IDITAROD Snippets and Links

[flowerpower]

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2019/03/07/tree-vs-musher-heres-how-richie-diehl-got-those-gnarly-cuts-around-his-eye/

[libby the lab]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=233uFH9 ... r_embedded
Cute story about Joar brushing his teeth

[flowerpower]

Yotam Haber is an established composer and pianist, an assistant professor at the University of New Orleans, a former artistic director of New York’s MATA festival and winner of a Guggenheim fellowship and a Koussevitzky Foundation commission, among many other honors and awards. Since childhood, though, he has had another dream: to race sled dogs in Alaska.

Last week, Haber’s dream came true. On March 2, he got to ride through the streets of Anchorage, Alaska, in the ceremonial opening leg of the 2019 Iditarod, the legendary dogsled race, on the sled of Blair Braverman, one of the most visible contestants in this year’s race. Haber had come to Alaska to help with Braverman’s sled dogs, as well as to record the sounds of runners on the snow to incorporate into a piece he was writing for the New York-based Argento Ensemble.

But the dream ended three days later when, dragged behind a tipped dogsled, Haber watched his right index finger snap off “like a twig,” followed by a geyser of blood.

“I told people on Twitter that I’m going to call my piece ‘Finger Lake,’” Haber said ruefully on Sunday from his home in New Orleans after surgery to reattach his finger. (Finger Lake is a stop on this year’s Iditarod course.)

It was chance that linked Haber to one of this year’s best-known Iditarod competitors. In a field with more women than any previous Iditarod, Braverman, a 31-year-old writer, has drawn attention through an active social media presence, tweeting her preparations for the race to more than 60,000 followers on Twitter. (Her fans, who identify themselves with the hashtag #uglydogs, a reference to a derisive tweet aimed at Braverman some months ago, have helped defray her considerable Iditarod expenses through online donations.)

Braverman’s husband, the writer Quince Mountain, is an old friend of Haber’s wife, the visual artist Anna Schuleit. After Braverman qualified for the race, the pair asked Schuleit whether she’d want to help out in Alaska by looking after the members of their 30-dog pack that weren’t among the 14 chosen to pull her Iditarod sled.

“That’s Yotam’s dream,” Haber’s wife told them. Born in Holland to Israeli parents, Haber had grown up in Israel, Nigeria, and Milwaukee, where he moved at age 10. As a child, he was so focused on his goal of becoming a veterinarian and racing in the Iditarod that he built his own sled and rounded up neighbor dogs to pull it. But as his musical career took off, he put his mushing dreams aside — until Braverman’s offer came along. “It felt like this was the culmination of my life, in a way,” he said.


On the race’s first day, Braverman pulled Haber onto the back of her sled for the ceremonial ride. The bulk of his visit, however, was to be spent in a remote, family-run lodge 63 miles from the nearest highway, accessible only by snowmobile, where he would take the dogs out for a run three times a day. His own social media account reflected the exhilaration of the experience. “The dogs go crazy until you tell them to go,” he said. “And as soon as you start sledding, it’s total silence — just the sound of their feet, and the runners on the snow.”

On the third day, as he was being pulled down a steep slope by an exuberant team, Haber made a mistake: Rather than riding the brake with two feet, he rode it with only one, creating enough of an imbalance that the sled tipped over. Every musher has drilled into them that Rules 1, 2, 3 and 4 of dogsledding are the same: Never let go. Lying on his side, dragged along by the dogs and feeling his grip slipping, Haber reached up and grabbed the only thing he could see for purchase — a snow hook, a heavy piece of metal used to anchor the sled in the snow. His right index finger got jammed into it, and he watched it snap off, held only by a flap of skin. His first feeling, he said, was disappointment that his Alaskan dream was surely over.


Getting out of Alaska proved a much longer journey even than getting there. Haber jammed his finger back into place, the lodge owners swaddled his hand in towels and they began an eight-hour wait for a helicopter that never came. They finally got out by snowcat, a Jeep fitted with tanklike treads that took four hours to creep out to the road, where an ambulance was waiting to drive him to Fairbanks, three more hours away. The doctor in Fairbanks sewed the finger provisionally into place but recommended he have it treated at home, since it was likely to be a long process, so he got on a plane and flew back to Louisiana. He was taken into surgery a matter of hours after he landed, and was scheduled to learn on Tuesday whether the surgery had been successful.

The Iditarod will conclude this week; on Monday, Day 9 of the race, Braverman was still competing, with 11 of her original 14 dogs (substitutions are not allowed). Another handler has stepped in to care for the dogs Haber was watching. Following along at home, encased in a cast reaching from his fingers to his armpit, Haber still has a few things to be thankful for. For one thing, he’s left-handed.

And for another thing, musicians are understanding.

“During those eight hours waiting for the helicopter,” Haber said, “I contacted the head of the Argento Ensemble. I said to him, ‘I’ve never missed a deadline on a commission, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to finish this one.’”

[libby the lab]

ERIC O!!!
https://bikinginla.com/2019/03/11/guest ... 1sFA08k408

[COHusky]

A bit off topic from this years race, but if you haven't seen them ADN has some terrific photos from the 1981 race.
https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/ ... constants/

[COHusky]

I understand Medred can be polarizing at times, but this is a pretty good read regarding Nic, dogs and the ITC.
https://craigmedred.news/2019/03/11/iditarod-crashes/

[fladogfan]

flowerpower! What a story he has to tell.
I hope Yotam Haber gets good news today about his finger.

[fladogfan]

ERIC O!!!
https://bikinginla.com/2019/03/11/guest ... 1sFA08k408

So good to learn more about eorogers. For new members Eric was a musher who joined Iditabuds and gave us many lessons along they way. Who else remembers him and other teams stuck out on the Yukon during a terrible blizzard?

Here is a story about Moose, no no not our Moosie but real moose on the trail.



The trouble with moose

Postby eorogers » Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:36 pm
Moose!

Seventeen dogs and I started on a 50 mile run with Lycos and Dash in lead. Lycos stopped twice to stool in the first two miles and I just didn’t want to deal with it. I moved Platinum into lead with Dash and off we went. Four miles into the run the four wheeler came over a small hill and there was a huge bull moose in the middle of the trail kicking my swing dogs! Slam on the brake. The quad slides to a stop. The moose is working on the first pair of team dogs. The rest of the dogs are going crazy. The moose walks off to the left side of the trail. Come on moose we won’t bother you if you don’t bother us. Please walk off the trail and let us be. No Luck.

The moose comes back into the team and kicks the first pair of team dogs again. I’ve got handlebar warmers on the quad, and can’t find the reverse release. There it is, jam into reverse, give it gas, all four wheels just spin on the icy trail. The dogs are screaming – not sure if they want to run, get the moose, or both. I’m hollering at the moose. Nothing! Shift into neutral and rev the engine – the muffler is worn and it roars like a jet. Nothing from the moose. Moose walks back to the left side of the trail – come on – just walk off and leave us alone. No luck!

Try to think. Now what!?! The moose is standing at the edge of the trail facing me about 60 feet from the quad, right beside the swing and team dogs. I don’t see flared eyes or steaming nostrils. He doesn’t seem real upset and the kicking is kind of half hearted, but that could change in a second. Those feet can kill. We have got to get out of there. Try reverse again – all 4 wheels spin. Could the dogs pull the quad into the moose with the brakes locked?

The trail is 8 foot wide with the moose taking about 1/3 of it. Platinum is doing yeoman’s duty holding the team out – he and Dash are past the moose. Blaze and Frodo in swing and Rosemary and Mocha in 1st team are in a semi-circle as far from the moose as they can get. Can I go forward past the moose? If I hug the right side of the trail my shoulder will past under his nose. Unless he moves. What will this animal think of 11 dogs, a quad, and a human coming at him? If he gets stressed, things could go from bad to disastrous in a second.

The moose crosses to the right side of the trail, tangles in the lines and half-hearted kicks at the dogs again. Come on – keep going… keep going… No Luck. He walks back between lead and swing to his spot on the left side of the trail. Think Eric, think! Try reverse again – all 4 wheels spin. Shout – nothing. Rev the engine – nothing. I wish I had a weapon.

“Platinum”! We have done some come haw work. “Platinum! Come Haw” I call. The third time he gets the idea and comes back – even though he had to pass the moose again. The moose stand and watches the team come back to me on the narrow trail. Each dog swings over to ask Platinum what is going on. With the pressure off the gangline, reverse works and we back over the hill out of sight. Platinum, Dash and a big ball of 13 dogs pass the quad.

Check the dogs. Nobody has a line wrapped around their neck, but Lycos is being drug upside down and backwards. In desperation he attacks the dog next to him. I can’t get slack in the line. Undo tugs – get some slack and unwrap the gangline from Lycos rear leg. Check for dogs in distress. There are a couple on the rack with necklines caught pulling one way and tugs the other. It takes some effort get them loose. There are red / pink blotches all over the snow where the dogs are struggling. Keep untangling dogs, looking over my shoulder for the moose. Finally, everyone is clear and lined out. Where the blood on the snow is coming from – I don’t see any injuries. It isn’t blood but cranberries that thawed in the warm weather (32 degrees) and were crushed when the dogs stepped on them.

Climb back over the hill – the moose is still standing in the same spot in the trail. Let’s get out of here! Start to turn the quad and the dogs lunge into the lines – crack the whip – I hang on and we fly out at warp speed.

I’m just about ready to call it a day and drive back to the truck. My heart rate comes back to normal. What is that about getting back on a horse when you fall off? A bumpy ride takes us to the alternate side trail. Four loops (20 miles) later we drive back to the truck and call it a night.

Oh, we did get caught in a rut and drug into a 6 foot long concrete Jersey barrier. We moved the end of the barrier 8 inches in the collision. And the high tide came in – put 2 inches of salt water over the low spots on the trail back. But after the moose that was anticlimactic.

At the truck Lycos told me his left front leg was sore. There is a small tear in the skin, probably from being kicked. Two staples repair the damage.

Thank heaven I moved Lycos out of lead. He has a high prey drive and has tried to chase a squirrel up a tree – with a dog team and sled. He also tried to play with a porcupine (http://www.rnorthbounddogs.com/102206.htm ). Two hundred quills later… Platinum passed the moose and kept the team strung out – what a guy. He got an extra piece of fish and my undying thanks.

Keep 'em Northbound

Eric

[Moose]

Eric is not just a favorite musher, he's also a favorite person. His stories are fantastic--earlier with his dogs, now on his bicycle. And his photos taken along trails and byways are beautiful. You can find him on Facebook if you're of a mind to.

[elsietee]

Found this just now - a recap of the 2016 race:
https://youtu.be/LzgTYdWi3N4