Starting from Anchorage every March and ending 8 to 15 days later in Nome Alaska, the Iditarod is one of the greatest endurance tests in sport, with competitors mushing sled dogs across 1,150 miles of snow and ice in temperatures as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
It is Alaska’s largest spectator sport, and a few things celebrate the pioneering spirit of the United States 49th state much better than this. The trail is now a National Historic Trail, the Iditarod began as a mail and supply route for miners. It winds across frozen rivers and desolate tundra, through dense forest and along miles of wind-swept coast from Seward, near Anchorage, to Nome, on the Western Bering Sea coast. In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life-saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria raged, and serum had to be brought in by intrepid mushers and their hard-driving dogs. In commemoration of those heroic feats, the route was turned into a race course in 1973, and today mushers come from as far away as Japan and Norway to compete for a share of the $600,000 prize.
Rock climbing is full of fitness, adventure, fun and adrenaline. Many people consider it as a dangerous activity, but the truth is that with proper instruction, practice and equipment, it is a safe sport. Reading articles or viewing instructional videos on the Internet cannot make you a rock climber – to get started, you must practice the activity under the watchful eye of a professional instructor.
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