Clydesdale horses originated in Scotland

Allan Alexander Allan was born in Dundee, Scotland in 1867. The boy became known as Scotty. Growing up, he loved to work with animals. At the very young age of 12, he began vocational training on how to train horses. At the age of 19, he accompanied a beautiful Clydesdale Stallion on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and then to a ranch in South Dakota. Once in American, Scotty headed to the west coast where 10 years later, news of gold in the Klondike lured him to the far north.

Like many young men, Scotty left his wife and two, soon to be three children behind with the promise of returning rich or sending for them when he was settled. He didn’t strike it rich in the Klondike. He earned his wages as a teamster, moving supplies over the dangerous trails to the mining camps, first with teams of horses and then by dog team. He became well known in the Dawson area as a top notch dog driver.

News of abundant gold in Nome prompted Scotty to travel the frozen Yukon River, a distance of over 1,200 miles, with his dog team lead by Dubby. Get a map out and compare this trek to the Iditarod race. Scotty didn’t strike it rich prospecting for gold in Nome either so he took a job in a hardware store and focused on training dogs. once settled, he brought his wife and family to Nome.

Nome Kennel Club Patch on Handler's Anorak

In 1907, dog drivers in Nome banded together to form the Nome Kennel Club. The purpose of the organization was to improve the care and breeding of sled dogs. The club sponsored the All Alaska Sweepstakes running from Nome to Candle, a distance of a little more than 400 miles. In the mean time, Scotty acquired Baldy. With Baldy in lead, Scotty placed in the top three a total of eight times – with three victories.

After WWI broke out, Scotty was contacted by the French Military to train drivers and 450 dogs for transporting supplies and wounded soldiers in the mountains between Germany and France. The dogs became famous around the world and many received medals of valor.

Scotty was elected to the Alaska Territorial Legislature and served terms in 1917 and 1919. He and his family moved back to California prior to the 1925 Diphtheria Epidemic. Seeking the best dog trainer, Admiral Richard Byrd sought out Scotty to train the dogs for Byrd’s 1928 Antarctica Expedition.

Scotty, the most famous musher of his time once said, “Dogs are the most intuitive creatures alive. They take the disposition of their driver. That is why I never let my dogs know that I am tired. At the end of the day…, I sing to the little chaps and whistle so they always reach the end of the trail with their tails up and waving.” Murphy and Haigh, share these words in Gold Rush Dogs. Handler says that Iditarod mushers follow his advice today.

Tenor, Thunder and Chaser in the 3 Dog - 3 MIle Race sponsored by the Nome Kennel Club

The Nome Kennel Club still exists and organized the All Alaska Sweepstakes again in 2008. Check the Internet for more information on that – who was the winner, what was the purse, what was the route, how long did it take, are the rules different than Iditarod? When Handler was in Nome, she ran in the 3 Dog – 3 Mile Business Man’s Race (open to men and women amateurs) sponsored by the Nome Kennel Club using dogs and a sled provided by club member, Dempsey Woods.

You can read more about Scotty Allan at www.litsite.org. and in Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy & Haigh.  Baldy of Nome by Esther Birdsall Darling includes many stories about Scotty – you can’t talk about Baldy without talking about Scotty.” Make sure to read my earlier story about Baldy of Nome. Here’s a question for you – Did Baldy become famous because of Scotty or did Scotty become famous because of Baldy?

Well, there you have it, some information on a Scott who gained fame in Nome for his ability to train and drive dogs in the best and worst of conditions. Stay tuned for another story about a Scott, John Stewart, who’ll be driving dogs from Anchorage to Nome in Iditarod XXXVIII.

Born to Run,
Sanka

Black Jack

Thus far you have met our heroes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton, Balto and Togo. You have read about their great skills, determination and perseverance. Our hero, Baldy of Nome, has accumulated equally impressive accomplishments. Have you noticed that some of our heroes are from current times, some are from the recent past and some are from long ago in the gold rush days of early 1900? I guess the past is important and I’ve learned it’s really fun to learn about the past by studying history. Elders Baffin, Holstein and Tikchik provided a definition of a hero in my last story. For this story, I asked Black Jack to define hero. Black Jack is a big, no nonsense sort of dog. He always gets right to the point. He’s not only a leader, he’s wise and he’s the alpha dog of our kennel. All of the dogs respect Black Jack. When I first came to Just Guts, I knew He’d be a great friend and teacher. According to Black Jack, a hero is a dog (or person) who is respected for incredible accomplishments in adverse conditions. Black Jack also added his B-HOOPS theory. Heroes turn barriers into hurdles, obstacles into opportunities and problems into solutions. Isn’t Black Jack awesome?

Back in the days of the gold rush in Nome, a young boy by the name of Ben had a dog named Baldy. Times were tough for Ben and his family. Often they didn’t know where their next meal would come not to mention food for Baldy. In a great act of personal sacrifice, Ben put Baldy up for sale. Renowned musher, Scotty Allen purchased the homely mutt not so much for the dog’s potential as a racer but because he felt sorry for Ben. As Baldy trained with the other Allen dogs, Scotty saw in him a deep desire to please and excel. During the 1909 All Alaska Sweepstakes, in a blinding storm on hazardous trail, Scotty moved Baldy to lead – exactly where the dog longed to be. Pulling with all his strength, Baldy led the Allen team to their first Sweepstakes Victory. Murphy & Haigh tell us in Gold Rush Dogs, “Baldy proved himself to be a strong, faithful and willing leader.” Altogether, Baldy and Allen earned 3 victories and 5 other top three Sweepstakes finishes along with numerous victories in other races. But wait, it gets better!

It’s the Solomon Derby, a race run from Nome to Solomon and back. Baldy is in lead and the team is making good, if not great time as they near the turn around point of Solomon. Baldy senses that the sled is lighter than usual and notes that Scotty hasn’t been singing and talking to the dogs as he usually does. Baldy, overcome by the feeling that something was wrong, stopped the team and looked back to find that Scotty was missing. Swiftly, Baldy turned the team and sled around and headed back down the trail in search of their missing musher. A short distance back, they found him lying unconscious on the trail, bleeding from a gash in his head. Baldy hovered over his master, licking his face, pawing his chest and barking. It took some time but Scotty finally opened his eyes. It took a great amount of effort for him to crawl into the sled and then in a weak voice he told Baldy to turn around toward Solomon and continue the race. Slowly, everything came back to Scotty – as they were moving speedily along, he had heard something snap – bending over to inspect a runner – BAM, the lights went out. Scotty’s head had collided with an iron trail marker he never saw coming.

With an injured Scotty in the sled, Baldy and the rest of the team made it to the halfway point of Solomon ahead of all the other contestants. Everyone urged the dazed and still bleeding Allen to withdraw from the race. But quit was not a part of Allen’s vocabulary. He simply said, “Baldy and I can make it.” Indeed they did – they raced back Nome and took first place.

You can read about Baldy in Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy and Haigh. For a detailed and exciting story of Baldy’s life, you should read Esther Birdsall Darling’s Baldy of Nome. You can read it online like Black Jack and I did at www.gutenberg.org.

Well, there you it – our hero, Baldy. Wow, what a dog – he saved his musher’s life!  Stay tuned for our next hero, Granite. Remember, do your best everyday to turn problems into solutions.

Born to Run,
Sanka

Elder Baffin

Since you’ve read Heroes, Heroines & Idols featuring our heroes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton and Balto, have you created definitions and a list of your own heroes? Have you taken time to define hero? I got together with some of the elder dogs in the kennel, Baffin, Holstein and Tikchik, to come up with the Just Guts definition of hero. Here’s what we came up with.

Because we are dogs, some of our heroes are canine and some are human. We think the same might be true for humans. When Gunner Kaasen came into Nome with the serum in early February of 1925, most certainly his hero was Balto. Heroes possess extraordinary gifts, talents and strength. They are known for their remarkable achievements, outstanding qualities, courageous actions and brave or amazing deeds. They are held in high esteem. A hero might also be called superman, brave man, champion, conqueror or idol. The elder dogs based their definition on a huge thick book called the Miriam-Webster Dictionary. I contributed by doing some research on the computer in the Encarta World English Dictionary.

Elder Hostein

Martin Buser’s run to Nome in 2005 with an injured hand definitely falls into the category of a remarkable achievement. He started the race and was able to finish in 13th place because of his extraordinary strength and his drive to persevere against adversity. How about Bruce Linton with his diabetes? We consider him to be a real superman. People told Bruce he shouldn’t compete in the Boston Marathon, the Ironman Triathlon or the Iditarod because he was diabetic. But because of his strength and courage Bruce was determined to accomplish what he wanted to in life rather than letting his medical condition rule. Both Martin and Bruce have prevailed to achieve their goals against steep odds. Now it’s time to share stories about Togo, another one of our heroes.

Elder Tikchik

Togo wasn’t always the famous Alaskan Siberian husky of the Serum Run. I learned in the books, Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy & Haigh and The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury & Salisbury that Togo was a sickly spoiled pup, hard to handle, difficult and mischievous. Leonhard Seppala actually found a new home for him, not once but twice, and twice Togo returned to where he was born. Finally Seppala gave in and decided to keep Togo. As a young pup, Togo rain along side Seppala’s team as they trained but he was always a nuisance nipping at their ears and tails. Once when Seppala had to make a very lengthy run to a mining camp, he confined Toga in the dog yard. Togo wanted to be with the team so he broke free and ran after the them. When Seppala came out of the roadhouse where he had spent the night, there was Togo waiting next to the sled. There was no way to send the bold eight-month-old puppy home so he was harnessed and put in wheel. Seventy-five miles later, Seppala realized that Togo had behaved better and worked harder than any of the other dogs. Seppala realized there was something special about this persistent, if not spunky puppy. Over time, Togo was promoted to lead, a position he held for 16 years. Seppala had found a great leader in the grown up dependable Togo.

After winning the All Alaska Sweepstakes three times, the Ruby Derby twice and numerous other races, Togo, teammates and Seppala were quite famous in Nome. No wonder they were chosen to head out from Nome, meet the serum and bring it safely to the children. Over the 261 miles from Nome to Shaktoolik and back to Golovin, Togo and team experienced Alaska’s most brutal weather. True air temperatures reached 50 degrees below zero. Winds gusted to 50 miles per hour and created wind chills that were unimaginable. “Blizzard” didn’t adequately describe the winter storm conditions, at zero visibility, Togo had to follow the trail with his nose. After Seppala received the Serum from Henry Ivanoff on Norton Bay outside of Shaktoolik, Togo lead the team on a risky but time-saving short cut across the heaving ice of Norton Bay to Isaac’s Point. With his sixth sense for danger, Togo did what he was famous for.  Believing in Togo’s leadership, Seppala turned the team over to him to safely cross the dangerous sea ice.

With Togo in lead, Leonhard Seppala drove 170 miles from Nome to Shaktoolik to meet the serum and then returned 91 miles to Golovin. Altogether, Togo covered 261 miles in the race to save the children of Nome, a far greater distance than any of the other teams in the relay. In The Cruelest Miles, Salisbury describes Togo as a dog that didn’t look like a leader – he was small, about 48 pounds, with a black, brown and grayish coat but he was large when it came to courage, intelligence, speed and dependability. In 1925, at the age of 12, Togo was amazingly “fast, strong and alert.” After all, beauty is only skin deep and it’s not the size of the dog, it’s the size of the heart inside the dog that counts.

Well, there you have it – some great stories about our hero, Togo. What a dog! If you haven’t already done so, read Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy and Haigh and The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury & Salisbury. They are packed full of stories about great dogs and the events that made them great. By the way, if you ever get to Alaska, Togo’s body has been preserved and is on display at Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla.

Stay tuned for more hero stories and remember the Togo saying – it’s not the size of the dog; it’s the size of the heart inside the dog that counts.

Born to Run,
Sanka

Storm Watch Siberians wondering who will watch TV tonight.

My good friends, the Siberian Huskies from Storm Watch Kennel up there in Wasilla, Alaska just across the road from where I used to live at the Redington’s, have their own television watching room in the musher’s house! With a huge wall television, leather couches and chairs, a really durable floor, a large bucket of treats and big tall bowls of cool fresh water, it’s quite luxurious. Every night a few of the huskies go inside to watch some TV and relax human style with their musher, Wayne Curtis. Wayne and the Sibes seem to agree that American Idol and Heroes are their favorite shows. Down here at Just Guts, we don’t watch much television except for football on Sunday evening but we do talk about our heroes, heroines and idols on other evenings and sunny afternoons when we’re not working.

Our list of Heroes includes Martin Buser, Bruce Linton, Balto, Togo, Baldy of Nome and Granite. Susan Butcher, DeeDee Jonrowe, Pam Flowers and Ivedi have made our list of Heroines. All of these creatures have done miraculous things in the face of adversity and extremely challenging situations. We have some idols too – Jeff King, Rick Swenson and Lance Mackey.

A few days before Iditarod began in 2005, Martin Buser cut part of a finger off in a saw while doing some fancy woodwork project. Unless you’ve had an injury like that, you can’t imagine the pain. Everyone thought Martin would withdraw from the race to let his finger heal but no. Martin said, yes I’m in a lot of PAIN but my dogs have trained hard and they deserve to run this race. It won’t be easy but I’ll endure the pain and do what is necessary to get this team to Nome. I still have one good hand, I’ll figure out how to manage the pain; bootie, feed and care for my dogs; drive the sled; and take care of myself. They ran the race and amazingly finished in 13th place.

Bruce Linton, an Iditarod veteran of three races, is a Type 1 diabetic who needs to inject insulin daily. As a diabetic, Bruce focuses on living life in a healthy way. From experience he knows that exercise is important in keeping his blood sugar in a healthy range. His impressive list of athletic accomplishments includes 12 marathons including 3 Boston finishes, 3 Ironman Triathlons and 3 Iditarods. Bruce is convinced that diabetics can achieve anything as long as they take care of themselves, live a healthy lifestyle and have a positive attitude. Bruce models this belief in his lifestyle and has renamed his kennel – No Limits Dog Sled Kennel. He’s improved his place every year that he’s run Iditarod – 55th to 46th to 28th. Do you suppose he can finish in the top 20 in Iditarod 2010?

You all know about Balto – he was the lead dog of the relay team that delivered the much needed diphtheria anti-toxin to Nome. The weather conditions were horrible between Bluff and Nome but Gunnar Kaasen and the relentless dogs led by Balto covered the final 53 miles delivering the serum to the waiting Dr. Welsh. We read in The Cruelest Miles that after the brave driver handed the serum over to Dr. Welch, he stumbled up to Balto where he collapsed praising his brilliant unstoppable leader.

You and your classmates might consider these questions and activities. What is the difference between a hero, heroine and an idol? Create a list of criteria for each category. Create your own list of heroes, heroines and idols. After you’ve made your list, look for common characteristics they all share. Does it match your list of criteria? Create a list of synonyms for each of the categories – hero, heroine and idle.

To read the biographies of our heroes Martin Buser and Bruce Linton, just go to www.iditarod.com and click on 2010 Iditarod and then choose Musher Listing. Visit www.buserdog.com and www.nolimitssleddogkennel.com to learn more about Martin and Bruce and their preparations for Iditarod 2010. You can learn more about Balto from two of our favorite books – The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury and Gold Rush Dogs by Murphy & Haigh.

Stay tuned for more stories about our heroes, heroines and idles. Remember, in everything do your best and as Bruce Linton would say, there are no limits!

Born to Run,
Sanka

“The Last Great Race on Earth®” —  Iditarod.

You have seen those words before but are you wondering why Iditarod is called, “The Last Great Race® on Earth”?

The answer is pretty simple.  It is called “The Last Great Race on Earth®” because in 1978, a reporter for the London …..  Ian Woolridge, wrote an article about the race.  In the article, along with lots of other information, the reporter used the words, “The Last Great Race on Earth” to explain his thoughts and observations about the race.  What the reporter meant by those words was that the Iditarod was ‘the only really great race left.

A few years later, the Iditarod contacted the reporter and got permission to use the phrase.   ”The Last Great Race on Earth” was trademarked and is a phrase still used today.  (The emphasis is on GREAT RACE!)

Now think about the words ‘last’ and ‘great’.  Talk about the meaning of those words and use a dictionary to help you.   Make a list of things that you would describe as ‘last’ or ‘great’. Think about other words that could be used instead of those words that would mean the same thing.  Make posters or TV commercials about “The Last Great Race on Earth®” or something you think is REALLY GREAT!

BUT most of all — enjoy the Last Great Race® Iditarod!

Just spinning some de’tails,

Libby

When the lead dog’s nose crosses under the burled arch, the team has finished Iditarod.  A Checker steps forward to make sure the musher has all the mandatory equipment in the sled bag.  If so, the musher signs in and the race is history.  Next, the dogs go down to the dog lot for a meal, a massage and relaxation.  The dogs don’t stay long in Nome, they are soon booked on a flight to home in rows 1-10 on Alaska Airlines.  Even though the dogs head home, the mushers stay for the Finisher’s Banquet which is 14 days after the start of the race.  This banquet is different than the one before the race.  Mushers are very focused and careful not to reveal anything about their race strategy at the Anchorage banquet.  The Nome banquet is very cheerful and friendly – the champion as well as every finisher is honored and numerous awards are announced.  The food is great – shrimp, prime rib, halibut and a whole sled full of fresh fruit.

Nome is a very active place in March.  The largest basketball tournament in the world (Lonnie O’Connor Iditarod Basketball Classic) is played in Nome at the same time Iditarod is finishing.  A golf tournament, The Bering Sea Ice Golf Classic, is played out on the frozen Bering Sea.  The 3 Dog – 3 Mile Sled Dog race is a citizen’s race sponsored by the Nome Kennel Club.  There is a reindeer potluck and a pancake breakfast put on by the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.  At the Bureau of Land Management, there are movies playing about the history and geography of Alaska.  There is also an art fair where many Inupiaq Eskimos display and sell their carvings, painting, sewing and other hand crafted pieces of art.  So much to do and so little time.

Although Inupiaq Eskimos hunted in the area, there wasn’t an Eskimo settlement at Nome before the gold rush of the early 1900’s.  Three lucky Swedes discovered gold at Anvil Creek.  Word spread and soon Nome had a population of 10,000 with thousands more arriving by steamship from Seattle and San Francisco.  Some estimate that during the gold rush 20,000 people lived in Nome where a tent city spread for 30 miles along the coast.  Today Nome has a population of 3,500 with little more than half being of Inupiaq Eskimo heritage.  Nome and Iditarod, bring to memory the 1925 Serum Run or “Great Race of Mercy” where the lifesaving serum was delivered to Nome.

Many cities in Alaska were named after explorers, politicians or heros.  This wasn’t the case for Nome – Nome got its name by MISTAKE.  There was an unnamed cape on the map a British Naval officer was using for a voyage up the Bering Strait.  The officer wrote “? Name” on the map next to the point of land in question.  Later a map maker or cartographer was looking at the notes made by the navigational officer and misread the officer’s note as C. Nome and wrote Cape Nome on his map.  Nome was most likely named for that mistakenly named nearby cape.  Another theory is that the name came from Nome, Norway by means of the “Three Lucky Swedes” who were first to discover gold in the area.  Check this out at www.wikipedia.org or at www.nomealaska.org.

The Eskimos that live on the Bering Coast are of two language groups – the Yupik live to the south of Unalakleet and the Inupiaq life to the north of Unalakleet.  Their way of life is ruled by available resources.  For example, Yupik and Inupiaq Eskimos living by the sea hunt seals and will wear seal skin hats, boots and mittens but Athabascan Indians living in the interior wouldn’t have items made from seal skin because they have no access to seals.  The Yupik and Inupiaq made weapons of bone, ivory and driftwood that were handsomely decorated.  They believed that animals would only want to be killed if the weapon was beautiful.  Whale hunting was and still is an Inupiaq Eskimo specialty.

In case you’re wondering about daylight and darkness in Nome, here are a few facts I found at www.nomealaska.org.  The longest day of the year is June 21st with 21 hours and 39 minutes of sunlight.  The sun rises at 3:19 am and sets at 12:48 am.  Technically, the sun DOES set but because it’s so close to the horizon, it’s daylight for 24 hours a day from mid-April to mid-August. The shortest day of the year is December 21st with 3 hours and 54 minutes of sunlight.  The sun rises at 12:03 pm and sets at 3:57 pm.  From this time, daylight increases 6 minutes a day until the summer solstice.  On March 15th as the mushers come into Nome, the average temperature is 11 degrees and there’ll be 11 hours and 41 minutes of sunlight.

Well, there you have it – some information about the Eskimo culture, history, climate and Iditarod events in Nome.  This wraps up the Virtual Trail Journey with Handler riding her bike 1061 miles on the rural roads of Wisconsin.  We loved to hear her stories about the checkpoints and see the pictures.  It made us feel like we’d been on the trail.  I hope you’ve learned things about the villages and the people living along the Iditarod Trail.  I’ll have more stories to share during the race so stay tuned and remember – in everything do your best everyday and always have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

 

John Norris, Chief Iditarod pilot had to fly from Nome out to Safety to deliver some drop dog papers.  There was room in the Cessna 180 for Handler to go along.   While they were at the checkpoint, Ramey Smith came through and dropped a dog by the name of Happy.  That left Ramey with 5 dogs, the minimum necessary to finish the race.  We loaded Happy into the Cessna where he immediately curled up on the engine cover and went to sleep.  From Safety, John and Handler headed back toward White Mountain looking for a herd of Musk Ox.  They saw the herd as well as several red fox running along the trail.  After sighting the Musk Ox, they circled out over the Bering Sea looking for seals.  They saw several soaking up sun on the sea ice.  As soon as the Cessna flew low for a better look, the seals dove through their holes back into the sea.  Those seals are slippery critters!  Flying back to Nome, they saw a large herd of Reindeer.  They also flew over some abandoned locomotives and a gold dredge which remain from the 1898 gold strike.  What a great day around Safety!

From White Mountain, it’s only 77 miles to Nome BUT if the wind blows or a storm hits, the 77 miles can be the most dangerous of the whole Iditarod Trail.  The highest ridge between White Mountain and Safety is Topkok at 500 feet above sea-level.  The trip to the summit is wide open to the wind and look out for ground blizzards.  I had to ask what a ground blizzard was and this is what I learned.  In a regular blizzard, there is precipitation that is being blown about.  In a ground blizzard, there isn’t any precipitation falling instead, the wind is blowing snow and ice crystals that are already on the ground.  This area is also known for its wind tunnels called “blow holes.”  In Trail Notes, Don Bowers warns that mushers and dogs can be in the midst of hurricane force winds with blowing snow and suddenly enter into a calm area.  Winds can go from calm to hurricane force within an hour or quit just as quickly.  Don’s best advice is to follow the markers if the visibility is bad.  Dogs will tend to turn away from the wind which means they’ll be running out over the beach onto the sea ice.  DON”T cross the driftwood line on the beach as open water lies not far off shore.  BE CAREFUL when visibility is bad.  It’s not a bad idea to make the run in daylight or hole up in either the Nome Kennel Club’s cabin or Tommy Johnson’s cabin.

With the burled arch in Nome only 22 miles away, most mushers don’t stop long in Safety.  But if they go inside for a bowl of soup, a cup of coffee, to wait out a storm or to use the facilities, they’ll find the walls covered with dollar bills – there must be a thousand of them.  It seems that long ago a tradition was established.  When visiting the Safety Roadhouse at any time of the year, sign a dollar bill then staple or tape it to the wall.  Before leaving Safety, the checker hands the musher his or her bib to wear when crossing the finish line.

There you have it – some good advice from trail expert Don Bowers for the trail between White Mountain and Safety along with stories about Handler’s experiences at Safety.  A couple of hours after leaving Safety, mushers will be running down Front Street in Nome to cross under the burled arch.  Stay tuned as Handler tells us about Nome.  Remember, in everything do you best every day and have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

 

Looking at the map we have in the kennel, I expected that handler would be telling us about what goes on in the checkpoint of Golovin – but Golovin isn’t a checkpoint!  Golovin (GULL-uh-vin) was a checkpoint at one time but because the distance between Elim and White Mountain is only 46 miles, the trail committee decided it wasn’t necessary to have a three checkpoints such a short distance apart.  I was curious about the village along the trail that isn’t a checkpoint so I asked Handler a few question.  She said that Inupiaq Eskimos live in the village.  In the early 1800’s Russian Navy Vice-Admiral Vasily Golovnin explored the bay and lagoon that now hold his name.  Did you notice the difference in spelling?  The bay and lagoon are spelled exactly like the explorer’s name but the village uses the spelling “Golovin”.  If you’re interested, you can learn more about Golovin in Wikipedia.  Today there are 140 people who live there. Forty-nine are students who attend Martin L. Olson School for grades K-12.

When Jeff and the little dog left Elim, they headed along the shore to a spot called Walla Walla.  Here the trail crosses a peninsula and climbs over the Kwiktalik Mountains.  The highest point that the mushers reach as 1,000 feet above sea level at LIttle McKinley  Trail expert, Don Bowers, says this is the toughest climb on the last half of the trail.  With Elim in the sled, Jeff ran up one side and down the other side of the mountains to Golovnin Bay.  Today, as Golovin is no longer a race checkpoint, the trail runs by the village then follows the snowmachine route across Golovnin Lagoon and up the Fish river to White Mountain.  More than likely, it was at Golovin that Jeff tried to contact the pup’s family to ask about adoption.

White Mountain is the only village on the Seward Peninsula that is located inland from the Bering Sea.  Two Hundred and three people live in the Inupiag Eskimo village.  The culture has been influenced by neighboring Yupik Eskimos as well as the Klondike Gold Rush.  Present day White Mountain began as a fish camp named Nutchirviq which means “mountain look-up point.”  During the gold rush of 1900, a warehouse for mining supplies was the first non-Native built structure.  After that an orphanage that later became a school was built followed by the Covenant Church.  The post office opened in 1932.  The current grade school meets in the oldest operating school building in Alaska.  Fire destroyed the high school building in early 2006.  A new school was built on the southern edge of town for the White Mountain Wolves.  Forty-nine students go to school in White Mountain.

Some folks in White Mountain hold jobs with the school, native store, post office, city and airlines.  Some folks work seasonally in construction and firefighting.  There is one reindeer farm and some residents hold commercial fishing permits.  Ivory and bone carvings; knitting, crocheting and skin sewing also bring income to a few homes.  Depending on subsistence hunting and fishing, many people spend their whole summer at fish camp to harvest salmon and other fish.  Beluga whale, seal, moose, reindeer, caribou and brown bear are commonly eaten along with berries, greens and home grown vegetables.  About half of the homes in White Mountain are on water and sewer.  The other half have water but use honey buckets and outdoor toilets.

There are no roads to White Mountain so travel and deliveries are by boat and plane.  Locals travel by snowmachine or ATV depending on the season.  Average summer temperatures fall between 43 and 80 degrees.  Winter temperatures range from 7 below to 15 above. White Mountain receives about 15 inches of precipitation with about 5 feet of snow.  If you lived at White Mountain you could expect rain or snow 120 days of the year and sun on 150 days.

When mushers reach White Mountain, they are required to take an 8 hour rest before they make the final push to Nome, 77 miles away.  The checkpoint building is up the hill beyond the Native Store.  Teams park on the shore of the river.  School kids come down to collect autographs and talk to the mushers.  Villagers come down to the river to talk with their friends and enjoy what’s going on.  Everyone enjoys the view of nearby mountain for which the village is named.

Well there you have it – a summary of Don Bower’s trail description and compiled information about Golovin and White Mountain from Wikipedia, each village’s home page and Alaska’s Online Community Data Base.  About now the mushers are both excited to be so close to Nome and yet sad that their personal Iditarod Journey is nearly finished.  Stay tuned as Handler tells us about Topkok and Safety.  Remember, in everything do your best every day and alway have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

 

There is a community water and sewer system in Elim.  Most homes have indoor plumbing and the convenience of washers, dryers and hot water heaters.  The Eskimo people of Elim live off the land.  They depend on fishing, crabbing, whaling and hunting seals, caribou, moose, reindeer and small game.  They also plant gardens and harvest wild greens, salmon berries, blueberries, blackberries and cranberries.  The folks who have cash jobs work at the school, the store, local offices or with the airlines.

Before taking the name of Elim, the Eskimo village was called Nuviakchak (Nu-ve-AK-chak).  These folks had a very well developed culture and were well adapted to the cool/cold climate and otherwise harsh environment.  Around 1900,  herders from Norway were brought to western Alaska to show the natives how to raise reindeer to create an additional source of food and materials for clothing.  Because of this project a very large population of reindeer existed in the area.  In 1911, the area became a federal reindeer reserve of 298,000 acres.  The first school to exist in Elim was built in 1914 by Rev. L.E. Ost.  He founded a Covenant mission and school that became know as the Elim Mission Roadhouse.  Today there are about 90 students who attend Elim’s Aniguiin K-12 school  where 10 teachers are employed.

If you lived in Elim you’d enjoy about 150 days of sunshine each year along with 120 days of precipitation.  Annual precipitation is around 19 inches which includes 80 inches of snow.    The average July high is 61 degrees and the average January low is minus 5 degrees.  Summers are cool and moist while the winters are cold and dry.

The trail from Koyuk to Elim follows the main snowmachine trail.  The trail switches between the ice of Norton Bay and Seward Penninsula land for the 48 mile run.  a few miles short of Elim, mushers will pass by a settlement of old cabins.  This is old Elim and now serves as a fishing camp.  Some thirty years ago, Elim was rebuilt on higher ground.  Mushers will also pass an abandoned airport.  Between 1940 and 1970, this was a refueling stop for Nome plane traffic.  Upon reaching the checkpoint located in the Elim fire station, mushers will see a familiar face.  Jasper Bond has moved from Rohn checkpoint to Elim.

Well there you have it – a summary of Don Bower’s Trail Notes for the run between Koyuk and Elim along with some information from Wikipedia and Sperlings Best Places about the village of Elim.  Thanks to my friend Robert Bundtzen for sharing some of his pictures from Iditarod 2007.  Next Handler is going to tell us about White Mountain and a fun story about something that happened to Jeff King a few years back as he left Elim.  Stay tuned and remember in everything do your best every day and always have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

 

It was only by chance that the two teams met on the sea ice.  The serum was handed off and Seppala immediately turned to begin the run back toward Nome.  He took the risky shortcut back over the sea ice toward Golovin.  Late that night, Seppala, Togo and the other dogs needed to eat and rest so they stopped at Issac’s Point fifty miles short of Golovin.  In the morning, after feeding the dogs and resting, Seppala harnessed the team.  Before he could take off an old Eskimo came to him and said that he should run closer to shore rather than use the usual route which ran a few miles out from shore.  The Eskimo was right – the ice that Seppala and Togo had run on just a day earlier had broken up.  At Golovin, Charlie Olson took the serum from Seppala and continued the relay over land toward Nome.    Just a few hours later, the ice which Seppala and Togo had just traveled over broke up and was pushed out to sea by the fierce winds.

If you haven’t read any books about the Serum Run, you really must make that a priority.  I strongly recommend The Cruelest Miles by Salisbury or The Great Serum Race by Miller.  You’ll find out details about the fearless men and teams that carried the life saving serum to Nome the will fill you with awe.  You’ll also learn that Leonard Seppala and Toga traveled 261 miles in the Serum Run.  No other team, not even Balto’s, came close to covering that distance.

Another great piece of history that took place on Norton Bay was in 1985 when Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the Iditarod.  Libby was leading the race when she arrived in Shaktoolik where a fierce storm was pounding the little village on the spit.  She had worked very hard to gain the lead  but she knew how dangerous these coastal storms could be.  Should she wait it out or leave?  The other teams that pulled into Shak were thankful to be out of the storm and couldn’t believe that Libby was preparing to head to Koyuk.  Out on the trail, Libby couldn’t see from one marker to the next so she’d pass a marked and watch it until it nearly disappeared then she’d stop the team, set the snow hook and walk to the next marker then return and bring the team forward.  In the bitter cold and howling wind, Libby did this time and time again so as to not lose the trail or the lead.  Libby says that visibility out on Norton Bay was like trying to make your way through a room filled with baby powder.  As night came, Libby knew she and the dogs needed to eat and rest.  She parked the team beside a very tall marker.  While the dogs burled into the snow and curled into weather proof balls, Libby cleared out the sled bag so she could sleep inside.  The next morning the zipper on the sled bag was frozen shut but Libby found her way out.  The storm remained fierce but the team moved on – marker to marker.  Finally Libby made it to Koyuk.  Libby was so glad to be off Norton Bay, she kissed the snow bank and hugged all her courageous dogs.  They made it to Koyuk because the dogs trusted Libby and Libby trusted her dogs.  You can read about Libby’s Iditarod victory in her book, Storm Run.

Well, there you have it – two great historical happenings from Norton Bay.  Every Iditarod musher has great stories to share but Libby’s storm run victory has to be one of the best.   I really like history and love to hear about the hardships of the Serum Run.  Mushers and dogs back then were really strong and tough!

Born to Run,
Sanka