There is no feeling out there like being on 4th Street in Anchorage, Alaska under the Iditarod banner for the ceremonial start of the race. It truly is the stuff bucket list items are made of. The day begins before the sun comes up, and as an Iditarod Trail Committee race volunteer, you may not be late. When we got down there, the streets of Anchorage were transformed to a dog kennel metropolis...with sound effects to boot. The mood among the mushers and fans is jovial to say it best. It truly is Alaska's Super Bowl, complete with "trail"gating parties along the trail. Between 12-14 dogs must be on the gangline at the official start, and believe me, they are ready to run! My job, along with my friend Kelly, was to serve as a dog handler and bring those excited powerful athletes to the starting line (not a job for the weak or slow).
As I said, we volunteered as dog handlers for the race, but in doing so you seldom ever know for which musher's team you'll be asked to assist. As fate would have it, we were asked to bring Jeff Deter's dogs to the start. Jeff and KattiJo were the first mushers we had the chance to visit with at the veterinarian check-in on Wednesday. They were amazingly hospitable and more than willing to field our many, many questions. To share his ceremonial start with him was an honor, indeed. As we steadied his team of dogs at the starting point, I was completely overcome with emotion when he walked down the entire line, giving his dogs loving words of encouragement and the same for his family and friends. When I thought about what this young man and his team of dogs were about to do left me in complete awe. My heart was full and my bucket list nearly so.