We broke up the five hour drive from Anchorage to Denali with a few stops. We did a couple of short hikes to take in some waterfalls and try to spot some birds.
Some Iditarod stats:
The race begins the first Saturday in March. The first official race was in 1973.
Only 10 women have finished in the top 10.
On average, 40-50 entrants start the race, of which 25% are women. 70-75% of the field finishes.
Only Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamute dogs are allowed to race. The dogs need to consume 10,000 to 12,000 calories per day.
The dogs wear booties, and the driver must have an extra 8 booties per dog on his sled. Each team is 12-16 dogs, so that’s a lot of booties!
The trail is more than 1,000 miles, and alternates between a northern and southern route. It takes about 10 days.
Here is a short video of South Fork Falls. They were moving!
Love this post. So glad your trip wasn’t completely in vain, this looks really nice, and fun.
We know how to make the most of things!