Iditarod Videos
/After resting for a couple days, we’ve jumped back into the normal routine of tours, training runs, and playing with puppies! Over the next couple weeks, I’ll upload videos from different sections of the trail.
One of my favorite sections was the Farewell Burn, specifically on the return route. However, on the outbound, that section of trail was my least favorite. When heading outbound, we hit the burn at night. It was windy, causing the dead trees to sway and groan. The Burn is notorious for its bare ground (all the snow is blown away), and the way out was no exception. We skidded across frozen dirt and tundra with the wind whipping up the dirt particles. As I opened my mouth, panting from the effort of running next to the sled up the steep inclines (sleds don’t slide very well on dirt), I would swallow a cloud of dust, leaving a gritty dry feeling in my mouth. A layer of dirt and grime covered everything- the sled bag, the dog booties, their tongues, my face. Most mushers camp at the only open water of Tin Creek, otherwise you’re scraping the meager layer of snow off the ground to try and make water for the team. So needless to say, when we left the Burn behind on the outbound direction, I was not looking forward to having to return back through that wasteland.
Little did I know, the area received a fresh layer of snow during the interim, so when we returned through the Farewell Burn, it was spectacular! Since it was daylight, I was able to see the towering mountains on all sides. The once spooky trees adopted a Dr. Seuss-like quality rather than a Nightmare Before Christmas vibe. The dogs sailed across the fresh snow, so no more dust and dirt in the face for us! Plus, we saw buffalo!
A bit about Alaska Bison:
In Alaska, there are two different subspecies of bison: wood bison and plains bison. Wood bison are slightly larger and are naturally occurring in Alaska; whereas the plains bison were established in 1928 near Delta Junction.
There are four herds of plains bison totaling about 900 animals. According to Alaska Fish and Game, “various forms of bison existed in Alaska for several hundred thousand years; until relatively recent times, bison were one of the most abundant large animals on the landscape. Alaska’s existing wild plains bison are descendants of animals that were transplanted from Montana in 1928 to Delta Junction. Transplants have created additional herds at Copper Rivers, Chitina River, and Farewell.” The bison that we saw were part of the Farewell herd.
And did I mention we were treated to a SPECTACULAR sunrise?
