Iditarod XXXV The Spirit that IS Alaska . . .

Iditarod XXXV

Its official . . . they’re off and running . . .

What a great weekend here in the far north.

Leading up to the weekend there was bitingly cold temperatures and strong winds for several days that put the wind chill well below minus 40 below zero. It has been clear skies here for days (and nights) leading up to the 2007 start to Iditarod 35. There has been a large full moon overhead the last couple of nights ready to help the mushers find their way along the old Iditarod Trail leading to Nome, Alaska.

Saturday’s ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage had thousands of people enjoying the great weather. The winds had died down overnight and with the sun shining on everyone the 15 to 17 degrees outside felt almost like spring was here at last.

Fourth Avenue was filled with over a thousand dogs anxiously waiting for their starting time to pull their sled along the streets and trails through Anchorage to the Campbell Airstrip thirteen miles away. The sounds of the excited dogs could be heard everywhere along with the cheers from those lined on both sides of the streets. The sounds over the PA system telling the ‘story’ of the mushers and their past runs was a colorful commentary and the media coverage was great with Channel 2’s play by play live on KTUU the NBC affiliate here and the Cabela’s sponsored Outdoor Life Network’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race coverage is exceptional.

After the start downtown I drove to several vantage points along Anchorage’s biking trails which is the path the mushers take through the city. It was great seeing the dogs happy to be finally racing again and the crowds that lined the trails were cheering them on. After the ‘official’ restart today in Willow they will be alone on the trails for the majority of the time other than the other dog teams. There are the many great volunteers at the check points along the trail and the small villages along the way but for many days and nights it will be just “Alaska” to keep everyone company.

Tekla Butcher, 11, center, wearing bib 1 in honor of her mother, four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion Susan Butcher, who died of cancer in August 2006, drives a dog team with her father David Monson, left, and sister Chisana in the sled, at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in the honorary position.

The Iditarod is an adventure that defies the imagination: a 1,100-mile (1,800-kilometer) dog sled race through desolate tundra, dense forest, snow-swept mountains and the frigid Alaskan coast. It is man or woman and their dog team alone on the trail. After the start there are no ‘dog handlers’ and everything is dependent of the musher and their’s dogs making the many decisions along the trail on how fast to run, rest breaks, night runs (which is the majority of the race to help the dogs not overheat) and how the strategy of the race is being run.

Defending champion and four-time winner of Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Jeff King, (31) drives his team through downtown Anchorage, Alaska, with Iditarider Tim Rau in the sled during the ceremonial start of the 1,100 mile Anchorage to Nome sled dog race.

The race pits man and animal against nature, against wild Alaska at her best and as each mile is covered, a tribute to Alaska’s past is issued. The Iditarod is a tie to — a commemoration of — that colorful past.

The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail, had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby and beyond to the west coast communities of Unalakleet, Elim, Golovin, White Mountain and Nome. Mail and supplies went in. Gold came out. All via dog sled. Heroes were made, legends were born.

In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs.

The Iditarod is run each year to commemorate the emergency delivery in 1925 of diphtheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska. Nome in 1925 had changed from a booming, boisterous turn-of-the-century gold-rush camp into a small, quite town of about 1,500 people. This epic relay was carried out by diverse group of 20 mushers: Eskimo, Russian-Eskimo, Norwegian, Irish and Indians. These men had stamina and toughness in common, and all shared the special understanding and working partnership with their sled dogs that would be the key to the success of the venture.

As you can see this event captures my imagination and the possibilities of running a dog team through the wilds of Alaska in the dead of winter. I have talked to several competitors over the years I have lived here and everyone seems to share the same understanding. To compete in this race and especially to finish the trek makes everyone a “winner”. I guess it is the understanding that you ‘tried’ in the first place that makes these men and women, boys and girls (some are just teenagers) so special. It takes a grit not found in many people in this day and age.

Again, thanks to the many volunteers who man the check points, logistical personnel, trail veterinarian’s, and the Iditarod “Air Force” personnel who move supplies, people, and dogs over the whole trail in sometimes harsh conditions. Thanks to the media who help ‘showcase’ our unique lifestyle and beautiful landscape. It’s not like many places on earth so it is wonderful to share our “home” with the rest of the world.

The Iditarod is a commemoration of those yesterdays, a not-so-distant past that Alaskans honor and are proud of.

Stay tuned for updates along the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race.

Good Luck everyone . . . God speed.

Ice

* Photos today from AP’s Al Grillo