By: Nikki Allen 2010 Teacher on the TrailTMFinalist
Each year on the first Sunday in March, race fans gather at Willow Lake for the restart of The Last Great Race. Young, old, families with children, visitors from other states, and locals gather for the most famous race in Alaska. Although the Iditarod is the Super Bowl of sled dog racing, it is also a community event. You might not be from Alaska, but the Alaskan people accept you as their own while you are in town for a visit. The kindness and friendly demeanor of Alaskans shine as you enter their world for one of the greatest sporting events in the nation.
As I was walking back to the community center from the far side of Willow Lake after helping to roll up the orange race barriers, I ran into an Alaskan family (pictured in the photo). Their campfire was going, the children were roasting marshmallows, and there was a large pot of something cooking over the fire. As I looked behind their campfire they had two holes drilled in the ice and fishing poles sticking in the snow where the children had been ice fishing. One little girl showed me the fish that she was so proud of catching. When they asked where I was from and I told them Florida, they invited me to have roasted marshmallows and moose chili with them as the children filled me in on the basics of ice fishing. As we ended our conversation and I walked away to meet the rest of the group (moose chili in hand), I thought to myself, what an amazing way to end the week. Sharing the Iditarod with an All-Alaskan family made my Teacher on the TrailTM Finalist week and my Alaskan experience complete.
