{"id":10227,"date":"2019-02-15T02:53:19","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T10:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=10227"},"modified":"2020-11-24T09:27:58","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T17:27:58","slug":"dog-mushing-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/dog-mushing-alaska\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog Mushing, Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mushing Mania<\/span><\/h1>\n

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This winter kicks off mushing season in Alaska, with festivals and races that are legendary worldwide. Here\u2019s how to have an adventure with these animal athletes any time of year.<\/span><\/em><\/h5>\n

Dog mushing is Alaska\u2019s<\/a> state sport, but it\u2019s so much more than that. Mushing is so entwined in Alaska\u2019s history, it\u2019s almost impossible to think about the state without thinking of the dogs.<\/p>\n

Once the anchor is loose, you feel the quiet. The sled\u2019s runners shush across the snow and harnesses click in time to the team\u2019s pace. Like magic, the dogs instantly stop their excited barking when the musher says \u201chike\u201d and start to pull, ears up, tongues wagging. You feel their excitement and desire to see what\u2019s over the next hill.<\/p>\n

Dogs played a significant role in many Arctic, Interior, and western Alaska Native cultures. Traditionally used for transportation and hunting, dogs guarded families and communities. Later, non-Native trappers, miners, and explorers adopted sled dogs for long-distance travel, hauling supplies, and delivering mail across the Last Frontier. Over time, the big, heavy Alaskan malamutes used for pulling freight were replaced by smaller, sleeker Alaskan huskies built for speed.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most famous dog sled \u201crace\u201d happened in 1925, when a deadly diphtheria epidemic hit Nome<\/a>. Lifesaving serum was delivered to Nenana, on the rail line in Interior Alaska, but dogs were needed to carry the medicine on to Nome. Over six days, 20 mushers and 150 dogs traveled 674 miles, saving the town from a potentially devastating epidemic. Today, a statue honoring Balto, the lead dog of the team that brought the serum to Nome, stands at the corner of 4th<\/sup> Avenue and D Street in Anchorage, the ceremonial starting point of the Iditarod sled dog race.<\/p>\n

The modern Iditarod, which began in 1973, follows sections of the historic Iditarod trail connecting Seward<\/a>\u00a0and Nome. The race\u2019s ceremonial start is always held the first Saturday in March, coinciding with Fur Rondy, Anchorage\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0premier winter carnival. Mushers and their 16-dog teams wind their way through the streets of downtown Anchorage to the cheers of race fans from around the world.<\/p>\n

Like any good athlete, Alaska\u2019s sled dogs must train for long distance events like the Iditarod and Yukon Quest, the 1,000-mile race between Whitehorse, Yukon Territory<\/a> and Fairbanks<\/a>\u00a0held in early February. Mushers test team dynamics \u2013 as well as their own skills – in mid-distance, qualifying races like the Kuskokwim 300 in Bethel<\/a>\u00a0and Copper Basin 300 in Gakona<\/a>\u00a0in January. Not to be out-raced by their long-distance cousins, sprint dogs take to the trails for shorter-distance races like the Open World Championship Sled Dog Race in Anchorage and the Open North America Championship in Fairbanks in February and March.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, you don\u2019t need to be a professional musher to enjoy time on the trails behind a team of sled dogs. In winter, outfitters<\/a>\u00a0can take a one-hour tour for a quick taste of the trail, or learn how to mush with a team of your own during guided, multi-day expeditions in Alaska\u2019s remote wilderness. These pups love to run\u2026and may just run away with your heart.<\/a><\/p>\n

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The World\u2019s Most Sung About Cities<\/h1>\n

An interesting piece of research has revealed The World’s Most Sung About Cities and 12 of the top 20 are in the US.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy The London Eye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a total of 161 songs mentioning The Big Apple, New York has been\u00a0officially revealed as The Most Sung About City In The World, with LA and\u00a0Miami also appearing in the top five.<\/p>\n

Over 200,000 songs have been analyzed to create Music Mapped<\/a> \u2013 a first-of-its-kind\u00a0interactive music map that plots the places around the world that have been\u00a0 mentioned the most in songs since the 1960s.<\/p>\n