Well, actually that’s not quite true. While the rest of us
are stocking up on toilet paper, I am confident that COVID-19 is pretty much
the last thing Iditarod mushers are thinking about. Part of the joy, the beauty
and the down-right reason for mushing
is for many, the opportunity to clear the mind and think about nothing else
other than those furry butts in front of you.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, shit is getting real –
and fast. Just last week, hundreds of people packed into the Dena’ina Center
for the annual musher’s pre-race banquet. A few days later thousands of people
were gathered along the streets of Anchorage for Iditarod’s ceremonial start.
Now the tiny coastal community of Shaktoolik is asking mushers and volunteers
to stay away, and it’s rumored that more checkpoint communities will join suit.
(Don’t worry, mushers will still have access to essentials like straw, cooker
fuel and their drop bags.) As for the big race finish? The city of Nome is
requesting tourists to stay away. Many public buildings are closed. And each
musher has been asked to have only one handler/loved one meet them in town to help
pack up dogs and then leave ASAP.
Let me be clear that of all the potential over-reacting there
may be going on out there, the response of these villages is (in my opinion)
totally warranted. We all know how diseases from the “outside” have
historically ravaged native communities. The Spanish Flu of 1918 was the most
recent to have devastated Alaskan Native villages. According to the Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services, when the second wave of the Spanish
Flu hit western Alaska, 80% of all deaths in the state were of Alaska Natives.
In some cases entire villages died
out. You can read more here if you’re into this sort of depressing, factual
information:
http://dhss.alaska.gov/News/Documents/press/2018/20180920_AK_1918_Flu_Commemoration.pdf
http://dhss.alaska.gov/News/Documents/press/2018/20180920_AK_1918_Flu_Commemoration.pdf
If cold, hard facts aren’t your style, check out The Raven’s Gift by Don J. Rearden. It’s realistic fiction based on
the premise of a pandemic striking western Alaska. It’s real enough to scare
the crap out of you. And hey, you’re going to need some light-reading while you’re
quarantined inside your house for the next few weeks, right? I wonder if the
Amazon fulfillment center in Seattle is still functioning…
But I digress! In addition to COVID-19 throwing a nasty wrench
into Iditarod festivities, it’s also effecting our tour business. Today alone I
received a dozen emails from parties wishing to cancel their dog sledding tour
reservations. And again: no blame, no shame coming from over here. We get it.
But it will hurt, too. Some of you have already realized this might be a thing
for us, and you’ve asked us how you can help. (You’re all so sweet, I wish I could
just come right through this computer and kiss you all! But it’s not
recommended by the CDC so I won’t…) If you’d like to donate to our kennel,
please check out this link:
https://blacksprucedogsledding.com/sponsor-us/emergency-sponsorship/
Our Everyday Sponsorship options come in at a variety of giving levels, and each level includes a gift for YOU, as well as an End-Of-Season Letter in the mail from Jeff and I. (You all know how long-winded we are on social media, can you even imagine all the things we put down into good ol’ fashioned snail mail!?) Again, thank you so much to everyone who has asked about lending a helping hand during this strange time.
https://blacksprucedogsledding.com/sponsor-us/emergency-sponsorship/
Our Everyday Sponsorship options come in at a variety of giving levels, and each level includes a gift for YOU, as well as an End-Of-Season Letter in the mail from Jeff and I. (You all know how long-winded we are on social media, can you even imagine all the things we put down into good ol’ fashioned snail mail!?) Again, thank you so much to everyone who has asked about lending a helping hand during this strange time.
And now, back to looking at dog butts…
