Michigan Iditarod rookie ready for the challenge

Rookie Iditarod musher Dane Baker will take off from the starting line in Fairbanks and unleash his young dog team on a 1,128-mile journey next week for the 53rd anniversary of “The Last Great Race on Earth.”

Knowing that the path ahead will be long and challenging, battling both the elements and sleep deprivation, Baker is going into the race this year with a clear mind and a goal to just enjoy being part of the adventure.

“It’s an opportunity to do something so few people have done, and such a unique experience,” Baker said. “To bond with a large group of dogs, and they look at you as their leader, and to travel across some of the most beautiful country on Earth, I think that’s pretty special.”

Hailing from Royal Oak, Michigan, Baker said he didn’t grow up working with dogs. It was only after finishing high school that he decided to start working at a kennel in 2018. He said it would probably be his last opportunity to do something exciting and out-of-the-box before making a decision to attend college or start a career.

Working at the kennel allowed Baker the chance to take a handful of dogs to Juneau to conduct dog sled tours for cruise ship passengers. He said he stuck with it because he was presented with great opportunities to expand his knowledge of mushing and work with a team of dogs.

The COVID-19 outbreak forced him home in 2020. Baker said he wanted to go back to Alaska to pursue mushing and called around to different kennels looking for work. Friends and contacts in the mushing community helped pass his information around, and Baker was eventually put in touch with Matthew and Liz Failor at Alaskan Husky Adventures and the 17th Dog Kennel. The Failors were interested in bringing on a second guide for their sled dog tours based out of Willow, and invited Baker to join them.

“Next thing you know, I talked to them twice and I started my drive up to Alaska,” Baker said. “I’ve been pretty much up here ever since.”

Baker made the drive north and started working with the Failors in late 2020. He started by guiding sled dog tours, but quickly became interested in racing. He ran an Iditarod-qualifier for his first race, the Willow 300, during his first winter in Alaska in February of 2021. Since then, Baker has averaged about a race per year for a total of five or six races he said. All have been Iditarod-qualifiers, including the Knik 200 and Copper Basin 300.

“Everyone I was around raced and had cool stories, so I wanted to be part of that and have my own stories to tell,” Baker.

He attributes where he is now with mushing and competing in the Iditarod to a series of good opportunities and moments where he just said “screw it” and gave each opportunity a chance.

“Now it’s my lifestyle. It was never a lifelong dream,” Baker said. “For me it was just a series of good opportunities.”

Racing in the Iditarod was always at the back of his mind, Baker said. He expressed that he felt a bit guilty asking his kennel to race in Iditarod because of the time and money investment it would put on someone else. He said he had expressed interest to the Failors, but decided he wouldn’t race unless they asked him to. Matthew approached Baker in 2023 to race in Iditarod 2025.

“Obviously I said yes and we’ve been building towards that ever since,” Baker said.

Together, they thought two years would be enough time to prepare. Baker explained that they bred a team of dogs specifically to run this year. They have trained hard over the past two years and at the start of the race, Baker’s team will be roughly 18 months old.

Training for Iditarod included participating in various races, including Baker’s recent completion of the Two Rivers 200. Baker said he has incorporated more camping into his training routine, making trips up the Denali Highway and even to Eureka for a week to simulate a mock race. He wasn’t able to make as many training trips as he hoped because of the poor snow conditions this winter.

Besides picking Idiatoad veteran Mattew Failor’s brain for information, Baker said he trains his dogs everyday as if he’s running in the Iditarod, with “good intention and good training in mind.”

“We’re not going out there to shock the world and win the race,” Baker said. “For me, I mean, we’re racing, but [it’s] a long training trip, getting them experience so I can hand them back to Matt better dogs than they started the race and get me more experience so I can become a better guide and all around more interesting employee.”

Running the race will make him more marketable to Alaskan Husky Adventures clientele, Baker explained.

In terms of this year’s course, Baker is confident that he can handle any challenges the trail throws at him. He will be taking steps to minimize risk for both himself and his team, checking on dogs to make sure he catches any injuries or potential hazards before they become a major issue.

“Every year has its own challenges,” Baker said. “It’s not supposed to be easy. It’s Iditarod. It’s not supposed to be a walk in the park.”

Baker said he trusts the Iditarod Trail Committee’s decision to change the start to Fairbanks. Although he is bummed to not be running the Southern Route, he is excited to race in new country with his dogs.

Baker said he’s nervous, as the Iditarod will be 700 miles further than he has ever raced before. He said he is excited to race along the coast and experience mushing through the various villages and checkpoints along Norton Sound.

“There’s nowhere we can train in this area that simulates the coast, and I think that’s pretty exciting, to mush along an ocean and see probably the most historic part of the trail and all these communities along the way,” Baker said. “It just looks beautiful out there.”

The biggest challenge that Baker expects to encounter is the long hours and grueling miles that he will have to deal with on top of his sleep deprivation. He believes that managing that sleep deprivation and keeping a good attitude and a clear head will be the ingredients needed to finish the race.

“It all comes down to sleep deprivation and remaining focused on the race,” Baker said. “The sleep deprivation is not fun at all and there’s no trick, there's no secret thing you can do to make it easier. Everyone goes through it and it sucks.”

His goal is to get to the finish line with as many dogs as possible, Baker said. He is approaching the Iditarod this year as an opportunity to push himself and his team and create a unique bond with the dogs, a bond that can only be achieved after spending over 1000 miles and multiple days on the trail living with them.

Baker emphasized how appreciative he is for the Failors support in racing in Iditarod and providing him with the opportunity to follow his passion for dog mushing.

“None of this is possible without Matthew and Liz and their support and them trusting me with their dog team to run the race,” Baker said.

Not only is Baker receiving support from his kennel, his family and his friends, but also from fans and followers that find him on the internet that have reached out to wish him luck in Iditarod. Even in his rookie year, Baker said he receives messages on social media from people that are cheering him on.

“It’s the super bowl of dog mushing,” Baker said. “I’m surprised with the support I’m getting. It means the world to get all that support.”