Hermie's Idita-Blog : February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Booties and Feet

Here is some great videos to help you learn more about life on the trail.

Next stop, Happy Trails Kennel, home of the Buser family and a lot of sled dogs. Martin is 4 time champion and held the record for fastest time until John Baker beat that time in 2011. At Happy Trails we learned more about being a professional musher. It takes a lot of time, money, and hard work.

Martin talk to us about how they raise their puppies. They work with them everyday of their life so they start handling them right after they are born. The current group of puppies were born this summer. They will do their first Iditarod next year. Last years, puppies are doing their first Iditarod with James.

James has been working at the kennel for two years. In the summer, he took the team up to run on the glacier all summer. When people come to Alaska in the summer they can take dog sled rides on the glaciers. This is good for the dogs because they are training all year long. James's team will not be at the front of the pack. He will be at the back of pack teaching the dogs about being on the Iditarod trail.

Matt Failor, who drove the yearlings last year, is back for another run. He will be taking the B team. He just finished the Yukon Quest.

Welcome to the Dog Yard!

The puppies have a special pen with their own puppy wheel and everything. The current puppies are getting so big that they are trying to come out and play.

Schooled

On Tuesday, I spent all day being schooled. Literally not figuratively. The Iditarod Education Department in partnership with ExxonMobil have an amazing teacher conference. So Mrs B. and I spent most of the day in class and then we went on a field trip.

Being in school is hard work!

First, we heard Shannon Wyckoff from Ohio, yep, all the way from Ohio, taught us about how her high school students with special needs teach others about the Iditarod. They make these really cool videos.

Next, was Mrs. B's friend, Susan Smith, from Oklahoma. She taught us about how dog hair is a great insulator. Duh! Why do you think we wear it? Just kidding. Her students do a great experiment with different materials wrapped around a cup of ice to see which one keeps the ice from melting the longest. Susan passed around different slides of dog hair. (A slide that you can look at under a microscope.) The teachers studied the slides and recorded their observations by sketching. (I noticed Mrs. B had trouble paying attention, but I think it is because she sees/wears dog hair all the time.)

Look out Mrs. B's class I think we will being doing this experiment when we get home. Be thinking about what kinds of materials, people and animals use to insulate their bodies.

Lucky last, was Jen Reiter from Maryland. She teaches 3rd at an all BOYS school in Baltimore. Wow, can you imagine being at an all boys school? The all girls school is across the street. Her students have been doing some really cool things, too. At the beginning of the year, they make a glyph to get to know each other.

Photo by Jen Reiter

Jen's class also does this really cool project with National Parks. Did you know you can become a Junior Ranger at National Parks all over the United States? Wouldn't that be cool? You can even become a Junior Ranger without traveling to the park. Check out all the parks that do this!
This is all the badges her class has earned.

Photo by Jen Reiter

Vet Check a Brief Photo Essay

Wow! It is busy up here in Alaska. Mrs. B and I have been on the go non-stop so it is a challenge to write detailed blog post and make videos. I really wanted to guys to learn a little about vet check so I am going to put up some pictures but I will come back and add more information when time allows.

Three vets from different states in the Lower 48.
They are rookies because it is their first year volunteering
the Iditarod.

Playing while they wait to see the vet.

This vet volunteers at the Iditarod
and the Yukon Quest. You can see from
his patches that he has been to a lot of races.

Alaskan Huskies all look different.

The vet is listening to the dogs heart and lungs.

Chukchi dog from Russia

This dog is waiting in his dog box.
He has a nice straw bed to ride in.

A picket line of dogs during vet check.

The vet is checking the pads of the dogs feet.

Jodi Bailey (musher) with her "house" dog.
Many mushers have little dogs that ride along
on training runs or run along. They live in the house instead
of the dog yard.

The End

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Alaska is More Than the Iditarod

The Iditarod is only one of the exciting things going on in the Anchorage during this time of year. So on Sunday, Mrs. B and her family took me downtown to the Fur Rondy or Fur Rendezvous. Our first stop was the Snow Sculptures.

Learn about how to build a great snow sculpture.

Then we went to the Carnival. Yes, a real outside carnival.

So Mrs. B, Gracie, Mrs. B's niece, and I rode the Ferris Wheel.

Fur Rendezvous has been going along for a long time. In the old days, the fur trappers would bring their fur to town to sell at the end of February. People continue that tradition. Trapping and fur are still a big deal in Alaska. People wear a lot of fur.

Then we were off to the World Championship Sprint Dog Races.

Hot Sprint Dog

The Junior Iditarod

On Saturday, February 23, Mrs. B, her nephew, Chase, and niece, Gracie, and I head to the start of the Junior Iditarod. This race is for mushers ages, 14 to 17. They have 10 dog teams and cover 150 miles. This year there were 13 mushers from all over. Here is just a few.