These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail. In this video we are getting closer to the finish line which is only about 225 miles away.
In Episode 15: Shaktoolik Fun My dog team enjoyed the happy atmosphere at the old village checkpoint. The kids petted the dogs both before and after their nap. Poor little Cloud looks a little disrupted in this video but that’s only because she thinks that she ought to start running as soon as I put her booties on her paws. So until we hit the trail running, she will circle and circle and circle. I usually put her boots on last. Silly girl!
The Iditarod Trail travels through many special places and the village of Shaktoolik is at the top of my list for great people. I had an amazing amount of fun with all the folks this year. None of us realized the seriousness of the Covid 19 pandemic yet. I remember talking to a girl who was a senior in high school and her basketball team had made the state tournament for the first time in her high school career. She was so excited to go and then so disappointed when it was canceled. I remember thinking how crazy it was that the school system had “just” canceled the tournament. Obviously I didn’t know what was to come.
The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.
These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.
My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.
Where are we now?
We are traveling along the far Western Coast of Alaska on and off the Bering Sea. The Bering Sea does freeze, but some spots are “iffy” and not safe to travel. Therefore, some sections of trail still stay off the ocean. In Episode 13: Trail to Shaktoolik the trail is in the hills just to the east of the ocean.
Below is a bit more of a close up view. In Episode 13 we are still south of Shaktoolik. In the video, you will see the island shown on this map. My video looks quite different from this map because it’s winter and the ocean is frozen and white and the island is brown.
The team composition is Spark and Q.T. in lead, then Junior and Dutch, then Cloud and Decaf, then Rodney and Five, then Jefe and Chevie and in the rear are Amber and Violet. Once again you will see a dog team just ahead of us. That is Mille Porslid’s dog team.
This section of trail in the ‘Blueberry Hills’ is my favorite on the entire Iditarod. It amazes me (every year) that we can make it from the skyscrapers in downtown Anchorage, all the way to the Western Coast and out to the ocean. As we climb up and down in these hills, I can’t help but feel empowered – regardless of my actual race standings or what’s going on in the world. I still remember the powerful emotions and inner strength that I had at this point on my very first Iditarod 20 years ago. Believe or not, I have built on that strength, year after year. Not to say I am the cockiest person that you will ever meet… but I certainly believe that I can hold my own.
In Episode 14: Shaktoolik Lagoon we have descended the hills and are now making our way along a frozen slough. This map shows the layout of the thin spit of land with the sea to the left and the slough (I call it a lagoon) to the right. The trail – marked in yellow – skirts the eastern edge of this small strip of land. Eventually the trail jumps up onto the land and travels on land all the way into the village.
The team composition is the same as it was in Episode 13. I stop on the ice – because I think it’s amazing – and the dogs take advantage of a potty break.
Chevie is not 100%. You can see that she does not keep up with her brother, Jefe. Her shoulder muscle began to bother her again when we descended the steep hills onto the lagoon. As we neared the Checkpoint the team got excited and sped up when they saw the commotion so I carried her those final 5 miles.
The Shaktoolik Checkpoint was understandably not as organized as in years past. Before we arrived, we were told not to expect much support from Officials or Veterinarians. That was fine and so I expected to carry Chevie in my sled to the next Checkpoint to leave her with Veterinarians. This wasn’t an issue because she was comfortable in my sled. However when my team arrived in Shaktoolik there was an airplane landing. It was quite the commotion actually. As it turned out, Aaron Peck was scratching from the race ASAP and his dogs were being loaded on the airplane within 15 minutes of my arrival. I asked about Chevie hitching a ride and both Aaron and the Veterinarian said “OK“. So before I knew it… I was down another team mate.
Chevie flew into Anchorage and was picked up by our good friends, Linda and Midnight. She was greeted by Kodiak (who left the iditarod team in Ruby), Chica (Chevie’s aunt who lives in Anchorage) and Don.
This is the first point in the race when I began to realize that the world had become a different place from Covid 19. Up until then, I was blissfully ignorant of all that was going on. Gez… those were the days, huh?
The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.
These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.
My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.
We were at Old Woman Cabin in Episode 11. From there the trail travels southeast toward Unalakleet. On the way, the route crosses many tundra fields, marshes and finally jumps down onto the frozen Unalakleet River. As we travel on that river for several miles, we pass a few cabins, some are quite large. Then in the final mile, the trail veers off the river and summits a small hill. The top of this hill overlooks the mouth of the river and the village of Unalakleet. The mouth of the river forms a large lagoon that runs along the eastern edge of the town.
The city lights are a sudden and brilliant sight from the top of that little hill. The last hustle and bustle of human activity that we saw was Kaltag – many miles before. So, needless to say, the dogs get quite excited upon seeing those bright lights. My dogs love people and they associate lights to villages to people. Yay… all fun things.
When we descend this hill and follow the lagoon toward these lights, the team is extremely excited. There is often very little snow cover on the lagoon so it is slippery and the glare ice gives us very little traction. On our final mile to the checkpoint, we slip and slide and gallop uncontrollably… all the way to our parking spot. I have arrived in Unalakleet many times with a white-knuckle grasp on my handlebar as my leaders zig and zag on the ice and my sled is tossed this way and that.
Unlike some of the smaller checkpoint villages, where the Iditarod trail goes right down Main Street, the trail here, steers clear of the town center. Unalakleet is the biggest town on the race route between Wasilla and Nome, with about 800 people. It is a booming community with a lot going on besides an international dog mushing event. While town folk certainly are supportive of the race, they also have many other town commitments: a large hub airport, an impressive K – 12 school, several stores and even a restaurant. For that reason, I sometimes feel like Unalakleet is a difficult checkpoint to understand for dogs. They are really just passing thru this busy hub.
When the dogs first see the town lights, they are convinced that they will soon be trotting right down Main Street and be greeted like they have been – the center of everything – for the last 700 miles. That never happens. The dogs arrive at the Checkpoint which lays just to the east of the city. Then they eat and rest there and never really “arrive” in town.
When dogs are asked to depart this Checkpoint, I think they feel like they missed a turn somewhere because the exit trail does not go left into town, it actually veers right, and directly away from those city lights and noises. I have witnessed dog teams struggle to leave the Checkpoint here. Not because they don’t want to go… they just want to go to the west and see where all the hubbub is. I think as a musher, you have to be very aware of what is going on in your dogs’ minds at this point.
For this reason, before I depart, I like to take my time and get my team collected and focused on me – not on the mysterious town sights and sounds. I like to put a single leader in front of the team so that he or she will be my “Point Dog”. This year, it was Dutch. Together, the two of us will direct the team: one from the back and one from the front.
About 5 minutes before we departed, Dutch and I walked away from the team and out onto the exit trail. We walked a ways and checked it out. We saw where the slippery ice was, saw where holes and overflow were and basically understood the lay of the land. The rest of the dogs stood up and watched us with intent. When we walked back toward them, I could tell that they also knew exactly which direction we were set to go. Then I decided to harness my team in a traditional manner. This means that I used both tuglines and necklines. With every dog attached to the mainline at both the harness pulling point by the tugline and at the collar by the neckline, the dogs have no option but to follow in the steps of the dogs in front of them. This keeps the team very straight and organized. I don’t often use this system because I feel that it limits their individual gaits but I used it here because I wanted them to be focused as one team not as individuals.
The line up in this video is: Dutch in single lead, then Q.T. and Junior, then Cloud and Decaf, then Rodney and Five, then Jefe and Chevie, the Spark by himself and in the rear are Amber and Violet. I had Chevie thoroughly examined while we rested and she was “good to go”. Her shoulder cramp seemed to have worked itself out and you can see her in this video bopping down the trail next to her brother.
NOTE: I say that we are headed SOUTH as we depart the checkpoint. This is wrong. When leaving Unalakleet the trail heads NORTH. Opps.
Here is more of a thorough explanation of Harness Systems. Please note that there are many modifications that individual mushers have come up with besides just these two basic systems.
Traditionally sled dogs have been attached to the “main line” from the sled by two leashes (or lines). These lines attach to both the dog’s neck collar and the dog’s harness. Traditional harnesses run the entire length of the dog and the “tug” line attaches to the rear of the harness – near the dog’s tail. The neck line is used to keep the dog from veering too far off the trail.
Traditionally the neck line is shorter in length (12 to 20 inches) and the harness tug line is longer (30 to 60 inches). In this system, dogs have no option but to stand in the team, face forward and follow their leader.
Our system is different. Every dog is attached to the “main line” from the sled by only one leash (or line). Our harnesses are half the length of traditional harnesses and the line attaches at the middle of the dog. These lines are shorter in length (15 inches) and are used as both a “tug” line and to keep the dog from veering too far off the trail. These lines are shorter than some musher’s neck lines.
In our system dogs have the freedom to stand, sit, face forward or backward. We acknowledge that this system requires more training time of individual dogs. However, we believe that this added time and effort is ultimately worthwhile. In our system we can (and do) use neck lines if situations warrant.
Necklines and Tuglines.
Just tuglines.
The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.
These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.
My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.
On this portion of the trail, the team was content to trot along at 6 or 7 mph. They were literally “slow and steady”. In the video, Spark and QT are in lead, followed by Dutch and Junior, Decaf and Cloud, Five and Rodney, Jefe and Chevie and, in the rear, Amber and Violet.
Old Woman Mountain is a spectacular sight. It sits on the horizon and stares at dog teams for miles before we actually reach the base. She is not an enormous or majestic mountain. I don’t even know the exact height… 1,000 feet? Less? She is really just a hill. But, she has an incredibly strong, stand-alone attitude.
As we mushed closer, the mountain consumed the entire skyline. From a distance I could see that the summit has a flat, treeless top. As I got closer, I could see that trees were desperately clinging to the sides of the mountain… trying to climb up. None seemed able to reach her summit. I wondered how many hundreds, thousands, millions? of years this mighty mountain had battled and resisted foliage conquering her. As I came even closer I could see the scars across her peak from the constant battle with the wind. She was a tough old gal. As we passed just under her left flank, I felt like she was a living power. I looked straight up at her and felt like I was just trying to “sneak past her”. I did not feel that she was overwhelmingly welcoming.
After we camped for a few hours in her shadow – literally – I didn’t feel the same. I felt like we had earned a right to camp beside her. The mountain was truly powerful but, she was also just one of the many incredible highlights along our long journey. We would soon leave her behind. She would remain there… forever. We would forge ahead.
This is the first time that my thoughts drifted to the end of the race. Honestly, it seemed very far away.
Crazy thoughts at Mile 650, huh?
This was Chevie’s rookie Iditarod. She is just as talented as her siblings: QT Jefe and Bruno – who were all racing their second Iditarod. She has a tendency to get a ‘muscle cramp’ once in a while. Allen and I haven’t determined why this happens to her and not her siblings, but it does. Chevie got a cramp on Allen’s 2019 CB team and both my 2018 and 2020 CB team. Bum luck, eh? That was the reason that she hadn’t been on any previous Iditarod races. Her cramp issues seem to be deep in her shoulder muscle. We never seem to gauge when they will come. But she hadn’t shown any signs of a cramp for the first 600 miles of Iditarod. Then about 10 miles before we reached Old Woman Cabin she popped her tail in the air and ran with a peculiar gait. I even took the pulling line off of her harness and attached it to her collar. I thought if she didn’t pull for a while maybe she could work out any muscle issue. If you look closely at the video you’ll see that Chevie isn’t pulling much while her line is on her collar. I had also taken her booties off of her front paws so that she had less weight and constriction on her front legs. We arrived at the cabin and she rested well, all dressed up in a neoprene t-shirt, covered in a puff jacket and curled up in a straw bed. I had placed chemical heat warmers in t-shirt pockets so that her shoulder muscles would loosen up and not get chilled. This seemed to help her tremendously and she left the cabin, happily trotting along. As I would learn later, Chevie was probably not 100% after this point.
The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.
These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.
My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.
We had a quality rest in the Kaltag Checkpoint. Our energy and spirits were resupplied with a long nap and a meal. But the formidable Portage Trail lay ahead of us and it is always a challenge for me. The composition of the team was Spark and QT in lead, then Junior and Dutch, Decaf and Cloud, Rodney and Five, Jefe and Chevie with Amber and Violet in the rear position.
The fact that the Portage Trail travels for many miles and passes through vastly different ecosystems, as well as different human cultures can exhaust a musher who thinks about such things. Obviously, I think about such things. For the 20 years that I have traveled that trail, my mind wanders: how different is my world from the world thousands of years ago and the people who used this trail then? What did the trail look like back then? What did their dog teams look like? Where did the Athabascans and Eskimo actually trade? Were there culture wars? Or did they understand the benefits of fair trading the moose meat, bear fat and other interior supplies with the seal fat, muktuk, shells and other seashore supplies? My mind reels. How hard was life thousands of years ago? My guess is that I can’t even imagine the hardships of those days. What I call hardships would simply be called: life.
The Portage Trail is the perfect spot to contemplate everything. I will admit that “everything” to me on March 15th is very different from “everything” to me several months later. Who would have thought? Regardless of circumstance, I think I was somewhat lucid while talking about adversity. My words don’t come perfectly but I knew what I wanted to say. Perhaps I need to watch this video more often!
What do I eat out on the Iditarod for 10 days? I have never been a ‘good eater’. We describe dogs as good or poor eaters. I’d be the latter. I know that I have to eat and I can make myself consume calories, but I’m not one of those mushers who grazes constantly for 1,000 miles. Plus, I don’t like to eat sugar and most easy, tasty snacks are full of sugar. Years ago, Allen, Moira and I came up with a low sugar, high fiber, somewhat healthy, snack that doesn’t freeze solid in frigid temperatures. Allen is a good eater and when he raced both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod we needed many. So Moira made hundreds of these bars.
Then we met Claire and Wayne. They take nutrition and health seriously. They began to make bars for us. And these are some seriously nutritious, power packed, delicious meal bars. They have a healthy combo of oils, seeds and nuts plus the original high fiber, low freezing factor of the original bars.
These days I can eat just bars during the 10 day race. Sometimes… I can force myself to have a hot meal at a checkpoint or at a camp spot. But more often than not, I eat bars. As I write this… I can mentally taste one. Ha! Claire and Wayne live in Anchorage but they made a visit to SPK several years ago to visit Quito’s Golden Harness litter as baby puppies. They know us personally and they take a vested interest in making these bars. They label the bags with fun sayings and inspirational quotes. Their “Adversity makes us stronger” Bar sure was a big hit for me on the 2020 Iditarod and it still rings true today!
The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.
I did it again! I entered the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2021. I have dotted my i’s and crossed all my t’s and my Official Entry to the 2021 Race has been received. Sign up has been available online since June 4th. But in our ever changing and unpredictable world, I chose to wait to sign up until today. This past week, Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach and Race Director, Mark Nordman hosted a Virtual Iditarod Town Hall. They laid out three approach plans for the race under various global pandemic conditions. I very was pleased that they put much thought into future layout and planning. Of course, the race is over 8 months away and anything can happen.
A total of 30 Iditarod race bibs and 14 YQ race bibs.
As Allen and I look forward to this coming mushing season, we have to admit that SP Kennel continues to evolve. Allen does not plan to race either the Yukon Quest or the Iditarod. After 10 Quests and 11 Iditarods, he is done. This, of course, will be my 21st consecutive Iditarod and my 24th consecutive year of racing a 1,000 mile race. This Fall, our dog population will be a comfortable 24 individuals. This will be the perfect number of dogs that Allen and I can train and enjoy together.
We still have an amazing group of canine individuals who are genetically fabulous and spiritually motivated. Over these summer months, we will retire several more select dogs to people best suited as a forever homes.
Today, after my entry to the Iditarod was sent, I found myself looking down a long paw print path into the past but going on ahead into the future. As many of you know, some fantastic dogs – truly the hearts and souls of SP Kennel – have retired and/or passed away in the past five years. When I look down this paw print path I see these wonderful dogs and I see the amazing places that they have taken me. I see the incredible life that I have now and I am forever grateful that this hearty team of huskys have drug me here. I see ChaCha and her “Car Litter” pups, I see Dingle and Pud, I see Biscuit and his offspring, I see Waylon and all the Honeytonks, I see Ash and her Spice pups, I see the Candy Bar litter. When I look way down the trail and I see: Pedro, AJ, Pingo, Rosco, Roger, Rubia, Roller, Flood and Fats. Of course I see Quito leading all of them. These dogs (and many more) have lived life large, gone on tremendous journeys and have been with me during some of the most special moments of my 50 years of life. I thank them all tremendously for simply… being my dogs.
Now, let’s look forward toward the 2021 Iditarod…
I took a moment to look back and one of the final acts of the 2020 Iditarod is to try to thank everyone that helped us. Thank you seems such a little thing to say when you all contributed so much to us but… here goes:
Firstly, thanks to all our canine friends. The Iditarod team of Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Decaf, Dutch, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark and Violet were amazing. Thanks also to all the other dogs at the kennel as each one of them helped get the team to the start line and their contribution was just as big as those that made the team: Bronze, Cayenne, Champ, Chipper, Clyde, Commando, Driver, Gold, Iron, Mismo, Nomex, Peach, Perky, Razz, Sanka, Scooby, Bill, Gravy and Wu with support from Nacho, Olivia, Scout, Tig and Zip.
Thanks to the SPK crew: Karolyn who was unwavering in her support for us this year and spent hours and hours caring for, training and loving our dogs. Thanks Karolyn. We had hands-on help from so many people through the season including Ryan, Linda, Padee, Lisa, Wendy, Wes and Moira. You are all awesome!
Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors and supporters – we couldn’t do this without you. We appreciate our long-standing friends at Matson of Alaska for financial and moral support, to Joanna at Headlites for the amazing light-up collars we use out on the trail, T Rose Vet for her love and care for our dogs, Ivana at Howling Dog Alaska for our excellent harnesses, the team at North Pole Vet for being amazing, the guys at Kenai Satellite Phone Rentals for the use of their technology, Lisa at AB Consulting for her support and Jeanne and Bob Huston who are ‘always on board’.
We always thank the race officials and volunteers but this year presented extraordinary circumstances. The way you were able to be fluid in your approach this year, and keep all the competitors and locals safe in the face of an unprecedented global event was awe-inspiring. It is a difficult job to stage this race in the best of years so this year was a triumph.
Over the twenty years we have been doing this race, we’ve learned so much from race veterinarians and vet techs and this year was no different. We really value the relationship with the entire vet crew and your dedication to the canine athletes is plainly evident. Thank you for all you do to help us keep our dogs in the best shape.
One of the best parts of racing the Iditarod is to visit the villages that host our checkpoints along the way. We appreciate all you do for us from setting up pop-up checkpoints, cooking stews and soups and baking bread, welcoming us into your village and wishing us well as we leave. and look forward to seeing some of you again next year.
We’d also like to thank every single one of the race sponsors. It’s sometimes tough being an Iditarod sponsor and we acknowledge all the race supporters for sticking by the race. Please if you feel inclined, send them an email or Facebook comment to thank them for supporting the Iditarod. You can find a link here of race sponsors.
Thank you to our fellow competitors. It was a tough one for extraordinary reasons and it was awesome to be out there with y’all.
Iditarod fans are a dedicated, enthusiastic bunch and we love you! Thanks for supporting the race, now more than ever.
Special thanks to all our Red Team members: Leanna Anderson, Julie Atkinson, Lisa Barricella, Sam Bolick, John & Karolyn Bristol, William Burkel, Cathy & Laurie, Lila Cartledge, Timothy Clark, Cindy Cowling, Marilyn Cozzens, Joe D & Dorothy M McCain, Sharon D & Susan P, Marilynn Davis, Nancy Diersen, Fergus & Hamish Emerson, Timons Esaias, Kathy Ferrell, Freeman Family, Bill Gates, Girlee & Dorothy, Erica Giuliani, Jill Graff, Helen Gross, Marti Guarin, Debbie Gunter, Kathy & Jay Henningsen, Chica Hopwood-Dean, Kate, Badger, Tracker & MooMoo, Lynn Knowlden, Stephanie Kuhns, Layman Crew, Diane Lillis, Rae Long Memorial, Kari Longshore, Val Lycette, Lyn MacDougall, Kenny & Lisa Mace, Merric Machak, Vivian & Greg Martin, Lisa McDonald, The McIntosh Family, Karen McGillivray, Gaye Morgan-Walton, Bob & Jane Nelson, Nessmuk & Shanti, The Orlandi Family, Becky Pacas, Lezlee Pardo, Juleen Payne, Aaron Phelps, Heidi Phillips, Tommy Poelker, Shannon Powell, Angela & Bob Pressley, Louise Rathswohl, Ruth Robertson, Frankie Geno Rocco, Mary Lynn Roush, Donna Scarlett, Cindy Schaus, Jeanne Seward-Wallberg, Midnight Steiner, Ann Stephenson, The Straw Ladies, Tammy, Sue, Willow & Palmer, Toni Tadolini, Sue Thelen, Barbara Thompson, Andrea Trzaskos, Tuff, Bismarck & Tart, Marji Venden, Nina Watson, Penny Webster, Crystal Windgassen, Diana & Harry Workmon, Maryellen Wright, Bill & Sue Wyman & The Pack, Ashley & Courtney Zirkle, Carolyn & John Zmyewski. Your support directly helped the team to the start line and beyond.
We’d also like to thank all our individual dog sponsors, SP Kennel Champions, Black Team members, Dog Fan Club members and other supporters. You are all very important to us.
These Aliy Cams are a fun and interactive way I try to share my team’s experiences on the Iditarod Trail. In the 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes and 30 seconds that we traveled the trail I tried to capture the real images from the wilderness, the weather and the trail.
My dogs are the center of the videos. The race revolves around them. Their individual positioning in the team varies throughout the race. I moved them around depending upon their moods and energy. Their positioning also depended upon the trail and weather conditions or other random influences. The dogs on the team are: Amber, Bruno, Chevie, Cloud, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Junior, Kodiak, QT, Rodney, Spark, and Violet. If you watch closely, you’ll get to know their gaits or their ear “bobs” or their little quirks.
These two Episodes are from both taken while we were traveling along the frozen Yukon River. It always amazes me that such an enormous, flowing body of water freezes solid enough for us to walk, trot, run, jump and even camp on. The river is 1,980 miles long or 3,190 kilometers. It has a huge basin watershed and an average discharge of 6,430 m3/s (227,000 cu ft/s). The ice thickness varies throughout the winter, as well as from winter to winter, but is often about 3 feet thick. Here is a link to the interactive National Weather Service Ice Thickness Map. Nifty, huh?
Even though I know that I am traveling on an enormous slab of thick ice, which is usually frozen securely to both river banks… when my mind wanders, it definitely thinks about the fact that there is plenty of liquid water just a few underneath my dogs’ paws. Yes, the mighty Yukon continues to flow despite the chilly temperatures and the ‘icing on it’s roof’. It is not uncommon for us to pass beside large holes in the river ice and hear the gurgling of the water as it rushes underneath.
This first video is just a funny clip. It is one of the few that I actually recorded during the dark hours. Obviously we don’t have stage lighting out on the trail, so capturing a quality video while it’s dark is a challenge. I was a bit weary, perhaps even a little slap happy, when I noticed that Cloud seemed to GLOW GREEN. I don’t know why I thought that she looked like a leprechaun but after a bit of sleep deprivation, many miles in the wilderness and chilly weather who knows what I was thinking?
2020 Aliy Cam Episode 8 – “Night Movie”
This second video is taken approximately halfway between Ruby and Kaltag on the Yukon River.
2020 Aliy Cam Episode 9 – “Bishop Rock”
I ramble on a bit of a STORY about a massive flood that happened several years ago in the village of Galena because of an ice jam at Bishop Rock. HERE is a short clip of how SP Kennel became involved with saving some of those village dogs. It seems that there is a personal meaning and some “Aliy history” along many miles of the iditarod Trail.
You can see Mille Porsild’s dog team ahead of me in this video and many of the future videos as well. They had a phenomenal race and she even earned ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors.
Okay… if you’ve made it towards the bottom of this post then… you win!
I have been asked MANY times how a musher ‘uses the bathroom’ while on the trail. Of course, this is from a woman’s perspective – Allen has his own stories and honestly he has had more than a little trouble a few times and has come into checkpoints with yellow icicles clinging to his gear.
As for me, peeing is easy-peasy. I have a quick drop drawers type move. First, I take off my mittens and/or gloves. My parka stays on me – exactly like it is all of the time. Only my bottom half needs to be exposed (and my parka actually hangs down below my bum so I have something of a curtain around me.) Second, I loosen my belt on my parka pants – really loose – they might fall down if I’m not careful! Next, I reach back and fully untuck all shirt(s) from my underwear/long johns. I do a quick visual check to make sure nothing is dangling under me: mittens, harnesses, boot laces. Then, in one quick ‘sit down’ move, my bum is exposed to the elements and I pee quickly. Any T.P. goes in a ziplock and into my next campfire. As soon as possible, I retuck my underwear/long johns layer into my shirt(s). I then tighten up my belt, replace my gloves and go about my day. Yes. I can do all of this from my sled runners. A few things that I have learned over the years:
Let your dogs know that you are back there. Even if they can’t see you for a few moments.
It is more important to retuck your underwear/long johns into your shirt(s) thoroughly than doing it rapidly. Your upper bum is an awful place to get frostbite!
Always tinkle when you “have to go” – Don’t wait! If you wait, something will inevitably happen and you’ll sled will flip over and you’ll drag down the trail. I’m not sure about you, but my bladder is only so strong.
Be mindful of trail conditions. Moguls, big bumps and quick turns can be hazardous.
Be mindful of which way the wind is blowing.
Be mindful of vegetation – like whipping willows or rose bushes with thorns.
Be mindful of tinkling on glare ice or other hard surfaces that don’t absorb.
Be mindful of where your fellow mushers are located. Right behind you?
No. I don’t use snow.
No. I’ve never used a funnel.
The race took my dogs and I over 10 days to complete. In total, I recorded only one hour of video. So these Aliy Cams are only a tiny segment of that experience. I also did not video during the most challenging trail or the worst blizzard conditions. I was too busy clinging my handlebars or navigating hazards. I also never recorded a video when I felt like it would intrude in our personal space.
It’s Nacho’s birthday today. He will spend the day chewing on a beef knuckle bone and hanging out with his sweetie, Olivia. The summer warm days of Interior Alaska are punctuated by afternoon thunderstorms.
Nacho has been (and still is) a key dog in SP Kennel’s past, present and future. He’s always been a good boy with a good heart and fun-loving attitude.
Does everyone know that the SP Kennel logo is Nacho’s face? That’s our boy!
Quito (lead), Nacho and Chica (swing) on the 2012 Iditarod Team
Chevie flew into Anchorage and was picked up by our good friends, Linda and Midnight. She was greeted by Kodiak (who left the iditarod team in Ruby), Chica (Chevie’s aunt who lives in Anchorage) and Don.
Does everyone know that the SP Kennel logo is Nacho’s face? That’s our boy!