2019 Aliy Cam: Episodes 20

In Episode 20 we are just about to arrive in the village of Golovin.

I could see a lot of people at the edge of town, milling around. As we got closer, my eyes could focus and sure enough, there was a large crowd.

I wish that I would have recorded my time in the village. It was fantastic.

Everyone was excited to see us. I stopped the team and anchored my snow hook. I said to everyone, “How are you guys doing today?” It was perfect weather for spectators: warm, blue skies and not much of a breeze. Most of the kids wore light jackets or no jackets at all. I immediately recognized a woman, Agnes, who had made me a salmon dinner when I had visited the town the summer prior. I joked with her and told her that I sure was hungry. I said that I’d been dreaming of her salmon for the last few hours. She said with a smile, “Do you like caribou? Because I have some caribou stew for you”. And she did! She had a container full of caribou stew, homemade cookies and a GCI to-go cup of coffee for me. Wow! I zipped opened my sled bag and she placed a mouthwatering to-go meal on the top of my gear.

Another woman came forward with a very young boy by her side. He handed me some cartoon drawings. The woman explained to me that Noah is my biggest fan. I shook his hand, took his drawings and put them next to my to-go meal. At this point, I couldn’t actually see any of my dogs. All of the kids were petting them and saying hi. The dogs enjoyed that.

What a positive experience: put out 100% effort, endure some challenges, and be highly rewarded. Whether it was the overt friendliness, the to-go meal or the loving pets; the entire experience put the dogs and myself on a natural high.

Here is the video that I took during the summer of 2017 when I was in Golovin. It shows how the Iditarod Trail comes up from the ocean and travels through the center of the village.