I. Fear (Like all rookies, I assume) I felt nervous in the weeks and days leading up to the start of my first Iditarod. I doubted my own abilities, and those of my mostly inexperienced team. I stressed about how to dress and how to pack for two weeks of spring time weather fluctuations across 1,000 miles in Alaska. I wondered what would happen if I broke my sled. Could I engineer a fix by myself? How would I deal with extreme sleep deprivation? How would I fare physically through those notoriously tricky driving sections of The Happy River Steps? The Gorge? The Burn? Would I lose my team? How ..read more

The Ceremonial Start was absolutely fantastic! After missing this event in ’21 with Covid, mushers and fans were thrilled to be back running through Anchorage. AND, we had a blizzard! The snow dumped on us, starting at about 8 AM, and producing almost 8 inches of snow by 1PM. Some good friends and family showed up to support us and get the team to the start line. Katti had our good friend and kennel assistant, Lindsey, drive her tag sled. I had my longtime friend, Isaac, driving my tag sled. It was great!               As I thoug ..read more

For most mushers, in most years, White Mountain is the last real checkpoint on the Iditarod trail. Nearly 70 miles from Nome, mushers are required to take a minimum of 8 hours of rest in White Mountain. Once completed, very few teams find it necessary to make another stop in the checkpoint of Safety – just 20 miles from the finish line. When I pulled into White Mountain on Thursday evening, the sun was near to setting, and I told myself that my team needed at least 10 or 12 hours before getting up and making that last long push to Nome. The Coast had been tough for my young group. (“The Coast ..read more

 Nikolai, population 125, is a welcome sight after hours of slogging through soft snow. The veteran team members recognize the approaching village a few miles out, and are attempting to push the speed into a lope. We cruise up the riverbank at a good clip, and are checked in by a couple of welcoming volunteers. I see, based on the clipboard, that the entire front field of mushers are still here and resting. Teams are parked on a wide-open section of the river bank, and we pull up to a volunteer, motioning us into our designated parking area. As I strip booties from the team and get them b ..read more

The snow is coming down steady. Trail markers have been hit and missed, and at times we guess at the best trail. Light left the sky hours ago, and it has been a struggle to keep my eyes open as the dogs plod through the snow. I finally shut off the GPS when it showed our recent speed wasn’t getting above 6.5 miles per hour. We are retracing our steps to the finish line, and have only one rest left to make. Our current run, Rainy Pass to Skwentna, will be our longest at 75 miles, and we are now about nine-and-a-half hours into that leg. As we cross the Skwentna River, and climb into the trees o ..read more

A few miles out of Ophir, the Iditarod Trail splits. The historic route, and official trail, heads southwest to the mining ghost town of Iditarod. The 2020 route, heads almost due north to the camp of Cripple, and then onward to the historic mining district of Poorman (and eventually, the native village of Ruby, on the south bank of the Yukon River). I had last travelled this section of trail in my 2008 rookie run, and remembered it as being desolate and unending. In fact, this had been the toughest part of that entire race.            &nb ..read more

The wipers are on steady now, and I have just shifted into four wheel drive. The snow has increased its intensity, and there is about 3 inches on the highway. Its 5pm and we have just driven past the Willow Community Center, the official start line of Iditarod. In just over 16 hours, we will be pulling into our parking spot, and preparing to embark on my forth Iditarod. Am I crazy?! I am excited, but also filled with anxiety and stress. Iditarod 2019 proved to be a good year for our team, and I now feel increased pressure to perform, and follow up a 15th place finish. I know the dogs are ..read more

Well, actually that’s not quite true. While the rest of us are stocking up on toilet paper, I am confident that COVID-19 is pretty much the last thing Iditarod mushers are thinking about. Part of the joy, the beauty and the down-right reason for mushing is for many, the opportunity to clear the mind and think about nothing else other than those furry butts in front of you. Meanwhile, back in the real world, shit is getting real – and fast. Just last week, hundreds of people packed into the Dena’ina Center for the annual musher’s pre-race banquet. A few days later thousands of people were gathe ..read more

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E. Cummings  Nearly 50 teams signed up to run the 2020 Copper Basin 300. But by race start day, only 27 teams were in the chute to begin the 300 mile journey. And by the end of the race, three days later, only 14 teams crossed the finish line. While every race sees last minute withdrawals for the standard reasons of minor kennel illnesses, a lack of proper training and broken down vehicles, the primary reason for teams pulling out of this particular race can be summed up in one word: COLD. In the days leading up the race, we ..read more