In 2014, half of all the mushers who scratched in the Iditarod did so in Rohn, and more suffered damage to their sleds or themselves. Next year, with a quarter-million dollars worth of trail work, and a little help from Mother Nature, Iditarod officials hope that number will be much lower. KTNA’s Phillip Manning has more:
One of the things the Iditarod is known for is its challenging terrain. Some stretches of the trail are more treacherous than others. This March, one of the worst sections of the Iditarod Trail was between Rohn and Farewell Lakes. Lev Schvartz of Willow is one of several mushers who scratched in that section. He describes trail conditions this past March:
“There’s no snow. The buffalo tunnels were just super rough, stumps sticking out all sorts of places. It was like being a pinball in a pinball machine.”
Lev Schvartz was not injured, but his sled was wrecked to the point that a new one had to be brought to him. Multiple mushers were not as lucky, with some suffering broken bones and other significant injuries. Aaron Burmeister was one of those. The drag on his sled hit an obstacle. His foot came off the runner onto the ground, causing a significant fall.
“I had fallen back into the cooler in the seat behind me, and I came to about thirty seconds later going down the trail…Of course, I tried to stand up and I couldn’t…”
Burmeister later discovered that he had torn all of the major ligaments in his right knee. He managed to finish the Iditarod, but says the pain was excruciating.
This October, Iditarod staff, volunteers, and equipment operators from Cruz Construction set out to improve that section of the trail. Aaron Burmeister is also on the board of directors for the Iditarod Trail Committee. He says a fire in the area in recent years contributed significantly to making the area even more treacherous than it already was.
“We’ve known for a long time, for the last couple of years since that fire, that that trail was going to consistently erode, and, if it was going to continue to be used in the future, something would have to be done.”
With the help of heavy equipment and three weeks of labor, Race Marhsall Mark Nordman says the ride out of Rohn should be less dangerous this year.
“It’s up to fifteen feet wide in places. There’s places that are narrower in places, but definitely a six, seven foot path all the way through. It’s really improved.”
Nordman says working on the trail is a never-ending process. He says it’s important to realize, though, that it’s not as if trail work makes the race easy.
“I’m sure, when we all get to Nome, we’ll see somewhere else where we could improve the trail, but we still–You’re never going to lose that feel of, ‘Oh, it’s easy this year because they did this.'”
Word of the trail improvements has made its way though the mushing community. Returning rookie Lev Schvartz is encouraged by the trail work.
“I think if the trail is what the pictures show it to be, fifteen feet wide and flat, I can’t help but think it’s an improvement.”
Talkeetna musher Jerry Sousa did not race in the 2014 Iditarod, but was injured in the same stretch out of Rohn in 2007. He is returning in 2015, and says he believes the improvements were a good decision.
“Anything to improve that section of trail is beneficial for mushers. It’s a dog sled race. It’s not whatever you want to call it when you get all mangled up trying to get through there.”
Despite his injuries, Aaron Burmeister plans to race in 2015 as well. He gives a great deal of credit to the crews who spent three weeks improving the trail.
“Iditarod really stepped up this year. [It] was able to raise the money, get volunteers, and put a crew together to not just go out there and do a little work, but to…be able to repair that trail. They’ve done a phenomenal job, and I’m very excited about it.”
The Iditarod starts in just over three months. Officials and mushers are all hoping that the smoother ride out of Rohn means a safer race for everyone.
