And they're off....

We drove an hour up to Willow after church this morning. And we weren't alone! By the time we left Wasilla, we were in a fairly steady line of traffic for the 30 miles up the Parks Highway to Willow.

In the past, the restart of the Iditarod has been in Wasilla. But on years when there's not enough snow in Wasilla, they move the restart north to Willow. I think it's been about 4 or 5 years since the restart was held in Wasilla.

So when we got to Willow and made our way past the parking fiasco, we joined several thousand others on a frozen lake where the restart was already underway. The first team we saw depart was number 19. There were 83 teams in all this year, and they were sent off at about 2 minute intervals. I posted some photos on our Dropshots page which can be accessed from one of the links to the right.

The temperatures were up to 20 degrees and really pretty nice. Sunny, not too much of a breeze. We had dressed for colder temps, somewhat unnecessarily. We even had Toe Warmers and Hot Hands in our boots and gloves to ward off the cold that never materialized. But at least we didn't have to retreat because Alicia got too cold.

Things to remember for next year: Bring cash for food vendors and parking fee ($10). Bring a sled and picnic food with us from the parking lot because you aren't going back to your car until you leave.

So tonight, the 83 mushers and their dog teams are somewhere on the trail... According to the news, several have already checked in at Skwentna. Stephen's getting Iditarod fever and claims he's going to be running a team in the race next year. And while we did buy Bit some doggy booties at the event today, I have a feeling she'd be more comfortable riding in the sled.