2012 Iditarod Race Following

It's the height of the marathon sled dog racing season in Alaska. In February and March, when the most brutal aspects of the arctic winter begin to subside and before warming temperatures degrade the race course, an epic sporting event that would have been essentially unknown outside the sportspersons and fans who follow the sport would have been largely unknown but for Susan Butcher .

Butcher is remembered as the second woman to win the Iditarod in 1996. She followed in the sled trail of Libby Riddles the first woman to win the race in 1985. Butcher went on to rack up an enviable record in any sport, becoming the second four time winner in 1990 and the first musher ever to win four out of five sequential runnings of the epic race. She is commemorated by Alaskans on Susan Butcher Day. It is through her accomplishment that the race came to national attention in the early '90's.

This is only fitting, as gender distinctions in Alaska are not what they are in the 'outside', the euphemism Alaskas use to describe the lower 48 states. Women maintain a coequal status in the 49th state, due to the self-selecting nature of those who chose to adopt the state and the direct impact of living amid the profund challenge of living in a vast expanse of raw, largely untamed nature.

While the Iditarod is now widely recognized as a grueling and unique sports challenge, the Yukon Quest coexists as an even more demanding, old-school version of this uniquely Alaskan epic.

Long time competitor Hugh Neff won the 2012 Yukon Quest, his first win in 20 entries, by the razor thin margin of a mere 26 seconds. The stage is now set for the crown jewel of Alaskan winter sports, the 39th running of the Iditarod from Anchorage to Nome, which will begin on March 3 with a ceremonial start at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and D street in Anchorage. Neff is now poised to attempt what has only been accomplised once in the history of long distance mushing, winning the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same season.

The race begins in earnest with the restart on March 4th in Willow. From there, 23 teams of mushers including veteran names such as Martin Buser, DeeDee Jonrowe, Jeff King, Lance Mackey, Neff, Mitch Seavey and Aliy Zirkle, among others, face close to 1000 miles of arctic wilderness, two mountain ranges, forbidding weather and intense competition on the way to Nome.

The 2012 race course, along the Northern Route, has been modified to circumvent the notorious Happy River Steps. Aliy Zerkel shows us the steps in a 2010 training video.

Sled dog racing is something that cannot be fully conveyed by televised commentary. To fully appreciate the race, one must follow the action in the environment, see the vast distances involved and observe the mushers rest and refuel at a checkpoint then continue the long-distance chess game on a game board of grand scale.

Sheldon Air Service offers two unique ways to experience the Iditarod in an unforgettable manner. For those who want the flavor of the racing without the duration, a day trip from Talkeetna to Rainy Lodge checkpoint will provide a breathtaking aerial view of the course and a day full of close observation of the race at the Rainy pass checkpoint.

Rainy pass is one of the early obstacles in the complex course. Rainy Pass is part of the Historic Iditarod Trail, but until 1976 the pass was inaccessible and route detoured through Ptarmigan Pass, also known as Hellsgate, because of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. From Skwentna, the route follows the Skwentna River into the southern part of the Alaska Range to Finger Lake. The stretch from Finger Lake to Rainy Pass, on Puntilla Lake, becomes more difficult, as the teams follow the narrow Happy River Gorge, where the trail balances on the side of a heavily forested incline. Rainy Pass is the most dangerous check point in the Iditarod.

For those who want a once in a lifetime look at the Last Great Race, Sheldon can provide a complete race-following adventure. Marathon dog sled racing can be strewn across hundreds of miles of arctic wilderness as the race ensues. The only way to fully experience the race first hand (short of training for a year and running a team) is to utilize that other icon of Alaska transportation — the ski equipped bush plane.

For those who can afford the ultimate Iditarod race following experience, Sheldon can tailor the expedition to your needs, however there are implications. If your race-following team wishes to take advantage of the quality accommodations available at selected locations along the route, a full load of 6 passengers in the DeHavilland Beaver or 4 passengers in the Cessna 185 can be transported along the route.

If your hardy band of Iditarod race-followers want to get the full experience and camp along the way, contact Sheldon with your team requirements and discuss with our experienced staff the amount of gear required to sustain an adventure team enroute. Weight limits will require a trade-off between gear and passengers. A team of 8 might be more realistic for those who want to reach out and touch Alaska.

Either way, your corporate team-bullding or ultimate bucket-list buddy road trip can count on the same thing: bar-none, the most experienced, capable air support for Iditarod race following that any amount of money can buy. Dave Lee, Director of Flight Operations for Sheldon Air Service has 14 years of Iditarod race following flight in his logbook. No one knows the Iditarod course as well as Dave Lee. From Anchorage to Nome, as the race unfolds, Dave Lee and Jok Bondurant will put your adventure team at the right place at the right time—weather permitting—to witness the last great race on earth in no uncertain terms.

Puntilla Lake Day Trip

J. Schultz Rainy Pass Lodge

The 2012 Puntilla Day trip is scheduled for March 7, 2012. By then early race leaders will have arrived at the Puntilla Lake checkpoint and the trail will be full of the pack chasing them out of Willow.

Passengers will be able to watch the mushers come into the Puntilla Lake checkpoint, have lunch at Rainy Pass Lodge and return for Talkeetna at 4 p.m.

Pack warm weather gear, sunglasses a snack and bring your camera.

After we depart from Talkeetna we will fly you towards Rainy Pass, through the Alaska Range where you have a great chance to view mushers on the Trail and possibly see moose, trapper cabins, expansive rivers, frozen lakes and grandure of the Alaska Range.

Call our office and reserve your seat as this flight offering is on a space available basis for $445.00 per person. If there is sufficient interest, Sheldon will operate two flights to Puntilla Lake.

Iditarod Race Following

This unique air service is for the adventurous traveler who wants to follow the Iditarod mushers all the way to Nome.

J. Schultz Iditarod mushers on the Trail

Travel Dates: March 7-13

This charter affords you the opportunity to personally talk to the Iditarod mushers, personally see and experience nearly 1000 miles of the Iditarod Trail across the Last Frontier and visit various native Alaska villages and cultures.

Day 1: Rainy Pass/Puntilla Lake and Rhon checkpoints

Day 2: Nikolai-McGrath-Takotna

Day 3: Ruby-Galena-Nulato (north Trail)

Day 4/5/6: Unalakleet-Koyok-White Mountain

Day 6/7/8: Nome

1 person = $12,000.00, 2 people = $7,000.00 each and 3 or more in a team = $6,000.00 each

Passenger are required to pay for lodging and meals along the way. Contact Sheldon Air Service with details of your 'Bucket List' team and we will craft you a personal agenda to experience the Last Great Race to suit your desires.

Bring warm weather gear, snack food, sunglasses, personal items and your camera.

Contact our office for reservations.