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/ Messages / Trail Tidbits 15
Trail Tidbits 15
by Kim Slade
Unalakleet:
Sunday, March 11, 2007, Day 9 of the Iditarod – Sunny, 1°F. The village of Unalakleet sits on the Bering Sea and has been a major trade center as the last stop for the Kaltag Portage. It is the largest town (population 747) between Anchorage and Nome. Jutting out onto a point, this fishing village utilizes the Unalakleet River and the Bering Sea for its catches. I spoke to a local, who told me that they fish for 5 species of salmon, arctic char, halibut, flounder, herring, and whitefish. They also harvest king crab, mussels, and clams from the water. Other foods such as blueberries and cranberries are picked from July to October, and moose are hunted too.
This checkpoint is the first along the coast and usually has strong winds, but the past two days have been virtually wind free. Being Sunday, the kids of the village were out in full force, as was most villagers, welcoming the mushers. The first musher into Unalakleet gets the Wells Fargo Gold Coast Award and $2,500 in gold nuggets. This year it was Jeff King. It was an exciting race into the checkpoint, with Lance Mackey surprising all when he pulled in second before Martin Buser and Paul Gebhardt. Lance has 14 dogs at this point and his team is still strong. He was also the first to leave.
The Bering Straights School District is here filming and doing live video on the race. The kids went out about 8 miles to set up a live feed as mushers came by heading into Unalakleet. It is an impressive setup. GCI and Apple computers are working with the district to provide a state-of-the-art technological program that goes well beyond most I have seen. Checkout their website – http://mushing.bssd.org/. Way to go BSSD!!
Unusual Foods:
I have had some unique culinary experiences this trip. I had moose stew at several villages in Athabascan country and now that I am on the coast with the Inupiaq, I have had Muktuk, which is raw whale, and beaver bacon. The Muktuk tasted like an chewy, very oily sushi (it would have been better with some wasabi). The beaver bacon had a strong taste and the texture of liver. The moose was similar to a beef boiled with vegetables and broth. All were pretty tasty, but my favorite was the moose stew!
Sea Ice:
Have you ever done an experiment to test if salt water freezes? What did you find? We have been taught to believe that it does not. Well, one look outside Unalakleet and you can see that the sea does indeed freeze. Sea Ice is a thin, solid layer that forms in the Polar Oceans. The ice forms a boundary between the relatively warm ocean and the cooler atmosphere (just the surface freezes). When the ice forms, it does not freeze all of the salt and returns the rest to the bottom of the ocean. Ice that forms in one winter is smooth and about .5 to 1 meter (1.5 to 3 feet) thick. Ridges of ice are compressed, broken pieces of first year ice. Multi-year ice is rough and can be 3 to 5 meters (9 to 15 feet) thick. For more information checkout the following website - http://www.beringclimate.noaa.gov/essays_mcnutt.html.
Where is Jack?
Take a look at Jack’s surroundings – Where is he now?
One Small Square:
What is this item used for?
* Due to Internet problems, see Kim’s Lessons for pictures.
