The Iditarod

I've written previously about my family's affinity for our 49th state, so I have to mention that today, the first Saturday in March, the Iditarod begins.

The Iditarod is a dog sled team race across Alaska.  Teams, typically 16 dogs and their dogsled driver (aka musher), cover more than 1,000 miles from Willow to Nome, Alaska, in nine to fifteen days.  

When my son was in the third grade his school placed an emphasis on the Iditarod, utilizing the details and facts about the race to interest the kids and making it part of a comprehensive curriculum - math, science, reading, etc. Which I have say, I thought was a really great idea.    One class even wrote the mushers and a few wrote back!

Irresistible

This year, in the spirit of the race (and an effort to be a little more active), I'm doing the Idita-Walk.  A fundraiser for the Nome, Alaska Boy Scouts.  Ten dollars buys you access to their tracking website so you can log your minutes (not miles, thankfully) and walk wherever you are. It's a really clever idea, your own version of the Iditarod and you won't be subject to white-outs or sub-zero temperatures!