Iditarod Comes to Town

Well I am still pumped up after an AWESOME weekend of the Great Iditarod race coming through Galena. For those of you who don't know much about the Iditarod I have researched it to give you a bit of Information about it.

The Iditarod started out as a route from Seward to Nome during the Gold Rush of 1920's. Settlers, Miners and people getting rich from the miners were all traveling by sled dogs. They used the dogs to carry all their supplies and all the mail to the remote mining camps in Alaska. In 1925 an epidemic of Diphtheria broke out and the trail was used as a lifesaving trail to get the serum to all the people that were suffering from Diphtheria. Well the route by dog sled was eventually replaced by the use of Planes and Snow machines (snowmobiles for you southerners.=))Anyways in 1967 Dorothy G. Page came up with the idea of a race to celebrate the Centennial of Alaska. The first run of the Iditarod began in 1973. From then till now they have continued the race to remember the history of Alaska. This year there were 72 teams each with 12-16 dogs. Each team has a bunch of rules to follow during the trail but by the end of the trip they must have at least 5 dogs. These Mushers face the hardship of the Alaska wild for 10-17 days while they trek across country in a 1,150 mile trip. If you were driving straight it is actually only a 650 miles but the twist and turns they take make it out to be 1,150 miles.

Some of the great racers that are racing this year are Jeff King who has 4 wins and a fastest record holder in 1998. Lance Mackey has won the last 3 years in a row and has a fastest record holder in 2007. And Hugh Neff holds the Rookie of the Year award for 2004.

Galena Community Center~Iditarod Check Point

Me and Kaden watching the Teams come across the Yukon River

Jeff King crossing the River being the first Team to arrive in Galena

Jeff King arriving

Bedding down his dogs

Jeff King

Lance Mackey arriving in Galena

Lance Mackey bedding down his dogs
Lance Mackey
Hugh Neff arriving in Galena

Hugh Neff Feeding his dogs

So now that you know the basic history of the Iditarod we can get back to my story. On Friday afternoon, Keith, Kaden, and I went up to our Community Center where the Check point for all the teams was. Each team must check in at each check point and then have the option of continuing on to the next point or they can take a rest and feed their dogs. Along the way there are certain amounts of lay over’s that each team must do, but each musher can choose when they make those stops. Jeff King was the first musher to arrive at Galena check point. He was an 1.5 hours ahead of Lance Mackey and Mackey was 20 minutes in front of Hugh Neff. While at the community center, Keith and I volunteered to help. I got to write in the times on the big charts. It made me feel important.

Me writing in the Times of Mackey and Neff

When the first three Mushers got in to the community center for a few hours of break, we all got to meet them and even eat with them! Yes I was SOOOOOO excited to actually say i ate dinner with Hugh Neff and Lance Mackey. Hugh Neff even asked me to become a Facebook friend. Jeff King was not as friendly and did not sit and chat with the people around, but Mackey and Neff were really nice and even took a picture with me a totally tourist. I guess the rest of the Galena never thought to get pictures with these guys because many people were asking me for copies of pictures of me with these two guys. Made me laugh and made me stand out as a total tourist, but Hey I was having a BLAST!

The guys checking out their times

Me and Mackey and Neff

We even got to eat dinner with a man that was WALKING let me say that again... WALKING the 1,150 miles! Not only that but he was walking it at NIGHT in the dark, with wolves and all by himself. There were actually two guys walking and even a few people riding Bicycles on the trail. Yeah I have not figured that one out since there is snow everywhere. Riding a bike seems like a hard task to do in a few feet of snow.

This man is the one walking!

Saturday, Keith went up early to help shovel hay and lead dogs to their rest area. He was busy keeping the dogs happy. Kaden and I went to join him around 11:00am and I made some cornbread to go with some of the soups that other ladies in the town made.

Another team arriving

Dogs getting a rest and bedding down

Kaden watching the Dogs sleeping

Checking out the dogs

Kaden trying on some Seal Mittens from Mr. Jason

Making a scary face.