Ed, Pat Moon and Hank DeBruin talk dogs
Over the first weekend of October, mushers, educators and race enthusiasts gathered in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at a symposium organized by Ed and Tasha Stielstra of Nature’s Kennel. In more ways than one, the event was a peak experience. Visually, the fall colors were at their peak. The maple, birch, poplar and oak trees were dressed in technicolor coats thanks to Jack Frost and fewer hours of daylight. Attendees were excited – mushers looking forward to cool fall weather for perfect fall training runs and teachers looking forward to using a mushing theme in their classrooms.
Science teacher from Kiel, WI adopts Eden
The symposium/conference covered a wide range of interests. Topics included – Racing as a Rookie, Veterinary Q & A, Skijoring and Carting, Hands on Gear Making, Checkpoint Routine, Lead Dog Training, Training and Racing Siberians, Sled Building and Repair, Iditarod in Middle School Language Arts, Iditarod Genetics in High School Science, Teacher on the Trail and Resources for Educators.
Key Note Presenter, Jodi Bailey spoke about her experiences in the Yukon Quest and Iditarod. Jodi stands alone in the mushing record books. In 2011, she became the first rookie musher to finish both long-distance sled dog races in the same year. Only eighteen other women have run both races and no musher in history, male or female, has run them both successfully in the same year on their first attempt. Jodi and her husband, Dan Kaduce, own Dew Claw Kennel near Fairbanks. Dan was Iditarod Rookie of the year in 2010.
There were a host of Iditarod XL mushers present – some serving as presenters and some there to connect and learn. Pat Moon from Chicago, Illinois is back as a rookie. He’s travelled the Iditarod Trail through the Dalzell Gorge before a crash took him out of the race in 2010. Quest veteran, Hank DeBruin, returns as a rookie to take his powerful Siberian Huskies to Nome. Jake Berkowitz is back on the trail again for his third Iditarod. Rookie double Fairbanks musher, Jodi Bailey, is back for her second trip to the burled arch. The folks listed above presented and shared their experiences and expertise at the conference. After running his best Iditarod ever in 2011, Ed Stielstra, conference organizer and facilitator, announced that he’ll return for his 7th Iditarod adventure. Joe Gutkowski from Michigan was bitten by the mushing bug in 2006. He’s trained with Iditarod veterans Ed Stielstra and Al Hardman. Joe, who attended the symposium, has raced successfully in the lower 48, has completed his qualifiers and is hard at work preparing for his rookie run of the Last Great Race.
The Fourth Midwest Musher Symposium and Teacher’s conference offered something for everyone – race fans, mushers and educators alike. The conference concluded with a tour of Nature’s Kennel hosted by the Stielstras and their kennel staff. Interested in connecting with other lower 48 sled dog enthusiast? Make plans to attend next fall.
