Posts by Herb Brambley

Herb Brambley: Target 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail

Golovin

Martin L. Olson School

Martin L. Olson School

 

I arrived in Golovin Wednesday.  Golovin is a very beautiful village on the coast.  The school has 45 students in grades k through 12.  Again, the  people made me feel very welcome here.  The native Alaskans have gone out of their way time and time again to introduce themselves to me.  Half the people in the villages know my name before I leave and greet me every day with a smile and a hand shake. It is always sad to leave the friends you have made in each village.

 

 

 

 

Baldy

Baldy

 

This is the hill where the kids slide down called Baldy.  It looks like a lot of fun!!!

 

 

 

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They have a well equipped health clinic.

 

 

 

Golovin Power Plant

Golovin Power Plant

 

 

 

All of the remote villages that I visited have their own power plant that generates the electricity for the village. Most of the power plants have 3 or 4 diesel generators. The generators are run 1 at a time.

 

 

 

Golovin Books to the Trail

Golovin Books to the Trail

 

 

 

This is some of the students with the books from the “Books to the Trail” program.  Reading plays an important part in all content areas.  Reading the book “The Cruelest Miles” is how I got interested in the Iditarod.

 

 

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Jay and Tracey

Jay and Tracey

 

 

 

This is Jay and Tracey Petervary. They are biking from Knik to Nome. Tracy is on pace to break the woman’s record. The trip from Knik to Nome is about 800 miles and will take them about 18 days. Go Tracey and Jay !!! Read more about there biking adventure on alaskaultrasport.com

 

MVI_2428 -  Click to View – Golovin From the Air

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solitude

The Trail Winds Its Way From Unalakleet

The Trail Winds Its Way From Unalakleet

A Musher on the Way to Shaktoolik

A Musher on the Way to Shaktoolik

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dee Dee Going In To Shaktoolik

Dee Dee Going In To Shaktoolik

 

Besboro Island

Besboro Island

Norton Sound

Norton Sound

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

outhouse sundog

Old Shaktoolik

Old Shaktoolik

Click to Watch Video -  - Willam “Middy” Johnson on his way to cross Norton Sound – Middie Johnson, 43, was born and raised in Unakaleet.  His grandfather, Henry Ivanoff, was part of the original serum run, having been the one to hand off the serum to Leonhard Seppala.
Why is there Old Shaktoolik?  The village was originally located six miles up the Shaktoolik River, and moved to the mouth of the River in 1933. This site was prone to severe storms and winds, however, and the village relocated to its present, more sheltered location in 1967.  Reindeer herds were managed in the Shaktoolik area around 1905. To read more about Shaktoolik go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktoolik,_Alaska

Kaltag to Unalakleet; A Transition

IMG_2280The bright sun and blue sky made it a beautiful day to fly from Kaltag to Unalakleet.  The white sparkling snow was separated into patches of green by sparsely branched spruce trees.  

 

 

 

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The snowy crags seemed to reach out toward the tips of the bush plane’s wings as we snaked our way along,  800 feet above the Iditarod Trail.  As we meandered along, the picture in my mind was that of a heavy wooden freight sled pulled by a team of large, well haired huskies driven by none other than Joe Redington, the father of the Iditarod.

 

 

 

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Unalakleet suddenly came into view, just like it had been dropped from a space ship onto the edge of the sea.

 

 

 

 

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 As we approached the village of Unalakleet, its appearance was much like that of a ghost town in the middle of a dry desert. The snow looked like wisps of sand being blown across the lonely surface by a constant wind.

 

 

 

The above is the best I can do at describing Unalakleet.  Unalakleet is like no other place I have ever been, and I’ve been a lot of places.  It’s a place that you have to see in order to understand.

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Unalakleet to Shaktoolik

A College Degree is a Tool    

 This is Nancy Persons the 3rd grade teacher from Unalakleet. Nancy has had an interesting teaching career.  She hasn’t spent her time teaching in one place, but rather has used her teaching degree as a tool to experience life in a variety of locations world wide. What an interesting IMG_2264approach to life. She hasn’t used her college degree to reach the end of her trail, but rather has used it to expand her trail. Nancy has taught in Peru, Bolivia, Oman, and Morocco.  Since coming to Unalakleet, Nancy has rejuvenated the ski program. She has her team practicing skiing for 6 months out of the year!!! I’m jealous Nancy. I wish our skiing season in Pennsylvania was 6 months. Her team will be going to the Arctic Winter Games, which every country that touches the Arctic Circle can compete.  They even have dog mushing and biathlon, which is skiing and shooting, at the Winter Games.

 

Preserving the Traditional Ways

 Meet Donna.  Donna works at PennAir in Unalakleet.  Donna was raised in Barrow, Alaska. Barrow is north of the Arctic Circle. When Donna was in 6 through 12 grades, she had classes in Arctic Survival.  She learned things such as navigation by the stars, building snow shelters, and IMG_2267building fire using a certain kind of rock with gold specks. I thought that was great, but I had to wonder what they used for fuel. I look across the landscape and all I see is snow, and snow doesn’t burn well at all. So, I had to ask her what they used for fuel.  She said there is a certain kind of moss that will burn.  She learned how to build 2 different kinds of snow shelters.  One was the traditional igloo type; the other was the cave type, which was built if time was limited. She also learned how to hunt polar bear, seal.  To this very day, the fishermen bring her seals because they know that she has the skill to process them the old way. She uses every part of the seal.  For example, the intestines are dried and can be used for making raincoats and the bladder can be used for making a bag.  Donna also teaches a community coarse on making Heart Sole Mukluks. This is the traditional boot with a seal skin sole. 

 

Donna is interested in preserving the old ways which were taught by the elders and have been passed down from generation to generation. The value in learning the old ways gives us “a sense of who we are,” Donna said. 

 

Wow Donna!!! That is a profound statement.  I agree with you 100%.  As a matter of fact, that is exactly what the Trail to Every Classroom program from the National Park Service is all about. This program, if you read in an earlier post on my blog, is being adopted by the United States Forest Service for the Iditarod Trail. I hope Donna will get involved with this program and hopefully get some support for educating students in traditional Alaskan ways.

 

 Going at the Shak

 The toilet at Shaktoolik is not the traditional toilet, or maybe it is. I guess it depends on who you are and where you live.  Going at the Shak requires climbing skills.  In order to sit upon the throne you have go up several steps.  This is required because it is a composting toilet which IMG_2317has a mechanical devise for stirring.  The stirring devise needs room in order to operate properly, therefore, the raised platform.  When the contents have sufficiently decomposed, they can then be removed.  There are several types of composting toilets.  Check them out online.  If you want to really find out something interesting, go to the NASA sight and find out how they treat waste in space. 

Kaltag; The Place to Be

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Sebastian Dances Up a Storm – Sebastian Dances Up a Storm2 (Click for the full effect.)

 

The Kids Were Great – IMGP1356

 

 

 

 

 

A Little Time for Computer Work – IMGP1359

 

Snowboarding behing a snow machine – IMG_2179

 

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Trails That Cross

The last 48hours has been a whirlwind tour for me.  I started in Takotna and have visited Galena,Nulato and Kaltag.  At each location, the most interesting part of my trip has been the trail crossings that I have experienced with the wonderful people I have met. The people in the villages have been very friendly and welcoming.  The children in the villages have caused me to miss the children at my school at the Southern Fulton Elementary back in Pennsylvania.  And the volunteers for the Iditarod, which come from all over the world, are interesting, friendly, and fun.  Some of these people are a long way from home, but they have come for the dogs, for the people, and to work together as an international team to make this race a success. 

Volunteer (Picture later) This is Tracey.  She is from New Zealand.  She was a volunteer at the Iditarod last year and got hooked on dog mushing.  She IMG_2208corresponded with some Iditarod mushers and ended up at Jeff King’s kennel as a handler.  She wants to see the world so she is taking some time off and traveling the world.  She is certified in Canine Behavior, and has a diploma in veterinary nursing. She wants to do further studies in the field of Canine Behavior in order to become a specialist.  We want to wish Tracey lots of luck in her endeavors and thank her for working as a volunteer.  Question of the day: In what hemisphere is New Zealand?

 

 

 

(picture later)  This is Ruth.  Ruth is a veterinarian from Germany.  Ruth volunteered with the Iditarod because a fellow veterinarian had visited Seavey’s kennel and talked her into applying. Ruth has enjoyed her visit to Alaska and loves working with the dogs.  Danke schoen Ruth.  We appreciate your efforts.

Connections With People

Tom Jarding from Pennsylvania is walking the a Trail from Knik to Nome.  Tom lives about an hour from where I live back  in Pennsylvania.  He walks about 50-60 miles per day.  Tom pulls a sled behind him with food, a sleeping bag, and white gas for his stove. He doesn’t have a tent, but has devised a system by which he sleeps on his sled and uses the tarp as a tent.  Tom is on pace to break the record of 22 days and 6 hours to walk the trail. I saw Tom from the airplane as we were flying from Galena to Nulato. We buzzed him a couple times and waved the wings at him.  He was really trucking. Go Tom go!!!  We’re pulling for you!!! (Don’t forget to duck next time Tom.)

(picture later) This beautiful family is Keith Ramos, his wife Tabitha, and their son Kaden.  They moved to Alaska from sunny Florida.  Keith works for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  Tabitha is studying to be a physical education teacher.  Tabitha and Keith love Alaska and feel that it is a healthy place to live and raise a family.  I actually have 2 connections with Keith.  The first one is we both have had training at the National Conservation Training Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, which is a great place to study and eat, and eat, and eat. . . . The second connection is that we both have taken classes in Missoula, Montana. Keith has mule packed in the Bob Marshal Wilderness. (Check the Bob Marshal Wilderness out online, and then go there.) As some of my readers know, I mule packed for the United States Forest Service and mule pack recreationally.  We wish Keith, Tabitha, and Kaden well and hope our trails cross again.

(picture later) This is Monica from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. She is a volunteer at the Nulato checkpoint. Dillsburg is about an hour from where I live. Monica and I both know Urtha Lenharr, an Iditarod finisher from Pennsylvania.  See you back in PA Monica!!!

(picture later) This is Melanie Hans.  I ran into Melanie last year at the National Conservation Training Center.  She is a biologist for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Galena, Alaska. It was wonderful to be able to go so far away from home and see a familiar face.  Melanie was one of the followers of our NCTC band.  Many a day was spent studying, and many a night was spent playing music at the social center. Stay warm Melanie!!!!

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This is George Nyce.  George has been a resident of Alaska all of his adult life, but he was actually born in the same town in Pennsylvania where I was born.  The connection doesn’t stop there though. His father owned a planning mill in Doylestown, PA where we used to buy lumber 40 years ago.  It’s a small world!!!  What are the chances of occurrences such as this happening.  I traveled thousands of miles to walk on a snow covered road in Alaska’s interior(a place with no roads to or from) to meet this man.  George, it was great meeting you.  We’ll have to do it again sometime. 

Folks, these trail crossings are wonderful experiences, but they only happen if you take that first step.  It may be as simple as saying, “hey, how’s it going,”  or as simple as stopping and helping someone along the way.  One connection may be all it takes to change your life or to help someone who has lost their way along the trail of life.

Concert in Takotna

Oh Howl I Can Sing

Oh Howl I Can Sing

 

Check out the all the good music at Takotna.  Join in!!! Let’s hear you howl!!!

A Team Being Left Behind (Click to hear song) – Hey Wait For Me

A Team Leaving (Click to hear song) – Meet Me In Nome

A Tribute to Newton Marshall from Jamaica -(Must have the Insider)  http://insider.iditarod.com/index.cfm?event=media.show&mediaID=5114F857-EEF8-4EF8-3FAD1E089BCA804B

Takotna Checkpoint

Post Office

Post Office

School

School

Takotna is a fine place to be.  I visited the school yesterday.  There are 2 elementary students, one in kindergarten, and one in sixth grade.  The high school students and the elementary students are in the same building.


This is Regan.  She is a comms person at the Takotna Checkpoint.  She remembers her 3rd grade teacher using the Iditarod in the classroom as a teaching tool.  She also remembers reading books by the author, Jack London, who wrote stories about the north. Between her sophomore and IMG_2015junior years in college, she joined AmeriCorps and ended up in Anchorage.  While in Anchorage, the Iditarod Ceremonial start rekindled her interest in sled dogs and the Iditarod.  At the start of the race, she saw how excited the dogs were about pulling.  She said they tugged and barked and were having so much fun.  Last year she was an official comms person in Nome, this year in Takotna. Regan said, “I love volunteering and watching the mushers interact with their teams. Iditarod ensures that mushing skills are passed on to the next generation. The bond between mushers and dogs is neat.”

Thanks Regan!!! And, all you 3rd graders watch out if your teacher is using the Iditarod in your classroom.  You might end up in Alaska as a volunteer at the Iditarod.

Larry is a native Alaskan.  He is a race judge.  He grew up with dogs in the north western part of Alaska.  While he was growing up, his family IMG_2006depended on dogs for hunting and transportation. He said the original Alaskan huskies were much bigger than dogs used in the Iditarod today.  Their hair was thicker and they weighed more. Dogs back then were bred for pulling heavy loads, not for going fast.  He started competing in dog sled races in the 1960’s and raced for several years. Unfortunately, he found it too expensive and time consuming to continue since he had to provide for his own family. He was away from dogs for many years, but dogs have always been in his blood. He is glad to be back around the dogs as a race judge.  We are glad he is here also, and love that he shares his knowledge and experience about dogs with us. Thanks Larry!!!

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A team rests in Takotna.

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The landing strip on the river in Takotna is marked with spruce bows.

More About Nikolai

Hi Everyone, (Click on the pictures to expand them.)

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Coming into Nikolai.  You can see the dogs lined up on their straw at the checkpoint.

 

 

 

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It was -36 last night. So, the planes are frozen up as of 12:00 noon.  I may not get out of Nikolai today.  Not that I want to leave.  The people are very friendly here.  It was so cold, the Insider movie cameras were freezing up.  Even during the day today they could only stay outside for a short period of time before their cameras would stop working.  The picture is the road through the center of the village.

 

 

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This is the tent being used as a resting place for the mushers.  The kids put spruce bows on the ground inside, so it is soft and it smells like Christmas.

 

 

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The stove keeps it toasty warm inside.

 

 

 

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This is a native Alaskan by the name of Philip who is a hunting guide.  He tells some great grizzly bear hunting stories, and stories about surviving bush plane crashes.  We sat around the stove for a while and listened to him spin a yarn.  Maybe sometime I will hire him to guide me on a hunting trip in the Alaska Range.

 

 

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I spoke to the K-6 classes this morning.  The picture doesn’t include all of them.  I think there’s a total of 11.

 

 

 

Breaking Trail for You,

Herb

Target 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail  

McGrath and Nikolai

After leaving Skwentna checkpoint yesterday, we were flown back to Anchorage for the night.  The weather had gotten too bad for us to continue IMG_1917up the Iditarod trail.  Today we boarded a Cessna Caravan, which is a slightly bigger aircraft than the one we had been flying in, and it can carry about 9 passengers.  It is able to fly in bad weather when there is low visibility because it has the proper instruments for the pilot.  Bush pilots fly by the seat of their pants, not by instruments for the most part. (I underlined the figurative language in this sentence. What does it mean?)

 

We traveled North West over the Alaska Range to a town called McGrath. The peaks in the Alaska Range were steep and covered with snow.  They were absolutely gorgeous.

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It was much colder in McGrath than in Anchorage.  Can anybody explain why?

 

 

 

Visibility in McGrath was about 1 mile because of a snow storm. So, we were grounded again.  I checked in with the comms people and asked if IMG_1936there were any interesting places for me to visit while I waited for a flight to Nikolai. They told me I had about an hour and a half and to check out the museum.  About 15 minutes after finding the museum, a snow machine operator came screaming into the library parking lot looking for me.  They had found a pilot going to Nikolai. That means I needed to go immediately. We jumped onto the snow machine and darted back to the airstrip. Unfortunately, when we got to the airstrip, it was snowing and we were grounded again.

 

 

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It’s back into the Iditarod Trail Cafe for another wait.  This is where I found out what trail breakers do when they get a few minutes.  Keep in mind that this is in the middle of the café in downtown McGrath. 

 

 

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I was lucky enough to finally get out of McGrath and get to Nikolai before nightfall. Nikolia is a beautiful village along the Kuskokwim River.  Here’s a musher coming off the river to the checkpoint.

Bored? Nothing to do?

Have you ever felt bored on the weekends, after school, or during the summer?  What do you do if you have to wait for a ride?  Monday the check station workers at Skwentna were stuck because of the weather.  Poor visibility and strong winds had us pinned down. No planes were flying in or out.  Keep in mind that the nearest road to Skwentna is 60 miles away.  The mail is flown in by bush plane to a small airstrip and the postmaster crosses the river on a snow machine to retrieve the mail and bring it back to the post office. The post office covers about a 2400 square mile area. There are no Wall Marts, grocery stores, or towns for us to visit while we wait for a plane.  However, there are some very productive ways to spend our time.

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Working at the computer.

 

 

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Playing a musical instrument.

 

 

 

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My favorite, eating.

 

 

 

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Sleeping.  (Especially after being awake all night checking in mushers.)

 

 

 

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Discussing plans for making future improvements.

 

 

 

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Writing in a journal.

 

 

 

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Practicing the lost art of story telling.  (Skwentna is actually Joe’s homestead.  He moved here in 1948 and has been here ever since.  He hasn’t been to town for 3 years. Joe has some amazing stories to tell.)

Race Day

IMG_1831It’s finally race day.  I wasn’t able to make the festivities on Willow Lake for the start of the race because I had to be ready to leave from Lake Hood right outside my hotel in Anchorage.  The lake literally is 75 yards from the back door of the hotel.  So out to the plane we went and we were airborne in a matter of minutes. 

 

It was interesting to the pilot explain the gauges.  The altimeter is really just a barometer that is calibrated to tell how many feet above the ground we are when we are flying. Because it’s a barometer, it needs calibrated or adjusted every time the pilot flies since air pressure varies Jr. Iditarod 065with the air mass that is present at any given time.  If you have just a simple home weather system that has a barometer and you want to see how pressure changes with altitude, put the barometer in the car and drive up a mountain or down into a valley.

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Here’s a picture of the comms room for the Iditarod.  This board shows all of the flights leaving Lake Hood, the tail number of the plane, who is on the plane or what supplies are being transported, who the pilot is, the ETD (Estimated Time of Departure), and the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Can you find me on the board?

IMG_1836Does your local post office look like this? Skwentna is a refreshing step back in time.

 

 

 

 

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The ladies are cooking up a storm!!! The Skwentna Sweethearts did an excellent job at keeping our strength up. The meals were fantastic!!!

 

 

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How do you set 2 poles up on a river?  Does anyone have any ideas?

 

 

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 All ready for some mushers to roll in.

The Ceremonial Start

I had the honor of riding with Trent Herbst today in the Ceremonial Start in downtown Anchorage on Four Avenue.  What a blast!!! Take a look at the video.  It may give you an idea of what it’s like to be here, but there’s no substitute for the real thing.  If you’ve never ridden on the back of the runners of a dog sled, or you’ve never been here for the start of the Iditarod, start making your plans for next year.  I’ve included some videos and pictures in today’s post.  Take a gander.

A little about Trent.  Trent is a fourth grade teacher from Idaho.  All of his students came up to Alaska for the start of the race.  They did a presentation at the Teachers Conference yesterday, and they did a very good job I might add.  His students also built his sled and packed his drop bags.  Trent really gets his kids involved with hands on projects using the content they’re learning in the classroom in real life situations.  

MVI_1689 -  Click for video. Trent’s fourth grade class from Idaho presents at the teachers conference. Nice job!

MVI_1794 - Click for video. Riding Trent’s Sled to Glory! I wish that guy would get his big feet out of the way.

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Oh man Trent!  What have you been feeding these dogs?!

 

 

 

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Newton Marshall.  The first dog sled team from Jamaica to compete in the Iditarod.

 

 

 

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The parking garage in 4th Avenue was filled with people.  Look at the TV camera on top.

 

 

 

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A straight, single file, quiet line.

 

 

 

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What does he think he’s doing?

1 More Day Until Race Day

Today was another amazing day at the teacher’s conference filled with surprises.    

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Angie Taggart, a teacher from Ketchikan Alaska has qualified to compete in the 2011 Iditarod. She will be taking a year off of teaching in preparation for the “Last Great Race.”  Fantastic job Angie!!!!!! We will be following your progress at www.mushingadventures.blogspot.com

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How would you like to meet someone who competed in the first Iditarod back in 1973? Rod Perry is just that person.  We had the wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with Rod and listen to those amazing stories of yesteryear.  Rod has written a book about the history of the Iditarod trail which is available at:  http://rodperry.com/  Rod drank milk from a mother moose on 2 different occasions, once to ward off starvation.  He has also taken weeks long trips in the subarctic on dog sled without the support of additional supplies being dropped by airplane or snow machine.  

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We listened to Jeff King tell stories from the Iditarod Trail.  The story that tickled me the most was the one about camping next to a Native Alaskan musher.  Jeff got his drop bag out of his sled all lumpy and bumpy from the things that were neatly packed in plastic bags.  As Jeff removed his items from the bag, the Native Alaskan musher got his drop bag out which was perfectly cylindrical and smooth. After opening the end of the bag, the Native Alaskan slid a hard frozen seal out of the bag and commenced to chopping the seal up feeding himself and his dogs; quite a contrast in cultures.

 

Quote of the day:  Some people are already dead. They just haven’t been buried 

 Breaking trail for you,

 Herb Brambley

2010 Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail

2 More Days Until Race Day; Hang in There

Sometimes it seems like this race will never start, but we have to get the formalities out of the way.  So don’t give up.  Hang with me, and let’s get this monkey off our backs.

IMG_1637 Musher Meeting  - This morning was the mandatory musher meeting at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage.  Information on where the mushers are to park for the ceremonial start and the restart was reviewed along with the route the mushers will be taking for the ceremonial start.  A representative from BLM(The Bureau of Land Management) was present to discuss parking for the end of the ceremonial start for the musher’s trucks.  Later in the morning, Stewart Nelson the head veterinarian for the Iditarod went over some of the finer details of dog care with the mushers. Dr. Nelson provides top notch care for these super canine athletes.

 

 Trail Mail

At the musher meeting, the mushers signed the trail mail that they will be taking with them from Anchorage to Nome.  The mail will be sealed in a plastic bag and stamped at the post office in Anchorage. Then when they arrive in Nome at the end of the race, it will be stamped again. They must take an oath before the start of the race saying they will deliver the mail. If they are not able, they must place it in a mailbox so that it can be delivered by another postal employee.  If they don’t follow this procedure, they will be charged a $500 fine.      

 

IMG_1674Banquet – If you ever have the opportunity to attend the musher banquet before the Iditarod, do so.  It is an extravaganza to behold. 2000 people were in attendance at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in downtown Anchorage.  The tables were beautifully decorated with center pieces. At the start of the banquet, the National Anthem and the Alaska Flag Song were beautifully sung by Anna Bondarenko, Jimmy Lanier, and Jim Lanier. A delicious dinner consisting of steak, mashed potatoes, and vegetables followed by a delicious chocolate cake was served. After drawing their bib numbers, the mushers graciously filed around the room signing autographs for hundreds of people. I hope the mushers realize how much we as fans appreciate the time they take to do this. 

 

IMG_1648Old Friends The evening was doubly special for me.  I belong to the Pennsylvania Sled Dog Club and had the wonderful surprise of seeing 2 of our members at the banquet, Chris and Jessica Bannister. This young couple has a very interesting story as they ended up together partly because of a mutual interest in sled dogs. Great seeing you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

IMG_1666And lastly, I had the opportunity to see my friend Jeff Chandler and his wife Maureen.  I met Jeff last year when we were setting up the starting chute at the restart in Willow. Jeff was raised about 50 miles from where I live in Pennsylvania. Jeff and Maureen, now residents of Alaska, provided some Alaska hospitality for me when I arrived last summer for the Iditarod Teachers Conference.  What a relief to see a friendly face after 8 hours crammed like sardines in a plane. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Signing off for now, I’ll see you on down the trail.

Herb

I Didn’t Know That!!!

 

Today I attended the press conference for the 2010 Iditarod at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage and learned some interesting facts.

 Since the Iditarod started in 1972, 671 people have completed the race.

 There will be 71 mushers competing this year in Iditarod XXXVIII. (That’s 38 in Roman Numerals. X=10, V=5, and I=1)

 There are 59 mushers from the United States of America.  The rest come from Canada, Scotland, Jamaica, and Belgium.

 There are 22 rookies in the race. This has been said to be the best field of rookies ever with many of them having a chance to win the Rookie of the Year Award.

 There are 49 musher competing who have completed the race.

 Out of the 71 mushers, 16 are women, and 55 are men.

 9 out of last year’s top 10 finishers are back.

 There are 3 principle partners who support the Iditarod. 1.) Anchorage Chrysler Dodge 2.) GCI  and 3.) Exxon Mobil (So buy Exxon/Mobil gas and put it in your Chrysler or Dodge as drive down the road talking on your GCI cellular phone.)

 There are 5 basic functions that IonEarth Tracking is used for; 1.) Track the mushers, 2.) Position camera people during the race so they can get good shots. 3.) Used by checkers so they know when someone is coming down the trail and can then be prepared to perform their duties. 4.) Used to show where the mushers are on the Iditarod Insider. 5.) Makes tracking of the race available on smart phones.

 The Iditarod has had a drug testing rule for the mushers since 1984, and has been testing dogs since 1994.

 There has NEVER been a positive drug test from a dog since they started testing.

 They will test every musher in the Iditarod this year for drug usage.

 $561,000 will be divided between the top 30 mushers.

 The winner will receive over $50,000 for his/her efforts.

 Trail Conditions at a Glance

 The trail should be fast since it is icy in a lot of places.

 Snow is scarce in some locations so we may see the use of dust masks for the first time.

Surprisingly, there is not much overflow.

 The trail conditions on the other side of the Alaska Range are slightly softer.

 Final Comments

With trail conditions as they are and the weather being much warmer than normal, this could turn out to be an interesting year.  What strategies should the mushers use? Should they hold the dogs back at the beginning on the hard fast trail, or should they use this part of the trail to get a jump on the competition by letting the dogs run? Would it be better to save the dogs energy for the softer part of the trail? Whose dogs run better in warmer weather? If the weather stays warm, what is the trail going to look like after the first 40 mushers? In the warmer weather, do you change your run rest strategy to longer slower runs, faster shorter runs, or do you keep it the same?

 It is shaping up to be an interesting race this year.  Get those computers fired up and the Iditarod Insider so you can follow the race as it happens. 

 See you on down the trail.

Herb

Target® 2010 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail

 

A Trail of Connections

TOTT has been an extreme amount of work, but it has been a very richly rewarding experience that has taken my life in directions that I could never have imagined.  For example, meeting Kim Darst at the Iditarod last year lead me to write a book, “Cotton’s Tale,” about her blizzard experience. ”Cotton’s Tale” will be out on Amazon.com in a few short months. 

 Meeting the author and sled builder, Rod Perry, and talking with him about my background initiated a conversation about lumber and trees and Pennsylvania hickory.  Rod needs good hickory for his sleds.  I will be supplying Rod in the not to distant future. 

 I was interviewed by a Maryland Television Station about my Teacher on the Trail Journey.  When it was aired, the director of the National Park Service’s “Trail to Every Classroom” program saw me and invited me to present at their teacher’s conference, which  lead to a conversation between the United States Forest Service and the National Park Service and the roots of the “Trail to Every Classroom” program for the Iditarod Trail.

 After applying for the Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail for 2010, a person that sells books to my wife at the Fulton County Library in McConnellsburg, PA wanted to get involved with the “Books to the Trail” program, she developed a whole website, www.bookstothetrails.webs.com.  This website has several ways for students, teachers, and the general public to be involved with books to the trail.  It’s as simple as buying a book, or if you desire, donating money directly to the program.  The program is over for this year, but look for it again next year.

 If you are a teacher contemplating applying to be Target Teacher on the Trail, I would recommend that you get started on your application.  It is the most motivating, refreshing, interesting, and invigorating experience I have ever had, and it’s not over yet.  Where will this trail lead me is anyone’s guess, but I’m ready and have my bags packed. Remember, you get out of life what you put into it.

Do It Yourself Lifestyle at Yentna Station Roadhouse

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Have you ever been to a motel you can only get to by bush plane, snow machine, boat, or dog sled?  I have!!! The Yetna Station Roadhouse is just that.  After seeing the Jr. Iditarod mushers off the starting line at Willow Lake, we were flown over to Yentna Station.  The flight alone is an experience.  We came banking in as we lowered our altitude, and gently dropped down onto the ice covered Yentna river for a slightly bumpy landing by our ski plane.

 

Yentna station was a wonderful place to stay.  The proprietors were very nice and the accommodations were out of this world.  They even have an inside bathroom that you don’t need to worry about flushing.

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Need running water? No problem! Run out to the river and get it.  No, not really.  They do have running water, and even hot running water thanks to the on demand propane water heater.

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Where did the electricity for the lights come from?  (Since I teach environmental education, and one of my lessons is about this very thing, I found this most interesting.) The answer is solar panels and an electric generator. There are no power lines running to Yetna Station.

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 Want heat? No problem.  Stoke the fire.  And if you’re still not warm, go split some wood. 

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Need lumber to build something, including your house? They make that right here at Yentna Station too; with their own sawmill.

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After exploring all of these wonderful adaptations and having an absolutely delicious meal rustled up by Mamma and Pappa Gabryszak, we sat down and entertained ourselves by playing guitars as we waited for the junior Iditarod mushers to come in off the river.  That’s right no need to turn the radio on or play video games.

 

The junior mushers were a great group of young adults.  They handled themselves in a responsible manner that would have made any parent proud.  After arriving they got right to their chores of taking care of their dogs. (The dogs will take care of you, if you take care of them.) After chores, they did have time to socialize with a game of Duck, Duck, Goose as they waited for the last musher to come in.  It was very late at night before the last musher got there, but not one of the other competitors left the rivers edge until the very last of them had arrived safely.  When he did finally arrive, everyone pitched in to help him take care of his dogs by bedding them down and helping him build a fire to melt snow so that he could feed his dogs. This display of genuine concern for a fellow musher was enough to bring tears to your eyes.  You see, Jonathan is a diabetic and he has trouble with low blood sugar.  At one point during the day his blood sugar got so low that he passed out and his sled rolled over on top of him. After receiving some medical attention for his low blood sugar, he continued down the trail. What an absolutely fantastic display of courage by this 14 year old.    

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Sunday morning things went smoothly as the junior mushers moved back onto the Yentna River and back toward the Start/Finish line in Willow. Merissa Osmar was the first musher across the finish line with a $5000 scholarship waiting for her.  The $3500 scholarship for second place was wrapped up by Anitra Winkler, and the $2000 third place winner was Rebekah Ruzicka. 

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As the awards banquet started at 6:00, there were 3 musher still out on the trail. We had finished eating and a few door prizes were handed out when the announcement was made that there was a musher coming in.  Everyone left the community center and filed out into the crisp night air.  A light snow was falling as we walked down to the lakes edge.  We peered into the darkness as we waited for the dim light of a headlamp to appear.  Finally, way across the lake a faint light came into view.  Cheers went up from the crowd as the dog team headed down the bank onto the ice toward the waiting crowd on the opposite shore. And then, without warning, all of the junior mushers ran across the lake to greet the last mushers. The strobe lights on the lead dogs pierced the darkness as the teams honed in on the waiting crowd, first the dog teams, followed by the running group of young mushers. Cameras flashed as the mushers made their way under the finish line banner.  As Jonathan, the last musher made his way under the banner to the cheers of the waiting crowd, a huge sense of relief filled the air.  The last musher had made it safely home. 

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No longer was there tension in the air, as the crowd walked back to the community center to finish the banquet proceedings’.  The celebration could finally be complete, as all were now in attendance. 

 

Final note:  Jonathan was unanimously voted by his fellow mushers as the Sportsmanship award recipient; deservingly so.

Music to Mush By

Here are the words to some mushing songs I use in my classroom.  I’ve used some familiar tunes but have changed the words. 

Nine Days on the Trail - Sung to the tune of - ”Six Days on the Road”

Musher’s Blues - Sung to the tune of – “Folsom Prison Blues”

One Chance - Sung to the tune of – “Paradise”

Ghost_Huskies_in_the_Sky[1] - Sung to the tune of – “Ghost Riders in the Sky”

150_Huskies[1] - Sung to the tune of – “A Hundred and Sixty Acres”

There are many benefits of using music in the classroom.  Information that shows the beneficial effects of music on the brain can be found in the book The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell.    

Some of the hundreds of benefits are:

  • Improves test scores
  • Cuts learning time
  • Calms hyperactive children and adults
  • Reduces errors
  • Improves creativity and clarity
  • Heals the body faster
  • Integrates both sides of the brain for more efficient learning
  • Raises IQ scores 9 points (research done at University of California, Irvine)

 A study was conducted in 1996 on all students taking their SAT exam.  Students who sang or played an instrument scored 51 points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 39 points higher on math.

Under the Watchful Eye

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After visiting Iditarod Elementary today, Terrie and I swung over to the Iditarod Headquarters to see what was going on at the vet trailer.  We pulled in at just the right time. A musher was there getting the required EKG’s done on his team. I thought this might be a good opportunity to explain a little more about an EKG.

What is an EKG?
The letters EKG stand for electrocardiogram. An EKG is a non-invasive, completely painless test, which evaluates the health of a dog’s heart. It measures the heart rate and heart’s electrical activity to tell the veterinarian if the dog has an irregular or dangerous heartbeat that can’t be detected with a stethoscope.

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How is the test done?
The dog lies on a table and clips with wires coming from them are attached to the dog in several locations. The musher or handler stays at the dog’s head to keep the dog calm. The wires are attached to a special recording machine.  During the EKG, electrical signals from the dog’s heart are sent through the wires to the EKG machine. The EKG machine records a reading of the dog’s heart rate and electrical activity on paper. This only takes about 2-3 minutes.

Does it hurt?
No, an EKG is painless. After the EKG is completed, the clips are removed and there are no marks on the dog. 

Does every dog in the Iditarod get an EKG?
Yes, every dog is required to get an EKG before racing in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. 

Can a dog be disqualified from participating based on an EKG?
Yes. The chief veterinarian has the authority to deny entry of any dog to the race if the dog has an abnormality which may put the dog at risk for injury or death.

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Are EKG’s done on humans?
Yes.  EKG’s are performed on humans for the same reasons they are performed on dogs.

Keep in mind that an EKG is only one part of the overall vet care these world class athletes (the dogs) receive.  The dogs get a blood test, worming, complete physical and each dog is micro chipped.  During the race each musher is required to carry a vet book in which is recorded any observations that may require special attention. The veterinarian and the musher must both sign the vet book before the musher leaves the checkpoint.

For more information, see the official Iditarod rules at: http://www.iditarod.com/pdfs/2010/rules.pdf