The 2009 Junior Iditarod began this morning in a virtual winter wonderland.  The 21 participants left in two-minute intervals with the snow falling in big fluffy flakes, creating a kind of musher snow globe.  The fast trails of last night were made a bit slower by the new fallen snow; in fact, the snow was falling so heavily that the Iditarod Air Force could not fly the volunteers and race officials out to the checkpoint.  That meant, Target^TM Teacher on the Trail Cathy couldn’t fly out either.  So, what were we to do?!  The problem solving answer: snow machines (snow mobiles for those in the lower 48…).  So this year, this southern Teacher on the Trail went to the Yentna checkpoint via snow machine!  Not only did I get to ride on a snow machine for the very first time in my life, but I also drove the machine for 40 minutes on the Yentna River.  It was so exciting!  The trip was absolutely beautiful and so much fun.  For the second time this week we had a clear view of Denali.

Do you know this famous author?

That’s right!  Robert Blake, author of the books Akiak and Togo, was at the Yentna checkpoint.  Mr. Blake lives in Nashville, Tennessee but was visiting this remote roadhouse on the Yentna River drawing and doing research for his next book.  I can’t tell you what the book is about because the author tells me it is going to be a “surprise.”  We will all have to wait knowing that it will be a must read for our classrooms!

As the junior mushers arrived at Yentna each one signed off on their time with the race official, had their sled checked by the race marshal for their required gear, and were guided to a resting spot.  Each musher received six bottles of heet, straw for their dogs, and a bottle of juice.  By 11 p.m. all the mushers were in and the race officials went inside the station for a warm and delicious meal.

Dan and Jean Gabryszak own and operate the roadhouse year round.  In the winter there are lots of snow machines that come off the river for gas and refreshment and in the summer it’s a fisherman’s paradise.  This evening Dan entertained us by singing and playing guitar while Jean dished out mounds of food.  Soon we were all full, warm, and ready for bed.  Everyone had to be up early as the first musher was scheduled to depart shortly before 6 a.m.

We were fortunate that the weather wasn’t too cold.  Highs had been in the mid-20’s and the low was -10 with little to no wind; in the morning the mushers and dogs woke up to clear blue skies.  And the trip to the finish line would be faster than getting to the halfway point at Yentna.  When the last musher headed for Willow that morning, some of the officials headed back on their snow machines and the rest of us flew back in a bush plane.  The trip by plane only took about 15 minutes compared to the 2-hour snow machine ride.  It was wonderful to see from the air where we had traveled the day before-on lakes and rivers, and through the woods.  We made it back in plenty of time to see the finish.  Stay tuned for race results!