Shaktoolik Checkpoint Pictures

[Johncn]

Hello,

One of our Shaktoolik teachers tooks some pictures illustrating some of the steps muhsers take when they arrive at a checkpoint.

These may interest some of you, and will certainly be something we add to our page on this topic for next year:

Arctic Cookie's Livejournal Blog - Shaktoolik Checkpoint Pictures
http://arcticcookie.livejournal.com/33423.html

Regards,

Johncn

[Di*]

Was interesting to hear her say how much the mushers "stink"!
I guess working hard and showers few and far between, must make them more than a little grungy!

[Johncn]

Hey There,

Not my posting...one our teachers...She does not put her name on blog, so I won't identify her.

I can attest to some mushers having better olfactory signals of hygene and grooming than others by the time they reach the coast

Regards,

Johncn

[MotorWerk]

So the mushers don't pack a deodorant???

I'm shocked!!!

And there should be a delousing tent in Nome.

[Breeze]

Oh My GAWD!

That is like soooooooo gross,

is that how you smell when you REALLY WORK, HARD?

EWWWWWWW, why would I EVER


want that?


Breeze

[sc-race-fan]

Just thinking about frozen fish, beaver tail, beef/moose/other animal ?)chunks juice and drippings in addition to "splashed full bowls of all of the liquid hydration/heated food" servings and working closely around dog "output" makes my nose wrinkle and that's not even considering the musher personal odor additions!! If they handle all that, work up a sweat helping the team get down the trail many times and haven't bathed in days, there is no wonder there is an odor I would think the deoderant would not be worth the additional weight in the sled, because it would take pounds of it to MASK the odor.
Thanks for the link to the pics...They were great and really show the race from the WORK aspect.

[boo]

Probably more than you wanted to know, but my hubby said I didn't smell 'normal' for at least three days after coming home from handling for a month....and we had access to showers. But when you stink, nobody else smells too bad... I think it kind of escalates and the only folks who are really offended are the ones not packing their own stink. Tripe has a smell I think that goes and lives up in your sinuses!!!! BLEH!!!!!

[Moose]

Well, there's no speaking for the rest of you, but if I was out on the Iditarod trail, working up a bit of a funk, I'd be pretty darned proud of that funk!

[eluciq_kennels]

My husband smelled like Roses when he finished the race...giggle I have no idea what smell that Shaktoolik Teacher or Student was talking about...BIG GRINS

I am pretty sure deodorant would only mask the stench for a short time...and well could be quite bugging if you are putting it on over all that sweat and grime...only to have the stench release itself again. I think the only grooming item Rick took was a toothbrush and paste and he said even that was difficult as the paste would freeze.

I agree those host families in Nome are saintly to take on all those Rose smelling mushers...and then let them shower in their tubs...ha...

Moose you are right on...who cares...when all those athletes...mushers and dogs...make it all the way to Nome...they can smell however they want once they ride the sled under the burled arches...it didn't stop us from smooching Rick and hugging him...or going up and smothering the dogs with affection!

BTW...TRIPE is NASTY stuff...but those doggies LOVE it!

[MotorWerk]

I imagine that a musher's first shower after a long race could evoke some sort of religious experience.

I once spent a month trekking in the mountains with only the rain and the occasional stream to wash in, which I really didn't mind. It was strange when I got back to civilazation and noticing people preferring to stay windward... I can tell you that a shower and then a thorough soak felt extremely good.