THE RESTART AT WILLOW

Sunday, March 2

On Sunday afternoon we enjoyed the restart in the bright sunshine and almost warm temperatures in Willow. Five of us from the tour found a great spot close to the start where we could take good close-up shots of the musher’s and dogs taking off. The restart is staged on a frozen Lake in Willow. The crowds were amazing and varied, many of them in groups tailgating Alaska style. Parents pulled their kids on sleds, partiers pulled their kegs on sleds. Some families set up tent shanties for ice fishing several feet from the spectator fence. There were campfires, grills, and lawn chairs. Other people were on snowmobiles, loaded down with camping gear, heading farther down the trail to camp and watch the mushers pass. Over to the side of the lake, small planes were taking off and landing. I enjoyed the restart, but there wasn’t as much chance to view the mushers before the race as at the ceremonial start. Maybe my senses were already overloaded as a result of my exciting morning (next post)!

At the restart, things are spread out a lot more than at the ceremonial start, and the area where the mushers were was totally off limits to the public, so there was less 'up close and personal' experiences. However, the excitement of seeing the teams take off, knowing this is for real, and they have a thousand miles ahead of them, made it fun to try to read the expressions on their faces as they took off down the trail. Our tour group stayed at the start for several hours, then headed toward the small town of Talkeetna for the night.

Mush on,
JeanieB