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Iditarod

Willow, Alaska: The mushing capital of the world

March 6, 2011 by robertforto 5 Comments

After yesterday’s ceremonial start in Anchorage for the 39th running of the Iditarod, the real fun begins today in Willow for the official start of the race.

Willow, Alaska is a village of about 2500 people and the place I call home. It is about 70 miles north of Anchorage and on the “road system.” There is not much here to call a town; a post office, two gas stations, a couple doctors offices, plenty of churches and a trading post or two. If you blink your eyes while driving by on your way to Denali National Park, a couple hundred miles to the north, you might miss it.

The size of the village is not small however. It stretches for over 32 miles on the Parks Highway and is known as the mushing capital of the world!

On the first Sunday of March this little hamlet comes alive with dog trucks, mushers, international media, over a thousand howling huskies, and more snow machines than you can shake a stick at.

At 2 pm Alaska time, Iditarod favorite and Willow resident, DeeDee Jonrowe will lead her dogs out of the starting chute followed by 62 mushers ending a couple hours later with another Willow resident, Justin Savidis.

In my little neighborhood lives five dog mushers (me included). Two siberian husky kennels, an Alaskan Husky dog yard that participates in the serum run, and a veteran of 18 Iditarod’s and the owner of Dream a Dream Dog Farm, Vern Halter.

This year, Bob Storey, 65 of New Zealand is entered to run the Iditarod with a team of Halter’s dogs. Storey, a former military man, got his start in mushing after taking his dog to a conformation show or two and became hooked on mushing in his native New Zealand in what is called dry-land or cart racing.

Storey has been in Willow receiving training and mentoring from Halter for the past two years and he and his wife Marilyn are frequently encounters of my dog teams as we train on the miles and miles of trails behind our houses.

Willow is not just about the Iditarod in the mushing world. Each fall a symposium is held at the community center to talk about dog sports and winter activities such as winter survival and GPS orientation. On the second day a panel of speakers speak about mushing history and the roots of this great sport.

The Don Bowers Memorial Race is held each January during the first weekend of the Willow Winter Carnival as well as the Earl Norris sprint races.

If I can digress just for a minute– if you are a Siberian Husky owner you know exactly who Earl and Natalie Norris are. Their family has produced some of the best Siberian Huskies in the world and their Anadyr kennel is located right here in Willow. While Earl has passed on, Natalie still lives at the old homestead. The family name is still firmly intrenched in dog sled racing and producing a great line of Siberians.

Back to racing: The inaugural Willow-Tug 300 race was ran the first week of February and is an iditarod qualifier.

There are several junior dog sled races ran right here either in or around Willow including the Junior Iditarod.

When the this year’s Iditarod mushers are on the trail and heading to Nome and their dog trucks are packed up and moving on from Willow Lake, the mushing will continue here in this little slice of heaven with breath-taking views of Denali around every turn.

I can remember my first day out with my neighbors dog team shortly after my arrival here in Willow. I can remember saying to her that there were more dog yard within spitting distance than there was in the entire state of Colorado.

Willow, Alaska truly is the mushing capital of the world!

 

Robert Forto | Team Ineka | Alaska Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Dog Works Radio | Denver Dog Works | Daily Post

___________________

Robert Forto is a musher training for his first Iditarod under the Team Ineka banner and the host of the popular radio shows, Mush! You Huskies and Dog Works Radio Shows

 

 

Filed Under: Daily Post, Iditarod Tagged With: Iditarod, mushing, postaday2011, sleddogs, Willow Alaska

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Filed Under: Daily Post, Iditarod, Mushing Radio Tagged With: alaska, Iditarod, lance mackey, mushing

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Filed Under: Daily Post, Iditarod, Mushing Radio Tagged With: alaska, Iditarod, mushing, postaday2011

Iditarod starting order

March 4, 2011 by robertforto Leave a Comment

The Iditarod is upon us! Fan favorite DeeDee Jonrowe will lead out the mushers in the ceremonial start on Saturday in Anchorage followed by Ray Reddington, Jr.

With a small field of only 62 mushers to attempt the Iditarod, known as The Last Great Race, it should make for an interesting couple of weeks on the trail. With only 13 rookies, it is really anyone’s race!

Some of the mushers I am going to look out for are:

Bob Storey, 65 of New Zealand who got his start in mushing after a attending a dog show and soon caught the musher bug.

Dallas Seavey, this years Yukon Quest winner.

Heather Siirtola, of Talkeetna, Alaska and her Hardcore Huskies.

Lance Mackey who is going for an unprecedented 5-peat in this years race. Lance says he is at a 100% and so is his dog team.

Rookie musher Angie Taggart of Ketchkan, Alaska

And of course my friend, Hugh Neff and Annie’s Army. Let’s go Hugh, this is your year!

Follow the Iditarod daily on Mush! Yo Huskies Radio

Starting List

1. Leonhard Seppala Honorary Musher, Florence Busch, wife of late KNOM GM Tom Busch

2. DeeDee Jonrowe, Willow

3.  Ray Redington Jr, Wasilla

4. Trent Herbst, Ketchum, Idaho

5. Allen Moore, Two Rivers

6. Newton Marshall, St. Anne, Jamaica

7. Kristy Berington, Kasilof

8.  Kris Hoffman, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

9.  Zoya DeNure, Gakona

10. Robert Bundtzen, Anchorage

11. Martin Buser, Big Lake

12. Melissa Owens, Nome

13. Bruce Linton, Kasilof

14. Nicolas Petit, Girdwood

15. Bob Storey, Auckland, New Zealand

16. Jodi Bailey, Chatanika

17. Lance Mackey, Fairbanks

18. Aliy Zirkle, Two Rivers

19. Angie Taggart, Ketchkan

20. Kelley Griffin, Wasilla

21. Dallas Seavey, Willow

22. Magnus Kaltenborn, Lillehammer, Norway

23.  Hans Gatt, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories

24. Billy Snodgrass, DuBois, Wyoming

25. Tom Thurston, Oak Creek, Colorado

26. Ellen Halverson, Wasilla

27. Mike Santos, Cantwell

28. Mitch Seavey, Seward

29. Judy Currier, Fairbanks

30. Ramey Smyth, Willow

31. Sebastian Schnuelle, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories

32. Scott Janssen, Anchorage

33. Gerry Willomitzer, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories

34. Paul Gebhardt, Kasilof

35. Hugh Neff, Tok

36. Jessica Hendricks, Two Rivers

37. Karin Hendrickson, Willow

38. Wattie McDonald, Stonehaven, Scotland

39. Michelle Phillips, Tagish, Yukon Territories

40. G.B. Jones, Wasilla

41. Michael Williams, Jr., Akiak

42. Lachlan Clarke, Buena Vista, Colorado

43. Ken Anderson, Fairbanks

44. Brennan Norden, Kasilof

45) Sven Haltmann, Fairbanks

46. Paul Johnson, Unalakleet

47. Kirk Barnum, Grangeville, Idaho

48. Cain Carter, Fairbanks

49. Rick Swenson, Two Rivers

50. Heather Siirtola, Talkeetna

51. Robert Nelson, Kotzebue

52. Sonny Lindner, Two Rivers

53. John Baker, Kotzebue

54. Peter Kaiser, Bethel

55. Kelly Maixner, Big Lake

56. Ed Stielstra, McMillan, Michigan

57.  James Bardoner, Signal Mountain, Tennessee

58. Jessie Royer, Fairbanks

59. Cim Smyth, Big Lake

60. Matt Giblin, Juneau

61) Matt Hayashida, Willow

62. Gerald Sousa, Talkeetna

63. Justin Savidis, Willow

 

Robert Forto | Team Ineka | Alaska Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Dog Works Radio | Denver Dog Works | Daily Post

___________________

Robert Forto is a musher training for his first Iditarod under the Team Ineka banner and the host of the popular radio shows, Mush! You Huskies and Dog Works Radio Shows

 

Filed Under: Daily Post, Iditarod Tagged With: alaska, Iditraod, postaday2011

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