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The second question people ask me about my time on the Iditarod Trail, after “did you survive the cold?” is usually, “Did you see northern lights?” My answer is, yes, sort of. On the second night in Galena, a checkpoint along the Yukon river, a faint swirl of northern lights appeared in the sky. It …
This year’s Iditarod has come and gone, with lots of great stories, memories, and lessons. One of the things that stood out to me after watching mushers come into checkpoints was how they carried and located their mandatory gear. What is mandatory gear? Rule 16 of the 2024 Iditarod Race Rules states: Rule …
Have you seen Dallas Seavey’s video about the boots he created for the Iditarod Trail this year? The six-time champion shared his new footwear system shortly after the race concluded. In the video, he talked about the types of problems he hoped to solve by rethinking the entire concept of footwear on the trail. Seavey …
If you’ve ever flown in an airplane and looked down at the ground with a sense of wonder, you are getting a similar feeling to what astronauts experience when they look at Earth from space. Astronauts say that this emotion is very difficult to put into words—that perhaps there are no words for it. They …
Join the Iditarod Education Department in welcoming our 2025 Iditarod Teacher on the TrailTM, Maggie Hamilton, to the elite group of educators to earn this honor. After completing an involved and thorough application, and the selection process as a finalist in Alaska prior to this year’s race, Maggie accepted this year-long job. All finalists have …
Miriam Körner, the author of the young adult novel Yellow Dog, says, “There is a power that comes from personal story, and that power is strongest when it is shared through storytelling.” Körner lives in Canada with her husband, who grew up in northern Saskatchewan. The novel demonstrates the power of learning through storytelling as …
My experience with the Iditarod as Teacher on the Trail has put me up close and personal with a facet of the race that people might not think about much: the Iditarod Air Force (IAF). This is why I wanted to highlight the IAF in my March lesson. The race would not be possible without …
Iditarod 2024 is a wrap. I’m seated on the late evening “banquet flight” with volunteers, mushers, their families, and the Nome-Beltz High School boys basketball team on their way to the state tournament. It’s a 737 packed to the wingtips with stories, memories, tears, laughter, triumph, new friendships and quite a few Iditarod trophies and …
Hello friends, And just like that . . . it’s over. The 2024 Iditarod Sled Dog Race wrapped up with the Finisher’s Banquet on Sunday night, March 17 in Nome, AK. 38 teams began the race in Willow and 29 teams finished. Jeff Reid, a rookie from Two Rivers, AK brought in the Red Lantern …
Why is the Red Lantern so important? The Lynden “Committed Through the Last Mile” Red Lantern Award recognizes the musher to make the last run from Safety to Nome. It symbolizes perseverance and commitment to finishing, even though there are challenges. This morning at 2:22 am, I greeted Jeff Reid as he and his dogs …