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Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^™ Trail Tidbits 5

by Kim Slade

Is it Christmas Eve?

It sure feels like Christmas Eve – I can’t sleep because I am so excited about tomorrow!  It’s Iditarod time again!

 I walked through the streets of Anchorage just hours ago and the city is bustling with activity.  Dozens of workers have converged on the city in order to get the streets ready for race day.  Fencing is being erected, snow dumped, and the trail formed.  Everything needs to be ready before the first teams arrive early tomorrow morning.

 Check the website to view the starting order – teams will leave the starting line, with their Idita-riders, every two minutes beginning at 10:00 a.m., then continue down the trail for approximately eleven miles through Anchorage.  They will travel on city streets, sidewalks, and through city parks ending at Campbell Airstrip.  Check out the Iditarod’s Insider for video of the start!

 Thank You!

Before things get crazy around here, I would like to take the time to say thank you to a few people.  I would like to thank Wells Fargo for sponsoring such an invaluable position; the Iditarod Trail Committee for seeing into the future and going for it; Diane Johnson for guiding me through the process; Terri Hanke for helping this Florida girl get packed; the Van Zyle’s for their advice and cherished gifts; and to the teams, who make learning exciting to students across the world!  The Wells Fargo Teacher on the Trail program has been very beneficial to me in the past, as I know it will be in the future.  Thank you for making a dream come true!