IT'S ALL FALLING INTO PLACE

With a little networking help from Kim’s handler, Jean - the only one of our crew who has been to the Iditarod before to work as a volunteer - I was soon able to secure a hotel room in Nome and line-up my volunteer job to work there in the “Dog Lot” (where some dropped dogs are held and where the finished teams are parked). DROPPED DOGS in this case refers to those that mushers drop from the team while out on the trail, for any number of reasons.

As Kim’s dog handler, I did not need to be registered with the Iditarod Trail Committee, but in order to help in any other capacity, it is required. There is a highly-organized coordination effort and training is provided. Some volunteers have years of experience, others are just learning, but everyone seems informed and competent and enthusiasm for the race is the common-denominator. So with Kim on the trail and my family settled back at home, I wasted no time getting my credentials to start signing-up for volunteer openings both in Anchorage and in Nome.

Surprisingly, my overnight shift to work with Jean in the “Computer Room” was actually quite fun. From 2:00 a.m. until 6:00 a.m. one morning we were getting email reports from six checkpoints on the trail and updating the “Current Standings” section of the Iditarod website with the info. It was non-stop action and we got very excited when we took the report that Kim was out of McGrath...so excited that our neighbor from the room next door came over to make sure we were OK. Oops…I think we got politely shushed…which naturally led into a slap-happy 3:00 a.m. giggle fit reminiscent of childhood slumber parties. “Must be the NJ people”…