Willow, Alaska

I wake up on the couch to the sounds of sled dogs howling in the yard. I’m sweating in front of the wood stove which has burned all night heating up the house. Wearing a double set of leggings and a fleece, i throw off the blankets and open the door to get some cool air. The bright sun glares through the window. The sky is a pleasing pale blue. It’s 7am.

My mother is preparing to run her third Iditarod, the intense, long-distance, dog sled race from Willow to Nome, Alaksa. it is just days away now and the pressure is building. A bunch of her friends come over to the house to help with the last minute preparations, feeding the dogs, scoopin’ up the poop, packing up the dog food, sealing away snacks and vitamins and lots of other things in zip -lock bags.

I help sort out dog “booties,” little dog socks that protect their feet. I find the ones with holes worn through them and set them aside, bundling up the good ones in groups of four. I think of the dogs and how they will run over 1,000 miles to make it to the end of this race. Crazy little athletes.

I cut out cards with trail notes to be laminated. In this moment it sinks in what a truly difficult journey this is. The cards say things like: 

43 miles to Yentra, mostly river. Lakes & Swamps & hills. 20 miles past Skwentna…15 miles to Happy River Steps…Steep icy climb out of Happy River…12 miles from Finn Bear Lake. Steep hills & sharp turns, steep side slopes, glaciers….Buffalo Chutes- wind blown lakes, open water, blind turns and ditches.

God. And my mother is doing this. She is far more daring than I. 

Tomorrow is the Iditarod banquet…my mom will pull her number out of a hat to determine where in the line of departure she will be. It’s two days until the ceremonial start, where I will ride in the sled with my mother. 3 days until the official race begins. This should be quite a trip!

More to come~