 2004 Iditarod Poster |
 Jon & Jona Van Zyle |
 2004 Mush Poster |
2004 Iditarod Poster |
Jon & Jona Van Zyle |
2004 Mush Poster |
Wednesday, 3/10/04 - Takotna p.m.Takotna is enjoying its 15 minutes of fame as many teams are taking their 24 hr. layover here. Lines of media ring the computers and small planes fill the air between snow squalls. We just got word that Lance Mackey lost a dog just outside of Nikolai this morning. His name was Wolf and the vets aren’t sure what was the cause of death. The veterinarians I’ve spoken with have all felt that in general the dogs are looking very good. They pulled one with pneumonia at Rainy Pass, but mostly its diarrhea and small complaints that need vet attention. Paul was able to deliver Rick Swenson’s sled to him in Nikolai. Rick was able to patch his smashed sled together enough to limp into Nikolai. Paul flew back to Puntilla Lake for the other 4 people and our food, tents and gear. Then flew back to Nikolai where he picked up Joel and Marc. (ADN reporter/photographer) Flying the trail gets really complicated. You have very limited space for personal gear. You also have to carry some emergency food and your sleeping bag with you at all times. You never know when you may be stuck and where you’ll end up. You travel with your warmest clothing so there isn’t much room. Paul is very conscious about the plane’s weight limits. I’m traveling with about the same amount of personal gear as I would for a sled dog trip. Paul traded flight time for the use of an old home in Takotna. Dick and Jan Newton, who run this checkpoint, gave us the use of the Sayer house, one of the oldest in Takotna. We’ve got a few beds upstairs in the loft and a couple of empty rooms downstairs.
We have electricity and heat but no running water or cooking facilities other than our
camp stove which will do fine. We also have ### For more information about Ellie and her home at Ultima Thule Lodge you can visit their web site at www.ultimathulelodge.com More information about Ellie Claus can be found on the Iditarod web site www.iditarod.com |
©2004 Jon & Jona Van Zyle
All material in the Iditarod Sketch Pad remain the property of Jon & Jona Van Zyle
and may not be reproduced in any manner.
BUSH Bathroom. We have a toilet and we fill the tank manually
from a 30 gallon garbage can of water sitting next to the toilet. You request water
deliveries when you need a refill and kids on snowmachines appear with gerry cans of
water. Snowmachines are the main transportation in the winter and 4-wheeled ATV’s in
the summer. Shopping means a flight into Anchorage to Costco. If you fly commercially that
means air taxi to McGrath then Penair to Anchorage, on their one flight a day. The Newtons
were thrilled to have Paul fly all the supplies in to feed and provide for all the
Iditarod Army. Takotna has a winter population of 60 people which swells to 100 in the
summer. They created their own water system for the village by drawing water from a creek
above the houses. The water runs down to their “Filtration plant” and then to
the community center. Water is delivered to the other homes. The Takotna School is a
modern structure and well equipped for its location. The children annually create a snow
sculpture of a musher and dog team to welcome the Iditarod mushers to Takotna. Everyone
pitches in for the several days the race is here. They all work around the clock to care
for dogs and people, it’s great to see and be part of it.