I am sitting here at the Millennium hotel which is the race headquarters for the Iditarod. I am manning the merchandise table for the Iditarod this morning for 4 hours. I’m glad I brought my computer as it has been super slow. This way I get some other work done while volunteering. Win – Win!
I am surrounded by t-shirts, stuffed huskies ulus, key chains and ornaments. Pretty much anything you can put a logo on, it is here. The people that run the sales are nice and it helped me get to the musher’s banquet last year by sitting for several hours with not much to do. I’m getting to know the people that run different aspects of the trail and they remember me from last year. This is encouraging and I may try to get out on the trail next year at a check point. That would be amazing! I often wonder if all volunteers are remembered from year to year or if something is different with me?
Speaking of remembering from last year I went to the musher food drop earlier this week. Each musher packs bags of goodies for checkpoints on the trial and they get weighed and delivered on pallets. We were sorting. It kind of reminded me of the AT when I got all my mail drops together. Anyway, when I walked in there was a gentleman that said ‘hey’ like he knew me. Hmm, I told Lizzie that I didn’t know who that was. Weird. Later he came up and talked to me again. I couldn’t see his name tag, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. It was flipped over most of the time. Later I realized it was Newton Marshall the Jamaican musher who I dog handled for last year. WHAT?! I felt bad for not recognizing him, but I was really floored that he remembered me from a like 10 minute encounter. He is not mushing this year, but helping others train their dogs. I don’t know if he lives here in AK now? I have lots of questions now that I figured out who he is but I don’t know if I’ll see him again. Crazy.
I also helped with the food drop for people (volunteers) yesterday. I really enjoy organizing and dispersing food. I was working with someone who I met last year from Nebraska. There are several others that are from the Midwest that I remembered from last year too. They say that Anchorage is a small town and I am beginning to believe it. I met someone who is in concert chorus with me too. Now that I am getting out more I am seeing more people that are familiar. The photographer/reporter that was at the musher food drop is also in choir. Lizzie and I actually made the paper too! I was wearing a bright pink shirts, so it was hard to miss me! I was surrounded by people in gray and blue.
The Iditarod start has been moved to Fairbanks because of lack of snow on the original route. Last year they didn’t move it and it was a pretty rough race. I’m sure it’s nice for Fairbanks to get people there. The ceremonial start is still in Anchorage, so I will still be able to dog handle.
It is cool to volunteer because you can see the names of the places that they will be going through on the trail. It’s also nice that here in the hotel they are playing Christian music. It’s a decent way to spend a Saturday morning. And I’m not using the house internet!
Life is an Adventure 