Aerila view of the village of Ruby on the Yukon River with teams resting near the community center. Friday March 11, 2022 during the 50th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Copyright (C) Jeff Schultz/SchultzPhoto.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Ruby, located at mile 495 is the first Yukon River village on the northern route of Iditarod.  Dave Poyzer, the Insider Guy with the still camera, is in Ruby.  He supplies the pics for the Iditarod Photo Gallery.  Jeff Schultz is out in Ruby too focusing on Faces of Iditarod but he has supplied me with a couple of great aerial shots of the village and river.

The current Koyukon Athabascan residents descended from a nomadic group that followed game to secure meat for sustenance.  Ruby is the home of the late Billy McCarty who carried the Serum from Ruby to Whiskey Creek in the Serum Run to save the children of Nome.

Village of Ruby during the 50th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Copyright (C) Jeff Schultz/SchultzPhoto.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Ruby was named by the prospectors who found red-colored stones on the riverbanks which they thought (hoped) were Rubies.  The village of Ruby developed as a supply center for gold prospectors.  Over 1,000 miners stormed the area in search of gold during the 1907 and 1911 gold strikes.  When the gold ran out, so did the miners.

Extreme temperatures have been measured from -53 to 98 °F.  Average highs in July are in the low 70’s while January can produce days and days of bitter -40 degree true temperatures made even colder by the infamous Yukon River winds.  Annual average snowfall is 66 inches.

Northern Lights Appear Over the Yukon River Town of Ruby (Photo by Dave Poyzer)

Protégé and mentor caught up with each other in Ruby.  Jeff King who unexpectedly found himself in charge on Nic Petit’s team for Iditarod 2022 was taking his 24-hour rest in Ruby.  Amanda Otto who has worked with King and is driving the Husky Homestead A Team mushed into Ruby before King returned to the trail.

The Ruby Community Center serves as they Iditarod Checkpoint.  Aaron Burmeister is camped in front of the traditional building with the clerestory.  Burmeister, from Nome has completed 20 Iditarod runs since beginning his career in 1994.  He has seven top 10 finishes and has claimed every spot in the top 5 except the coveted distinction of champion.  Burmeister runs a construction company.  He’s announced that he’s stepping back from racing to spend time with his family but guarantees there will always be dogs in his life.  He plans to turn the Iditarod reigns over to his training partner for the next few years.

Michelle Phillips was born and raised in the Yukon Territory of Canada.  She was introduced to mushing by her partner, Ed Hopkins.  Phillips once trained as a figure skater but traded in her ice skates for a sled, gangline and warm bulky clothing to pursue the incredible sport of mushing.  She is a Yukon Quest veteran and began her Iditarod career in 2010 and has completed 11 runs to Nome.  She’s been in the top 20 in 6 of those races but has yet to become a top 10 finisher.

Travis Beals and his partner Sarah Stokey both ran Iditarod in 2019.  Beals owns a tour company in Seward.  He ran his first sled dog race at the age of four and has always wanted to run the Iditarod.  His first run to Nome came in 2013.  Since that time he’s completed Iditarod eight times with 3 top 10 finishes.  His best finish was in 2019 claiming 5th place with a time of 10 days, 3 hours and 37 minutes.      

Mille Porsild was inspired by the stories of her grandfather’s explorations to dedicate her life to sled dogs and adventure.  She’s slept more than 1,000 nights in a tent while on long distance expeditions with her Polar Husky freight dogs in Greenland, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Alaska and Canada.  She is at home anywhere in the polar north.  She completed her rookie run in 2020 in 15th place to claim Rookie of the year honors.  In 2021 she traversed the Gold Trail Loop earning 5th place.

Peter Kaiser from Bethel earned Iditarod Gold in 2019.  Kaiser began his Iditarod career in 2010 and has completed eleven races.  He has placed in the top 10 five times with 4 of those being top 5 finishes including his championship.  Peter is also an annual participant in the Kuskokwim 300 race out of Bethel and has claimed gold numerous times in the mid distance event.  Kaiser grew up with dogs.  His interest in long distance racing grew out of his mid-distance runs.  Kaiser’s winning Iditarod time was 9 days, 12 hours and 39 minutes.

Thank you Dave Poyzer and Jeff Schultz for your photos that truly speak a thousand words.