I will rhyme you a tale of the Iditarod trail,
And the 1,128 mile journey to Nome.
It won’t be fast, but not as long as days past.
“Only” requiring 10-13 days for teams to get home.
Musher, sled, dogs, and gear.
Severe cold weather just one thing to fear.
One twin named Anna racing off the start.
Said the other twin? “There goes my heart!”
17 hearts, in fact. Now on their way.
Tesla and Rampage in lead that day.
Drax, Mayhem, YoYo and Elmer,
Ruckus, Lacy, HotWheels and Twister…
Maverick, Brent, Platinum,
Havoc and Barge…
And Shoshanna - that feisty ol’ gal in charge.
And Anna.
Ready to run, not caring where.
You are never No Where…
If you focus on Now Here.
First, a 53rd Ceremonial Start, in Anchorage - so bare.
Hardly a flake of snow to be seen anywhere.
Except for a trail crews laid on the street.
A nice snowy highway for lots of bootied feet.
Kristy and Lesley and leis for the short C-start run,
Everyone there had a great deal of fun!
Now the long drive to Fairbanks, 360 miles one-way.
One final sleep, and then Restart Monday.
33 teams left the start,
Launching 2 minutes apart.
16 dogs in front of each sled,
It will be many miles before bed.
Nenana, Tanana, Tolovana,
Your crazy Mad Blogger
humming Copacabana.
I don’t think Anna ever got that banana.
(And let’s take a moment of silence to remember Ventana.)
Traveling the Mighty Yukon,
In places a full mile wide.
Caught in a sandstorm,
No place to hide.
Anna lost the trail, but didn’t give up.
Looking back, it was a minor hiccup.
Thanks to GCI and a satellite in the sky
Kristy saved the day and got Anna by.
Kaltag, Eagle, and Grayling - all x 2,
This down-and-back was something new.
Reports of a bear and ice everywhere.
Just a few hundred more miles
and we’ll finally be there.
Cold nights, aurora lights.
Sleeping with her dogs along the trail.
Sunsets, hard-to-describe sights.
With the dogs in front of her,
Anna knew she wouldn’t fail.
They took their 24s
and a couple of 8s.
Several mushers scratched -
But they’re still amongst the greats.
Dog care and race strategy, Anna banking rest.
The remains of this trail will be one helluva test.
Endurance and stamina, perhaps a little luck.
There are no roads to Nome,
you won’t get there by truck.
Mushing along Norton Sound,
White and wind the only things around.
To Koyuk, by way of Una and Shak.
Mad Blogger would have had a heart attack!
Not so, for Anna - who’s tough as they come.
Wisconsin is where she’s originally from.
No stranger to cold, no stranger to snow.
Of course Alaska is where she’d wanna go.
The time sprang forward,
Some teams fell back.
Anna forgot to grab HEET
But couldn’t turn back.
She had enough to get by, the dogs were well fed.
The penalty was money, or so officials said.
At least it wasn’t time - that precious commodity.
Time to run, dogs! Less ‘haw’ and more ‘gee’!
Anna was doing so good, Mad Blogger couldn’t take it.
“Hey Kristy - If I fly out now, will I make it??!”
Posting and blogging as I snuck to the finish.
I’ll just carry on… sit on the case, make it thin-ish.
Now two sisters waiting in Nome,
Ignoring Verizon and its warning of “Roam”.
A lunar eclipse, our race champ getting nearer.
In the icy cold, things becoming a bit clearer.
Making new friends - Cathy, Andrea, and Brian.
(I meet the coolest people without even tryin’.)
Not to mention Diane!
And, what? A woman from Ashland?!
Jessie Holmes leading the way!
It’s 2:55am - well into the 10th day.
With much fanfare, our champ had arrived.
And without his dogs? He’d a never survived.
Normally a humble soul, Jessie shed his skin,
Running around the chute to take it all in!
A nicer guy you’ll never meet.
On the trail to Nome, he couldn’t be beat.
Next were Matt, Paige, Michelle;
Bailey, Travis, Mitch and Ryan.
Mille and Riley rounded out the top 10,
Most smiling as if they’d done it without tryin.
Here come Matt Failor and Nic Petit…
There’s the top 12. Who’s next? Could it be??
Anna Berington - in Iditarod 53!!
11 Dogs, Bib 12, 13th Place! Whoopee!!
Ultimately 22 of 33 mushers finished this race.
The Red Lantern, Ebbe, in 22nd place,
Took 13 days 13 hours to prove his case
That he could be one of 849 people to ever make it Nome.
Running the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race.
There are no roads to Nome, my friends.
You can fly,
you can float,
perhaps paddle to where the Yukon ends.
The bravest bike, ski, or walk there -
a thing called the ITI.
Just thinking of that distance on foot
Makes me want to break down and cry.
And while I would never attempt it myself,
I think I understand why
These amazing women I call my sisters
Mush the Original I.
Here’s to Anna and her dogs,
13th place - a personal best.
Now that you’re all home,
enjoy a well-earned rest!
Will we see a Berington
on the Iditarod trail next year?
You will just have to wait and see.
As for Iditarod 53?
This is all yer gettin’ from me.
Peace, love, and paw prints -
Kat
Anna and Kristy’s Older, “Not-A-Twin” Sister
And Mad Blogger
Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing
Below: Anna's favorite pictures she took while out on the trail. And one lunar eclipse picture from Nome by this Mad Blogger. I posted this somewhere before Anna got into Nome, and it had an "easter egg"... a clue I was there. In the lower lefthand corner are two shadows - Kristy and Kat.
Click below to view the enlarged gallery.
** Yes, I know that the above "poem" adheres to no acceptable standard. Iambic pentameter my asphault.
And the 1,128 mile journey to Nome.
It won’t be fast, but not as long as days past.
“Only” requiring 10-13 days for teams to get home.
Musher, sled, dogs, and gear.
Severe cold weather just one thing to fear.
One twin named Anna racing off the start.
Said the other twin? “There goes my heart!”
17 hearts, in fact. Now on their way.
Tesla and Rampage in lead that day.
Drax, Mayhem, YoYo and Elmer,
Ruckus, Lacy, HotWheels and Twister…
Maverick, Brent, Platinum,
Havoc and Barge…
And Shoshanna - that feisty ol’ gal in charge.
And Anna.
Ready to run, not caring where.
You are never No Where…
If you focus on Now Here.
First, a 53rd Ceremonial Start, in Anchorage - so bare.
Hardly a flake of snow to be seen anywhere.
Except for a trail crews laid on the street.
A nice snowy highway for lots of bootied feet.
Kristy and Lesley and leis for the short C-start run,
Everyone there had a great deal of fun!
Now the long drive to Fairbanks, 360 miles one-way.
One final sleep, and then Restart Monday.
33 teams left the start,
Launching 2 minutes apart.
16 dogs in front of each sled,
It will be many miles before bed.
Nenana, Tanana, Tolovana,
Your crazy Mad Blogger
humming Copacabana.
I don’t think Anna ever got that banana.
(And let’s take a moment of silence to remember Ventana.)
Traveling the Mighty Yukon,
In places a full mile wide.
Caught in a sandstorm,
No place to hide.
Anna lost the trail, but didn’t give up.
Looking back, it was a minor hiccup.
Thanks to GCI and a satellite in the sky
Kristy saved the day and got Anna by.
Kaltag, Eagle, and Grayling - all x 2,
This down-and-back was something new.
Reports of a bear and ice everywhere.
Just a few hundred more miles
and we’ll finally be there.
Cold nights, aurora lights.
Sleeping with her dogs along the trail.
Sunsets, hard-to-describe sights.
With the dogs in front of her,
Anna knew she wouldn’t fail.
They took their 24s
and a couple of 8s.
Several mushers scratched -
But they’re still amongst the greats.
Dog care and race strategy, Anna banking rest.
The remains of this trail will be one helluva test.
Endurance and stamina, perhaps a little luck.
There are no roads to Nome,
you won’t get there by truck.
Mushing along Norton Sound,
White and wind the only things around.
To Koyuk, by way of Una and Shak.
Mad Blogger would have had a heart attack!
Not so, for Anna - who’s tough as they come.
Wisconsin is where she’s originally from.
No stranger to cold, no stranger to snow.
Of course Alaska is where she’d wanna go.
The time sprang forward,
Some teams fell back.
Anna forgot to grab HEET
But couldn’t turn back.
She had enough to get by, the dogs were well fed.
The penalty was money, or so officials said.
At least it wasn’t time - that precious commodity.
Time to run, dogs! Less ‘haw’ and more ‘gee’!
Anna was doing so good, Mad Blogger couldn’t take it.
“Hey Kristy - If I fly out now, will I make it??!”
Posting and blogging as I snuck to the finish.
I’ll just carry on… sit on the case, make it thin-ish.
Now two sisters waiting in Nome,
Ignoring Verizon and its warning of “Roam”.
A lunar eclipse, our race champ getting nearer.
In the icy cold, things becoming a bit clearer.
Making new friends - Cathy, Andrea, and Brian.
(I meet the coolest people without even tryin’.)
Not to mention Diane!
And, what? A woman from Ashland?!
Jessie Holmes leading the way!
It’s 2:55am - well into the 10th day.
With much fanfare, our champ had arrived.
And without his dogs? He’d a never survived.
Normally a humble soul, Jessie shed his skin,
Running around the chute to take it all in!
A nicer guy you’ll never meet.
On the trail to Nome, he couldn’t be beat.
Next were Matt, Paige, Michelle;
Bailey, Travis, Mitch and Ryan.
Mille and Riley rounded out the top 10,
Most smiling as if they’d done it without tryin.
Here come Matt Failor and Nic Petit…
There’s the top 12. Who’s next? Could it be??
Anna Berington - in Iditarod 53!!
11 Dogs, Bib 12, 13th Place! Whoopee!!
Ultimately 22 of 33 mushers finished this race.
The Red Lantern, Ebbe, in 22nd place,
Took 13 days 13 hours to prove his case
That he could be one of 849 people to ever make it Nome.
Running the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race.
There are no roads to Nome, my friends.
You can fly,
you can float,
perhaps paddle to where the Yukon ends.
The bravest bike, ski, or walk there -
a thing called the ITI.
Just thinking of that distance on foot
Makes me want to break down and cry.
And while I would never attempt it myself,
I think I understand why
These amazing women I call my sisters
Mush the Original I.
Here’s to Anna and her dogs,
13th place - a personal best.
Now that you’re all home,
enjoy a well-earned rest!
Will we see a Berington
on the Iditarod trail next year?
You will just have to wait and see.
As for Iditarod 53?
This is all yer gettin’ from me.
Peace, love, and paw prints -
Kat
Anna and Kristy’s Older, “Not-A-Twin” Sister
And Mad Blogger
Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing
Below: Anna's favorite pictures she took while out on the trail. And one lunar eclipse picture from Nome by this Mad Blogger. I posted this somewhere before Anna got into Nome, and it had an "easter egg"... a clue I was there. In the lower lefthand corner are two shadows - Kristy and Kat.
Click below to view the enlarged gallery.
** Yes, I know that the above "poem" adheres to no acceptable standard. Iambic pentameter my asphault.
