Greetings from Whitehorse! The team, Elaine and I are enroute on our return to our post-Iditarod lives. We had a bit of snow yesterday after leaving Alaska, but the temps are incredibly balmy compared to when we passed through this area in January (25-30 above vs. 25-35 below). The dogs are great travellers, love their dog truck and always eager to get back in and hit the road.
Some aspects of the race seem like a dream already. I'll be posting more about the race and our experiences as time and internet connections permit. We've been busy packing and travelling, and I've hardly had a chance to even think about it all to put it into perspective. This last part of the adventure has a somewhat bittersweet feel to it. On one hand, I'm most excited about heading home (finally!), and it was great to pack up and get out of the cabin and on our way. Yet I know that the magical experience with the dogs will never be repeated. We'll never be in the same space again, and that has been something to savor that I'll never forget. Those dogs who finished the race I think sense they did something really special. They're happy to be reunited with the rest of the kennel, and still a little subdued and resting...yet I think they look at me and know in some way what an adventure we've all had.
More later!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Mission Accomplished !!!!!!
Liz completed the race on Monday, March 17th at 10:51am. It was a thrilling moment!! Peggy and I were at the Iditarod HQ and Peggy asked if they had a spotter out on the trail to let us know when she was 20 minutes out from the finish. They didn't have one out and it was 10:30am. We estimated she would be coming in around 11am. So one of the volunteers said "Lets get in the van and I'll drive out to the end of town!" We jumped in the van and drove 3 miles out and just then suddenly we saw Liz and team driving out on the ice of the Bering Sea. What a thrill!!! The volunteer, who had been a trail spotter for many past Iditarods, remarked that the team was really moving. When the team reached a point where the trail is parallel to the road, we drove along side and clocked the team at 12 mph. They were really truckin!!!! The volunteer dialed a number, handed me the phone and said when someone answers, tell them Liz is at the Roadhouse, get the checker to the finish line and get folks moving quickly as Liz would finish in 5 minutes.
She let us take a few pictures and then she said we had to get back to town fast!
So we zoomed into town. As we got near the Finish Line they sounded the siren which meant Liz was 5 minutes out. It gave us goose bumps. We jumped out of the van and situated ourselves under the burled arch to await the team's arrival. Just a few minutes later there they were proceeding down Front Street to the finish line. As the team approached people started cheering and they announced Liz's arrival time. I ran to the head of the team to ensure they stopped at the end of the chute and then hugged and kissed each dog. They looked terrific!!! Liz was jubliant and all smiles. After Liz, congratulated her dogs and checked in with the race officials, I finally got to go up and give her a big congratulatory hug. Then we took off the dogs booties and gave a few out as souvenirs to the school kids at the Finish Line. Tourists asked to pose for pictures with the dogs and Liz. Crimp was a real ham laying down amidst all the comotion--he needed a quick 40 winks! Finally, after many pictures and celebration, we moved the team to the dog yard and got them situated at a temporary site at the edge of the yard. We would have to wait later that afternoon to move them to the areas where we could attach them to lines where they could rest comfortably in dog crates filled with straw. This is where they would stay until flown back to Anchorage. I fed the dogs and then took Liz back to our host family's home where she could shower and rest. Then Richard, the husband of our host family, took me back to the dog yard on the four wheeler and he helped me assemble crates, move the dogs to their spots and spread straw for them. We got back to the house at 4:30pm and then went out to eat. Liz needed a meal in her. We had a huge pizza and returned to the house. Richard and I went back at 7pm to feed the dogs. Just as we finished (close to 8:30pm) the siren sounded the impending arrival of the last musher. We stopped at the Finish Line to watch her come in and extinguish the lantern and receive the Red Lantern trophy for last place. It was quite a moving moment and lots of folks had tears in their eyes. As the sun set over Nome, I thought about how fortunate I was to see the start of the race in Anchorage, and the official end of the race in Nome. What an amazing experience!
When I got back to the house at 9pm, Liz had already been sleeping a few hours and was out cold. At dinner she had talked a little bit about how satisfying and enjoyable her race experience had been. I'm sure she will be filling you in on this blog with her thoughts, experiences and impressions of participating in "The Last Great Race on Earth"!
I will also try and post some pictures soon of her and the team approaching Nome and the actual crossing of the finish line.
So long from Nome!
Elaine
She let us take a few pictures and then she said we had to get back to town fast!
So we zoomed into town. As we got near the Finish Line they sounded the siren which meant Liz was 5 minutes out. It gave us goose bumps. We jumped out of the van and situated ourselves under the burled arch to await the team's arrival. Just a few minutes later there they were proceeding down Front Street to the finish line. As the team approached people started cheering and they announced Liz's arrival time. I ran to the head of the team to ensure they stopped at the end of the chute and then hugged and kissed each dog. They looked terrific!!! Liz was jubliant and all smiles. After Liz, congratulated her dogs and checked in with the race officials, I finally got to go up and give her a big congratulatory hug. Then we took off the dogs booties and gave a few out as souvenirs to the school kids at the Finish Line. Tourists asked to pose for pictures with the dogs and Liz. Crimp was a real ham laying down amidst all the comotion--he needed a quick 40 winks! Finally, after many pictures and celebration, we moved the team to the dog yard and got them situated at a temporary site at the edge of the yard. We would have to wait later that afternoon to move them to the areas where we could attach them to lines where they could rest comfortably in dog crates filled with straw. This is where they would stay until flown back to Anchorage. I fed the dogs and then took Liz back to our host family's home where she could shower and rest. Then Richard, the husband of our host family, took me back to the dog yard on the four wheeler and he helped me assemble crates, move the dogs to their spots and spread straw for them. We got back to the house at 4:30pm and then went out to eat. Liz needed a meal in her. We had a huge pizza and returned to the house. Richard and I went back at 7pm to feed the dogs. Just as we finished (close to 8:30pm) the siren sounded the impending arrival of the last musher. We stopped at the Finish Line to watch her come in and extinguish the lantern and receive the Red Lantern trophy for last place. It was quite a moving moment and lots of folks had tears in their eyes. As the sun set over Nome, I thought about how fortunate I was to see the start of the race in Anchorage, and the official end of the race in Nome. What an amazing experience!
When I got back to the house at 9pm, Liz had already been sleeping a few hours and was out cold. At dinner she had talked a little bit about how satisfying and enjoyable her race experience had been. I'm sure she will be filling you in on this blog with her thoughts, experiences and impressions of participating in "The Last Great Race on Earth"!
I will also try and post some pictures soon of her and the team approaching Nome and the actual crossing of the finish line.
So long from Nome!
Elaine
Friday, March 14, 2008
Oops!
Well, I didn't proof read the last post so I didn't correct the word some in the title. Also, not sure why the Togo picture didn't get posted and there are duplicate pictures of the drop bags. Have patience, I'm just learning how to do all this fancy manipulation of images from the computer to the blog.
I checked the race status and Liz left Shaktoolik at 12:37pm this afternoon. She is sticking to her schedule the last two checkpoints so I think she is really energized and eager to get to Nome!
Elaine
I checked the race status and Liz left Shaktoolik at 12:37pm this afternoon. She is sticking to her schedule the last two checkpoints so I think she is really energized and eager to get to Nome!
Elaine
Somne pictures
Finally, I've managed to get some pictures on the blog. They are as follows:
Lori, Liz, Elaine and Wrangell pose with packed truck and dog trailer in Togo, MN
Drop bag preparations
Liz shipping sled to McGrath
Liz crashing sled at Ceremonial Start
I'll try and size more while I'm in Nome and when we get back to Willow I can post them.
I am estimating that Liz will finish the race at approximately 9:30am Monday, March 17th.
elaine
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Liz calls from Takotna!
Liz took her mandatory 24 hour layover at Takotna, as planned. She called yesterday and left me a message. I just missed her call and ironically I was at the Iditarod Headquarters on Wasilla checking on the race status, buying a few souvenirs and looking at the historical displays they have on the past winners of the race. In her message she sounded great and said all was well and the dogs were fantastic! She advised me to call Lori in Wisconsin with whom she had just spoken. I called Lori and got more details.
All the dogs are eating well--even Circle--who is a picky eater. Physically they are in great shape. Foot pads in good shape and no problem sore muscles. I relayed this information to Jamie Nelson and Jamie was of the opinion that the dogs are getting stronger as the race goes on, which is wonderful!!
Liz herself did sustain an injury on the part of the trail known as Buffalo Camp which is on the way to Nikolai. It is an area which is inhabited by herds of buffalo and they make trails through the willows which creat "tunnels". She was going through a tunnel and dumped the sled and as she fell, fell upon one of her snow hooks. Snow hooks are cold, hard steel. Luckily, she only got a huge bruise on her butt and no laceration. However, she said the pain was tremendous and she could not move for a while. She managed to get back on the sled and made it into Nikolai where the veternarians checked her out. She had only intended to stay 8 hours at Nikolai but stayed 16 hours to allow her bruise to start healing. The vets did a tape job on her leg/butt muscles to alleviate the pain and she made it to McGrath where she got her new light weight Gatt sled with the seat and "caboose". She reported that the sled feels great to drive! She enjoyed much needed rest at Takotna and took a long, hot shower. Takotna is known as the best checkpoint with the best hospitality and food.
She left Takotna at 6:24am this morning and made in and out of Ophir, at 9:12am, and 10:28am, respectively. She is now on her way to Cripple.
It was so good to hear the energy and enthusiasm in her voice and hear that the team is doing an outstanding job. They are a great bunch of Alaskan Huskies that truly want to get her Nome. I could feel their eagerness and enthusiasm to get on the trail, and they are proving that they have what it takes. It also demonstrates that Liz is doing a superb job of dog care on the trail.
I'm still working on some pictures to post. I have plenty to keep me busy while Liz is on the trail. Making housing arrangements in Nome for us, caring for the 10 dogs that didn't go on the race, organizing gear and equipment in readiness for packing the truck/trailer for the return trip home, etc. I'll be taking the dog crates to the airport Monday for shipment to Nome. Mushers have to supply their own dog crates to transport the dogs from Nome back to Anchorage via Alaska airlines. The airlines used to supply them, but the policy changed last year.
I also took some time out to have fun. Went to hear Hobo Jim perform in Wasilla. He is famous for his "I did the Iditarod Trail" song. He was very entertaining, playing golden oldies for us baby boomers.
Today I played in a snow golf tournament here in Willow. The Chamber of Commerce makes a 9 hole course on the Willow Lake surface, which was the site of the restart last Sunday. 16 teams participated and I played with the women of the United Methodist Church of Willow. We had a great time and I won the trophy for women's low score. Each golfer played with one iron and putter and orange golf balls. It was a real kick to hit the "ice fairways" and try to putt through ice,snow and water to a cup filled with icy lake water. No one wanted to retrieve their ball out of the ice water cup, so we had alot of "gimmies".
Well, that's all for now. The library, where I can access wireless is closing in 15 minutes. Back to the cabin and dog chores!
Elaine
All the dogs are eating well--even Circle--who is a picky eater. Physically they are in great shape. Foot pads in good shape and no problem sore muscles. I relayed this information to Jamie Nelson and Jamie was of the opinion that the dogs are getting stronger as the race goes on, which is wonderful!!
Liz herself did sustain an injury on the part of the trail known as Buffalo Camp which is on the way to Nikolai. It is an area which is inhabited by herds of buffalo and they make trails through the willows which creat "tunnels". She was going through a tunnel and dumped the sled and as she fell, fell upon one of her snow hooks. Snow hooks are cold, hard steel. Luckily, she only got a huge bruise on her butt and no laceration. However, she said the pain was tremendous and she could not move for a while. She managed to get back on the sled and made it into Nikolai where the veternarians checked her out. She had only intended to stay 8 hours at Nikolai but stayed 16 hours to allow her bruise to start healing. The vets did a tape job on her leg/butt muscles to alleviate the pain and she made it to McGrath where she got her new light weight Gatt sled with the seat and "caboose". She reported that the sled feels great to drive! She enjoyed much needed rest at Takotna and took a long, hot shower. Takotna is known as the best checkpoint with the best hospitality and food.
She left Takotna at 6:24am this morning and made in and out of Ophir, at 9:12am, and 10:28am, respectively. She is now on her way to Cripple.
It was so good to hear the energy and enthusiasm in her voice and hear that the team is doing an outstanding job. They are a great bunch of Alaskan Huskies that truly want to get her Nome. I could feel their eagerness and enthusiasm to get on the trail, and they are proving that they have what it takes. It also demonstrates that Liz is doing a superb job of dog care on the trail.
I'm still working on some pictures to post. I have plenty to keep me busy while Liz is on the trail. Making housing arrangements in Nome for us, caring for the 10 dogs that didn't go on the race, organizing gear and equipment in readiness for packing the truck/trailer for the return trip home, etc. I'll be taking the dog crates to the airport Monday for shipment to Nome. Mushers have to supply their own dog crates to transport the dogs from Nome back to Anchorage via Alaska airlines. The airlines used to supply them, but the policy changed last year.
I also took some time out to have fun. Went to hear Hobo Jim perform in Wasilla. He is famous for his "I did the Iditarod Trail" song. He was very entertaining, playing golden oldies for us baby boomers.
Today I played in a snow golf tournament here in Willow. The Chamber of Commerce makes a 9 hole course on the Willow Lake surface, which was the site of the restart last Sunday. 16 teams participated and I played with the women of the United Methodist Church of Willow. We had a great time and I won the trophy for women's low score. Each golfer played with one iron and putter and orange golf balls. It was a real kick to hit the "ice fairways" and try to putt through ice,snow and water to a cup filled with icy lake water. No one wanted to retrieve their ball out of the ice water cup, so we had alot of "gimmies".
Well, that's all for now. The library, where I can access wireless is closing in 15 minutes. Back to the cabin and dog chores!
Elaine
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Race Has Begun!!!
The moment we have been working toward and waiting for finally arrived! March 1st, the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage. Team Parrish arrived in Anchorage at 7:15am , parked the dog trailer on 4th and F street and then ate a hearty breakfast at the Downtown Deli on 4th street. We then proceeded to the dog trailer and dropped the dogs and started preparations. The race started at 10am, but we were not scheduled to depart until approximately 12:30pm. Liz had drawn starting position 75 at the Mushers Banquet on Thursday night. 96 teams registered for the race, a record number!
The downtown area was filled with thousands of folks who walked by and were very interested in the dog teams. We answered numerous questions, posed for pictures, and Liz was interviewed several times. The governer of Alaska, Sarah Palin was at the start of the race. The day was cold, breezy, and brisk. You could feel the excitement in the air!
Finally, the "heads up" point person came to our dog trailer and we got the team hooked to the gang line. Liz and her sister Amy led the lead dogs to the starting line. Lori and Scott were on the main sled, Karen on the drag sled, Anna's son rode the drag sled to the starting line, and everybody else had a dog on a lead to assist the team to the starting line. Others helping were Kim, Patty, Jan, and Iditarod volunteers. Once we reached the starting line we had one minute to prepare. Liz got on the main sled, I got on the drag sled and all of the sudden the count down started....10, 9 , 8..... Go!! We shot down Cordova street, with the crowd cheering and yelling Good Luck Liz, see you in Nome! We reached the infamous right hand turn on Cordova and 4th and Liz cut it too close and dumped the sled. My sled just stopped. Race voluteers helped her right the sled and we were off again. In my opinion, that right hand turn was the most tame of all the turns and icy stretchs on the trail. We made all of the remaining turns, but icy conditions caused my drag sled to slide after a turn and I could not avoid a small birch tree. Bang!!! I smacked the sled into it and my knee into the lower sled crossbar. Oh well! I dislodged the sled from the tree and we continued. Then we got to an icy stretch and both sleds kept sliding to the right off the trail. My sled kept dumping over. I'd get dragged for about 10 yards, the team would stop, I'd get up, and we would continue until I fell over again. At one point one of my snow hooks got stuck in the snow and a volunteer helped me free it. After about 3 dumps and drags totaling about 25 yards, we finally reached a flat, snowy spot. I righted the sled, and off we went! The next challenge was a bridge over a creek. Instead of going over the bridge, Gerry decided he wanted to go across the creek. So the team proceeded to the right of the bridge. It would have been fine but there were tree limbs hidden in the snow and they caught the sleds. Liz did a great job of figuring out how to dislodge first her sled, then mine with the assistance of the Iditarider Phillip. He enjoyed the experience of being dragged in the snow for a bit too!! We went up the snow bank and my sled took out a snow fence just after the bridge, and away we went! From then on it was smooth sailing to Campbell airstrip, the completion of the Ceremonial start. Our dog truck and the crew were there to meet us! It was a thrilling ride! One thing that really impressed me along the entire route of the run was the personal interest of the crowd in every musher. Onlookers had the musher roster so they knew who was coming by when they saw the bib number. They called out Liz's name and wished her well, some yelling See you in Nome, and extending high fives for her to reach out and return. A boy scout troup had a trumpet salute for each team that went by and handed out hot dogs and cupcakes to the mushers as they flew by. There were alot of hot dogs and cupcakes run over on the trail!!! The entire run was festive with a personal touch==very heartwarming.
Now, on to the real start of the race!!! Team Parrish convened at 9:30am Sunday morning at the cabin in Willow. The team was fed and loaded on the trailer. Liz's sled was loaded on the trailer, and away we went to the start at Willow Lake arriving at around 11am. It was a partly sunny day in the high 20's or low 30's. Lots of spectators! The race re-started at 2pm. Liz was scheduled to depart at 4:42pm so we had quite a bit of time to get ready. The atmosphere was relaxed and Liz could take her time and complete last minute preparations to the sled, including Lori's sewing job on the sled bag zipper. Liz was interviewed and lots of pictures were taken. AT 3pm we dropped the dogs. We checked to ensure the race collars were secure. Then the booties went on, and finally the harnesses. At 4:05pm we hooked the team to the gangline and Liz was ready to get on the sled. At 4:18pm we started making our way to the starting line. And then, we were there, in the starting chute with 1 minute to go. Liz left the sled and went to the front of the team to encourage her leaders Coast and Tie and then walked the line to make sure all was in place for a good start. 30 seconds to go, 10 seconds to go..... and BAM, she was off on the race of her dreams! It was quite an emotional moment. Several of us shed tears and hugged. It is a moment I will always remember. All of the hard work, long days, nights with very little sleep, preparing drop bags in -38 degree weather, the training runs, all the logistics, details,etc. finally culminating in a magic moment at 4:42pm on March 2nd!
So, Liz is currently on her way to Rainy Pass. She should make it there late tonight and then will take an 8 hour rest. Follow her progress on the Iditarod home page. They update race progress every 15 minutes.
I'll try to post some pictures soon. I have to size them for the blog, which takes some time.
Should Liz call from a checkpoint, I'll be sure to update this blog!
Elaine
The downtown area was filled with thousands of folks who walked by and were very interested in the dog teams. We answered numerous questions, posed for pictures, and Liz was interviewed several times. The governer of Alaska, Sarah Palin was at the start of the race. The day was cold, breezy, and brisk. You could feel the excitement in the air!
Finally, the "heads up" point person came to our dog trailer and we got the team hooked to the gang line. Liz and her sister Amy led the lead dogs to the starting line. Lori and Scott were on the main sled, Karen on the drag sled, Anna's son rode the drag sled to the starting line, and everybody else had a dog on a lead to assist the team to the starting line. Others helping were Kim, Patty, Jan, and Iditarod volunteers. Once we reached the starting line we had one minute to prepare. Liz got on the main sled, I got on the drag sled and all of the sudden the count down started....10, 9 , 8..... Go!! We shot down Cordova street, with the crowd cheering and yelling Good Luck Liz, see you in Nome! We reached the infamous right hand turn on Cordova and 4th and Liz cut it too close and dumped the sled. My sled just stopped. Race voluteers helped her right the sled and we were off again. In my opinion, that right hand turn was the most tame of all the turns and icy stretchs on the trail. We made all of the remaining turns, but icy conditions caused my drag sled to slide after a turn and I could not avoid a small birch tree. Bang!!! I smacked the sled into it and my knee into the lower sled crossbar. Oh well! I dislodged the sled from the tree and we continued. Then we got to an icy stretch and both sleds kept sliding to the right off the trail. My sled kept dumping over. I'd get dragged for about 10 yards, the team would stop, I'd get up, and we would continue until I fell over again. At one point one of my snow hooks got stuck in the snow and a volunteer helped me free it. After about 3 dumps and drags totaling about 25 yards, we finally reached a flat, snowy spot. I righted the sled, and off we went! The next challenge was a bridge over a creek. Instead of going over the bridge, Gerry decided he wanted to go across the creek. So the team proceeded to the right of the bridge. It would have been fine but there were tree limbs hidden in the snow and they caught the sleds. Liz did a great job of figuring out how to dislodge first her sled, then mine with the assistance of the Iditarider Phillip. He enjoyed the experience of being dragged in the snow for a bit too!! We went up the snow bank and my sled took out a snow fence just after the bridge, and away we went! From then on it was smooth sailing to Campbell airstrip, the completion of the Ceremonial start. Our dog truck and the crew were there to meet us! It was a thrilling ride! One thing that really impressed me along the entire route of the run was the personal interest of the crowd in every musher. Onlookers had the musher roster so they knew who was coming by when they saw the bib number. They called out Liz's name and wished her well, some yelling See you in Nome, and extending high fives for her to reach out and return. A boy scout troup had a trumpet salute for each team that went by and handed out hot dogs and cupcakes to the mushers as they flew by. There were alot of hot dogs and cupcakes run over on the trail!!! The entire run was festive with a personal touch==very heartwarming.
Now, on to the real start of the race!!! Team Parrish convened at 9:30am Sunday morning at the cabin in Willow. The team was fed and loaded on the trailer. Liz's sled was loaded on the trailer, and away we went to the start at Willow Lake arriving at around 11am. It was a partly sunny day in the high 20's or low 30's. Lots of spectators! The race re-started at 2pm. Liz was scheduled to depart at 4:42pm so we had quite a bit of time to get ready. The atmosphere was relaxed and Liz could take her time and complete last minute preparations to the sled, including Lori's sewing job on the sled bag zipper. Liz was interviewed and lots of pictures were taken. AT 3pm we dropped the dogs. We checked to ensure the race collars were secure. Then the booties went on, and finally the harnesses. At 4:05pm we hooked the team to the gangline and Liz was ready to get on the sled. At 4:18pm we started making our way to the starting line. And then, we were there, in the starting chute with 1 minute to go. Liz left the sled and went to the front of the team to encourage her leaders Coast and Tie and then walked the line to make sure all was in place for a good start. 30 seconds to go, 10 seconds to go..... and BAM, she was off on the race of her dreams! It was quite an emotional moment. Several of us shed tears and hugged. It is a moment I will always remember. All of the hard work, long days, nights with very little sleep, preparing drop bags in -38 degree weather, the training runs, all the logistics, details,etc. finally culminating in a magic moment at 4:42pm on March 2nd!
So, Liz is currently on her way to Rainy Pass. She should make it there late tonight and then will take an 8 hour rest. Follow her progress on the Iditarod home page. They update race progress every 15 minutes.
I'll try to post some pictures soon. I have to size them for the blog, which takes some time.
Should Liz call from a checkpoint, I'll be sure to update this blog!
Elaine
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