Back in 2009, when we were traveling more than we do now, Janet and I flew to Anchorage, AK, spent the night, then flew to Fairbanks, took a scenic train ride to a lodge near Denali National Park, eventually boarded a cruise ship and had a wonderful time cruising to Vancouver, where our trip ended. We flew home from there.
We saw all kinds of wildlife, including bears and moose, actually panned for gold in Juneau, saw a glacier calve in a national park and had numerous experiences that we will never forget. We even donned parkas and stepped into a room cooled to 42 BELOW zero. And we have pictures to prove it. As I look back, it was a phenomenal trip – other than the fact that it rained the first several days and it was cold! Thirty two degrees and rain in Alaska set a new standard in wet and cold!
We had all sorts of memorable experiences. We stayed at the Anchorage Marriott in the middle of downtown and actually had an inebriated guest enter our room late a night. It turned out that a new person on the front desk failed to mark our room occupied and assigned it to another guest. The staff was very apologetic and, on reflection, it’s funnier now than it seemed at the time. The front desk comped us and also gave us a set of bear claw salad tongs that we still have (and periodically use). We ate dinner at a little local place minutes from the hotel and we were staring out at the ceremonial starting line of the Iditarod – “the last great race on earth.”
At the time, we didn’t realize that there is an official start the day after, that usually occurs a little north of Anchorage – places such as Wasilla (where Sarah Palin lived) or Willow, AK – where the 2026 race is starting from. I always wondered about the sled dog race that covers more than a thousand miles, and we love to watch “Mountain Men” and “Life Below Zero” on TV, but being there made it so much more real.
While we were at the lodge near Fairbanks, we actually visited an Iditarod veteran musher who raised sled dogs and gave us a tour of his facility, including the sleds, dogs and preparation for the race each year. It was quite eye opening and we even went for a ride in the summer sleds (on wheels) that mushers use to prepare their dogs throughout the warmer months. Each team logs between 3000-4500 miles with various combinations of dogs to prepare for the big event. It’s a much bigger deal in Alaska and throughout the world than we ever imagined.
Once we were on the ship, we actually had another musher come on board and conduct a seminar on what Iditarod means to Alaska, the trials and tribulations of the trails and more important than anything else, the care, nurturing and training of the dogs. The bond between musher and his/her team is paramount and it is no coincidence that veterinarians are at every checkpoint along the route and have final say as to whether dogs are healthy (they can go on) or if they need to retire. Usually, mushers are way ahead of the vets and voluntarily retire dogs who are struggling, get ill or injured and need to head home to their own kennels.
There are mandatory rest stops along the way and this year’s race is 1049 miles and ends in Nome, AK. Jesse Holmes, one of the stars of Life Below Zero, was last year’s champion and has entered this year with the hope of repeating this seemingly impossible challenge. This year, a new category, called the Expedition category, has three racers who are unofficial and not a part of the competitive race. They have been given permission to run teams of dogs and have the thrill of the trail while having the ability to not be bound by the competitive rules. These three entrants can’t participate in cash prices or interfere with the competitive teams.
What’s so great to see is that one of the Expedition support mushers has won the Iditarod four times and has chosen to accompany a first time musher to keep him, and his team of dogs, safe – rather than run as a competitor. The bond between musher and dog team is simply impossible to capture in words. The dogs are everything. Most of these teams live isolated in the wilderness of Alaska and they depend on each other for survival. Care of the teams and raising of the younger dogs, future Iditarod champions, is amazing to see in person. I’ve never seen such care given to these invaluable members of the team – anywhere.
Today is the day that Iditarod 2026 officially started this afternoon. Janet and I actually bought a membership to help the cause and have the ability to live stream and see checkpoints as well as trail cams. I know, I sound nerdy… But the experience of being with these teams impacted us at a very deep level. They remind me of the Genesis story and how God gave mankind dominion over the animal. These entrants take this very seriously.
Our verse for tonight is from Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (KJV) This mandate, sometimes referred to as the cultural mandate, places mankind as the ultimate steward and custodian of creation.
My encouragement this evening is that God wants us to take care of his creation, both animals and the environment. My prayer is that God will bless our effort, and if you are so inclined, you can catch “the last great race” on Iditarod.com. It’s simply awesome. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…