Page 20 - Travel Guide Fly Alaska Winter Edition

A Blur of Fur past, you’re left standing still in the same 26-mile course over
Nothing quite prepares you awe, breath caught, watching three days. Starting in the
for the sight of a team of sled musher and dogs become a newly created mushing district
dogs in harness, poised and single element—repeating, in in downtown Anchorage, the
quivering with anticipation. that fleeting instant, more than trail weaves through forests,
Their relentless barking and a hundred years of Alaskan crosses major roadways, and
uncontained energy fill the sled-dog history. loops back into the heart of
air—they know what’s coming. The Open World Championship the city—where enthusiastic
In a matter of moments, they Sled Dog Race joined the Fur crowds line the finish, cheering
will be doing exactly what they Rondy celebration in 1946, teams home.
live to do: run. The moment beginning as a one-day, 17.5-
the line snaps tight, and the mile event. Over the years,
lead dog hears the sharp call rivalries were formed as towns
of “Hike” —or the old-school, and villages sent their best
almost mythical “Mush”—the mushers to compete, and
team surges forward and the local radio stations broadcast
sled lunges ahead, slicing the race live. Today, it has
through the winter air. In a grown into a demanding 78-
split-second blur as they race mile race, with teams running

18 ® WINTER EDITION