Forty mushers sign up for the Yukon Quest events

As predicted by insiders, the Yukon Quest rosters are healthy ones. 22 teams, including seven rookies, signed up on the first day for the 1,000 mile race. 18 teams, half of them rookies, signed up for the 300 mile mid-distance race. Familiar faces in both. Names like Aliy Zirkle and Hans Gatt are among the top names in the YQ 300. Over on the thousand miler side, Allen Moore looks to go for another title, and Brent Sass has returned to racing choosing the race he's previously won.

Not on the list, of course, is Hugh Neff. Neff has been suspended from racing either Quest race this year due to the findings of the necropsy of a dog that died on his team this year in the race. Hugh appealed the decision, but it was upheld in June. Neff must sit out this year's race, and must run the 300 to re-qualify for the 1,000 mile Quest. His dogs will run in 2019, however, as his wife Olivia has signed up for the 1,000 mile race. Olivia's grandfather helped create the Yukon Quest, and she has worked hard to be able to run her "family's race". (She is shown as Olivia Webster on her roster as that is her maiden name - per FBNMQuest on Twitter - and that is what is on her passport used to cross the Al-Can border. Who knew?!)

Considering the dismal number of sign ups currently on the Iditarod roster, one can't help but wonder if those names on the Quest's list that haven't signed up for Iditarod are in silent protest over the past year's drama. While some mushers like Quest and Iditarod veteran Rob Cooke have been vocal about not planning on running both races (he lives in Whitehorse and prefers the Quest), others have not given a reason for why their name does not appear on both like in year's past. That being said some are signed up for both. Aliy Zirkle and Matt Hall the most notable to date. The Iditarod sign up window does not close until December, time will tell if their roster of 30 grows any larger.

Mushers have until January 4, 2019 to sign up for the 2019 Yukon Quest races.

Grant Hochstein at the US Figure Skating Championships

With the announcement this week that Grant Hochstein was retiring from competitive figure skating and would focus on coaching, I thought I'd go ahead and show off some of my photos I took of him back in January when I attended the US Figure Skating National Championships. (How's that for a run on sentence?!) This short program was perfection. So glad I got to see his final skates at Nationals.

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (Aug. 3)

Rob Cooke's team of Siberian Huskies at the start of the 2018 Iditarod.

We've entered into August, the final month of summer for most of Alaska; the last hurrah before training season truly begins for many sled dog teams statewide. While the summer has been sparse with news out of kennels, there was a boom this week. The Yukon Quest sign ups begin tomorrow with a big kick off on both sides of the border, and that has the mushing community buzzing with excitement. Where the Iditarod sign up seemed quiet, and the roster is still just at 30 names, it is expected that the Quest will outshine in its hoopla this year.

Puppies continue to be the name of the game this week. Many of the summer litters are quickly turning to dogs, and mushers proudly show off their pups on social media. Sarah and Travis at Turning Heads Kennel are no exception.... and they have some good looking pups that will no doubt turn into good looking super stars in the next two to three years.

Matt Hall at Smokin' Aces Kennel is looking to sign up for the 2019 Yukon Quest tomorrow morning, but the last few weeks he's been focused on putting in a new dog yard. Matt shared some of his progress on social media over the weekend.


Iditarod musher Lev Shvarts took to social media on his Team Ollie page to place a want ad for a handler for the winter season. Many kennels need help to keep the teams conditioned - just because the snow flies it doesn't mean that mushers don't have lives/jobs outside the realm of dogs. They have to find a balance to make everything work, and that typically means opening up their kennel and home to handlers (think of them as glorified interns). Many get their start in this way and work their way up to having their own dogs and kennel and racing teams through handling for other established kennels. If you're interested, it looks like the job is still available.

Four-time Yukon Quest and (consecutive) Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey made headlines again, and it's positive. Lance, as you may know, has not given up the dog life, but he has increased his need for speed and has turned a lot of his attention to car racing. While he does plan to race this season in the sprint and mid distance sled dog races, Mackey also has plans for NASCAR. That's right NASCAR. The Daily News-Miner out of Fairbanks, Alaska reported on the mushing legend this week. At some point, Mackey may have to make the difficult decision to choose one passion over the other. In some ways he may have already made his move, as he's sold off a lot of his equipment and long-distance team dogs. That being said, Mackey has been very vocal in his fight against animal rights groups like PETA who want to see the sport of mushing destroyed.

Lance Mackey's team at the start of the 2018 Tustumena 200, January 27.

The Iditarod Trail Committee announced their fifth and final new board member on Monday. The ITC selected Alaska's chief of the National Transportation and Safety Board, Clint Johnson. Johnson runs the investigations of all plane crashes in Alaska among other duties. He is admittedly not familiar with the sport, other than having attended the starts of the Iditarod and Rondy races, but says he is willing to learn about the culture the sport entails. With Clint's experience one has to wonder if there aren't significant plans for changes within the Iditarod Air Force coming with this addition to the board. The Iditarod Air Force is the volunteer group of pilots that transport equipment, people, dogs, etc. to and from the check points. They are the ones who assist in returning dogs back to Anchorage to be handed off to the handlers (these were previously called dropped dogs, dogs who for whatever reason needed to stop racing and go home before the race is over, they are now designated as "returned dogs"). There have been a few mishaps in the last couple of years, one of which resulted in dog deaths, and in the Iditarod's history there have been several planes that have crashed (non-fatal, but no less terrifying). One has to think that he will be giving some guidance on how to improve a system that after 46 years may need fresh ideas to keep flying.

Black Spruce Kennels, owned by Jeff and KattiJo Deeter, made news this week via Penny Hoarder with their kennel being highlighted as an off grid haven. Jeff is one of the youngest mushers to run Iditarod, running his rookie year back in 2008 at the tender age of 19. After taking ten years off to find his calling, Deeter returned to Iditarod running this past March and doing rather well. Jeff is once again signed up for the Last Great Race, and was one of two mushers to win their entry fee back during the June 30 sign up BBQ.


Snow Owl Sled Dog Tours announced the names of their newest sled dog team members with some super cute photos of, you guessed it, PUPPIES! And this is doubly awesome because the litter names are inspired by the Addams Family. Uh, sign me up!


Iditarod musher Lisbet Norris is throwing her hat in the ring for the 2019 Yukon Quest, this will be her rookie run. She was excited not only to share that news with followers of her page but also to show off her awesome dog truck rig. Unlike the Iditarod, handlers are allowed to help their musher within certain check points on the Quest, and with her new rig, she's able to safely run "the other thousand mile" race.

Beckie Hacker - who dreams of one day running the Iditarod and is working towards that goal - proudly showed off her new leaders in a quick update on her social media pages.

Mary Helwig had a little bit of frustration this morning as she found that one of her retired pups had decided to go into landscaping.... in her newly landscaped yard. Needless to say the pup seems pretty dang proud of himself, and she is without a lot of nice flowers and veggies.

Conway Seavey Band at Music in the Park

Old habits die hard. I haven't been a "paid stalker" for the Seaveys in four years, but I stopped by Conway's free concert in the Soldotna Creek Park last night. As always, he did well to get the crowd dancing. Much different from when he was that 11 year old kid on the Iditarod Banquet stage belting out Idita-Rock-and-Roll.

Here are a few photos to highlight the evening. I already miss the sun.

Farewell to the Northern Lights 300

Mushers and fans alike were saddened to learn today that the Board for the Northern Lights 300 sled dog race has disbanded. The race typically scheduled to run at the end of January has had a rough couple of years with poor weather and trail conditions, as well as seeing smaller roster numbers. In their announcement this morning, the race pointed out that financial obstacles that made running without a full roster impossible. The race was cancelled last year due to lack of participants.

The Northern Lights 300 is a well established race that took place in the heart of Alaskan mushing country. The race was hosted yearly by Happy Trails Kennel - owned by four-time Iditarod Champion Martin Buser - and boasted some very robust rosters over the years. Starting in 2013, however, the race, like many other races that take place in "South Central Alaska", began dealing with poor weather conditions. While 2012 was bitterly cold, the very next year saw "soupy" trails and rain. The race went on, even though last minute decisions had to be made to trail route.

2014 and 2015 ran very much the same - trail routes switched around, and roster filled and overflowing with waits as the Tustumena 200 - which typically runs the same weekend - postponed or cancelled their race due to no snow or frozen rivers to cross. Last minute trail changes are always a logistical nightmare as well as financial to make it possible to lay in the trail and make sure the race had the mileage needed to keep it a 300 and qualifier for other races such as the Iditarod and Yukon Quest.

Last year, the Northern Lights 300 found itself with just a handful of teams. The Tustumena 200 was able to run their race, even though they had to change their route, and many teams stuck with the Kenai Peninsula's only mid-distance race. The NL300 just could not find the teams to fill their roster, and so made the tough decision to pull the plug on the 2017 race.

Now they are pulling the plug on the race entirely. Other races will go on in their stead. The Tustumena 200 will hopefully be able to run again this year - though there is concern that this will be another warm winter which could make the race impossible. This is yet another sign of changing times where finances for races are tight, and the weather has wreaked havoc on any game plan. Without knowing that a race will go on, most teams will pass for other events that have a better chances of happening (meaning heading North or to Canada and MidWest USA).

See the full announcement below:

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (July 27)

Another week closer to fall, another week closer to the summer tourist season finishing up, another week closer to sled dog tales of the trails! Once again, not a lot of hard hitting news coming out of the mushing community, but here are the ones I've found.

Sad news in the mushing community this week. Iditarod veteran Bryan Imus passed away due to injuries sustained during an ATV rollover. Imus ran the Iditarod in 2000 finishing 33rd of 68 teams - not bad for a rookie! Imus was just 47 years old, and leaves a wife and two sons behind.


Ed Stielstra's Nature's Kennel shared an adorable photo of a couple of their pups. Looks like someone's ears are starting to stand up!


Nature happened on a glacier today as one of Meredith Mapes' dogs gave birth to happy, healthy puppies. Reports say mom and pups are all doing fine and the pups will soon be getting lots of socialization as the first part of their training to become sled dogs. Stop over to her facebook page and send your congratulations... maybe give some ideas for a litter theme!


It must be puppy week in the mushing community, as a lot of kennels shared cute video and pics of their newest team members. Four-time Iditarod Champion Martin Buser was seen this week with one of this litters running free on property before heading back to the puppy pen.


Paul Gebhardt announced the birth of his final litter of the season yesterday with a post of a couple of photos of the proud mama dog and her brood.


Not true puppies, but the "young dogs" of Muktuk Kennel in the Yukon were having a blast last week running on the dog wheel. Like Iditarod and Quest veteran musher Rob Cooke said - these dogs don't have to be forced to run!

Enjoy your last few days of July. Next week we'll be looking ahead to Yukon Quest sign ups!

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (July 20)

Aliy Zirkle's lead dogs run through Anchorage during the
Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 46. March 3, 2018.

Another week in the books, another week closer to fall... which is another week closer to training season for the Alaska dog teams waiting for cooler temps and less busy mushers. The Sockeye are finally starting to show themselves in the river, meaning everyone is busy collecting food to fill the freezer. It's the height of the summer season, tourism at its peak for the next couple of weeks. The last hurrah before the fireweed are in full bloom...

But I digress, you aren't here for that. You're here for sled dog news. So let's get to it, shall we?

The Redingtons had a GREAT start to their week with two of their own being inducted into the "Iditarod Hall of Fame". Though not associated with the race officially, the Knik based Hall of Fame acknowledges mushers, dogs, companies, volunteers, and others associated with Alaska's Last Great Race. Both Raymie and Joee Redington were awarded this year. Joee passed away last year due to complications in surgery, so it is a bittersweet moment for his family - but a proud one none-the-less.

Iditarod Musher Kristin Bacon, owner of Bacon's Acres Kennel, is hiring! Bacon is looking for a handler for the upcoming season. Housing and a stipend are some of the perks, plus you'll be working with an Iditarod kennel. Bacon is well connected within the mushing community, so you may rub elbows with some of the biggest names in the sport. Author note: I am not affiliated with Kristin in anyway and have no working experience with her or her kennel. This is not an endorsement, just sharing the info.

As reported by this blog (as well as many others), on Monday the Iditarod Trail Committee announced its newest board of directors members. Four new names join the remaining ITC board and will spend the next few weeks/months becoming educated on the race and the inner workings. The four newest BODs were not voted into their position by ITC members but by the current Board of Directors. The same board that was found to have lost the trust of mushers and members alike and were told that they should step aside. Only three of those members did so - others have made excuses for why they need to stay (among them Andy Baker, board president and brother of a now retired Iditarod champion). While most have been positive about the announcement, many are still in a wait and see pattern before they celebrate any changes.


If you follow Aliy Zirkle, you know she's been sharing videos she made while out on the Iditarod Trail this year. Little vlogs if you will, it's been a great way to break up the waiting as summer goes by. Aliy's team does a fantastic job of keeping fans involved while Allen and Aliy work to provide for their kennel.


I know I just shared puppy stuff from Jeff King's kennel last week, but I can't not share this. I mean... it's puppies. You can't go wrong with puppies!



Ryan Redington is the only Redington signed up for this year's Iditarod (still), and he's hard at work with summer tours before heading back to the lower 48 to race down there before heading back to Alaska for the race his family helped create 47 years ago. From time to time he gives us a glimpse into touring life.


The Yukon Quest announced yesterday that their purse for next year's race will be $115,000 USD. The purse will be divided among the top 15 teams. Sign ups for the 2019 Quest begin on August 4, just two weeks from now. The Quest may see a larger number of entries with the lack of mushers signed up for Iditarod - some may decide to try a new race where there typically is less drama from the powers that be.

New voices added to Iditarod Board of Directors

The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) announced the addition of four names to their board of directors Monday. After months of speculation as to who would be named - or even if the ITC would follow through with the promise to change up their roster - the cat is out of the bag. The Iditarod released the names Monday afternoon, with a brief description of each new member.

Depending on your familiarity with winter sport, Alaskan politics and business, you might recognize some of the names presented in today's press release. Still, the names listed have seemingly little experience or knowledge of the sport the Iditarod represents. This, however, is not as alarming as some make it out to be. The independent research done by the Foraker Group found that there was a need to change the board and its policies - starting with getting rid of those with a conflict of interest. Mushing is a small, tight-knit community. It's hard to find someone not related to those racing to be able to be part of the board of any race. Those listed today have experience in running large organizations successfully - something the ITC in the last two years has demonstrated they have very little success in doing.

The new members of the Iditarod Board are:

Nina Kemppel - a four time Winter Olympian for Team USA in cross-country skiing, Nina is a long time Alaskan who has many ties to the state; most noteably as the president and CEO of the Alaska Community Foundation which provides grants to non-profits statewide. She is also on the board of directors of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and sits on their Athlete Advisory Council. Kemppel brings an impressive resume to the table, and while not experienced in dog sports or mushing, she does understand the workings of a successful sports program as well as what it takes to keep a highly visible non-profit working. Her addition is an interesting and exciting move on the ITC's part. It will be interesting to see how they utilize her in the coming months.

Karen King - president and CEO of "Alaska's largest advertising company", Spawn Ideas, King's resume boasts helping companies reimagine themselves and reset their course within the public eye. She's worked with General Mills, Coke-a-Cola, and local entities like the University of Alaska and GCI (an Iditarod sponsor). One only needs to look so far as her company's website to have an idea of where Iditarod plans to use her. One of the biggest areas of improvement needed is how Iditarod is perceived by the public and fans - and that's where King will most likely step in. Spawn Ideas promotes a very positive work mantra: "Everyday, we challenge ourselves and our clients to create strategically smart, provocative, bold ideas." Perhaps it will transfer to Iditarod.

Mike Mills - a lawyer who apparently is on of "the Best Lawyers in America" since 2003. Considering the ITC has seen itself in a legal nightmare more times than not over the last few years with animal rights "activists" going after them, misuse of their name/logo, and of course the quagmire that allegedly started this mess: doping. It doesn't take too much imagination to know what Mills will be bringing to the board, but it is so desperately needed.

Ryan York - representing Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC), York is the corporation's senior VP and chief director of Finance. One of the largest Native Corporations in the state, York understands the many working parts and personalities an Alaskan company/program has. While not native to Alaska, he has a love for the state and for the sport. BBNC has been very supportive of the race for years, and this no doubt will add to their enthusiasm as the Iditarod continues.

Some changes were announced weeks ago with the resignation of Wade Marrs as the Iditarod Official Finisher's Club (IOFC) representative to the board, and Aaron Burmeister. Both had to resign due to the restructured bylaws stating that no board member could be actively racing in Iditarod (this was a rule change at the recommendation of the Foraker Group conducted earlier in 2018). Also not returning is five-time Iditarod Champion and retired musher Rick Swenson who chose not to run for re-election.

Current Board President Andy Baker, brother to Iditarod Champion John Baker, is not stepping down as originally planned, stating that his brother is retired and so there is no longer any conflict of interest. Mushers and fans alike petitioned for Baker to resign well before the start of this year's Iditarod, but he said he would not step aside until after the race. Now, he is saying that he will not serve another term when his term expires next year. Time will tell.

Most talk of today's press release has been positive. The Anchorage Daily News (ADN) reached out to three-time Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey for his response and he, too, had only positive things to say. The ADN also reported that Seavey is still waiting to sign up until the Board reviews the new revisions to the "personal conduct rule."

The Iditarod also announced today that they plan to add one more name to the roster in the coming months.

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (July 13)

Happy Friday the Thirteenth! It's been a quiet week online for mushing news, but there are a few tidbits worth sharing, so let's get right to it, shall we?

Retired Iditarod Musher, Karen Ramstead was in the news in Calgary talking of her newest passion - border collies - the article details her life as a musher and how she went from recreational musher to Iditarod musher and back. Karen still has a kennel with a few Siberians and is still active in the mushing community having been a race official for Iditarod several times now.

Newly retired Iditarod musher Scott Janssen - aka the Mushin' Mortician - was awarded by the State of Alaska yesterday for his act of bravery during this year's race. You may remember that Janssen came accross fellow musher Jim Lanier in the infamous "Blow Hole" very close to the finish. Lanier and team were forced down and stuck due to high winds. Both Lanier and Janssen flirted with hypothermia, but Scott refused to leave his fellow musher. He ended his race to get help for his friend.

Mushing Legend and Alaskan hero, Leonhard Seppala's house has been a mainstay in Nome for decades. Seppala, of course, is long gone having moved to the lower 48 after many year's in the "frozen North" before passing away in 1967. The house has become run down and was set to be demolished until a group of mushing enthusiasts and historians came together to try and save the building. Headed by Jon Van Zyle - artist and former Iditarod musher - the house has been saved and the restoration is underway. The house will become a historic building housing a museum of mushing and the history of the serum run that Seppala and his famed dog Togo ran to save Nome from the Diptheria outbreak of 1925








There are still only 29 mushers signed up for Iditarod 2019. Iditarod officials and fans are all hopeful at least once Seavey will add their name to the list soon.

Like I said, it was a light news week... though I am sure I missed something - if there's some news I missed or you feel I should have included, please send me a note! Chances are I just didn't see it.

Disclaimer: all of my blog posts are my own opinion and do not reflect anyone else's viewpoints unless I share a direct quote. I am in no way related to, or employed by, any musher or member of their family/crew. 

Dipnetting 2018

I'm not sure I plan to report every day on the dipnetting, but I've gone up and done a couple periscope broadcasts. Yesterday was grey and rainy... today sunny and so windy! The surf today was insane. If you missed the live feeds, you can watch them on replay.

Dipnetting on the #KenaiRiver opening day 2018 https://t.co/Hi43HQvzTe

— Toni Reitter (@tonichelleak) July 10, 2018

Day 2 Dipnet report on the Kenai #Alaska #AlaskaLife https://t.co/Z8SyZHoLZk

— Toni Reitter (@tonichelleak) July 12, 2018

Tonight we are looking at having a Super Tide, with 23 foot seas near the mouth of the Kenai, which means they are closing the beach and making every tent move. It'll be interesting to see the reports of how that went - high tide is around 3:30am Thursday morning.