Friday afternoon, our work is pretty much done, and we're waiting to get shipped out, to as yet undisclosed destinations. The most remarkable thing that has happened here is the weather. Late yesterday afternoon the sun came out, parkas came off, makeshift sleds were fabricated, and fun was had. Most of the teams had moved through, so we were able to relax a little bit and bask in a warmth that is rare for this time of year. Today is even warmer, probably around 50F in the sun. It is nice to see everyone spilling out of the lodge in shirtsleeves, enjoying summer in March.
There are only two teams remaining at this checkpoint, one of which is James Volek's. He is a rookie musher who is leading a team of yearlings ("Puppy team") belonging to Martin Buser, 4 time Iditarod champion and serious contender for this year. I got a chance to talk with him this morning a bit. Martin has an internship type program which James participated in, in which he is hired on to take care of the kennel and the dogs for a year, training them, feeding them, cleaning up after them, and in exchange he gets Martin's mentorship and the opportunity to run the Iditarod with a yearling team. His goal is to get the dogs out there, keep them healthy, train them to run a distance event, etc... It is a great opportunity There is no pressure to get a head and compete for time, and I think James appreciates this opportunity.
gotta run- getting a snow mobile tour of the area!
N
Nicolette Zarday, DVM, MPH
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