K-300

The winner of the 2007 K-300 Martin Bouser.

Karen with the sled dogs.

Eric at the start/finish line of the K-300.

Here is our truck parked on the frozen river. This is the "highway" between villages.

This is a fish camp. Families spend most of their summer gathering salmon for the winter.

Eric and I waiting for mushers to pass by.

Janna and I checking mushers in at the K-300.

This year the K-300 started on January 19, 2007. Hundreds of people gathered on the river to watch the mushers take off. Mushers traveled 300 miles - taking them to Aniak and back. Last year the race was postponed for a few weeks because temperatures dipped down to 60-70 below zero! Yeah, that was cold.....

This year was much more mild at 10 below zero with light winds. I walked down to the river, then carefully navigated my way on to the ice. It was a bit slippery, but I survived. About 20 teams participated in the race which is a qualifier for the Iditarod. In the world of dog mushing, the Iditarod is the super bowl, so the K-300 draws big names.

Janna, Eric and I decided to volunteer this year - which was a blast. Yes, it was cold, but we had hot chocolate and a warm car to run back to. I kept track of the mushers finishing time, while Janna and Eric tended to the mushers and their dog teams. We were out there for about 4 hours, and saw 5 teams cross the finish line.