These videos are from the final 5% of the race. It seems that some years these last 50 miles have been the most challenging; some years, the most entertaining, or the most competitive. This year, it was breathtakingly gorgeous. I think you’ll agree. In Episode 22 we are descending Topcock. It … Read More
Episode 21 finds the team 10 miles after leaving the White Mountain checkpoint in a blizzard. It is during the wee hours of the morning, so its still dark. I don’t often take videos in the dark, but I thought I might capture the variety of race conditions with this video. … Read More
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 … Read More
In Episode 19 we are between Elim and White Mountain on the Western coast. Scattered along the trails in rural Alaska are Shelter Cabins. I guess these are similar to Rest Areas on the highways and turnpikes in the Lower 48; except there no rest rooms, Wendy’s burger joints or iPhone … Read More
In Episode 17 we are nearing the top of one of the many mountains between Elim and White Mountain. The dogs and I put a lot of effort into climbing mountains. The trail segment has some of the toughest climbs on the Iditarod. I often double ski pole, but by … Read More
Greg Heister, from Iditarod Insider, came to Two Rivers a couple weeks ago to check in with Aliy, Allen and the dogs. It was a busy day for the kennel, as it often is. Allen was running multiple errands in Fairbanks. Aliy was in between trips to town. She was … Read More
Here is a map of a portion of western Alaska. You can see the village of Kaltag, which is still inland, and the layout of the first three Iditarod Checkpoints along the ocean: Unalakleet, Shaktoolik and Koyuk. The route from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik is predominantly over land, heading due north along … Read More
Both of these episodes are taken along the old Portage Trail which runs from the last Athabascan Indian village inland, Kaltag, to the first Inupiat Eskimo village along the Western Coast, Unalakleet. Over this 85 mile leg there is a huge metamorphosis in geography, vegetation, culture, animals and weather. It really … Read More
Rain is just rain. Right? But, obviously, it bummed me out… lots! I guess that stems from living in Interior Alaska. Normally October to April is winter. It’s cold. Often very cold. Sometimes -30ºF or -40ºF for weeks on end. So rain and winter just don’t go together for … Read More
These two videos were taken just after our 24 hour rest at the Iditarod Checkpoint. Both the dogs and musher are well rested and perky. It’s funny to listen to my voice and hear how ‘upbeat’ I sound. Amazing what sleep will do for a person, eh? In Episode 9, … Read More
