MARCH 4
 |
| The Journey Begins |
In contrast to every day for the past two weeks, Iditarod Race day at Willow, Alaska, started quietly with Jessie and the J Team taking a peaceful, leisurely stroll along a snowy Alaskan lane. The team had a final training table meal of salmon stew, boiled beef and Kibbles served up luke warm from a plastic, five gallon bucket. Everyone ate heartily; though Jessie dined inside and had pancakes and sausage served up piping hot on ceramic plate. Then four legged athletes piled into the trailer and two legged Jessie rode in the cab of her truck to Willow Lake and the Iditarod Race’s official re-start.
Jessie was the 30th starter. The first team took off promptly at 2pm, then a team departed the starting gate every 2 minutes thereafter, so Jessie started at 3pm. Jessie asked her team handlers to keep her dogs quiet before the start of the race. She didn’t want her team wasting energy by jumping at their harnesses or with frenzied barking. Also Jessie said sometimes the dogs in other teams start with the trash talking and jive, and Jessie wants her team to comport themselves in a professional manner at all times. So I started talking trash until Jessie yanked my harness and bit my nose. With helicopters and airplanes circling overhead and with 50,000 spectators and television cameras and crews from five continents watching, Jessie took off down the chute, across Willow Lake, and into the Alaskan wilderness. We’re all wishing the best of luck to Jessie and her J Team of courageous huskies. We’ll follow their progress to Nome on the Iditarod Insider website: http://iditarod.com/insider/. Anybody can sign up and follow Jessie and her competitors throughout the
race.
Taking A Stroll With The Team
Jessie’s final team line-up looked like this: Ranger and Porsche leading, Brutus and Lucy, Jaguar and Streak, Dogwood and Ferrari, Reeses and Tetsa, Linus and Little Joe, Borax and Gojo, then Ajax and Rolo in wheel. Win, lose or draw, Jessie and her team epitomize strength, courage, determination, humility and class as well as any athletes in any sport anywhere. Triple Creek Ranch and all Jessie’s friends and followers can be proud to be associated with this team of one fine person and 16 outstanding dogs.
