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MUSHING IN ALASKA
From necessity to recreation, mushing has been a part of
Alaska's culture since the 15th century. Today, mushing is primarily a
competitive sport, and the dogs are kept in shape during the summer using
wheel-pulled carts. |
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Alaskans have been racing dogs since the early 1900's. The All Alaska
Sweepstakes race began in 1908 traveling between Nome and Candle. Today, the
most famous race in the sport, the Iditarod, takes place every March. It begins
in Anchorage and ands Nome, following an old supply route. It is said to have
been inspired in part, by the famous Serum Run of 1925.
Nome was stricken with a diphtheria epidemic in 1925. Isolated by winter
wilderness with no feasible way of getting in or out of Nome, the residents sent
an urgent plea for help via wireless transmitter. The only possible way to get
the serum to Nome was by dog sled.
Mushers departed from Nome and Nenana and relayed the serum from one team to the
next until they were able to rendezvous 250 miles from Nome. Leonhard Seppala,
the greatest musher at the time, helped deliver 300,000 units of serum in time
to save the village.
Today, mushing is mostly a recreational sport. Some mush for sheer pleasure
while others compete in a wide variety of races. Races range from sprint mushing
to long distance events such as the Yukon Quest and Iditarod. During the month
of March, the whole state of Alaska tunes in to daily updates on the progress of
the Iditarod racers.
Do you want to try it?
Princess offers you many opportunities to learn about mushing first hand. In
Denali, we have teamed up with three-time Iditarod winner Jeff King, for a
personal tour of his homestead and kennel. You will also get a chance to meet
his and his wife, well-known wildlife artist Donna Gates King. The tour can be
booked at the Outfitter desk at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
During the summer months, mushers use wheeled carts to keep their dogs in shape
for the winter sporting events. At the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge,
Princess offers the opportunity to learn about mushing by actually riding in a
training sled with real dogs. A local musher brings his team right to the
entrance of the lodge and offers you the chance to go for a ride!
The Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge offers an incredible dogsled adventure
combining a thrilling helicopter ride with mushing on the massive Sargent Ice
field. Your flight will take you over the glacial ice fields nestled in the
Chugach National Forest only to land at a remote dogsled camp on a glacier! The
mushing portion of the tour features a top Iditarod team and last for about an
hour of mushing. You then helicopter back down from the glacier.
There are many ways to discover the vast Alaska wilderness and its unique way of
life. What better way to learn about it than from the back of a sled piloted by
one of Alaska's great mushers.
