One of the perks of living in Southcentral Alaska is the running of the Iditarod. One of the perks of living in Willow is that the restart happens here on Willow Lake. My house is within walking distance of Willow Lake, so every year that we can, we head out and watch some of the restart.

Last year there was not enough snow here in the valley so the Iditarod restart was in Fairbanks. Both of my son-in-laws first winter was last winter, and both are dog lovers, so they were sorely disappointed when it got moved at the last minute and so glad that it happened this year here in Willow. We had to go and watch, just so they could say they’ve seen it themselves.

After we got home from Church we got on our winter gear and headed out. My husband’s parents homesteaded here on Willow lake in the late 1950’s, so we walked over to their old house and then out onto the lake. It’s a little over a 1/2 a mile from there to the fence line shoot the racers run down.

Today was a beautiful day, not so bright sunny that it was blinding, just pleasant. We’ve had -20 or colder every morning for the last 10 days or so, but yesterday it warmed up and snowed, and this morning was above 0. By the time the Iditarod started at 2:00, it was above 20 degrees and beautiful.

We walked out to the shoot and arrived just 1 minute before the first musher left the start line. It takes about 2 minutes for them to arrive at the other end of the lake where we stood waiting, and just as the second musher’s countdown began, the first musher was coming up where we could see him. They leave in 2 minute increments, but the veterans always prefer being last, knowing they can make up the time along the trail.

These dogs are so eager to run, and when they come down the line they are so happy and excited to get going that the mushers have to keep their foot on the brake as they start out so the dogs don’t start out too fast. The shoot is quite wide, but once in a while the mushers are close enough to the fence to give a high five.

There were 38 mushers on the list this year, down from years past. They will go around 1000 miles to get to Nome, and it will take approximately 10-12 days to finish. We enjoy watching the progress as they go along. We’ve never been to Nome for the finish, and there’s probably not a lot of housing for more than the musher’s team of helpers and family. But it’s fun to watch the finish on the internet.

We recently watch Togo in celebration of the Iditarod and these awesome animal athletes. There are some amazing stories about how smart these dogs, particularly the lead dogs are, and how they have protected and saved their teams and their mushers. It’s a fun subject to read about, and reminds me how much I love my own dogs. Some years we know people running. This year we don’t have a favorite, but we wish them all well in their journey north.

If you’re planning a trip to watch an upcoming Iditarod, plan ahead. There are quite a number of Bed and Breakfast’s here in Willow but no hotels. The camp grounds aren’t usually open this time of year, so you’ll probably have to stay in Wasilla or Anchorage overnight. But, there is busing from both, and that’ll get you closest to the start so you don’t have to walk so far.

Once here, there are some activities in the community center ahead of time, but most of the action happens out on the ice. I’d advice bringing some camp chairs and snacks, and settling in as the mushers start at 2 minute intervals. This year the start took a little over an hour. Some years it’s taken over 2 hours because there were a lot of mushers.

If you have a snow machine or access to some form of off road ride, you can head out further away from the crowds. Getting on a different lake along the trail, a little further out in Willow will give you more access to see the mushers, and way less walking. This is a fun opportunity to start a fire, roast your hot dogs, and cheer the mushers on as they go by. The biggest thing to remember is to stay off the trail getting out there, and out of the way as they go by. This is a race after all and keeps you and the dog athletes safe on their journey.

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