King Winter is indeed reigning over the Northland with an iron fist. Anchorage has received 123.7 inches of snow since October according to the official weather station at the airport. We got another 4 inches last night. If it snows another 5 inches in the next 2 months (?), we will break the all time record for snowfall set back in 1954 with 132.8 inches. That's 11 feet in town! Of course, the snow has settled, but even then, its 6 feet deep in the back yard! The snow banks in the front are towering 10 feet tall. Alyeska Resort, at the end of Turnagain Arm is reporting 746 inches of snowfall since Oct. 1st - 62 FEET of snow! Honestly, it's humbling - and beautiful.
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The 40th running of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race began Sunday in Willow, Ak. There is a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage the day before and all mushers hook two sleds up to their teams, carry a lucky few (they actually bought the opportunity at auction) in the sleds, throw out dog booties filled with candy to the kids, and high five all the spectators for a short run through town. With my parents, we took the kids out to watch and had a blast! We've each chosen a few of the mushers to follow along the way. Every day we get updates on where they are at present, how long it took them on the most recent leg of the race, how long their rest stops are, how many dogs they are still running, etc. This has been exciting for all of us!
The official restart is the next day but is no less of a party!
I let the tired family stay at home and drove to the cabin in Willow. From there, I could ski across the lake and through several swamps to get to Long Lake where the mushers come through. It was an absolute zoo! Hundreds of snow machines crisscrossing the lake, ski planes landing and unloading fire pits, ice fishing shanties, cases of hot dogs and beer. The noise was deafening and the exhaust thick. I saw several riders wearing helmets with ventilator masks integrated into them - interesting. I skied the length of the lake and got some very interesting looks! A few years ago, a local politician referred to folks up here in the Matanuska Valley as Valley Trash and it seems that it stuck and many are proud of this distinction.
It's all in good fun and everyone is excited to watch these dog mushers as they launch off on an 1100 mile journey to Nome. They will cross some of the harshest, most remote country that Alaska has to offer, often on a "trail" that has been obscured by snow and wind. Sleeping little, the fastest will make the journey in 8 or 9 days. The dogs just love to run - I know how they feel!
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