Night Moves . . . Along the Iditarod Trail

This last week has been like one of those “E” ticket rides at the fair. Long hours at work and my daughter has been wiped out by some stomach virus to the point of being in and out of the hospital trying to get re-hydrated with IV’s and medication to help with the nausea. It’s been a tough time for her with trying to get better and keep up with an almost one year old . . . an almost impossible task. Having my grandson while she is ill has been a fun challenge in helping him learn balance and trying to take those first unassisted first steps.

I need to find time to upload some pictures of the Iditarod but here is an update . . . Postcards from the trail this week as Iditarod 36 began over the weekend and now teams make their way across the interior and the Alaska Range. Several teams out of the 96 that started have scratched along the way withdrawing as the first 350 miles of trail provide great challenges. The mushers leave the land of highways and bustling activity of Anchorage and head out to the Yentna Station Roadhouse and Skwentna and then up into the mountains of The Alaska Range! The dogs love to run and their rhythm is set as they pass through Finger Lake, Rainy Pass, over the Alaska Range and down through Dalzell Gorge and the other side to the Kuskokwim River — Rohn Roadhouse, Nikolai, and McGrath.

This year is the first time that you can track the progress of some of the mushers as they make their way to Nome. 15 teams are carrying a two pound GPS system that shows the progress of each one. It’s pretty interesting to imagine what is going on along the trail . . . those running all night . . . which ones are resting . . . and the weather moving in . . . I am reminded of an old song . . .

I awoke last night to the sound of thunder
How far off I sat and wondered
Started humming a song from 1962
Ain’t it funny how the night moves
When you just don’t seem to have as much to lose
Strange how the night moves
With autumn closing in . . .

Bob Seger catches that feeling in each of us . . . this song reminds me of adolescence . . . school, dating, the innocence of touch and the shared emotional intimacy . . . life waiting to blossom into adulthood. I like the flow of the guitar in the middle of the song. Yet another poignant song of those long ago times.

Last year’s winner . . . Lance Mackey is leading tonight after being the first to reach McGrath at 10:46 AST and continuing on through the night leaving at 11:01 pm AST. Former Iditarod winner Jeff King is due into McGrath any time now as he left Nikolai this morning at 11:46 am AST. Tonight there are thirty seven (37) mushers who have arrived in Nikolai.

Night Moves . . . let’s see what the morning brings.

Ice

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