Iditarod Trail Notes

Part One of Four Ray, my brother-in-law, and I were standing on the finish line in Whitehorse, Canada staring blankly out into the darkness.  Allen and his team of SP Kennel huskies were due any minute, but so was Hugh Neff and his fine group of Alaskan huskies. We didn’t … Read More

Part Four of Four The Western Coast of Alaska I saw the checkpoint off in the distance and mentally scheduled all of my repacking tasks for when I arrived. The dogs were really moving right now; I didn’t want to stop, even for a minute. But, I needed more fish … Read More

Part Three of Four I love being out in the Alaskan wilderness with my dog team. And, as we went in and out of the tiny little IDITAROD checkpoint, the team seemed to gel. No one was stressed or over worked. They all looked powerful. The terrain in this area … Read More

Part Two of Four Gear everywhere! In TAKOTA for a 24 Hour Rest. Tony and Rose look up from their nap. NIKOLAI was a good layover. Apparently, Allen was there at the same time, but we actually never crossed paths. My mom left in the afternoon via airplane and flew … Read More

Part One of Four I have now started and finished fourteen 1,000 mile sled dog races. Each one has been intensely personal, different and satisfying.No race has ever been the same.One-thousand miles across the Alaskan wilderness are never the same.My dog team is never the same.My own personal Iditarod outlook … Read More

Part Four of Four THE COAST OF WESTERN ALASKA The Western coast of Alaska is magnificent. The fact that the coast is now a tangible landmark is surreal – as is the accomplishment that it signifies. Each and every time I arrive here I think, “I’ve made it!” I realize … Read More

Part Three of FourI pulled into RUBY and I must have been a real sight because every one grabbed their cameras and rushed over to snap a picture. After mushing and camping out for the last 30 hours in ridiculously cold temperatures my frosty figure was rather unique. I had … Read More

Part Two of Four The rest of the run to NIKOLAI was relatively uneventful. We trotted into the checkpoint around noon. There were about ten teams already parked, but most had not been there long. We were keeping very good company. NIKOLAI is an Indian village on the shore of … Read More

Part One of FourThe Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod has become more and more enjoyable for me over the years. Funny thing, really. You would think that my stress level would rise as the race start nears, but really, it’s the opposite. At this time in the season, there is … Read More