Why do musher’s mush?
Why do musher’s seek the challenge of the Iditarod?
If you listen to them, they'll tell stories of experiencing the serenity of a beautiful day on the trail, dog team and musher working as one. They'll talk of the intensity of the experience. They'll talk of the challenge of meeting the demands of the world's last great race.
On the early morning flight from Anchorage to Kotzebue and then to Nome the other day the last person to board the plane was an old haggard looking man who sought out a space to put his items in the overhead space on the plane. He looked the part of what I would call the Alaskan Old Timer who had on his flannel shirt, Seal skin hat and bushy beard with thick glasses. He was not a big man but rugged in every sense of the word.
He sat down in the seat directly behind me and started talking, and talking, and did not stop from push back, deicing, take off to Kotzebue, landing and the hour turn around time to head to Nome and only quit talking as he exited the plane.
One would normally be totally irritated by someone who continually talked but in this case the talk . . . more stories really were interesting, funny as hell, and gave great insight to what is “The Last Great Race”, the Iditarod.
His name is Bud Smyth, father to Ramey and Cim who also mush dog teams in the Iditarod. Bud is a character and kept the 5 of us who were around him in stitches for both flights.
Bud was telling us stories of his exploits with his friend George Attla and how they changed the Iditarod. In the early days there were no limits to the number of dogs a team could run so they “tested the water”. In 1978 Bud eventually pushed the envelope, and in one of the most spectacular strategy ploys in Iditarod history, arrived at the start line with 25 dogs in harness and 10 dogs housed in a kennel permanently installed on a large freight sled. He said the idea was to keep at least 10 dogs rested and when some tired to swap them out for fresh dogs. Later the rules were changed to limit the number of dogs to 20 and in 1994 cut it to the current 16 dog team size. It was a great story.
He talked about his son’s names and how they were named for family members. He said he came from Russian descent and usually a son or daughter might be named for one or more relatives.
Just before getting off the plane in Nome he told us the story of his winning the “Red Lantern” Award in 1977. He ran the race as a ‘trail sweeper’ making sure others mushers were not left on the trail and entered the race under the name of Vasily Zamitkyn. It was later revealed to be Bud Smyth, an experienced musher who ran the race as a trail sweeper while wearing a mask and affecting a fake Russian accent.
Bud thanks for entertaining us and it was great meeting you. I hope to speak with you again as the stories are colorful and give those of us who wish we could run the race a little look into its intrigue, tradition, and mystique.
Iditarod 2012 is almost over with the leaders into Nome and those left on the trail winners in their own personal way still making miles toward the burled arch on Front Street. This 40th Iditarod had many great stories and as we wait for that last musher to arrive and the red lantern to be extinguished the stories from the trail will emerge.
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