My First Iditarod

The dogs started to arrive in Grayling on Friday evening. I didn’t want to walk the quarter mile in the dark, so I didn’t see the lead teams. I did get out yesterday to see many of the teams. Mostly sleeping dog, that of course you let lie. Today, Sunday, was the first time I saw a team arrive. It was the coolest thing. Fourteen little dogs prancing with booties down one of the snow covered streets. They stopped on straw beds, had a bit to eat, and passed out. It was amazing. This afternoon I was at the community center when Karen Ramstead arrived with her team of AKA Siberian Huskies. The typical sled dog is a cross bread of malamute and Alaskan Husky. They are definitely not AKA registered. While the Siberians are beautiful, they tend to be a slower dog more sturdy dog.

Each musher leaves Anchorage with up to sixteen dogs. There are many check points along the way. The idea of the check points is to check the health of the animal athletes and make sure the mushers don’t get lost. Dogs are dropped along the way, for health reasons, or because they are rookies and the whole route would be more than they can handle. A musher must have a minimum of five dogs to continue. Most check into Grayling, which is a little over the half way point, with ten to fourteen dogs. They will stay here for any where from one to twenty-four hours. I like to walk around after the teams take off and pick up discarded dog booties. I have two so far. I hope to get many more before the end.

I have a few pictures attached. The picture titled “Musher 1” is of the Grayling checkpoint. “Dogs rest”, is a picture of a resting team. They really are amazing animals. I hope to get more pictures. Unfortunately I have to rely on others for photos as I do not have a camera with me. I will next year.

More to come soon. Oh, and for those of you who think I’m crazy…I want you to know, I am having the time of my life. It’s a cultural experience unlike any I could have had anywhere else. Alaska really is the final frontier.