So while the race is somewhat at a halt, let's talk more about fun stuff there is to do in Anchorage during the week before Iditarod and after the Ceremonial Start. Last year we made a special trip to the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood where we donned snowshoes and wandered around in the back country. Most people go there to ski, so if you enjoy skiing, I can recommend this resort as a destination for a day or two. The drive there is lovely. We had a cloudy day, but our driver told us the scenery is stunning on a sunny day as you've got mountains rising up from close to shore reflected in the water, although much of the ocean along there is frozen in winter. We were told the whale watching is great in this area, but not in the winter. The whales are in Hawaii birthing babies at this time of year! In fact, I'm headed to Kauai next week to see those baby whales.
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| Snowshoeing at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood |
If you enjoy snowshoeing or cross country skiing, you don't even need to leave Anchorage. This city is big enough to have an REI where you can rent equipment if you didn't bring it along. We got to REI on the city bus, then headed back to our hotel and walked a few blocks to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. This is a multi-use trail where folks walk, run and bike during the summer. It was really fun to visit in the winter when the snow-covered trail is used for winter sports instead.
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| Waiting for the bus with our snowshoes |
On the Friday before Iditarod we hung out most of the day at the Iditarod Headquarters, located at the Millenium Hotel. Lots of Iditarod stuff happening at headquarters! The teachers had their own event-packed days. We were privileged to attend two presentations. The first was a panel of mushers and a guy who was introduced as one of the Iditarod media reporters. They each shared their personal perspective on the race and told fun stories. We heard from mushers Jeff King, Jan's friend Angie Taggart, Pat Moon, and Ed Stielstra. So, one super experienced musher with 4 Iditarod wins, a novice, a rookie, and a guy who with his wife spends a lot of time traveling around the United States teaching about mushing. It was very cool to have such a variety of mushing aficionados share how they got involved with this sport.
Our "news reporter" was none other than Joe Runyan. He has met and interviewed all the big name mushers because guess what - he is one! I just figured that out while looking for him among the photos of all the musher bloggers this year! Wow. No wonder he had such fascinating stories to tell. He is the only musher to date who has won all three 1000+ mile dog sled races (Iditarod in '89, Yukon Quest in '85, and the no longer in existence European Alpirod in '88). Another fun fact about Joe is that he was the guy who broke Susan Butcher's winning streak and gave Alaskan men back their pride. Joe told us about getting a chance to ride on John Baker's sled as the MUSHER and how John has trained his doggies to 1) lay on their backs to get their booties put on and to 2) not waste energy at the start line by jumping and going crazy to run, then bolting when given the signal to go. Instead they are trained to stand calmly and move right into an efficient running pace right from the beginning. Now that I've remembered that I must go back and watch the livestream of this year's starts to see if that is really true!
Our second presentation was by head veterinarian Stu Nelson. He is an awesome speaker and taught us so much about the vet check process, how he recruits the volunteer vets, how they are trained to assess a racing sled dog, what they are looking for at each check point, etc. For those of us in a medical profession, this was a fascinating talk! Turns out that studying the health and physiology of sled dogs has contributed much to what we know about the health and nutrition requirements of humans, especially when under stress. Did you know that sled dogs are prone to having stomach ulcers? Yep - and every musher spends a small fortune during training and racing to keep each dog on medications to prevent those ulcers.
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| An easy way to remember what a veterinarian assesses at each vet check during the race is HAW (which means left) L (for left). Does the heart sound strong? A look at the gums and pulling on the skin tells you about hydration. Has the doggie been eating the necessary 10,000 calories per day? Do the lungs sound clear? And finally, does this doggie seem enthusiastic about running? |
Okay, on to the day of the Ceremonial Start. Once the mushers leave with their Iditariders it seems like it could be dullsville for those left behind. Not so. Just a few blocks away from 4th Avenue is a big city park where you can go on a dog sled ride. The kennels that provide these rides get to exercise their dogs for the day AND make a little money to support their mushing habit. A winning situation for everyone.
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| Dogsledding in downtown Anchorage |
I think one of the most fun things to participate in or watch might be Running of the Reindeer. This is one of the Fur Rondy running events that happens right along 4th Avenue after all the mushers and their trucks have cleared out. A fundraiser for Toys for Tots, this event is a great way to help Alaskans. Participants come from all over Alaska and across the globe to don goofy costumes and see if they can outrun the reindeer. Literally. A herd of reindeer, running on very slushy, slippery snow, chasing you. It's a riot. As I've said before, these Alaskans sure know how to create fun! CindyK
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| Running of the Reindeer 2013, photo by June Price |
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