SPK Dog Log

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are about 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

This video is taken in the Blueberry Hills between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik where there is always challenging “side hill” sections of trail. Aliy has some difficulty keeping the sled upright while filming.

The ocean lies to the southwest at the base of these hills. Most years this view is a white landscape, but in 2018 this section of ocean is not frozen. It is dark and ominous. You can see that the ocean ice has shifted and there are now open leads. This is particularly disturbing because the Iditarod trail will soon cross the ocean (in approximately 25 miles) on the hopefully frozen bay between Shaktoolik and Koyuk. In 2018, Aliy’s team did this ocean crossing in the dark – which was somewhat nerve-wracking.

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are about 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

In this video the team is nearing Old Woman Mountain which lies between the villages of Kaltag and Unalakleet. The mountain towers over the BLM cabin where Aliy stopped and gave the team a rest during the 2018 race. The team is really trotting along quite nicely for such a sunny afternoon. The day was gorgeous, but quite warm.

A family from Unalakleet snowmobiled out to Old Woman Cabin to enjoy that sunny afternoon. Aliy and Aaron Burmeister were resting their teams and napping indoors until – lucky them – the friendly folks cooked a few mooseburgers over the cabin wood stove and shared them with the mushersl. Yummy!

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are about 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

In this video, the dog team is travelling over the Portage Trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet. “Mountains in the mist”, Aliy says. There are many low clouds in the video with what appears to be much moisture. There is already plenty of brilliant white snow covering the trail but Mother Nature seems to be taunting the team with even more!

Note: The numbers on the Youtube videos got a little out of synch here, don’t worry, you haven’t missed video 10

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

Check out the moose the team came across on the Yukon River. As Aliy says “This is how to speed up a dog team… have a moose show up every mile or two!” There were many moose in this area during the 2018 race. You can see many moose tracks in the snow along the willow bushes to the left of the trail. They graze on willows.

Jessie Royer’s dog team just ahead of us in this video. Aliy and Jessie traveled at a very similar speed for much of the race.

Note: The numbers on the Youtube videos got a little out of synch here, don’t worry, you haven’t missed video 9

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

This video is taken soon after leaving Shageluk, where many teams took their 8 hour mandatory rest during the 2018 race. There had been blizzard winds in the area for over 12 hours. Therefore the trail to the west of Shageluk that traverses many exposed wind blown marshes was a challenge for every dog team. In this video, there are already several inches of blown over snow on the trail and Aliy’s dog team wasn’t that far behind the team in front.

Note: The numbers on the Youtube videos got a little out of synch here, don’t worry, you haven’t missed video 8

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

This video is taken approximately 10 miles before the Iditarod Checkpoint. The absolute vastness of this area always amazes. The hills and valleys roll along like this for miles and miles with little or no sign of human influence.

It is easy to feel like a tiny speck in the middle of this wilderness. There are no permanent human inhabitants nearby: the small villages on the Yukon River are over 100 miles away to the north; the towns on the Kuskokwim River are over 50 miles away to the south; dog teams came from the tiny town of Takotna (pop. 50) which is 100 miles away to the east ; and to the west 60 miles – where dog teams are headed – is the village of Shageluk (pop. 80).

Note: The numbers on the Youtube videos got a little out of synch here, don’t worry, you haven’t missed video 7

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

This video is taken in the vast rolling hills just prior to reaching Don’s Cabin. This cabin was restored just a couple years ago and now has a working wood stove (yay!) and was a common rest stop between Ophir and Iditarod. When Allen arrived at the cabin the door would not close so he and Al Eichsen’s found some wood, an old bow saw and some nails. They fixed the door of the old place so the heat stayed indoors. Good thing since a half a dozen other mushers were staying at the cabin then.

Notice the GORGEOUS with the sunrise just behind the dog team.

Note: The numbers on the Youtube videos got a little out of synch here, don’t worry, you haven’t missed video 6

Aliy took several short videos during her nine days on the Iditarod trail. There are 20 in the series, many are quite short but we thought you would enjoy them over the next few weeks.

In this video he team reaches the summit of Rainy Pass.