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Iditarod HistoricTrail Alliance April 2018 The Tripod PO Box 2323 Seward AK 99664 IditarodHTA@gmail.com http://www.Iditarod100.org The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Photo contest As a part of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, the 50th Anniversary National Trails System Organization is sponsoring a photo contest. Photographs may be entered in four categories: (1) The Beauty of Trails (2) Citizen Stewards & Volunteering (3) Historic Trails (4) Muti-Use-Trails. For rules and how to enter go to trails50.org and click on photo contest.
The deadline for entry is August 1, 2018. 2018 National Trails Day® The Trail for all Seasons The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes public awareness of the Iditarod Trail and its gold rush and Alaska Native heritage by encouraging education programs and historical research, assisting in the protection, improvement, maintenance and marking of the trail and developing partnerships that foster stewardship commitments and support. Each year, on the first Saturday of June, this year June 2, the American Hiking Society invites Americans of all ages and abilities to take part in a wide array of trail activities. National Trails Day® attracts new trail users and helps connect existing trail enthusiasts with local clubs and organizations with the hopes of creating trail advocates and stewards. The task to protect and maintain more than 200,000 miles of trails in the U.
S. requires a collaborative effort among trail clubs, organizations, government agencies, and most importantly passionate trail advocates and stewards. National Trails Day is the country’s largest celebration of trails. Events will take place in every state across the country and will include hikes, biking and horseback rides, paddling trips, birdwatching, geocaching, gear demonstrations, stewardship projects and more. You can get more information and register an event for free on the National Trails Days event web page: www.americanhiking.org. To date there are just two events registered for Alaska: the Alaska Endurance Run in Fairbanks and the Horsetail Falls Trail improvement in Whittier. Dick Wilmarth dies at age 75 Dick Wilmarth, the winner of the first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973, died of prostrate cancer in Palmer on March 21, 2018.
He won the 1973 Iditarod Race with an eight dog team, including lead dog, Hotfoot, in 20 days, 49 minutes. He never ran the Race again. Dick moved to Alaska, at age 17, from Idaho in 1959 with his older brother. He eventually settled in Red Devil, a small town about 250 miles west of Anchorage, working as a miner and flyer. 1 Iditarod HistoricTrail Alliance From the past… "Iditarod Pioneer" June 1, 1918 HIGH WATER DURING WEEK The warm weather together with the rainfall last week precipitated the snow of the mountains into the valleys with such rapidity that one of the greatest floods known to this community resulted. At Flat about a thousand feet of the tram track was washed out of place, and the bridge was damaged. The Y. C. Co.'s dredge has been shut down since last Saturday. This was caused by the power plant being flooded, a maximum of 2 1/2 feet in the boiler houses.
All the inhabitants, except the Moore family who are marooned in the upper story of the big building, were compelled to come to Iditarod. At Flat, both the mess and bunk houses are flooded. Only the thawing crew continued at work. On Friday of last week the Wenchell cabin was flooded and Mrs. Wenchell had to ford the rising water on horseback to higher ground. John Bagoy, the Flat City gardener, suffered irreparable loss and the family had to abandon their home. At Otter the two dredges continued to work, experiencing, however, considerable difficulty to reaching bed rock in the deep water. The thawing crew of the BeatonDonnelley dredge had to be laid off. The finish of the start of the Race On Saturday, March 3, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) once again, hosted the finish of the Ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Race at the Campbell Tract.
The 730 acre Campbell Tract, located off Elmore Road at E. 68th Avenue, featured several locations to view the mushers and dog teams as they finished their 11 mile run from downtown Anchorage. The BLM Campbell Creek Science Center was open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where spectators could warm up with a cup of hot cocoa and some delicious snacks, supplied by the Iditarod Trail Alliance, while viewing Iditarod displays about both the Race and the Historic Trail, play some fun Iditarod games for prizes and get their questions about the Trail answered. April 2018 A vision for long-distance trails As the long-distance movement continues to evolve there are several steps that can be taken to further the expansion and interconnection of this exciting system.
Steve Elkinton, National Trails System Program Leader for the National Park Service, suggests the following perspectives and performance standards. ✓ Work to promote landscape stewardship, cultural interpretation and other ways to preserve trail resources. ✓ Build on the catalytic ability of a long-distance trail to grow local trail networks while avoiding fragmentation and jurisdictional jealousies. ✓ Find strong, ideally standardized ways to measure and communicate the dramatic and impressive economic impacts of long-distance trails. ✓ Build broad constituencies in addition to trail advocates and users; realtors, developers, business leaders, news media and elected officials. ✓ Promote and encourage local trails and connector trails; build local trail consciousness and constituencies. ✓ Showcase the trails and create better awareness with more visible and attractive signage. ✓ Work to promote support facilities among the corridor, such as places to sleep and eat, transportation, etc. ✓ Plan and design trails to promote positive attitudes, public education and state-of-the art safety features. ✓ Design trails to minimize potential conflicts among users and adjacent properties. ✓ Plan and design trails that will attract visitors both locally and from other states and nations. ✓ Build awareness and respect for the trail in all the communities it passes through.
Along the 2,659 mile Pacific Crest Trail 2