First time Iditarod Musher from Palmer, Meredith Mapes

PALMER- Meredith Mapes is still training and getting ready for her long journey and first Iditarod. In the meantime, she spent the weekend helping with JR Iditarod. She was once a JR rider herself. Seeing this ceaseless interest in the sport makes sense to her. She said there will always be a place for mushing in Alaska.

“I think there’s something special about that kid/dog relationship,” said Mapes.

She got her first sled dog when she was 12. She was born into the world of mushing. Both of her parents were active volunteers with Iditarod. Due to the big race next week, she is taking on less at the JR Iditarod than usual. She plans to stick around to watch the kids cross the finish line. The age requirement is between 14 and 17.

“I like seeing the young people in the sport and getting them going,”

She has two students, a pair of brothers who still have a few years to go for the JR Iditarod race. They scooped poop and helped with the dogs for about a year, earning her mentorship. She takes them of 25 mile excursions and shows them the ropes of taking care of a team of dogs.

It’s been a long journey here. She almost gave up the sport completely. When she was 16, a snowmachine collision hit her two lead dogs, killing one and effectively retiring the other. She took it really hard. She said that all her dogs are important to her but the leads tend to have a special connection. She spent some time away from the sport, working as a tour guide in Seward. She said that time away helped strengthen her relationship with the sport. She started buying her own dogs, breeding them and building a bigger better team.

“I just like spending time with the dogs.”

Now she’s 24 years old and ready to make racing a top priority. She’s in it for the long haul.

“I’m terrified,” she laughed.

She knows she will be okay and when the time comes, all this training will pay off. She’s made her fair share of mistakes but tries to avoid as many as possible by learning from those made before her. She was initially concerned about how to prepare the right amount of food for well over a week in the frozen wilderness. Luckily, she has plenty of mentors who’ve helped her figure out the portions. An Iditarod diet is high in fat and calories, according to Mapes. The dogs burn about 10-12 thousand calories a day when racing. She and the dogs will pack up with heart meals before the race. She said there’s an old saying among mushers that says, “a team with the fattest lead dogs wins the race.”

“One my favorite perks is just getting to see these places in Alaska most people don’t get to see.”

Her team consists of 19 dogs and she said that cutting down to the final 16 will be tough decision, like picking her favorite children. She’s always been a dog person. She likes having friends that are always happy to see her.

She said the two most important rules of dog mushing are:

1) The dog comes first- their needs come before yours.

2) Never let go of your sled – “goes back to taking care of dogs” – they can get injured or lost in the wilderness.

To follow Mapes journey, visit www.iditarod.com