BYTE MARKS
Web follows grueling dog-sled race
By Burt Lum
Farthest from everyday thinking in Hawai'i is the annual Iditarod race in Alaska, which wound up last week.
Billed as "the last great race," at about 1,100 miles over the tundra, it pushes man and dog to their physical and mental limits.
I've been to Alaska twice, both times in March. The first time was two years ago. The day before we got there, 28 inches of snow fell in Anchorage. We didn't have 28 inches this more recent time, but it was still mighty cold.
I can barely comprehend the endurance racers must go through. It can't be about the money.
This year, as in most, the ceremonial start took place in Anchorage. Each of the sled teams, equipped with eight to 15 dogs, got a rousing sendoff in downtown Anchorage. People lined the streets to glimpse their favorite mushers as they made their way to Willow, the official start of the race.
Two primary sites cover each year's race — the official Iditarod site, www.iditarod.com, and the Alaska Daily News site, www.adn.com/iditarod/. Both sites are a wealth of information and Iditarod history.
The event is representative of Alaskans' great love of the land. Many of the little towns and villages are not accessible by road. During the winter, access is made more difficult when inshore waters freeze. Dog sleds are the only means of transport. It was the way the Eskimos traveled from hunting grounds to villages for years. Dog sleds in Alaska were the horse-drawn wagons of the Old West.
This relationship between the land, dog and humankind is carried on and embodied in this race.
The Web sites have cams in several towns for remote viewing, and detailed race stats on each of the mushers. Mush!
Hear Burt Lum on KORL, 690 -AM, 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays.
