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Tag: Rainy Pass

Virtual Trail Journey — Nikolai at Mile 285 By Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Explore Alaska, News, Virtual Trail Journey Date: October 27, 2008

Nikolai and Iditarod Teams from the Air As if coming over the Alaska Range wasn’t exciting enough, being in the interior is really exciting! The first Native Alaskan Village that the Iditarod passes through is Nikolai. It is an Athabascan Village, population 100, situated on the south fork of the Kuskowim River. During the gold rush a trading post and roadhouse were located here on the Rainy Pass Trail that connected the Ophir Gold Mining District to Cook Inlet. Today, the village has a store, a school, a community center, a church, a post office, a health clinic, a washeteria and an air strip. The village has a piped sewer system while most of the 50 houses in Nikolai have their own wells for water. Electricity is supplied by Nikolai Power & Light. People, supplies and mail get to and from Nikolai by either air or water except during Iditarod when dog teams and snowmachines are plentiful.

Summer temperatures in the interior range from 42 to 80 degrees but in the winter it can get mighty cold with temperatures ranging between 62 below and zero degrees. They have about 16 inches of precipitation each year including about six feet of snow. The Kuskokwim river is usually open from June through October for boat and barge traffic.

People who live in Nikolai heat their homes with wood. They have a subsistence life style meaning that they grow their own vegetables; pick berries; hunt caribou, moose and rabbit and fish for Salmon to put food on their tables. Some folks earn a little extra money by trapping and selling handicrafts. In the summer many folks work construction.

Nikolai K-12 School Handler says the school is nice. It has a media center, gymnasium, locker rooms, kitchen and two classrooms – one for the kindergarten thru sixth graders and one for the seventh thru twelfth graders. During the race, the students are on vacation and the mushers can get food from the school kitchen, sleep in the gymnasium and shower in the locker rooms. The media folks use the internet in the media center to send their stories.

One afternoon I had some time after lead dog training to do a little research on the Native Alaskans called Athabaskans. I borrowed a little book called Alaska’s History by Harry Ritter and you won’t believe what I learned! Wisconsin, where I live, is situated in the Great Lakes Region and was once populated by Native American Indians. As it turns out, there are MANY similarities between the two groups. Years ago in their traditional cultures, they both used bows and arrows for hunting; they both wore fringed and beautifully beaded buckskin clothing and they both used utensils and canoes made of birch bark. Can you think of why this might be?

Many years ago before modern times, the Athabascans lead a nomadic life – they went where their food was. In the summer they lived in tents by the rivers to catch salmon. In the fall they moved to hunt moose and caribou. In the winter they lived in earth sheltered dwellings. Mr. Ritter said the Athabaskans were famous for their strength, resourcefulness and stamina. All Alaska Natives are spiritual people and have great respect for the land, water and creatures of nature.

Sponge Bob in Nikolai I could tell that Handler really liked Nikolai – the villagers, students and teachers were so very friendly. While eating at the Community Center, the villagers told stories about their childhood and their ancestors and the mushers told stories about their experiences in the Farewell Burn. The menu at the Community Center was very familiar – cheese burgers and french fries for lunch and supper – eggs, bacon and hash browns for breakfast. Many of the villagers, adults and children, gathered at the checkpoint and community center to socialize, meet the mushers and see the dogs teams.

Well there you have it – a glimpse of what life is like in Nikolai today and a little historical information about the Athabascan way of life years and years ago. By the way, Martin Buser named one of his sons Nikolai and the other Rohn – how cool is that to be named after a village or checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail! Next Handler is going to tell us about the trail between Rohn and Nikolai. Stay tuned for that story and remember – in everything do your best everyday and have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Virtual Trail Journey – Rohn at Mile 210 Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Explore Alaska, News Date: October 22, 2008

I’ve got a question about Rainy Pass so I was really happy to see Handler park that bike and come into the dog yard. I took careful notes on everything Handler told us about Rainy Pass but I’m still a little confused as to how the checkpoint called Rainy Pass can be at 1,800 feet elevation but Rainy Pass is at 3,160 feet elevation. It seems that more than one place is known as Rainy Pass.

Handler said that I had a good question and that I was paying very close attention to details. Before climbing high into the mountains, the dogs and mushers come to Rainy Pass Checkpoint, which is located on Puntilla Lake at Rainy Pass Lodge – elevation 1800 feet. After leaving the checkpoint, the teams climb high into the Alaska Range to a valley that cuts through the mountains and is the highest point of the Iditarod Trail. This valley is the TRUE Rainy Pass – elevation 3,160 feet.

Surrounded by spruce trees, Rohn Cabin as seen from the Air The run to Rohn from Puntilla Lake is 48 miles and takes four or five hours. From Rainy Pass Checkpoint, it’s a steady climb to the TRUE Rainy Pass. After reaching the trail summit it’s a sharp downhill run into the cold Interior of Alaska and the Rohn Roadhouse. This is the famous and feared stretch of trail known as the Dalzell Gorge. In two miles the trail drops hundreds of feet as it jumps back and forth across Dalzell Creek on narrow ice and snow bridges that span open but shallow running water. Imagine how fast that water must be flowing to not freeze! Depending on weather and snow conditions, the Dalzell Gorge can be a nightmare or just a challenge. From where the creek meets the frozen Tatina River it’s just 5 more miles to the Rohn Roadhouse Checkpoint. I once heard Martin Buser say that it takes 2 days to climb to the top of the range and less than two hours to get down the other side. WOW!

Rohn Public use cabin built in the 1930's by the BLM After that run, it’s no wonder that the dogs and mushers are happy to see the one lone cabin that is called the Rohn Roadhouse Checkpoint – population zero. In the old days, there was a roadhouse near this location for the dog teams and drivers who carried mail and others supplies into the interior. After the airplane took over for the dog teams, the roadhouse wasn’t maintained and eventually fell down. In 1930, The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) built the cabin used as the checkpoint today. It’s a beautiful spot, sheltered from the wind by larger majestic spruce trees. Before the BLM made improvements on the trail that runs through the Farewell Burn, many mushers chose to take their 24-hour rest in Rohn. Now it’s likely that mushers will move further up the trail before taking their long mandatory rest. By the way, Handler says that lots of folks refer to the Rohn Roadhouse Checkpoint as the Rohn River Checkpoint – don’t be fooled, there isn’t a “Rohn River.”

Drop bags and straw waiting for tired mushers and hungry dogs If you want to read more about any section of the trail, you can do what I did – read the Trail Notes by Don Bowers, Jr. in Iditarod’s Guide to the Last Great Race. You can also find Bowers’ trail notes on www.iditarod.com. And another thing, Handler didn’t have pictures of Rohn so we got permission from Jasper Bond, Rohn Cabin Master, to share some of his pictures. You can see more of Jasper’s pictures at www.rohnroadhouse.com. Handler says it’s important to give credit where credit is due.

Well, there you have it – information about the TRUE Rainy Pass, the Dalzell Gorge and the Rohn Checkpoint. Next Handler is going to tell us about mushing through the Farewell Burn and the village of Nikolai. Stay tuned for that story and remember, in everything do your best everyday and have a plan.

Born to Run,
Sanka

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Virtual Trail Journey – Rainy Pass at Mile 162 by Sanka W. Dog

Posted by Sanka in Explore Alaska, News Date: October 21, 2008
Teams on Puntilla Lake - Rainy Pass Checkpoint The distance from Finger Lake to Rainy Pass Checkpoint is about 30 miles with some really tough spots along the way. It’s beneficial for mushers and dogs to take a good rest at Finger Lake before heading to the Rainy Pass checkpoint on Puntilla Lake, a run of three to five hours. From Finger Lake the trail climbs into the Mountains of the Alaska Range.

It’s the Happy River steps that are equally challenging for veteran and rookie mushers. This part of the trail is very steep as it runs down to the Happy River through many hairpin turns and switchbacks. Most Iditarod mushers can tell stories about their experiences on the dreaded steps.

In 2006, one of my musher friends, K2 broke the brake on his sled coming down the steps. He was riding the brake to control the sled when it caught on something and snapped. It’s amazing that he made it to Rainy Pass Checkpoint without being able to use his brake. Once he got to Rainy, he went to work to fix the brake before going on. Good Job K2!

And then in 2007, it was unusually icy coming off the steps onto the Happy River. Really experienced humans like DeeDee Jonrowe, Doug Swingley and a few others had to scratch at Rainy Pass Checkpoint after crashing. DeeDee broke her hand and Doug broke some ribs. The dogs love that part of the trail but the humans are very happy to get through in one piece.

Sled & gear with Rainy Pass Lodge in the background Rainy Pass Checkpoint on Puntilla Lake is at 1,800 feet elevation. The checkpoint is located at Rainy Pass Lodge that is run by the Perrins Family, Steve and Denise along with their five sons. Humans come to the lodge to hunt Dall Sheep, Caribou, Moose and Bear – black and grizzly. In the summer, the lodge offers horseback trips, fishing and awesome scenery. Being in the Alaska Range, humans travel to the lodge by plane, snowmachine or dog team.

Well there you have it – some information about Rainy Pass Checkpoint, Rainy Pass Lodge and the treacherous trail from Finger to Rainy. Next the mushers will be heading over the highest point on the Iditarod trail on the way to Rohn. Officially, once the mushers reach Rainy Pass, elevation 3160 feet, and begin to head down the other side of the Alaska Range, they are in the Interior of Alaska. Stay tuned for that story and remember, in everything do your best everyday and have a plan.

Born to Run,

Sanka

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