Dogsled.com: Mushing news, Iditarod, Yukon Quest, sled dog events

It somehow seemed appropriate that snowflakes began to fall as we crested the rise that then swoops down to Knik Lake.  You've barely had time to register the rise where Joe Redington Sr's home set up on the right and his boat, the Nomad, forever stuck in time in the adjacent mud flats on the left, before you're there, turning off into the parking lot of the Knik Bar and Grill.  This year, with plenty of snow, not only were mushers plentiful, but so were spectators.  Parking was tight but adequate.  Quickly grabbing my camera gear, I headed out toward the lake, only to encounter musher/author Gary Paulsen along the way.  For those unaware, Paulsen just withdrew from the Iditarod, so I was quick to ask him why.

"I'm okay and the dogs are great," he assured me.  As it turns out, he's going to be missing several weeks of training time to fly home to be with his wife who will be having surgery.  As a result, he opted to withdraw rather than run the dogs without the miles on them that he believed were needed.  As I watched Paulsen's team power out onto Knik Lake later, they looked strong and quick, so it's a decision his fans will regret.

 Pre-race is a busy time for mushers, so there was little time to chat.  Despite this, most were willing to stop and offer up brief comments.  Jon Little, for instance, said he was basically on a training run.  "I train mostly on hills," he noted, so the Knik 200 is a chance for him to see how his dogs perform on another type of terrain.

Paul Gebhardt was cheerful and planning to see how it all shook out.  Sharing what weather info I had regarding the Skwentna end with him, we somehow segued into a discussion of the weather.  "I don't care what anyone says," chuckled Gebhardt, "there is a difference between -24 and -55," which was what mushers faced during last year's Iditarod.  Musher Bill Borden, up from Georgia as a spectator, stopped by to chat with Gebhardt, allowing me to make an easy exit.  Borden planned to follow the race briefly via snow-machine.

I made my way across the lake, I noted the different approaches used by many as they prepared.  Some had their dogs harnessed and ready to go nearly a half hour before the start, for instance.  Others, such as Debbie Hoover, missed her start time, resulting in being placed at the end of the list to leave. 

It was also interesting to see how the teams approached the line.  Gebhardt's dogs were impressive.  Without a handler involved, his dogs charged to the line and looked for all the world as if they intended to keep right on going until they reached Skwentna.  A quick command from Gebhardt, however, and they stopped quickly and remained calmly standing until the command to go. 

The rest of the field used handlers, Libby Riddles occasionally being spotted in the mix. While the bigger named mushers tend to have handlers in tow, helping hands as qualified as Riddles' are certainly quickly accepted.  Looking for all the world like "just a handler," Riddles snapped photos herself and went largely unrecognized.  So, a hint to fans:  Don't think those handlers are "just another handler."  Not only are they vital to the success of mushers, you just never know who might be out there leading teams to the starting lines!

Both Ryan and Ray Redington, Jr., represented the Redington Family in the race.  In addition, Micah Degerlund, last year's Jr. Iditarod winner, ran a team of Ray, Jr's dogs.  "They're Ray's dogs," he said, "but I'm training them." 

Leave it to defending champion Jeff King to give the crowd a bit of a thrill, however.  As King's team exited the chute, he tipped the sled to the right.  It at first seemed a deliberate move, but as the sled hit a soft pile of snow, it looked for all the world like the defending champion might be going to demonstrate how to tip over your sled right at my feet.  Not so, however.  You could almost see King catch himself, make a quick move, and the next thing you knew, he was once again upright and the dogs continued charging across the lake.  These are the sort of "oops" type things that happen to mushers countless times on the trail, so it was a treat to see how a master dealt with it, even though I'm inclined to think King would have prefered not to demonstrate his skills this way.  (View the video clip posted to see the near tumble and hear Jeff explain why he was there running the Knik 200.)

Finally, as the teams dwindled and the constant baying of dogs decreased, you could see some dog trucks beginning to leave.  Sadly, DeeDee Jonrowe, whose team sported fluorescent pink harnesses, is reported to have been an early scratch according to a report from a comms volunteer.  She reportedly scratched with one dog in the basket, a hint of the reason behind the scratch.  This early in the season, most mushers will tell you that it isn't worth risking injury to dogs to push to finish races.  In fact, Jeff King didn't have Golden Harness Salem with him this year.  I checked.

 For the rookies, of course, those with Iditarod Dreams, finishing is the key.  The first teams should be finishing on Knik Lake late tomorrow morning, so stay tuned. 

Official site of the Knik 200 www.knik200.com

Comments (5)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

alaskakaz said:

Great story June, thanks for providing your insight on the race.

January 06, 2007

lurkingrani said:

Great story, June, your words always make the far away fans feel like they are there.

January 06, 2007

frvcin said:

i always look forward to seeing the great ones at the start of any race. thanks for caring about us mushers in the northeast. we really apreciate what youy are doing/ thanks again kevin.

January 07, 2007

Dillingham said:

Thanks June, enjoyed the story and photo's.

January 07, 2007

lindainatl said:

Well written, June. I really enjoyed the story and I also liked all your photos. Very nicely done. I hope to see more! Linda

January 07, 2007