The Road Less Traveled
by Jenna Schnuer
After the meal, the mushers head back down to check on their dogs.
Some ready their teams for the next section of the trail; others
settle in for the night. Past Finger Lake, the terrain gets
tricky. It's hard enough by day, but at night it can be disastrous.
Teams turn into living pachinko balls as they hit the switchbacks
and plummeting downhills that tumble them toward the Happy River.
Then it's two more hours of narrow, winding trails. A place for
taking a break is hard to come by.
"It's one of those stretches that you don't get to see a whole lot
of except for what's right in front of you," says Mackey. "You have
to be on your toes and riding your sled. There's no time for
checking out the scenery."
He adds: "This sport isn't for everybody, but it's sure right up my
alley."
Power Trip
The 2007 race starts on March 3 at 10 a.m. The easiest place to get
up close to the dogs is at the ceremonial start in
Anchorage. While
the stretch between downtown Anchorage and Campbell Airstrip
doesn't count toward the teams' final times, it's a perfect route
for spectators to watch the mushers and their powerhouse teams work
together. Since there is a staggered start, the mushers depart over
several hours, meaning you can watch a few teams take off, grab a
reindeer sausage from a street vendor, warm up in one of the city's
numerous coffee shops, take a nap, and still have time to head to
the airstrip to watch teams finish their first day. If you prefer
to amp up your Iditarod adventure with some rustic luxury and
gourmet meals, fly out to Winterlake Lodge (907-274-2710,
www.withinthewild.com). Or opt for a
day flight to Finger Lake with Rust's Flying Service - and
keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds
(800-544-2299,
www.flyrusts.com). For
more information on the race, visit
www.iditarod.com.
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