CHARLIE WARNER/BLUFF COUNTRY NEWSPAPER GROUP Damon Ramaker of rural Fountain is shown with Yentna, who is one of his lead dogs that will be mushing through the Alaskan wilderness in the Iditarod next March. - Fountain, Minnesota 
Rural Fountain man to compete in 2020 Iditarod
What would possess a person to endure blinding blizzards, gale-force winds, wind chills of minus 100 degrees F to compete in a 1,100-mile sled dog race that could take two weeks to complete? To make matters even more challenging is the route winds across the Alaskan wilderness between Anchorage and Nome in late winter.
“It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for some time,” said Damon Ramaker, who lives with his wife and three children on an acreage just east of Fillmore. “I’ve always been interested in dogs. I took a trip with my family to Alaska when I was in fourth grade where we toured the Iditarod Center and got a ride in a cart pulled by dogs. That kind of planted the seed.”
Damon recalled how he and his brother would hook up their dogs with a horse harness turned upside down to a wagon to replicate their Alaskan experience. He was always fascinated by the “Great White North,” and was an avid reader of Jack London and Gary Paulsen books as well as books about the mushing world.
When Damon and his wife, Kylie, lived in the Twin Cities, they got involved in “skijoring,” which is a sport that involves cross-country skiing, while being pulled by a dog. They actually participated in a number of skijoring races.
Damon and Kylie started a family and wanted to have their kids grow up in a more rural setting. That’s when they moved to Fillmore County. And they wanted to incorporate their kids into this recreation they enjoyed. So they added more dogs and the whole mushing experience began to grow.
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