5A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018
A musher talks to reporters while resting his team.
A dog rests at a checkpoint.
A musher and his team check in.
THE IDITAROD
Story and photos by
COLIN MURPHEY
The Daily Astorian
he first thing I heard trudging
through the snow on my way
to the Iditarod checkpoint in
McGrath, Alaska was the sound of howl-
ing sled dogs. I was excited to witness
an iconic race, but concerned about the
use of animals for entertainment. While
the dogs seemed to clearly enjoy pulling
the sleds, are cared for by a team of vet-
T
erinarians along the way and are dearly
loved by their owners, the fact remains
they are performing under extreme con-
ditions for a human audience.
I saw no signs of abuse, neglect or
injury besides a few sore pads, which
were quickly addressed. Veterinarians
carefully examined each dog to check
for problems and reported their findings
to the mushers, who often would remove
dogs from their teams to be treated and
sent home.
The most exceptional part of the
A musher shares a moment with his dogs before they head back onto the trail.
experience for me as an observer and
a photographer were moments with the
dogs in a place that defies description.
Beautiful, amazing, jaw-dropping and
stunning are clumsy words that simply
fail to do inner Alaska justice, so I’m
not even going to try. And then there
are the dogs. If you are lucky enough
to lock eyes with one, remember the
moment. Trying to describe the feeling
would be like trying to describe the first
time I saw the sun set over the ocean or
snow-capped mountains appear on the
horizon. It is something I hope I never
forget.
Like most big sporting events, the
Iditarod has problems and is not immune
to controversy. A doping scandal last
year, loss of sponsors and the deaths of
dogs on the trail have left the race in a
state of flux and left this observer with-
out answers. But, for a few days in the
middle of Alaska, all of that seemed to
fade away into the wind-driven snow.
And for one brief moment, it’s just you
and the dogs and the wild.
Sled dogs rest at a checkpoint.
A team arrives at the checkpoint in McGrath.
A musher heads down the
trail during the 2018 Iditarod
in McGrath, Alaska.