Nikolai, population 125, is a welcome sight after hours of slogging through soft snow. The veteran team members recognize the approaching village a few miles out, and are attempting to push the speed into a lope. We cruise up the riverbank at a good clip, and are checked in by a couple of welcoming volunteers. […]
The snow is coming down steady. Trail markers have been hit and missed, and at times we guess at the best trail. Light left the sky hours ago, and it has been a struggle to keep my eyes open as the dogs plod through the snow. I finally shut off the GPS when it showed […]
A few miles out of Ophir, the Iditarod Trail splits. The historic route, and official trail, heads southwest to the mining ghost town of Iditarod. The 2020 route, heads almost due north to the camp of Cripple, and then onward to the historic mining district of Poorman (and eventually, the native village of Ruby, on […]
The wipers are on steady now, and I have just shifted into four wheel drive. The snow has increased its intensity, and there is about 3 inches on the highway. Its 5pm and we have just driven past the Willow Community Center, the official start line of Iditarod. In just over 16 hours, we will […]
Well, actually that’s not quite true. While the rest of us are stocking up on toilet paper, I am confident that COVID-19 is pretty much the last thing Iditarod mushers are thinking about. Part of the joy, the beauty and the down-right reason for mushing is for many, the opportunity to clear the mind and […]
It’s mid-September, and the dogs are up to 9 mile training runs this week. We’re right on schedule. Next week the mileage will increase, along with each dog’s rate of metabolism and caloric intake. As our summer fun runs turn into real serious race training, mushers start thinking hard about what is going on inside […]
The run from McGrath to Takotna, and then on to Ophir, is smooth and quick in the cool of early morning. The dogs are all feeling well-rested and fresh after their day in McGrath, and only Pogo shows any sign that he has been on the race trail (a few sore muscles that take a […]
Iditarod start is something like controlled chaos. 54 teams park in two semi-circles at the Willow visitor’s center. The typical parking arrangement, on Willow Lake itself, is not an option for this year because of warmer than normal temps. This has left the lake with spots of thin ice, and an abundant amount of overflow […]
The arrival into Kaltag brings a huge sense of accomplishment to every musher who has ever run the Iditarod and mushed the Yukon River. It is a major step in the race, and the finish line suddenly feels within reach. As I cared for my team in Kaltag and prepared for our next leg of […]
Don’s “cabin,” a ten by twelve rundown shack, was a warm a comfortable place to stretch out the sleeping bag, and stay out of the blizzard that had hammered on us during the run from Ophir. It was also small enough that there was no risk of oversleeping as other mushers awoke and prepped to […]
