Monday, March 7, 2016

Mush!

"You're all invited to come back in February," our tour guide told everyone on the motor coach from Denali, "for the Iditarod and some Northern Lights!" We laughed at her teasing, but it was more a little tempting. Imagine that, I thought.

I forgot her playful invitation until I saw a piece on the news a little while ago about that annual dog sled race. Watching the video footage of the ceremonial start of the Iditarod gave me a little pang-- despite the snow, it was easy to recognize the same downtown Anchorage we criss-crossed on foot for a couple days last August. Imagine that, I thought.

Later, at my computer, I clicked over to the official site, scanning through the progress of the mushers, and reading about how, because of the warm winter, they had actually had to ship in snow this year for the Anchorage leg of the race. One link in particular caught my eye. Teacher on the Trail it read. I knew the Iditarod had a robust collection of educational materials, but it turns out there is an annual contest to choose one teacher to create lessons and post dispatches from the trail.

Imagine that!

4 comments:

  1. We drove to Anchorage from Wyoming in a 1980's Vanagon a few years ago and loved Alaska so much. I am also intrigued by the Iditarod. We actually visited a ranch where they raise musher dogs in the Yukon. It was a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for bringing back those memories!

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  2. Talk about dogs who are born to run! I just checked out the site, and those photos are incredible.

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  3. Umm - Great idea! They train all summer long on sleds with wheels. You could totally do this.

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