Hi Boys and Girls,
Well the final preparations are being made for the Last Great Race. Have you ever wondered how mushers carry enough supplies to last them over a thousand miles?
The simple answer is they can’t. So what can they do to make sure that there is enough food and supplies for both the dogs and the musher to reach Nome? They prepare drop bags to be flown to the checkpoints.
The ITC supplies mushers with drop bags to pack up and take to the Airland Transport in Anchorage to be weighed, sorted by checkpoint and then flown to the checkpoint. Each drop bag must have the mushers name and destination clearly written on it. Food and supplies are sent to all checkpoints except Yetna and Finger Lake. Sending food or gear to Safety is optional. The food drop takes place about 2-3 weeks prior to the start of the race.
So…. What’s in the drop bags? Dog food, human food, dog supplies such as extra booties are packed in the bags. All mandatory food must be shipped through the drop bags. All perishable food (food that could rot or go bad) must be prefrozen. The bags cannot weigh more than 60 pounds each. Mushers can also send extra sleds and equipment to checkpoints of their choosing. This extra equipment may include extra dog dishes, buckets, runners for the sled, etc. This extra equipment must go with the sled and not with the food drops.
Now you may be asking how a musher knows what, how much, and where to send various supplies. All mushers make a race plan. Before they start the race, they know where they want to take breaks, do their 24 hour rest, and about when they will get to those places. A Musher will look at the plan and decide where would be good places for extra food, a sled, supplies etc. Once the race starts, the mushers may have to change their plan for various reasons. When they do that, they may also have to rethink where to pick up their supplies and may have to carry those supplies with them.
Not all supplies are used. There is always extra. Extra dog food that is left behind may be used at the discretion of the officials. No food, dog or human, is shipped back in the return bags. Sleds, return bags, gear etc. may be picked up at ITC headquarters after the race has finished.
Remember a race plan is part of achieving a goal that the mushers have set for themselves. This is one part of the plan to achieve that goal.
Only a week left before race time. Hope you’ve picked your musher and are ready to set out on a great adventure.
Happy trails,
Gypsy
12 Comments
Do they always easta cold food?
Is it hard pulling the sleds with all that gear on it?
Hi there, Good questions. The musher carries a cooker and fuel in the sled. It’s mandatory equipment that they have to have. At the checkpoints, the musher will heat up the food in the cooker. First they feed the dogs and then themselves.
the dogs are able to pull the sleds with gear without difficulty. They are very strong and have trained for this event. Should the team need a little up getting up hills or mountains, the musher will kick push with one leg or get off the runners (never letting go) and run behind it or next to it.
Thanks for writing. Gypsy
Hi Gypsy, My mom and I think it is a good policy not to ship humans or dogs anywhere in drop bags. I noticed in the picture there were several wood posts with bright orange tip on the back of the snowmobile. What are these used for? My grandma had a horse named Gypsy, it is a beautiful name. Thanks for writing! Your friend, Anson
Anson, I couldn’t agree more with you. Humans and dogs are not shipped in the drop bags. Only food and supplies are in the bags. Bright orange is usually used to mark something that needs to be seen. Thanks for writing. Gypsy
how long does it take 2 train the dogs?
How long is the iditarod?
Hi, Go to: http://www.iditarod.com/race/route.html and you can find out all about the race route, checkpoints, and mileage. Thanks for writing. Gypsy
What did you like most about working with the dogs?Did you have fun did you have some difficult times with the dogs.Or did you have fun most of the time.
What Was it like working with the dogs?Did you have fun,did you have some difficult times with the dogs.Or did you fun most of the time.Have you ever been in any other races?
In addition to the dog supplies, the musher also has to plan his food and supplies to be sent in the drop bags. Last year I made all of my son’s food, froze it, vaccum packed it, and sent it from Massachusetts to Alaska for him. I made him meals that he heated in the same water as his dog food, but his food was in the vaccum bags, and snacks that he put in his parka to warm up. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. If you want to send me a request, I would be glad to tell you more about what I made and how Matt planned his meals. He is not racing this year, but will be back for next year’s race.
Matt’s Mom
Hi Matt’s mom, We would love to hear more about how you planned and made Matt’s meals. I would love to do an article about it if that’s okay with you. You can contact me through email at: emailk9reporters@gmail.com
Thanks so much for offering. Looking forward to hearing from you. Gypsy
Just saying hey, some people I know don’t believe you guys can type. I DO!!!!!! <3
We talk about this race every day in my 3rd grade class. My teachers Mrs. Lowe and Mrs. Denbo are huge fans!!! I know that the race is 1049miles. I also know Jeff King has won four races. But what I don’t know is how old do the dogs have to be to start racing and do you have to have a certain breed of dog? What kind of food do you eat and do you share with your dogs?
Thanks Nick Lee
Hi Nick Lee, The dogs have to be of a northern breed meaning they have to have that special undercoat that keeps them warm in very cold weather. The mushers eat regular food. I don’t know if there is sharing or not. Sometimes on the trail the dogs eat better than their musher. Enjoy following the race. Gypsy
Hi Nick Lee. I read your comments and questions. I have never run in the race, but my son has. He feeds his dogs a high quality protein and fat dog food – kibbles- that he mixes with frozen meats. He uses ground meats and fish which he has either hunted and fished, or bought from trappers and traded for with other mushers in the area. While the meats are frozen to preserve them, they are not really of human quality. He is very careful to not pierce his food packages (vaccum sealed packages) when he boils them in the pot with the dog food. He always feeds his dogs first when he gets to a check point or camps and then takes care of himself. My son, Matt, had me make some of his favorite foods and package them for him. He also took snacks, but not salty ones because his water supply was limited on the trail. Hope this was helpful.
Enjoy the race! Matt,s Mom
Thanks Matt’s Mom, We appreciate you helping us answer the questions about food- both dog and human- out on the trail. Gypsy
We would like to know why they do not drop food at Finger Lake? We are having fun following this year’s race and we cannot wait to see who wins.
Who created food bags?