I wanted to give you two more food stories from  Grayling.  There are no restaurants here and there is only one grocery store, The Native Store.  The prices are much higher at The Native Store than most places in the United States because everything has to be shipped here by airplane.  Today I went into the store to see what the prices were like. [singlepic id="734" w="320" h="240" mode="" float="" ]

- Rice Krispies – $7.15

- Can of Del Monte green beans (14 oz.) – $2.70

- Kraft Parmesan Cheese (8 oz.) – $10.50

- Barilla Fettuccine (1 lb. box) $3.25

- Campbell’s Cream of Celery Soup – $2.40

- Chunk tuna – $3.20

- Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing – $5.40

- Tide laundry powder (70 oz.) $16.40

- Dozen eggs – $4.50

- Milk (only in a quart box from the shelf) $2.70

- Cake mix – $3.90

- French’s mustard (20 oz.)- $3.95

Check the prices of these food items in your community to see what your total bill would be.  Compare that total to what you would spend in Grayling, Alaska.

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My other food story comes from Martin Buser.  In a way I had dinner with him.  Okay, I didn’t really have dinner with him, but he gave me what he would have had for dinner if he had stayed in Grayling.  Here’s the Buser menu:  smoked salmon, rice, mixed nuts, dried apricots, craisins, poppy seed cake, and tiny Toblerone chocolate bars.  All but the candy was in vacuum-sealed bags.  He gave me more food than my friend and I could possibly finish.  This gives you an idea of how many calories mushers burn in a day.  Martin told me that he usually loses 10 pounds during the race.  I would definitely gain 10 pounds if I ate that much food!

Each musher has to be so prepared before coming out on the trail.  They pack their food, food for all their dogs, and all the gear they will need further down the trail in bags to be sent out to the checkpoints.  Each “drop bag” (or bags) has the name of the checkpoint printed on it and is color-coded, and as you can see in the picture, Graylings colors are green and pink.  To tell the bags apart, mushers use a permanent marker and write their names on the outside of the bag.    When the bags are delivered to the checkpoints they are put in alphabetical order so it is easy for the musher to find.  It is very important that enough food and gear arrives to each checkpoint.  Good mushers, like Martin, are well prepared for their journey.  They must plan well in advance for the adventure that awaits them on the trail.  This is a great life lesson – prepare now for the adventures that lie ahead.