Location: Skwentna Roadhouse
Time: 9 PM
Guess what!
I just had my first snow machine ride! Here we are in
Skwentna, about 70 miles down the Iditarod Trail. But, let me start from
the beginning.
We got up this morning and went from the Wasilla Bed and Breakfast to a
beautiful frozen lake in Willow, for the restart. The day was fantastic! The
sun was shining and Denali was gorgeous off in the distance. What a treat!
It is visible only 20% of the time, so I was really happy!
First thing I did was to wander around from 8 AM till 10:30 and look at
everyone getting their sleds packed up. It was fun to watch them get all organized.
There were lots of family members and supporters around them.
I took lots of pictures.
I had volunteered to help today from
10:30 till the end at 1 PM, and I think I got the best job! I was a “trail
guard.” That means I stand in the “chute” where the teams run and make sure
that no one gets in their way. Well, here in Alaska, no one seems to go where
they are told not to! So, I never had to do “crowd control,” which meant that
I was right up front at the re-start line with nothing to do but take pictures
and enjoy the sights and sounds! It was so exciting! I liked it better than
the start yesterday, because it was in a beautiful spot and even less crowded.
Also, this was for real! Off they go into the wilderness for 10 to 14 days.
Well, after the re-start I finally
met my pilot - Bill Bear!
The plane is really small.
I didn’t think we’d get all our stuff in! There are three of us that hired
him. My two plane mates are Kathy Kent and Andrea Resciniti. Kathy teaches
5th grade in a New Jersey school, and Andrea is a surgeon at the
Emerson Hospital in Concord, which is not too far from Belmont.
The plane flew at about 1500 feet. It was great because we could easily
see below. One of the most interesting things was seeing all the cars being
driven over the frozen lakes. It seems to be a way to get around quicker at
this time of year, and to reach islands on “Big Lake” that are usually reached
only by boat in the summer.
Once we got further into the trail area, we began to see the teams below
us. What a fabulous sight! From up above they look so graceful, all running
at the same speed in a very straight line.
Someone asked me what motivates the mushers to want to do this race. Watching
them today running so beautifully through the wilderness below, I would answer
that one big part of it has to be because they love the outdoors.
When we landed in Skwentna we were met by a
snow machine with a sled behind it. The three of us were driven
right over to the checkpoint, about a mile away, to watch the front-runners
come in. When we got there, at 6 PM, three had arrived - Jeff King, Dan Giovani
and Martin Buser. It had taken them about 7 hours to go about 70 miles. How
fast were they going?
Here is what they do when they arrive. First they check-in. That means
a vet looks at their dogs, and their sleds are checked for the necessary supplies.
Then, they grab a bale of hay and put it down in clumps for the dogs. The dogs
immediately bed down. They look so cute, all curled up!
Then, the musher gives them water and a quick snack. He/she takes off their
booties and massages their feet with
an ointment, and then makes them some hot food. After the dogs are taken
care of, the musher has something to eat. Then they can go on, or rest. A
lot of the mushers seemed to stay at Skwentna for a nap. Martin Buser crawled
into his sled and went right to sleep.
We watched about a dozen teams come in. It was getting dark, so it was
hard to see. It was neat watching the teams come in from the distance – all
you could see down the trail was the musher’s headlight. Did you remember that
they wear one? I will be wearing one too, next time I’m out at night. I forgot
it this time, and it was hard to get around!
We went to our lodging at about 8:30 PM, via the snow machine and sled,
and settled in for the evening. It’s supposed to snow here tomorrow, so we
may be grounded for the day. Otherwise, we’ll fly around to see the checkpoint
action.
Good-night, and I’m sorry about the delay over receiving the last two journals.
Remember that I’m now far away and it’s not always easy to get a computer connection.
I can write the journal, but then have trouble sending it. From McGrath on,
I’ll be fine. It’s just these couple of days that might be hard. Sorry!
I love it here! I’m doing great!
Love from Mrs. McClintock |
