Iditarod 2010

When I first came up to Alaska, I thought about going to Anchorage for the Iditarod. However, as the time grew closer, I wasn't certain I really wanted to go. In January I had spent nine nights in Anchorage attending the special education state conference, and the Iditarod was just a few weeks away. I just wasn't certain I wanted to spend more time in Anchorage - and more money. It costs $600 just to fly round trip, and then there's the cost of the hotel and food. Two people really encouraged me to go - "there's nothing like it." So, I took their advice and went.

I was able to leave the village on Thursday, March 4th. Our Chief's Day was Friday, so we had no school. Fur Rondy had been going on in Anchorage for the past two weeks, so I thought I would see what that had to offer. I arrived late Thursday evening and went directly to the hotel. I slept in the next morning and took my time getting out. I've spent a lot of time in Anchorage this year. I knew what restaurants I wanted to go to and I knew exactly what I wanted to see. I met friends for breakfast and then wandered downtown where the activities were. There certainly was a lot to do. There was a carnival with all sorts of rides. It seemed so odd to see a ferris wheel surrounded by snow. There were native crafts for sale. There was a variety of food available. And, with a short walk, there were the snow sculptures. There even was a Miss Fur Rondy.

I watched the activities at the carnival. One unique activity was the blanket toss. This is an old native game. A blanket made of skins is used to toss someone in the air. My village does not do this, but I have heard of this done in villages to the north. I had to laugh as I watched. The only partcipants in the game were tourists! I visited all the downtown shops and then went to an art gallery where Jeff King was to be. Jeff is one of this year's mushers. His wife is an artist and she had an opening. I was able to meet and talk to Jeff.



I returned to the hotel early because the next day was the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. From my hotel window, I watched the men work setting up the streets. There was no snow. It had been in the mid 40s during the week and the snow had melted. So, they were bringing in snow and packing it in the streets for the dogs. I had a great view from my window. I woke up Saturday morning around 6:30 and jumped up to the window. Snow on the streets and people on the sidewalks! Time to get moving!

By 7:30 I was out of the hotel. No time for breakfast! I wanted to see the dogs. And believe me, they were there. You could hear them! The mushers bring the dogs in early and get them out of their pens individually so that each has time to move. It was fun to watch the dogs jump out of their pen and run right to the fence. You had to step back pretty fast - those dogs had a great aim! I walked and walked. There were 72 mushers and each had a team of dogs. The number of dogs the musher brought varied, probably 12-16. And, each dog was beautiful!









I was surprised by the size of the dog. Many were small. All were active. I remarked to one musher that I would love to take one home and she said no you wouldn't. These dogs need lots of room to run. They live to run. And, watching their attitude and body language, I know she was right.







I watched the dogs arrive, jump out of their pens, have breakfast, get harnessed, and have their booties tied on. I had to call my family so they could hear the barking of the dogs. It was so loud. As the time approached ten, I wandered down to the starting line to watch. One musher was from Scotland and he wore a kilt. His dogs wore tartans, and he had bagpipes playing as he approached the starting line. It was truly a festive occasion. There were hundreds of people there to watch.




This was the ceremonial start. Each musher and his team was introduced. There was the countdown and then the announcer would say the musher's name and add that he/she was off to Nome. The city of Nome is 1049 miles from Anchorage. This year's race followed the northern trail. The Iditarod maintains a web site with history and information for teachers.




I was with friends watching the introductions. We decided to go to the parking deck to get better photos. We watched from the deck for a while and then decided to drive into the hills of Anchorage to watch the dogs coming through the park. The actual race would begin on Sunday at Willow, so there was no real pressure here. Everyone - including the mushers - was having a great time! As the mushers came through the park, they would slap the hands of the children who had theirs extended. One musher from Canada stopped when she saw the Canadian flag and sang. Another musher gave booties away to the kids. It was an incredible experience.

We left the park and returned to the downtown area. The introductions lasted two and a half hours and were over. It was now time to clean everything up. The Cat tractors appeared and began moving the snow off the streets and into the dump trucks. By evening, all the snow was gone once again. I returned to the village on Sunday with my newspapers and souvenirs. I was so glad I went to the city for the Iditarod. It was exciting, and yes, it was worth every penny.