Hello friends,

My friend Laura Neese from Nature’s Kennel writes her name on drop bags that will be sent to the checkpoints.

While the ITC (Iditarod Trail Committee) provides the straw and fuel for the Iditarod, our mushers are responsible for everything else we need during our time on the trail. Since the sleds would be way too heavy for us to pull for 1,049 miles with ALL the food and gear we need, our mushers send out Drop Bags to checkpoints along the way. The Drop Bags include food, drinks, mittens, other outdoor clothing, batteries, and hand warmers for the mushers. But, I think the most important items in Drop Bags, is FOOD for us. 

We need about 10,000 calories a day during a long distance race like the Iditarod. (Okay math-mutt-itions – 10,000 calories a day x 16 dogs x 12 days.) Mushers and their pals spend days sawing frozen meat for our snacks as well as measuring out enough kibble for all of us. We are fed at most checkpoints, but mushers also grab snacks out of the Drop Bags to feed us along the trail.

Mushers at Nature’s Kennel load up Drop Bags. These will be sent to Anchorage where Iditarod Air Force pilots will pick them up and fly them to checkpoints.

Drop Bags can’t weigh over 50 pounds and every pound matters. Each musher usually ends up packing about 1,500 pounds!  BowWow! That’s a lot of work. To learn more, check out this article from the Anchorage Daily News.

It takes a LOT of planning, preparation, and MATH on the part of our mushers to keep us happy and healthy on the trail.

                                                      Tail wags!

Zuma