Iditarod Impressions:
As a rookie I can honestly say for much of the finer details of the race trail are probably lost from my memory, maybe having never been set there. You see the excitement of being a first timer on the trail, and the sleep deprivation may have blurred my memory. But here are some impressions and ideas that have stuck with me from this amazing experience I would like to share.

First I really want to thank the companies that sponsored me and individuals that helped me, all making this amazing year possible!! A special thanks to the following companies for major contributions: Halliburton, Usibelli Coal Mine: Healy Alaska, Fort Knox – Kinross Gold, TJ’s Land Clearing: Fairbanks Alaska, Bailey Farms. And so many individuals to thank, please visit our sponsors page to see who all makes up Team Dew Claw. Or learn how you can be a member of the Team. In a way it was very humbling to have so many people care about us and our dream and I consider myself lucky to have been able to do what I have done with their support.

Another group I want to come out and thank right at the start is the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC), the race officials, veterinarians, and volunteers. Without them and their hard work none of us would have a race to enjoy. One thing that was most evident to me is how much these people care about the dogs and the race. Race officials and vets are responsible for putting on a world class event. And they must do it in such a way that the Bakers and Mackeys of the world can come together to compete in an Olympic class event, while at the same time the Baileys of the world can come and test themselves while learning how to be better mushers. They do so with grace, experience, and care. And I was extremely impressed at how they handled the responsibility of officiating and caring for such a wide range of mushers. I found, as a rookie, officials and vets were very encouraging, generous with their advice, and honest in their assessments. And I really appreciate all the hard work done by the ITC, the race officials, vets, and volunteers, Thank You All.

I had been with Dan at the start of his rookie run, which meant I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into. What I was not totally ready for was how much the crowds and hoopla would actually affect me as I was trying to run through it. It was a little overwhelming, more so at the actually start in Willow. The ceremonial start in Anchorage is actually quite fun. I had an awesome crew of Handlers to get me and the team to the start. My crew consisted of some wonderful friends: Rick & Jenny Harrison, Rick Studley, Sarah McConnell, Lexi Hill, and a wonderful group of handlers from our sponsor Halliburton: Dave Lesar, Tom Bandy, Mark McNamee, and Jeff Miller, and of course Dan. We got the sleds with me, Dan, and our Iditarider (also Dan) to the start line in fine form. My Iditarider Dan was great fun, he even sported a polar fleece hat that was shaped like moose antlers. I had given him a bag of used booties with lollipops stuffed in them so he could throw them out to the kids in the crowd. Dan had a great time riding in the sled and tossing booties. The dogs did great with the crowds and diversions of downtown Anchorage; crossing over the highway on a bridge, and going through a huge culvert to name a few. Photo at left of team, me, Dan and Iditarider Daniel Faltyn at the start courtesy Theresa Daily, Daily Web Design

The real start in Willow is when it began to sink in that I was really getting ready to go run the Iditarod, eek. My handler crew was all experienced, and we had no trouble getting to the start. Once you take off you are rocketed down a trail that is lined with cheering fans for miles and miles. It was amazing really how many people were out there just to cheer us on as we began the trip to Nome. And the cheering fans lasted all day and into the night, really. Passing bon fires and fan parties on the river lasted until I stopped the team for our first rest. There were a few gathering of fan that must have seemed especially fun to the dogs, as they tried to drag the sled over to check out the party. What can I say? We have friendly dogs. But I must be honest and say that the crowds were in some ways overwhelming. Most of us get into distance mushing to get away from it all, but in Iditarod you are all of a sudden front stage center. Photo below of Dan and I at Willow start, with a inspirational quilt made for me by grade 6 students in Ms. Smiths class at Eisenhower Middle School, photo courtesy of Eric Vercammen.

I camped out instead of stopping at the crowded Skwentna checkpoint. The early checkpoints get flooded as mushers are still traveling in a fairly tight pack. I had decided me and the dogs would rest better off by ourselves where it would be quite. I had already done plenty of camping on the Yukon Quest and was comfortable being out alone with the kids. The first checkpoint I stopped in was Finger Lake, and it was pretty busy. Small charter planes were coming and going from there as they flew around watching the race, and some tourists were there to see mushers in action. From there I traveled to Rainy Pass. On this run you go through the infamous “steps” the three steep drops in the trail that have achieved fame for their ability to wreak havoc on mushers and sleds. I was told that they were not so bad this year with good snow conditions. And I managed to make it… Almost. I was doing great made it down the first step in good form. The second went well also. The third started out good, and for a brief shining moment I really thought I might pull this off. Until the bump at the very end that sent me crashing into the tree at the bottom. That was one of those times when I was really really glad Dan builds tough sleds. We took a good hit, but the sled was none the worse for it. My right hand had gotten slightly smashed between the tree and snow hook. It would eventually turn black and blue and swell up a bit, but was not broken and would not hold me back.

In Rainy I stopped and took a break, getting ready to tackle the Dalzell Gorge next, another section notorious for its difficulty. I had worked it so that I could go down the steps in daylight. I was going to be hitting the gorge in the early AM and hoped it would be getting light enough to see. The Gorge was actually beautiful, and in spite of some sections that were technically challenging some sections of it were downright fun.

I passed through the next checkpoint of Rohn and headed out to get through the Buffalo Steps, Farewell Burn and well know glacier area before camping my team. Did not want to go through that set of obstacles with a fresh rested team.  I stopped in Rohn long enough for a gear check, to grab some more dog food and gear from my drop bag, to pack some straw for my camping later, and to drop Jody. Jody was still pulling hard, but I could tell her stomach was not feeling great. She had only picked at her last meal, and had not eaten the wet snack I gave the dogs during a quick pit stop on the run. I was worried about taking her farther. I knew we had some long runs ahead, and that the Yukon River and coast could have some serious weather conditions to deal with. I did not want to put her in that position unless I knew she had the reserves to handle it, and when a dog is not eating well they are not fueling themselves up as much as they should. I felt it best to not take her any further, and to drop her and let her get rested and feel better.

The section of trail after Rohn went really well, and I was especially pleased with how smoothly our team handled the glacier area, listening to my commands and staying right on trail. Not doing so would have meant that the team and sled would have slid down to the far low side of the glacier, making for a very difficult job getting the whole show back up to where the trail is on the icy sloping glacier. Dogs were slipping on ice slightly, but dug deep and managed to stay on the uphill side where the trail was set. After all that I was looking for a camping spot. It was getting on noon, and the hottest part of the day. During the heat dogs get much slower, and you are better off resting then and traveling during the cooler parts of the day or better yet at night. I was not finding a good spot, and had even passed another team who had resorted to pulling off the trail on one of the large lakes we were traveling over. I was looking for more comfortable digs for me and the kids. Then I saw it; the sign “coffee – soda – snacks     1 mile” I thought to myself this was too good to be true. One mile later I was at the Ravenwoods Wilderness Outpost, and it was too good to be true. They were tucked on the side of a lake out of the wind. They had a hole cut in the ice so I could get water for the team instead of melting snow. And of course they had the advertised snacks and coffee. I jokingly told them, I was so tired and looking for a good camping spot I thought for sure your sign was a hallucination, but this is the best hallucination ever. Earlier checkpoints had been busy and crowded, and I had not rested well. (The dogs had done great, it was just the human who was too nervous to rest at the start of the race.) But in the calm quite of Ravenwoods I got my first real good sleep of the race, all 3 hours of it. Not to mention I got to spend some time speaking with Iditarod veteran Ernie Baumgartner, who shared some of his Iditarod tales. Although my “plan” had called for me to find another spot, finding Ravenwoods to camp at was one of many happy accidents that you need to be flexible enough in your plan to take advantage of and enjoy.

Leaving Ravenwoods I headed to the next checkpoint, the village of Nikolai. The checkers said I looked like a snowmachine coming down the river. That Lupine light mounted to the sled really puts out some light. Dan had made a mount on my sled for our Lupine LED light and I loved having the sled light. It gave the team a steady bright field of light to run in, while allowing me to relax. Without a sled light the musher has to use a headlamp to light the way for the team, meaning you need to keep your head in position so the light is shining down the trail. With my sled light turned on my head was free. I could even switch off my headlamp and look around enjoying the aurora and night sky.

After Nikolai I headed toward Takotna, passing through McGrath without stopping, on the way to my planned 24 hour rest stop. Takotna is a popular place to 24, and with all the food for mushers, and supply of hot water for dogs they do make it comfortable to stay there. I was able to get 2 major naps, eat 3 real meals, feed the dogs 4 times, not to mention get my gear dried out, the dogs massaged, and cared for their feet.

The Yukon River was the next section of trail to tackle, long runs on the river with the wind as your traveling companion. I was glad for each checkpoint I came to. Things on the Yukon were taking longer then I had hoped, and the long runs were starting to wear on me and the team. But in Eagle Island I spent some time talking to race judge and veteran Jim Gallea about the next section of trail. Again here being flexible was an asset. I changed what I had originally thought I would do and instead broke the runs up differently, in a way I hoped would be better suited to my team. I went from Eagle Island to a slew before Kaltag to camp. Then ran through Kaltag to Tripod Cabin for my next rest, and then from there went right to Unalakleet. This meant I skipped a checkpoint and broke that section into 3 more equal runs. It actually worked really well, and the dogs seemed to enjoy the runs. Tripod cabin was quite and the dogs got a great rest in the mid day sun there. The last run I did into Unalakleet took me past Old Woman cabin, a well known rest spot and along an open area above tree line. I traveled this open mountain section during one of my favorite times of day, when then sun and moon are in competition for real estate in the sky. Half is bright blueish orange, the other half deep and dark. You can watch the progression from day to night as is plays out across the sky. Sun giving way to moon.

Unalakleet, the checkpoint that won the award for best checkpoint, was great. I came in over sheer ice and it has been a long run. I was greeted by the volunteer checker, and other volunteers brought me a bucket of water to use for my teams meal. I got my team cared for and headed into the checkpoint. I had come in late at night, and was wondering if there would be anything to eat. Unalakleet has a pizza place, but I was pretty sure I had come in too late for it to be open. And after that long run I was really ready to put away some food. The whole way in I was kinda obsessed with food, and if there would be any at the checkpoint at this late hour. And when I walked up to the checkpoint I carried my snacks and freeze dried meal I had packed in my drop bags (just in case) along with all the gear I hoped to get dried out while my team rested. I got into the checkpoint and was greeted by the mayor of Unalakleet and Iditarod finisher Middy Johnson who bellowed “put that away, your foods no good here” And was then seated at a table where a plate of king crab with drawn butter was placed in front of me!!! “And how do you like your eggs?” he asks. My crab was followed by a plate of steak and eggs, and some amazingly delicious smocked king salmon bellies. All of a sudden I could have cared less about the pizza place (which it turns out stays open during Iditarod) I was in food heaven. Unalakleet also had set up small bedrooms with cots and doors, so it was dark and quite for my nap. A nap I enjoyed thoroughly, even thought it was over much too soon.

Running Unalakleet there to Shaktoolik was one of the more beautiful sections of trail, and as you head into Shaktoolik you get to run down one of the most fun downhill sections of trail I have ever run. A long, not too steep, winding, downhill, heading down to the sea with amazing views. Yup hands down one of the most fun runs for me this year. Once you are on the flat and headed out to Shaktoolik the trail gets a bit more boring. The long open flat sections make it hard to gauge how fast your going, and you have the illusion that the horizon is always the same distance away so it feels like your not making any progress. The winds were picking up, and it felt a bit like you are headed out to the ends of the earth. I was a ‘party of one’ at Skaktoolik. Teams really spread out as the race progresses and I had been traveling on my own schedule for some time now. In some checkpoints I would overlap with other mushers but here I was all alone. I had the vets and officials all to myself. It was fun to have a meal and share some conversation. The coms* guy had race updates printed out so I could take a look at what the rest of the race was doing. It is funny, when you are out there you become so involved in your own little world, which consists of the dogs and next few miles of trail, that you loose track of what is going on in the rest of the world. In some ways this is a luxury for me, to only have to think about my team and the race. It is relaxing, there is no house payment, or emails to answer, no office to go to, or dishes to do. But at the same time it was nice to see race updates and see how friends also competing were doing.  (*coms = communications, the folks who keep everyone in touch out there)

Leaving Skaktoolik the winds had me concerned. I had dropped one of my more reliable leaders Chess back in Nikolai when he ripped a toenail. And in Unalakleet I had dropped my main leader Guetknecht. He had been working so hard to get us through some difficult trail and long runs, and had gotten a slightly sore wrist, probably on a difficult uneven or deep section of trail. And although I was nervous about going on without him I really felt it was in his best interest to be dropped. Dropped dogs are cared for by race vets, and flown to either Anchorage to be met by handlers or Nome to be reunited with their musher, depending on where they are flying from and what point in time of the race it is. So now I was leaving with Loben and Skittles, 2 little females who lead but who usually ran with one of the stronger males.

I will say my little girls stepped up and did me proud. Skittle and Loben with the help of Elwood went on to lead for the rest of the race, handling the winds, hills, and long flat stretches of the coastal trails like champions. Loben in particular loves checkpoints. Once she sees, smells, or hears signs of a checkpoint she picks up the pace. Coming into Koyuk you can see the lights of the village for miles before you get there, and I was even warned; Oh you see the lights but it still takes forever to get there. For some this might be demoralizing, but for me it was great. Loben saw those lights and got excited, she loped the team all the way into the village of Koyuk in fine form.

Running into White Mountain you know that you are nearing the end, it is both exciting and in a way strange, for me at least, because I did not want it to end, I was having too much fun. On the way to White Mountain we ran through Golovin, and were greeted by residents offering oranges and other snacks. And luckily for me, directions, as my team had headed up a road in the wrong direction. Some markers near the end of the race had been knocked down of blown over, and as a rookie I had no idea where I was supposed to go. But when the team started down the wrong street locals were quick to stop me and help get me pointed in the right direction.

I arrived in White Mountain as it was getting dark. Luckily Kristy Berington was there taking care of her team, because the checkers were no where in sight. White Mountain has limited to no internet and they had been unable to get my GPS updates online, so I had snuck in earlier then they had estimated. So Kristy and I got my team parked and she showed me where water and my drop bags were. The checkers did finally come down and get me signed in. And they felt very badly about missing me. More so when the realized I was the wife of the one musher who they had missed coming in last year… Yes the missed Dan coming into White Mountain the year before too. But they assured me it was a fluke and not some cosmic plot against Dew Claw Kennel. And to be honest the checkers, vets, and judges at White Mountain were great, I enjoyed talking with them as I spent my last 8 hours of Iditarod rest. Which actually turned into 9, as there were no teams behind me, and the temptation of a little extra sleep was too much to bear.

I had some very fast times on the last few runs, and that is something I am very proud of. As one of my rookie goals I had hoped to manage my team in such a way that they would have the energy and attitude to finish strong. There are lots of factors that go into managing a team, and I am sure I will continue to learn as I race more.

Running through Safety I noticed a snow machine on a bridge right outside of town, and waved for the camera they had pointed at me. And then when I got into Safety to sign in and out I found out that the snowmachiner was Dan. He had flown up to Nome to meet me, and had borrowed a snowmachine to come out and watch me and the kids run in. The closer you get to Nome the more people and building you see, and they dogs can even tell something is up. There is one last big push through mountains after Safety and before Nome, and in spite of the fact that it causes you to give every last drop of physical energy you had left it also gives you some of the best panoramas on the trail in.

headed to Nome, photo (c) Theresa Daily

As I got close to Nome and started seeing more and more fans I suddenly saw something else, there was a team in front of me, close enough to maybe catch. And that is just what we did. Lead by Elwood and Loben we caught up to Lachlan Clark who had left before me, and had a pass right next to the road outside of town in front of cheering fans who had driven out to watch teams come in. The dogs rolled on up to front street looking happy and ready to keep going. Dan and some good friends were gathered under the burled arch to greet us, and there were kisses all ‘round for Dan and the dogs. There was a nice article about my finish in the Iditarod updates: http://iditarodblogs.com/news/2011/03/17/in-nome-jodi-bailey-claims-a-rookie-double/

Passing Lachlan outside of Nome (c) Theresa Daily

In a lot of ways the Iditarod for me was mentally divided into 3 sections. First was the Alaska Range, lots of technical driving and excitement. Second was the Yukon River, winds and long lonely stretches. Lastly the coast, the most unlike anything I train in, and beautiful. OK that’s not really fair, as the entire trail is beautiful, each part in its own way. But each section seemed to have its own character and feel to it. I know that I have blurred some, and am sure that there are a million details and landmarks I have missed. I think for me the coast has a special beauty. Being up in the hills looking out over an ocean of sea ice was incredible.

I am thankful for the new friends I made on the trail. Getting to meet and travel with your fellow mushers is one of the benefits of doing a race. And in the Iditarod I had the opportunity to run with the best of the best. You find there is a friendship on the trail. Yes of course you are all competing, and yes you really want to do your best. But I learned a long time ago being nice to someone does not slow my team down one bit. Checkpoints are places where mushers share a story or a snack, lend a hand or ear, and share what they have if someone needs it. I have often commented on the phenomena, that your best friends are also your competitors. Many people will ever really understand what our life is like, how obsessive training for an event like Iditarod is, and what really goes on in the dog focused mind of a musher. Very few except for other mushers, and so the people you compete with also understand you better then most, you share a common addiction, and always have something to talk about.

But the thing that impressed itself on me the most is how totally incredible my dogs are. (OK all the teams, I just happen to be partial to mine) I am amazed at there ability to get up and do these runs for days on end all with a huge appetite and great attitude. Many people might not really be able to appreciate exactly how much these amazing athletes are capable of, with a potential that seems endless and exuberance in abundance. And I was also pleased to find that when things got hard, and I had to take a look inside myself and see what I was made of that it turns out I was tough enough. And although I made my fair share of mistakes, I was still smart enough. When it was all said and done I found I did have what it takes to make it to Nome. And getting there for the first time is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life. At right leaders Loben and Elwood in Nome (c) Theresa Daily

Again, (and I can not stress this enough) no matter how solitary the journey may have seemed at times I was not alone in getting there. It took a great deal of support, financial and otherwise, to get me and the kids to Nome. And to everyone who was a part of that support I can not thank you enough.

The finish in Nome, (c) Theresa Daily