The Adventure has come to an End.
Whistler (BC), March 2, 2010
We left our dear Alaska Monday morning on the Alaska Airlines 7:30 flight to Seattle starting our long trip back to Iceland on the other side of the globe with a stop over in Whistler for skiing and San Francisco.
With that comes to an end this huge adventure of ours i.e. taking part in the Trail Class of the Irondog Snowmobile Race - The World´s Longest, toughest Snowmobile Race. As you may know we were in the race last year as well but had to scratch in Galena 3 1/2 days into the race. We did not finish. We learned a lot that year and this experience has helped us tremendously this year. Some people say about this race "To Finish is a Victory" and it was with that goal in mind we set out again this year. Our goal was to finish without getting hurt. This we managed.
This has been our fourth visit to Alaska and hopefully not the last. It is hard to define our feelings on leaving this Northland. Even though we come from Iceland, a country on the other side of the earth there are a lot of similarities in nature and the people. Iceland lies at a similar latitude as Alaska. Fairbanks and Reykjavík the capital of Iceland, are at the same latitude. The main difference is that in Iceland there are no trees. Alaska offers so much. It is a land of so much abundance in nature. But that is only part of our Alaska experience this time as before. It is the people of this Northland that are it´s greatest resource. We do not really know were to begin with our thanks for all the warm reception, interaction, support, and help we have received. It started on the first day on our first trip when we arrived in Alaska in 2006 when the board of the Anchorage Snowmobile Club with it´s then president John Scudder gave us the warmest of welcome over dinner. That night a friendship was established that has only grown stronger over the years.So we want to thank John and his wife Debbie for the friendship and support over the years.
This year John and Thóra Hrönn formed the all important support team for our team, TEAM 57. To know that they were monitoring our progress and ready to answer our sat phone calls and then go and find parts if something broke down and get it on an airplane out to us in the bush was invaluable.
We want to thank Chris and Erica Maynard of Alaska Snow Safaris for the friendship and service over the years. It was Chris that gave us the idea that we could go on the Irondog Race after he had finished it three years ago and lent me his TEAM 55 sled that he had just done the race on to go on it to Dawson City in the Yukon Terrritory in Canada.
This year we teamed up on the second day of the race with Glenn Johnmayer and Matthew Subitch of Team 58. After that we ran more like one team rather than two. The harmony and the humor between us all was something very special. Thank you Glenn and Matt. We will go to the end of this world with you any time as long as we do it on a snowmachine.
At the same time we want to thank all other racers both Trail and Pro Class for their advice and friendship. Everybody helps everybody in this race. It is true what is written on the www.irondog.org web site i.e. "While it is a very competitive race, and some elements and strategies are very guarded and2 secretive, Iron Dog racers realize they are competing against the elements as much as they are competing against each other. Actually the veteran racers are very supportive and open to new teams. Perhaps more so than any other race.
The people that organize this race year after year are an amazing bunch. We want to thank them all for making this adventure possible. A special thanks to Laura Bedard the CEO, to Race Directors Skip Boomershine and Dennis Falldorf, Marianne Beckham president, Board of Directors, Heidi Griffin, Kristal Larios, and Jenna Stump. These are the named individuals of Irond Dog that we thank but the same feeling go out to all the "nameless" volunteers that make this annual event possible i.e. checkers, markers, trail breakers, etc. etc. A special thanks to the checkers in Ruby and Galena. I do not have their names but if someone that reads this has them please drop me an e-mail.
We had been told that the people in the villages would be helpful. This is a huge understatement. All people we met in the villages we want to define as members of our support team. Motivation, warmth, help, laughter, parts you name it these people have got. A special thank you to Earl and Marion Esmailka of Kaltak for helping us with a shock absorber for Magnús´s sled, for inviting us into their home for the night and convincing us the next morning that we would be in Nome by nightfall that very day. Something we did not believe ourselves that morning.
Will we do it again? Time will tell.
TEAM 57 - THE ICEMEN - THE ICELANDIC IRONDOG SNOMOBILE TEAM
Thóra Hrönn Njálsdóttir, Magnús Sigurjónsson, and Sigurjón Pétursson