/ 2007 Archived Material / Trail Tidbits 19

Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^™ Trail Tidbits 19

by Kim Slade

Today:

Thursday, March 15, 2007, Day 12 of the Iditarod – Sunny in Nome -9°F.               I traveled back on the trail, flying to Koyuk and Elim today.  I had the opportunity to visit the Koyuk Malemute School and talked with a couple of teachers.  Their school has about 120 students K-12.  It was a gorgeous campus!

I was flying with Jeff Schultz again, so we landed on the sea ice between Koyuk and Elim to get some shots of Dave Monson and Tekla (Susan Butcher’s family).  They have been traveling by dog teams a week and a half, having left last Tuesday from Manley Hot Springs (outside of Fairbanks).  They are on their way to Nome and should arrive some time Saturday.  We also got to watch them pull into Elim where they rested their teams.  I was amazed to learn Tekla is only eleven years old and has driven her own team across Alaska.  But after watching her with her team, I can see that she is experienced and a natural.  Wearing her mother’s mushing suit and boots, she was all smiles and is embracing the trip.

Back in Nome, mushers continue to cross under the burled arch, which represents the end of a long journey.

 The Burled Arch:

The famed burled arch first welcomed mushers in 1975 and has been the official end to the Iditarod since.  That was not always the case - in 1974 the finish line was marked with Kool-Aid powder and mushers Joel Kottke and Red Fox Olson both carried paper plates attached to trail markers saying “The” and “End.”  It was the next year that the arch was erected.  Olson, the Red Lantern Award winner from the year before, carved it.  In 1999, the historic arch fell apart when city workers were moving it to the spot next to the City Hall where it served as a tourist attraction the rest of the year.  When the Iditarod Trail Committee decided to replace the arch, word went out across the state.  Before long, a logger by the name of Jim Skogstand contacted the committee saying he had a beautiful burled spruce tree on his property in Hope, Alaska that he would be willing to donate.  Bob Kuiper, of Sterling, volunteered to carve the 28-foot section of log into the new arch, and by the 2000 Iditarod a new burled arch was completed. 

Burls are outgrowths on trees.  They begin as a gall – a tumor on plant tissue caused by fungi, insects, or bacteria.  Evidently, only slight irritation to the bark can cause a gall.  The gall grows to become a burl – a massive, hemispherical structure sometimes very large in size.  Once started the burl grows with the tree, each year building in size.  An affected tree may grow more than one growth. The burled arch has more than 50 burls of all shapes and sizes.  Trees with burls seem to grow in a cluster – if one tree has burls, it is very likely to find others in that area with burls as well.  Burls do not seem to hurt the tree and there is no reason to control their spreading.  They are very popular in a small industry that uses them for arts and crafts, especially in unique furniture production.

The famous burled arch is an icon that continues to represent the end to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and is recognized around the world.

 Where is Jack?

See if you can figure out where Jack is “hanging” out!

 One Small Square:

Can you figure out what is in the frame?