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The Tripod scccn.:202 agree Thy, Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance, PO Box 2323, Seward AK 99664 & % http://www.lditarod100.org IditarodHTA@gmail.com z > The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance is an equal opportunity fe program provider and employer. — ~ — RAIL * STORY * STEWARDSHIP The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance promotes 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. Time to renew Alliance membership dues for 2024 are due by the end of December. Renewal forms were sent with last month’s newsletter. This is also a good time to upgrade your )) membership level.
Every member is an important part of our mission to preserve, protect and promote the Iditarod National Historic Trail. Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance Annual Meeting The annual business meeting will be by Zoom on December 12 from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please RSVP and receive the Zoom link by emailing your RSVP to IditarodHTA@gmail.com Feasibility Study launched Alaska Long Trail The Bureau of Land Management announced the commencement of the proposed Alaska Long National Scenic Trail (NST) Feasibility Study to evaluate its eligibility and suitability for inclusion as a national scenic trail. The proposed Alaska Long NST represents a 500-mile route extending from Seward, Alaska to Fairbanks, Alaska. The proposed trail traverses a variety of landscapes including forest, mountain, river, and valley landforms.
The proposed route overlaps the southern end of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. The Alaska Long Trail NST Feasibility Study was directed by Congress in December 2022 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 (P.L. 117-328) The purpose of the Alaska Long NST Feasibility Study is to evaluate the characteristics which make the proposed trail worthy of designation as a national scenic trail, as well as the feasibility, suitability, and desirability of designating the route as a national scenic trail. Findings of the trail study will be shared with Congress who has the sole authority to enact legislation to designate new national scenic trails. Virtual Race Across Alaska The Race Across Alaska Winter Challenge, a multi-sport challenge, is a great way to get outside while challenging yourself to stay happy and healthy during winter.
And you will be helping to help build and maintain some of the best trails in the world. Here is how it works. You can run, walk, fat bike, indoor bike, XC ski, swim, or any activity you like. You can choose from eight different virtual distances — from 60 miles to 2,000 miles, which is a whopping 22.3 miles per day. The goal is to log as many miles as you can over the three months of winter to get (virtually) from location A to B.
You can also participate as a team (friends, family, school). * 60 miles = Anchorage to Whittier (0.7 miles/day) * 125 miles = Anchorage to Sheep Mountain (1.4 miles/day) » 235 miles = Anchorage to Denali National Park (2.6 miles/day) * 350 miles = Anchorage to Delta Junction (3.9 miles/ day) * 500 miles = Alaska Long Trail, Seward to Fairbanks (5.6 miles/day) * 800 miles = Denali Highway Loop The Tripod November 2023 (8.9 miles/day) * 1150 miles = Historic Iditarod Trail (12.8 miles/day) * 2000 miles = Ketchikan to Deadhorse (22.3 miles/day) You will have the ability to log your miles, track your progress, collect virtual badges and see how you rank compared to others on the leader board daily. You can invite others to this challenge to help you to stay motivated all winter long. Online registration began November 1, and the virtual race starts on Winter Solstice — December 21.
See the website for more details: https://www.raawc.com/Race/AK/Anchorage/ AlaskaChallenge 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, amaximum 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 Beaton- Donnelley dredge had to be laid off. From the Past.... “The Daily Alaskan” (Skagway, Alaska) December 13, 1909 FIGURES AND FACT The town of Seward is not asleep to the probability of a great stampede this winter. “Seward, the Gateway to the Iditarod,” read the headlines of the Seward Gateway, the daily newspaper of that place. The Gateway figures it out that from Seward to the Iditarod the distance is 400 miles; by way of Fairbanks, it is 1,100 miles over the winter trail.
These figures will soon be spread broadcast, and the prospective prospector will be permitted to draw his own conclusion. Now we should not grudge Seward whatever prosperity may be coming her way, and as we have said before, she will ultimately be the gateway to the entire western part of Alaska; but it is a duty to the newcomer as well as to our temporary advantage to correct the false conclusion which might be deduced from figures. There are occasions when 400 miles may be twice as long as 1,100, and this is one of them. It is not enough that Major Richardson has spoken. The facts should be kept before the outside public by competitive advertising -- Fairbanks Times From the Past... “Douglas Island News,” December 15, 1909 Rev. L.H.
Pederson, who at one time followed his profession Douglas, has gone on the road with a picture show calculated to advertise the merits of the Seward route to the Iditarod.