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.

Jenny Gregor
Photo courtesy of the Junior Iditarod 

Jenny Gregor from Bozeman, Mt.  Jenny finished 3rd this year.

Photo courtesy of Junior Iditarod

Taylor Steele from Hope, PA

Photo courtesy of Junior Iditarod

Abigail Brooks from Fairbanks, AK.

Photo by Kim Busch

Caleb Miller from Bethel, AK.

Photo by Kim Busch

Photo courtesy of Junior Iditarod

Alea Robinson from Eagle River, AK. She won Montana's 2013 Race to the Sky.

Photo courtesy of Junior Iditarod

Conway Seavey 2012 Junior Iditarod Champion.

Photo courtesy of Junior Iditarod

Malinda Tjelta at the vet check.

An Interview with Malinda Tjelta. 

Photo courtesy of the Junior Iditarod

Noah Pereira from Clarkson, NY. 

 Photo courtesy of Junior Iditarod

Sleds

As you can see from the video, the sled is a really important piece of equipment. A lot of mushers build their own sleds. There is different reasons they do this but one reason is so if their sled breaks on the trail they know how to fix it.

After we watched the videos about sleds, Mrs. B had her class use a lesson created by Linda Fenton, 2013 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail .

We used a small paper plate, 3"X6" piece of tin foil, two straws, 1 paper clip, and 4 rubber bands. Most of the students convinced Mrs. B that they really needed to use scissors but that was the only other thing she let them us. After the kids worked in pairs, we went outside to the a frozen snow drift to test their sleds. 

Mrs. B and I took some video of their work. Check it out!

The Puppies!

Mrs. B and I love puppies but you have to watch out. Puppies love Mrs. B's braids. 

Let's Eat!

I love to eat and so do sled dogs. To be an Iditarod sled dog you have to have a good appetite and be willing to eat when food is available.

Training Runs

Rhu and her friends are back to teach you about training for long races. It is like when people train for the a marathon.

Not All Dogs Are the Same

I am an Alaskan Husky sled dog and I am different then other Northern breed dogs like Malamutes and Siberian Huskies. Watch to find out how we are alike and how we are different.

Siberian Huskies

Alaskan Malamute

Alaskan Huskies

These are the Denali Park sled dogs.

Siberian Huskies at the Iditarod

Take the Dog 101 Idita-Challenge