Enjoy the images of GPS Trackers on sleds.  Click the picture to view a larger image.

GPS Trackers make it possible for race fans to follow the mushers more closely by viewing their journey along the Iditarod Trail on the GPS Tracker map.

There are a limited number of places to choose from, but mushers get to decide which spot the tracker is attached.  The activated tracker begins to transmit a signal.

If a tracker malfunctions during the race, the tracker needs to be replaced.  This is not a simple process because the Ion Earth team needs to be at the location where a musher is, to replace the tracker.   That means, a tracker just can’t be fixed instantly.  Weather, trail conditions, a musher’s location, and other factors are involved in how long it takes for repairs.

A link to GPS Tracker can be found at www.iditarod.com

A link to the Current Standings, which is the ‘Official Race Standings’ can be found at the same location.

Providing a musher’s tracker is working properly,  the GPS Tracker data is the most accurate information.  The Current Standings information will have a ‘lag’ time because the race data is sent by race volunteers via Internet to Race Headquarters in Anchorage.  The data is then put on the website.  Sometimes, the data doesn’t ‘push live’ for 15 minutes or more.

Between the Current Standings and the Tracker, following the race is exciting!  Don’t forget to watch the Insider Video clips, too!

Learn about Iditarod Insider at this link.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Back from the Iditarod Trail, out of the hospital after his crash and scratch from the 2010 Iditarod, Pat Moon and one of his lead dogs wandered around the hotel visiting with race fans.

This year’s race is over but Pat remains confident and hopeful to race Iditarod again.  He is planning to go to Nome to see the finish of this year’s race.

Choosing just one picture to represent the Iditarod and all that the experience means is next to impossible.  There are so many faces intent on the experience, so many moments waiting to explode and so many hearts skipping a beat captured in just one click.  That is why I chose this picture.  I was absolutely fascinated by the fascination itself.  The lengths that a photographer will go to to capture a fleeting experience are very revealing.  We are fascinated by the dogs, but we are also fascinated by ourselves and the highs to which we can rise.

A photographer, for a moment, actually becomes part of the moment, part of the story itself and that is what we all want to do.  Our experience is vicarious, but as we select it and photograph it we become part of it.  As we become part of it our collective experience grows and our world becomes a little bit bigger.

In many ways that is what teaching is about.  We capture moments, we capture worlds that our students might not otherwise touch and by so doing enlarge their worlds and understanding beyond the microcosms in which they live.  I can’t wait to share all of my pictures from this trip with my class because within every picture lies a constellation of stories that brings to life a world my students long to imagine and I can’t wait to share and relive.  We can never take too many pictures because we might miss something.

Another advantage to the click of the camera is our subsequent ability to then analyze the moment.  Just as hind sight is 20/20, the ability to analyze experience allows us to perfect it.  There becomes no limit to what we can do.

There are only a few special happenings each year that bring us all together in this kind of feverish excitement and the Iditarod is one of them.   People from all corners of the earth, all walks of life, young and old all focused on the dogs, the mushers, and the challenge of a lifetime.  Click on!!!

I used to think the Iditarod was all about dogs.  Dogs and the relationship between dog and human.  Man against nature.  Overcoming obstacles.

The Iditarod is all these things, but it’s so much more.  It’s about connections and relationships.  It’s about teamwork.  I could show you an entire album of pictures that illustrate the different types of teamwork developed during the Iditarod.  Pictures of mushers and their handlers, veterinarians and dogs, volunteers at work setting up fencing, and even three ladies from New York, California, and North Carolina vying for a coveted position yet working together.

I chose instead a picture of mentor and student.  The mentor is Jim Lanier, veteran Iditarod musher from Alaska.  The student is Guillermo Anton, exchange student from Madrid, Spain.  The story is simple.  Guillermo came to Alaska in August to spend a year in America.  His host family, the Laniers, showed him various wilderness activities: fishing, canoeing, and eventually dog sledding.  Guillermo took to it quickly.  This sixteen year old started to run races after just a few months training.  I met Guillermo at the end of the Jr. Iditarod this year.  He was the sixth racer to cross the finish line out of 13 teenagers—all the others being from Alaska.  I thought that was an amazing accomplishment, but what I really noticed was the pride in Jim Lanier’s face while they talked about what happened on the trail.

Take a good look at the picture of mentor and student.  Guillermo was clearly tired but had the strength to answer every question Jim asked.  He didn’t act cranky or annoyed.  He showed a deep respect for his teacher and his appreciation for the opportunity afforded him.  Now turn your attention to Jim.  Look first at the mouth.  It appears as if Jim is trying to keep from grinning ear to ear, but the internal smile shows through.  Now look at the eyes.  They can’t hide his feelings.  Do you see what I see?  An incredible sense of pride, with a hint of love and respect.

I found myself looking at this picture several times this week, and I wasn’t quite sure why.  Now I am.  I’m drawn to the relationship it represents—the mutual respect and teamwork that comes from a mentor and teacher working together to accomplish a goal.  The giving of one’s experiences to another in hopes they embrace them, make them their own, and grow from it.

Or, maybe I’m just drawn to it because I’m a teacher and it reminds me of the experiences I want to share.  But, it also reminds me that I’m a student and have so much to learn from those who have lived longer or differently than me.

This week in Alaska made me feel like a mentor—that as an educator I have a lot to give.  This week in Alaska also made me feel like a student.  There’s still so much to learn about Alaska and its people, the Iditarod and the world of dog sledding.  My goal is to continue my journey as both.

Grandpa Phil holds a special place in the hearts of the family of Iditarod volunteers.  His volunteer job is to head up the “pee patrol,” a special squad of about twenty volunteers who assist in random drug testing of Iditarod athletes.

Educated as a civil engineer and after a long career as a marketing executive, Grandpa Phil retired to his avocations some thirty years ago.  A longtime wilderness enthusiast, he has canoed, fished and traveled the wild lands world wide.  His outdoor interests led him to organize fishing tournaments in Florida, canoe in the Yukon and explore in Alaska which eventually leads us all to the ultimate wilderness experience, the Iditarod.  Grandpa Phil loves his avocations and advises us that in life “If you don’t love it, don’t do it.”

At the start, the restart and check points along the way Grandpa’s volunteers collect urine samples, put them in screw top jars, seal and label them with an identifying number and ship them to Oregon State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.   Lab results come back within twenty-four hours, unless weather delays flying the samples out,  in which case samples can be frozen to prevent degrading until they can be shipped.  It only takes about a minute per dog to obtain the samples so the intrusion is minimal.  There are over 200 designer drugs out there that can disappear from a sample in 24 to 48 hours so the random quality of the procedure addresses this concern.  Phil Cady notes that as the reward for the Iditarod grows, so does the incentive to do inappropriate things in order to win.  Violations of policies are very low and health risks to the athletes are significantly lower than comparable human sports.

Some of Grandpa’s other causes have included the Boy Scouts, establishing a catch and release fishing program and addressing concern and awareness of a significantly high level, 27%, of juvenile diabetes in the native population of Alaska due to drastic changes in diet over the recent years.

Called “Grandpa” since his early fifties, Grandpa Phil considers his “pee patrol” and other Iditarod volunteers his Iditarod family.  He says sometimes it is not what you know so much as who you know when it comes to addressing his avocations and concerns.  He has all kinds of stories and adventures to tell of his life, and considers his gathering of volunteers like creating a family of passionate workers for a cause.  We think our family of the Iditarod is better for having a grandpa like Phil Cady and would like to toast him with his favorite—root beer floats.

Click here to listen to a podcast of Dr. Nelson, Iditarod Head Veterinarian, talking about the “P-team.”

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”  Click here to listen to a podcast about how Grandpa Phil came to volunteer at the Iditarod and how he recruits new volunteers.

Click here to see a photo story of Grandpa Phil and his team in action at the restart of Iditarod 2010. in action at the restart of Iditarod 2010.

The Last Great Race® —  1049

1000 is something GREAT!

Alaska is the 49th State!

Here is a chart showing estimated miles from checkpoint to checkpoint.  This is ‘pretty’ close….   to right!

Northern Race Route Data: Miles Along the Iditarod Trail

Getting booties on paws can be so relaxing!

Click the image for a larger view!

By Sally Simon, Finalist for Target® Iditarod 2011 Teacher on the Trail™, New York

Everyone loves a souvenir.  Race fans visiting the Iditarod are no exception.  For those who stay at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage, (Iditarod Headquarters during the race),  buying a t-shirt for the kids or this year’s commemorative coin isn’t a problem.  There’s a mobile Iditarod store right in the lobby which opened February 12^th and won’t pack up until March 21^st.  The profits from the merchandise go to the Iditarod Trail Committee to fund the race, and this “store” is staffed entirely by volunteers.

So, I began to wonder what kind of people chose to volunteer for such a job when there are other more “exciting” positions to choose.  I was surprised by what I found.

Meet Nancy Livingston.  Nancy has volunteered at the merchandise sales booth for ten years.  Years ago she was a history teacher when a friend told her about the Last Great Race.  She came up to Anchorage for the Educator’s Conference, and the rest is, well, history.  She went back to California and developed an independent college course for San Diego State called, “There’s a Sled Dog in Your Class.”  The class became a require course for teacher interns, and in the last nine years 25 teachers have come to Anchorage to experience the Iditarod as a result.

So, why does she volunteer selling merchandise in the lobby of a hotel?  For Nancy the answer was simple.  Her students were upstairs at the conference, so volunteering in the lobby allowed her to help out and be accessible to her students at the same time.  She also noted that because it’s in the lobby, she gets to meet people from all over the world.  What can top that?

Nancy also commented that a great number of the volunteers at the sales table are retired educators and return year after year.  She introduced me to Sheri Clewis, also from California, who has volunteered for twelve years, including the “store” in Nome.  Sheri reminded me that during the race there are several “mobile” stores including a booth at the Musher’s Banquets in both Anchorage and Nome and at the restart in Willow.  Sheri used to volunteer for ten days in Anchorage and then fly to Nome to work the store there.  She said sales at the Musher’s Banquet in Nome “is a madhouse,” but fun to work.  It’s the “last chance” to buy Iditarod oriented items in person, so people go for it.  She’s glad because whatever doesn’t sell has to be boxed and shipped back to Wasilla.  When asked why she volunteers, Sheri didn’t have to think twice either.  “It’s safe and inside,” she said.  Many older people want to help, but feel they can’t work in other ways, so this is their contribution.  She’s made friends with other people over the years and they return together to volunteer in sales.

It warmed my heart to listen to these ladies tell me not only about volunteering, but about the connections and relationships they’ve made along the way—life-long friendships really.  They both had a sense of pride about what they do as if they own the “booth” as their own shop.  And, they truly enjoy what they are doing.

There is a saying in the theatre world, “There are no small parts.”  Today I learned there are no small volunteer jobs.

To buy Iditarod merchandise year ‘round, visit the online store at:  http://www.iditarodstore.com.

Lesson Plan Ideas:

• Design a t-shirt, mug etc. for the Iditarod to sell.
• Create a print or TV advertisement for the Iditarod store.
• Create a real-life problem solving situation called “Setting up a Store” where the students have to determine what to sell, how much to stock, how much to sell things for, etc.
• Have students complete Iditarod Store math problems

Sample Iditarod Store Math Problems

Elementary:

*An Iditarod sweatshirt costs $21.95 and a t-shirt costs 15.95.  What would it cost to buy them both?  How much more does the sweatshirt cost than the t-shirt?  If you bought a t-shirt with a $20 bill, how much change would you get?

*Iditarod pencils are $.30 each.  If a teacher wanted to buy each student in her class a pencil and she had 28 students in her class, how much would she pay?

Middle School:

*The Iditarod store is having a sale on posters.  They are now 20% off.  If a poster of Jeff King cost $15, what would the sale price be?

*If the sales tax is 8% what would the total cost of the above problem be including tax?

Sometimes life just shines on you and you get more than you bargained for and that is just what happened to me today.  What an amazing day!  I went to the Ceremonial Start and, of course, I expected lots of excitement, dog trucks, dogs, mushers, and fans with cameras.  I wasn’t disappointed, but I got so much more.  I experienced yet another level of  appreciation and respect between fans and mushers, Alaska and the challenge of a lifetime.

We still had two hours till the actual start when we arrived and checked out the scene.  Fourth Ave. was covered with snow that had been brought in and dumped the night before and even walking was hard as it was deep and thick like sticky sugar candy.  Mushers trucks were arriving and setting up along the street and down the side streets according to number and fans were seeking out their favorites and snapping pictures like crazy.  I joined the activities taking pictures of strangely calm, quiet dogs waiting patiently for the big event to begin.

I went in search of the rookie musher that my class had adopted, Scott White, because I had promised to help get his team to the start line.  He was parked next to Jeff King, who had media and fans galore as he unpacked a historic freight sled covered in a bear skin rug.  His rider would ride in style.

Scott and his team seemed happy to see me, though I seriously don’t know how much help I was going to be as I am a rookie myself, but it certainly was good to be appreciated.  And that is when life just shined on me.  Scott told me that his rider was not able to be present and asked if I would like to ride in his sled.  Would I? I tried to be cool, but I think I called everyone I know, then quickly hopped into the sled bag.  They hooked up the team and the previously calm, quiet dogs went crazy.  I shared their excitement and couldn’t wait to get started.

Riding down Fourth Ave. amid all the excitement was great, but once we got to the end and headed out of town it was pure heaven.  I was riding on an Iditarod sled, behind a team of dogs that had thousands of miles of training and were heading out on the Iditarod Trail.  I was in awe and what I was soon to find out was that a lot of others were very much in awe of this amazing feat too.

Far out of town, all along the trail people had skied, hiked, snow-shoed out to wait for these amazing dog teams and mushers to go by.  People had baked cookies, set up barbeques, made muffins to hand to the mushers as they went by and what was even better was that as they cheered him on, as they handed him goodies, they called him by name, wishing him good luck and sending a little piece of themselves out on the trail with him.  Scott isn’t from Alaska, he isn’t famous, but the fact that he was attempting this challenge mattered enough for these people to find out who he was and to connect with him if even for a moment.  And even though I had nothing to do with it, I was proud to be sitting where I was.  That was probably the best eleven miles of my life.

I think the Iditarod represents the challenge we all wish we had the strength and bravery to face and as we support these mushers we build a little more of our own strength to climb the next hill.

Video Clip will soon be added.  Check back later.

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