Up to the pups

KNIK — Fresh snow fell over the start of this year’s expanded Jr. Iditarod on Saturday, but nothing could slow the sprits of the 21 mushers taking off from Knik Lake.

“I figure everybody has to go through it,” said 17-year-old musher Gary McKeller from Willow, not worried about the trail conditions.

Organizers were also not concerned with the new snowfall.

“The trail looks good. We have a real good bunch of kids this year,” said Phil Meyer, a board member for the Jr. Iditarod. “The snow shouldn’t be too bad.”

The trail has been lengthened this year, Meyer said. The 14- to 17-year-olds now race a total of 150 miles. They run 85 miles to the Yentna Roadhouse the first day, where they take a mandatory 10-hour layover. The second day, they race 65 miles back to the Willow Community Center.

“The trail is marked the whole way. You can see a stake from every other stake,” board member Michelle Mucha said.

With snowmachine chaperones in front and behind the racers, parents need not worry about their pups. Not that they should anyway, as the racers’ youth belies their experience.

Jeff Holt, a 16-year-old from North Pole, has been mushing since he was 5. He’s excited for the race, but knows the trail will be a lot slower because of the snow.

“It’s going to take each team about eight hours to get to Yentna,” Holt said.

Anita Winkler started mushing when the new veterinarian came to Cantwell with a dog team. She says she is used to running her team through the thick snow at home.

“I train with a small team breaking trail a lot. They’ll be fine,” she said.

Carole Keller is not worried about the trail or the snow. She’s been on the new route before and knows her dogs won’t quit on her. As far as parental support, her mom was actually the one who started her mushing career. One day, she responded to an advertisement and brought five sled dogs home.

The racers are allowed to use up to 10 dogs, which most teams do. They are required to have survival gear and other mandatory equipment on their sled.

As the teams gathered in a semi-circle staging area, the director of the Jr. Iditarod, Larisa Myers-McCoin, oversaw the gear check, shouting over the barks of the dogs.

“Quite a few of the racers go on to the big Iditarod,” said Myers-McCoin, who is also the head of the Little Su 4-H Club. “The trail looks pretty good. The snow is nice and fluffy, and the racers shouldn’t have too much trouble.”

Whomever navigates the 150 miles the best will be the first to pull into the Willow Community Center. Teams are expected to return on Sunday.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Todd Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com.