2014 Iditarod- A report from the field

Iditarod 2014

 -A report from the field.

   “Do you want a hot dog?”  He was one of the last.  The grind of the snow-brake brought him to a tidy halt.  

   “Is there any pork in there mon?”  The follow-up questions along with the Jamaican accent was unmistakable.  Newton Marshal.  For the second year in a row he was taking-up-the-rear and gently refusing our offerings.  

   At this point we knew that at least with him, our efforts were futile.  We want them all to take a dog.  It serves as humble validation of what we do.  We wished him well. He thanked us as he pulled the hook and his dogs took him down the trail into the darkness.  I wondered how many pork offerings he would have to turn down before passing under the burled arch in Nome.  Note-to-self: bring one boca-dog next year.

     It was late.  Our party of 15 was disintegrating rapidly.  Supplies were being packed up under the starry night.  Kids were fading.  Hazelee was fast asleep under her mom’s beaver hat in a lawn chair by the fire.  She would protest her exit from the scene but sometimes moms know best.  

     The giant standing spruce tree had bucked up nicely and by now was a burning juggernaut of light and heat.  The bottom four foot section had a big burl and it had served well as a counter-top table and perennial conversation piece.  

Are these big enough?

    Earlier we all watched the Aurora Borealis belt across the sky adding to the already impressive light show put-on by the stars.  The big dipper was easy to pick out along with Orion and Venus then something else caught our attention;  a big owl flew over head.  We had heard the owl the night before. It was hooting in the woods around the cabin.  Maybe like us, he couldn't resist all the activity.  Maybe he wanted a hot dog or two.  I’ll bet that pork would be okay by him.

     Newton Marshal was one of only two nay-sayers this year.  The other was the illustrious Aliy Zirkle. Everyone else took a dog.   Some friends of mine have cabins ten miles down river and they are huge Aliy fans.   Like us, they also build a snow block wall and maintain a bonfire presence each year but in addition to our efforts, they also fly an Aliy Zirkle banner and tend to an unofficial Aliy Zirkle fan club page on Facebook as well.  They always pack-in a big crowd and are notorious for their carryings-on.  The good news is that after overcoming early years’ misunderstandings of intention, Aliy is no longer leary of this crew, who, as a side-note, sometimes come dressed in costume; astronauts, cowboys etc, like the Yentna River’s version of the Village People. I was willing to bet that the Village People fed her.

      As for our camp- we are well and good.  Posting the highest percentage of hot dog handouts ever, this year’s efforts were perfunctory.  So perfunctory in fact that extra time was afforded to shooting-the-breeze, howling at the moon and stoking-the fire (not necesarily in that order).  Perhaps most of the affirmation though comes not from the patting of one’s own back as I am doing here, but rather from the musher’s themselves who make-a-point of thanking us for our efforts.  “ I was so looking forward to this!”, or “ Oh, good you guys are still doing this, thanks!”, or “ I look forward to this every year!”

  Note to the galley:  Martin Buser took a dog from us this year for the first time ever!  He must have read my blog entry from last year’s race.  We would find out later that he would lead the race all the way to Nicoli before taking his 24 hour rest.  Powered by pork.  Best of luck to him.

Amanda Harrison making the handoff

   Adding to the depth and scale of our efforts, we once again conducted our beloved Fantasy Iditarod Drawing.  The “Draw” pits contestants knowledge of mushers along with their ten bucks in a guessing game of Iditarod finishes.   Last year’s winner was my wife Tamra who was proud-as-punch. She used her winnings to purchase a propane-fired camp oven.  Her selfless act brought our operation to a new level.   Keeping the buns warm is now a cinch.  We even baked cookies this year.   Bless her heart, the year I won I think I blew it all on a giant foam cowboy hat and seven cases of cheap beer.

    Alas, another Iditarod has come and gone for us signalling the end of our winter.  I always want it to last longer than it does and feelings of melancholy crop up but are soon dampened by the allure of the springtime sun.  For the Harrison's, traditions such as this one are all part of the rhythm of life and are looked forward-to, planned-for and celebrated.

Hotdog anyone?

Fantasy Iditarod 2014

 Winner’s report:  Last year’s winner Tamra Jo reports that winning was “good.”  

Treasurers report:   100 bucks in the pot from last year.  The other 100 was spent by Tamra. on the following:

 1)$7.50 went to the United way

2) $7.50 went to the “She’s the first” program that raises funds for girls education in Uganda

3) $7.50 went to a bottle of cheap champagne that she drank by herself in the tub.

4) The remainder went to a BRAND NEW OVEN for the hotdogs! ( pause for cheering, hugs, and high fives.  Chest bumping is decidedly out this year. Man hugs are ok.

Rule Changes:

     There are no rule changes from last year.  Below is a recap.

1)     The point value for the winning musher earns ten additional bonus points. 

2)    Rookies’ scores will earn 1.5 times their point value finish. 

3) Red lantern musher earns the same point  value as the winner minus the ten bonus points.

4) A scratched musher earns zero.

5) Dead dog rule:  minus 50….loser!!!!