute for nearly every musher that’s arrived in Nome. What an honor to be welcomed and congratulated by the first woman to win the Iditarod not to mention that she did it in an unprecedented coastal storm. After the events of Monday night with the lead changing twice in a blockbuster coastal storm, I was really wondering if the evening brought back memories of her own storm run in 1985. Thanks to good luck and a coincidence, Libby and Aliy were in the chute to welcome incoming mushers so I asked. Libby replied, “Not really. Every dog team is trained differently. Some from the coast are trained in wind and blowing snow, some from the interior aren’t used to wind. You have to go with what you and your dogs know. We had a lot of experience in that kind of stormy condition, I knew what my dogs could do and we did it.”

There’s been much written about the frenzied finish of Iditarod 42. The thing that will stick in my mind is what Aliy said in the previous conversation with Libby Riddles. Aliy who has done thousands & thousands of training miles, finished fourteen consecutive Iditarod Races and is the only woman to win the Yukon Quest has seen a lot of challenging conditions, both weather and trail. She said, “I’ve been in two life & death situations. Monday night coming into Safety was one of them. It was a complete whiteout, the wind was vicious and I was lost most of the way.” There was a pause then she said, “The other was on the North Slope.” I’m not the only fan who holds Aliy in highest regard for doing what she thought was best for her dogs and her self. I have a Nome Nugget newspaper in hand from March 13th. The headline honors Dallas Seavey as champion. Right below his picture on the front page there’s a picture of Aliy hugging Quito her lead dog. The caption reads, “Queen of Hearts.” I can’t add anything to that.

Another item of interest that I may or may not have time to look into is sleds. What type of sled best withstood the beating of the Gorge and the first thirty miles of the Farewell Burn? What material was it made of? How long was it? Was it a tail dragger? Was it small and compact or large? There are sled designers and builders in the race, Hans Gatt – Gatt Sleds and Paige Drobney – DogPaddle Designs. Wonder what they’ll take back to the drawing board from this race? If and when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll ask.