The Iditarod is commonly known as “The Last Great Race on Earth”. This name is obvio
us when it is considered what Mother Nature has in store for mushers and their dogs. The Iditarod is a competition only possible in America’s Last Frontier. The Iditarod cannot be compared with any other competitive event in the world. The race is over 1,049 miles of the toughest and most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. To put that distance into perspective, it is equivalent to the distance between Cleveland, Ohio and Orlando, Florida. Racers pass through mountain ranges, frozen rivers, desolate tundra, and dense forests. According to musher, Earl Norris, “The Iditarod is not a race. It’s a survival test.” Temperatures range from 50°F to 60°F below ze
ro. What you mainly have to watch out for when you’re running and pushing and really over-extending yourself for hours at a time, is gasping and gulping in huge lung-frosting breaths of air and sweating too much under all the warm clothes (O’Harra 68). While on the trail there are often times of complete loss of visibility in blizzard-like conditions. There are also long hours of darkness on the trail. Animals pose a real threat to the mushers and dogs. Moose, wolves, caribou, and buffalo all roam Alaska. Moose are the most dangerous obstacle that mushers come across on the trail (
The Official Site). Sus
an Butcher recalls her close encounter with a moose on the trail. The moose "ran into the team, kicking and stomping and, within probably eight seconds, she had killed two dogs and injured 13 others," Butcher said. "I held her off with an ax for about 20 minutes, and then another musher came along and shot her.” “I was scared out of my wits,” Butcher said. “There was nothing I could do—I was just watching my dogs get tramped” (
Thurber). Snowmobiles are also a threat to the trail. They can damage the trail and break snow bridges making it possible for a team to fall through the ice. Mushers seem to be in agreement that Rainy Pass is the most treacherous and dreaded portion of the race (Vaudrin 31).
us when it is considered what Mother Nature has in store for mushers and their dogs. The Iditarod is a competition only possible in America’s Last Frontier. The Iditarod cannot be compared with any other competitive event in the world. The race is over 1,049 miles of the toughest and most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. To put that distance into perspective, it is equivalent to the distance between Cleveland, Ohio and Orlando, Florida. Racers pass through mountain ranges, frozen rivers, desolate tundra, and dense forests. According to musher, Earl Norris, “The Iditarod is not a race. It’s a survival test.” Temperatures range from 50°F to 60°F below ze
ro. What you mainly have to watch out for when you’re running and pushing and really over-extending yourself for hours at a time, is gasping and gulping in huge lung-frosting breaths of air and sweating too much under all the warm clothes (O’Harra 68). While on the trail there are often times of complete loss of visibility in blizzard-like conditions. There are also long hours of darkness on the trail. Animals pose a real threat to the mushers and dogs. Moose, wolves, caribou, and buffalo all roam Alaska. Moose are the most dangerous obstacle that mushers come across on the trail (The Official Site). Sus
an Butcher recalls her close encounter with a moose on the trail. The moose "ran into the team, kicking and stomping and, within probably eight seconds, she had killed two dogs and injured 13 others," Butcher said. "I held her off with an ax for about 20 minutes, and then another musher came along and shot her.” “I was scared out of my wits,” Butcher said. “There was nothing I could do—I was just watching my dogs get tramped” (Thurber). Snowmobiles are also a threat to the trail. They can damage the trail and break snow bridges making it possible for a team to fall through the ice. Mushers seem to be in agreement that Rainy Pass is the most treacherous and dreaded portion of the race (Vaudrin 31).
No comments:
Post a Comment