On deck to depart from Anchorage.

We will leave Anchorage in about an hour from now on a large commercial flight to McGrath, a major hub on the western side of the Alaska range, from which I'll depart in a little plane to Takotna. I wouldn't be surprised however if I get reassigned to a different checkpoint because several of the teams are well beyond that point.
Not Whole helluva lot has happened with me in the last 24 hours so I thought I d write a little about the people I've met and seen.
Stu Nelson is the Iditarod chief vet and has been since 1996. Before that he worked the race as a volunteer for ten years. I had been in email contact with him for the last 8 months or so, and had a mental image of him as a codgery old school crusty vet, largely based on the fact that he has been doing it so long. NOT. Don't know if this acronym has been coined yet but I'd put him in the category of GLOM (good looking older man.) He is a tall strapping burly dude who does solo river trips in the Yukon Territory in his spare time, with a gentle and assuring demeanor. He is trying very hard and quite successfully to raise the bar on the veterinary care we provide during the race as well as on the way the mushers prepare and care for their dogs. He has been instrumental in fostering lots of research on sled dogs physiology and medicine, and is pushing hard for practices to be based on evidence rather than lore. He is well respected in this world.
Alan Hallman is the vet I worked with a lot in Skwentna. He is also an experienced sled dog vet, having been the chief vet for the Yukon Quest several times. He owns a practice in Arizona. He s dr red-state-hunting-fishing-Obama-bashing-Man's man guy, which makes it somewhat surprising how well we worked together. He was the one I worked with on that kerfuffle the other day, and we really supported each other well through that, and were able to have a good time working in spite of it.
In general the vets have been a joy to work with. Such a great group of people, so excited to be here and many off them doing such interesting things with their lives.  I have to go get readY for our flight now but I will try to continue my personality pofiles when I can.