Today
was a day to ready ourselves for the hectic days to come. A little
rest, some mortgage loan application appointments (have to pay the
bills) and a trip to “Bill’s Cat House,” the local
Big Lake Arctic Cat Dealer, to
have our snowmachine tracks equipped with one-inch spikes. This will
allow better hill climbing on the Iditarod trail due to the recent
warn weather and melt, we expect to encounter ice on he trail.
From our experience when Bill ran, we can say that right now mushers
are making last
minute preparations, packing sleds, strawing dog trucks, trying
to borrow sleds for the ceremonial start, all the while still feeding
teammates, cleaning up after them, exercising and running them to
keep in shape right up to the last minutes before the race. Mushers,
in addition to the logistics of preparing for the race of their
life, also are mandated to be at meetings and events over the next
several days. Vet checks for the team are on Wednesday; the Musher’s
meeting is on Thursday morning to hear about the trail conditions
and last minute rule changes; lunch with their Idita-rider on Thursday
and then the grand starting banquet on Thursday night to draw for
their starting order. Even with the dinner staring at 6pm and a
limit of one minute (ha ha) per musher to thank their sponsors,
we are expected to be done sometime after midnight.
February
28, 2003
Start Position — Musher —
Hometown
1 — Howard and Julie Farley — honorary
2 — John Baker — Kotzebue
3 — Ted English — Willow
4 — Cali King — Denali Park
5 — Perry Solomonson — Whittier
6 — Jason Barron — Lincoln, Mont.
7 — Tyrell Seavey — Seward
8 — Jessie Royer — Fairbanks
9 — Ed Iten — Kotzebue
10 — Dexter Kancer — Nenana
11 — Blake Matray — Two Rivers
12 — Ben Stamm — Argyle, Wis.
13 — Jim Lanier — Chugiak
14 — Paul Gebhardt — Kasilof
15 — Martin Buser — Big Lake
16 — Karen Land — Sand Coulee, Mont.
17 — Cim Smyth — Big Lake
18 — Jeff King — Denali Park
19 — Vern Halter — Willow
20 — Lance Barve — Willow
21 — Frank Sihler — Wasilla
22 — Gerald Riley — Nenana
23 — Robert Sorlie — Hurdal, Norway
24 — Cindy Gallea — Seely Lake, Mont.
25 — Aaron Burmeister — Nome
26 — Lynda Plettner — Houston
27 — Charlie Boulding — Manley
28 — Ray Redington Jr. — Two Rivers
29 — Todd Capistrant — Emerald, Wis.
30 — DeeDee Jonrowe — Willow
31 — Jack Berry — Salcha
32 — Debbie Moderow — Anchorage
33 — Ramey Smyth — Big Lake
34 — Carla Kelly — Anchorage
35 — G.B. Jones — Wasilla
36 — Ken Anderson — Fairbanks
37 — Bruce Lee — Denali Park
38 — Karen Ramstead — Perryvale, Alberta
39 — Randy Chappel — Arlington, Texas
40 — Peter Bartlett — Willow
41 — Linwood Fiedler — Willow
42 — Ramy Brooks — Healy
43 — Mitch Seavey — Seward
44 — Sonny Lindner — Fairbanks
45 — Aliy Zirkle — Two Rivers
46 — Melanie Gould — Talkeetna
47 — Rick Swenson — Two Rivers
48 — Tim Osmar — Ninilchik
49 — Gerald Sousa — Talkeetna
50 — Ellen Halverson — Wasilla
51 — Mike Williams — Akiak
52 — Bill Pinkham — Glenwood Springs, Colo.
53 — Palmer Sagoonick — Shaktoolik
54 — Adam Scott Gibler — Chugiak
55 — Dean Osmar — Clam Gulch
56 — Jon Little — Kasilof
57 — Jim Gallea — Sterling
58 — Bob Hickel — Anchorage
59 — Keith Aili — Ray, Minn.
60 — Jessica Hendricks — Copper Center
61 — Russell Bybee — Willow
62 — Kelly LaMarre — Geneva, Ill.
63 — Lachlan Clarke — Colorado Springs, Colo.
64 — Robert Bundtzen — Anchorage
65 — Clint Warnke — Bonnie Lake, Wash
to
have our snowmachine tracks equipped with one-inch spikes. This will
allow better hill climbing on the Iditarod trail due to the recent
warn weather and melt, we expect to encounter ice on he trail.
minute preparations, packing sleds, strawing dog trucks, trying
to borrow sleds for the ceremonial start, all the while still feeding
teammates, cleaning up after them, exercising and running them to
keep in shape right up to the last minutes before the race. Mushers,
in addition to the logistics of preparing for the race of their
life, also are mandated to be at meetings and events over the next
several days. Vet checks for the team are on Wednesday; the Musher’s
meeting is on Thursday morning to hear about the trail conditions
and last minute rule changes; lunch with their Idita-rider on Thursday
and then the grand starting banquet on Thursday night to draw for
their starting order. Even with the dinner staring at 6pm and a
limit of one minute (ha ha) per musher to thank their sponsors,
we are expected to be done sometime after midnight.