The Ride

What a ride!

For 10 years I’ve been writing about Team Kaiser. So many words for so many races and events. Last year we passed the 1000 post milestone. All those words written as a spectator trying to give you the feeling of what is happening from the view of the bystander.

Well today, I’ve got a personal story to tell and as Myron Angstman likes to say…”Oh Boy!”

It all started at the banquet on Thursday night when Pete said, “You should ride the tag sled.” I told him there were so many other people that could have that honor, but I was very touched. Then the next day I did an interview with Myron and felt his excitement as he was going to ride Jessica Klejka’s sled as well. Then a text from Pete, “You should totally do it!” A quick call to my daughter, Kelsey. “I’m not sure about this…” “Dad! You’ve totally got this! Go for it!”

I texted Pete…”I’ll do it!” He said it’s just like riding a bike, no problem… I’m kinda worried about crashing I say… “Don’t worry, Jeff King has crashed a couple of times as well.”

Oh! Well that gave me confidence!!! Haha! Well, I was committed now. Just don’t mess up!

My Iditarod Starts are pretty anxious to say the least. Get all the equipment prepped to make sure I have what I need to capture moments, sponsors, and try to bring you, the fan, into the action of the event. It is a full plate and I get pretty nervous wanting to do the best I can for Pete and the Team.

The night before a race is spent charging batteries, prepping cards and all kinds of things. Now the added excitement gave me few hours of sleep before I was up at 5am making sure I was “Ready!” I called Ron and asked for snow pants. You have all seen “Ol’ Blue” my blue snowsuit for years and I wanted to wear my Ryan Air jacket to give one of our prime sponsors some love.

Then it was off to Sterling Rearden’s place to meet Pete and drive with him to the Starting Line. So far so good. Pretty much as per usual. After 10 years, Pete has a system… No problems.

The next bit was a bit of a blur. As bib #9 we were going to head out early and all of sudden I had less to do than normal. Usually I am running back and forth to all of our Kusko Mushers and grabbing photos and interviews. This morning I only had time to stay with Pete. I was going to be LEAVING!!

I looked frantically around to see if anyone could take photos for me. Zoe! “Hey. Know anything about cameras?” “A little,” she says. “Awesome!” Here’s a good camera. I put it in Automatic. Just shoot everything. I give her a little instruction and told her, “When in doubt, shoot more!!” Grinning from ear to ear, she was off into the photo zone!

Okay. Photos…Check

Team… Check Check.

Me… Hmm Not so Check yet!

Pete says, “Hey, let me show you a few things.” He shows me the runners and the brake and tells me it’s no problem. I see Jackie Klejka and she says, “Just bend your knees and hold on!”

An official comes up and says it’s time to go. We are a bit behind, so we gotta get going.

I have my camera still harnessed and Pete says, “You going to take that?”  “What’s the worst than can happen, Pete?” Haha! We’ll see!!!

Tug, Tug, Tug and we are off on fourth avenue. It’s not so bad really, but the sled is the race sled and very flexible. It moves quite a bit. My job is to help Pete slow the Team so I watch Pete like a hawk and step on the brake when he does.

First folks we pass are Team Real Diehl. Cheering us on! The crowd is cheering and the dogs are barking. It was actually really loud as we moved forward. The Team is also slowed by the handlers which keep the Team headed down the avenue. Their job is to keep the Team headed in the right direction.

Further and further and we stop. We are NEXT!!

Senator Lisa Murkowski steps up to say hi to Pete. She’s always at the Start and always says hi. Little do I know that she will be riding Jeff King’s tag sled. Hmmm… So I’ve got pleasant company! Myron Angstman, Lisa Murkowski, and me. All riding sleds. We’ll have stories to tell, I’m sure!

“And up to the line we have #9, Peter Kaiser from Bethel, Alaska.” I’ve heard this introduction so many times I can almost recite it by heart. It changes a bit each year, but it’s generally my queue to get ready to shoot. I decide, no shooting! Just don’t do anything stupid, like fall off or something. No photos until we get underway. I had just shot the Rondy Sprint mushers, so the right hand turn from 4th avenue to C street was burning in my mind. How the heck am I going to stay on???

“3-2-1 GOOO!

We are off!

It’s a totally different deal riding versus watching. It’s pretty loud up until they say GO. Then as we get going, it gets quieter almost immediately. I see people I know in the crowd and hear my name. I wave nervously, still terrified that I’m going to do something stupid.

“GO Pete!!” Everyone knows him and for the next 11 miles we hear his name.

There it comes… That darn turn!! Pete looks back and says “Just lean into it if you have to.” Jackie had told me not to ride the brake as that makes it worse. We enter the turn and I lean into it slightly.

SCORE!! We made it!! Whew!! I find that lightly tapping the brake works pretty well in the turns. Ahhh! A turn veteran, I am now starting to think I might be able to do this afterall! Pete and our Iditarider, Mike Donovan are waving to the folks and I start doing the same. We make our way across town and for the next 4-5 miles it’s not so bad. Really beautiful day and the everyone was having such a great time.

It is amazing how many people are out! We start into some trails and there are people grilling. Tossing food and beer at the mushers. Cheering as we go through. I was still to nervous to shoot, so I just enjoyed it. There were signs and banners and the smell of grilled food for a bunch of the time.

I’m thinking I’ve just about got the hang of this when Pete looks back and says, “This next turn is a bit sharp.”

We go down this little incline and start around the turn. WHAM! I’m over on my side and into the snow I go! FACEPLANT! Of course there were tons of folks there. They had been cheering and waving and all of a sudden… Dead Silence!

Pete says, “Hahaha! You okay?”

“Yeah!” I wipe off the snow from my face, grab the snowhook and jump back on the sled. “I’m ready!” I look at the crowd all silent like… “Hey,” I says. “How about some applause for that awesome faceplant??”

The crowd goes wild, laughing and cheering again!

We get going and Pete, still laughing, asks if I’m okay. “Nothing hurt but my pride!!!”

From there it was smooth sailing and really pretty trails through the woods and over little streams. As we made our way near the hospital… Oh no! Another turn. Pete tells me it’s a little tricky, but not so bad.

Around we go…. I’m making it. I’m making it… OH NO! Splat! On my side and into a snowbank. This one was more fun as faceplants go. Not so hard. Just snow in the nostrils and ears. Haha! Now I’ve got confidence! I can faceplant with STYLE!!!

Pete is totally cracking up. “I thought you had that one! Don’t worry, that was the last one.”

“Nothing hurt but my pride!!”

I hear honking and “Dad! Dad!” I look over and I see my daughter and granddaughter Kiah in a car going crazy. “Hey! Look at me!!” Fun to see them.

At that point we entered trails that you wouldn’t believe were Anchorage. Close woods. Snow. Just beautiful to be mushing with the dogs. They don’t make much noise. Just the sound of the runners and their paws running down the trail. Pretty quiet and very beautiful. The trail keeps the sled in the track and has me wondering how in the world Pete keeps this sled going down the trail on some of the wild trials he’s been on. It is a skill for sure.

We arrive at the Campbell Creek airstrip and Pete motions back that we are stopping. Out comes the Iditarider and Pete puts him on the runners! Pete climbs in the sled and off we go! A once in a lifetime experience for our Iditarider and my heart just warms. This is a gift that few can offer, but even fewer do share. The old guy had to be so thrilled. Waving at the fans as we went by. It was just awesome to be a part of it.

After about a half mile we stop and Pete switches places and we head into the Campbell Creek checkpoint.

“Entering the chute we have #9, Peter Kaiser…”

What an experience! So blessed to be a part of Team Kaiser and more, to have such a good friend as Pete.

Here’s the photos from “The Ride” And… Neither Myron OR Lisa faceplanted!! Haha!!

2019 Iditarod Ceremonial Start – Niklas Wikstrand #42

Off they Go!

Niklas Wikstrand has been working with Pete the last 3 years. His dream has been to run this race from the beginning. Nik comes to us from one of the most remote places in the world, Svalbard, near the North Pole. Living that close to the dangers of the arctic and or course, the Polar Bears, you would think that it might make a guy a bit nervous. Well, that seems not to be that case normally for our Norwegian friend. He generally is pretty mild mannered and shows up quietly taking to the tasks of the dogs. He loves nature and just being out with the dogs. In his homeland he hunts and also gives tours to tourists.

Today, though, was a different story. Thousands and thousands of fans. Hundreds of dogs. Trucks, lights, noise!! It’s enough to make an urban man take cover, much less this young man from the North Pole!! As Nik said later, “I was sleeping with the butterflies…”

Pete had a plan drawn up to help, and as per usual, it went down without a hitch. Ron, Andy, and Sterling stepped up to help and a crew of handlers were there to make sure Team Kaiser Norway was able to make it to the Starting Line without a problem.

One thing to note, and I say this from personal experience. The Kaiser clan is so generous with help, support, and love. They just take you in and make you theirs!! I’m sure Nik can relate. So many years ago I began helping with the website and they are just so nice and so family! It is truly Awesome to be a part of their lives.

When Nik arrived to handle and work for Pete I’m sure he had a dream of running the Iditarod, but I’ll bet he had no idea that it would happen and especially in this way. Pete and Ron and the whole family have stepped up and gathered an army of support to make it all happen. People are flying out of the woodwork to help out. Donating trucks and houses and all kinds of support. All started at the Kaiser kitchen table in Bethel.

And then there is his own family, Mort, and his brothers Mette and Patrick, who flew all the way from Norway just to be a part of Nik’s grand dream and adventure.

As he said at the banquet on Thursday, “I am so thankful!”

Here are the photos from cub reporter Zoe Anelon. She took a minute of instruction and I was off onto the trail. She did an amazing job! Thanks Zoe!

 

 

2019 Iditarod Ceremonial Start – Peter Kaiser #9

Oh what a day!! There are so many things to talk about that I am going to have to put them into 4 stories for you!! The excitement and the sound of barking dogs on a sunny morning? Well, no better place but to be in Anchorage for the Iditarod Ceremonial Start.

The morning began, for me, at about 5 am. Pete came up to me yesterday and asked, “Do you want to ride the tag sled?”  “Uhhh…” Hmmm! I was kind of thunderstruck until I asked myself, “Why not? What’s the worst that could happen!” So a flurry of excitement in preparation for the start of today’s race.

Up at 5, pickup Ron and Janet at Tillie’s place and then rush up to hop in the waiting trucks to take the two Teams into downtown Anchorage. Calm as could be, Pete now has a system that puts everything in it’s place, ready to go. Niklas, however, was sleeping with the butterflies and his first visit to the Starting Line was a bit nervous for the usually mild mannered Norwegian. He was joined by his brothers Mette and Patrick and his father, Mort. They are a boisterous trio and I’m sure shook away Nik’s nerves.

With bib number 9, it means that Pete and the Team would be leaving quickly after 10. Instead of the long morning, waiting for the call, it was just a short time before it was time to go. Pete was loving the fact that we got to get on the trail early. “It was fast, but so much more relaxing!”

Before we left, Pete met with his sponsors, and took photos with visitors and chatted a bit, but it wasn’t long before the race official was saying, “You gotta go now!”

For me, my system was completely out of whack! I have a system as well and usually am attaching cameras, taking photos, and getting interviews. This morning, though, I had my own bundle of nerves! I’m going to save the gory details for a story all it’s own, but suffice it to say, that I didn’t get my normal plethora of photos. A few sponsors, and then it was Pete saying, “So, let me show you how this will work…”

After years of photographing Teams leaving, it was tug, tug, tug, and off we went, down the street towards the Starting Line.

Pete is so awesome, and our handlers had a complete handle on the Team. All I had to do was figure out how to HANG ON!!

The day was picture perfect. Just a little cool breeze that turned into sunshine and loads of well wishers and fans waiting to see their favorite Team and Musher.

Even the snow was perfect on the streets. Sometimes, in the rain, the snow is almost like heavy sand. This morning it was truly snow and easy to stay on the runners. We made our way up to the Starting Line to hear, “Up to the line we have Peter Kaiser, from Bethel, Alaska!” Then before you knew it, 3-2-1 GO!!!

I’ll tell you it is a totally different experience to ride versus watch! And let me tell you, my biggest fear was making Pete and the Team look bad! After so many years writing about them, I didn’t want to let them down. (Well I’ll tell you more about that later- Haha!!)

Here are the photos from the Starting line. Since I was actually on the trail we are going to have 4 stories from this morning. The three that will follow were shot by my new apprentice, Zoe Anelon. I knew I couldn’t shoot, so I said, “You know anything about camera’s?” Kind of out of the blue. To my pleasant surprise her face lit up and she said, “YEAH!” She got really excited and did a great job as you will see shortly!

Many thanks to our sponsors, friends, and fans who always show up in droves. Team Kaiser includes all of you!

Go Team Kaiser!!

 

Historic Iditarod for Kuskokwim Mushers

Pete selects Bib number 9 for 2019

Five Teams from the Delta… An incredible time for the Kuskokwim!

Pete Kaiser, Richie Diehl, Nik Wikstrand, Jessica Klejka, and Victoria Hardwick. Remember these names as they are making history as the most number of Teams from the Kuskokwim starting the Iditarod Trail race. It is only fitting that Myron Angstman participate as he will be in tag sleg of Jessica as Teams head out from the Ceremonial Start tomorrow in Anchorage.

I called him to get is reaction… Thrilled of course.

Here’s the conversation:

The day began with the Mandatory Musher meeting followed by a Meet and Greet in the afternoon. In years past, the banquet included an autograph session and it went on for literally hours. Last year the Iditarod changed it up and the autograph session is before and separate from the banquet. Mushers like it because it is way more relaxed.

Following the Meet and Greet, we were scurried down to the banquet area to begin the festivities of the evening. Meeting old and new friends, sponsors, and other mushers is part of the fun. A dinner of steak and mashed potatoes is followed by the Bib Drawing.

Nik Wikstrand was joined by his Dad and three brothers from Norway as he begins his first Iditarod. Pete was joined by lots and lots of family as the table becomes more and more crowded with kids and grandkids. This year Bethany’s Mom and Dad, Mae and Gonders, joined the table for their first Iditarod. They will also be joining up in Nome to watch the finish. Fun to see Gonders and Boyuk Ryan ham it up at the table.

After a bit of eating and socializing, it was on to the main event. The bib selection is split into two groups. The first group is made up of mushers who signed up the first day. Pete and Richie were in that selection group with Pete being the second musher to select a bib number. This year the magic number is Nine (9)!

Here are the Kusko Teams by bib number:

Pete Kaiser – 9
Jessica Klejka- 24
Richie Diehl- 29
Victoria Hardwick- 30
Niklas Wikstrand- 42

There are no events on the schedule today, but often mushers stop by and say hi to sponsors and others and pick up a few last minute items while they can still relax. For a rookie, it’s nerves, nerves, nerves. A holding pattern before the big “show.”

Here are photos from yesterday. It’s going to be a real fun time for the next couple of days. Then the work begins. The trail has lots of snow and the coast is going to be formidable. The Yukon River could go either way as it is very warm in the area.

Stay tuned! Go Team Kaiser!

 

 

 

 

Iditarod is Here! Pete AND Nik on the Trail this year!

The Iditarod is just a couple of days away, but the path to the Starting Line begins today in Anchorage with the Mandatory Musher meeting. Then this afternoon, Mushers will meet and greet fans before heading to the banquet tonight to draw starting positions.

Big news for Team Kaiser is that Pete will be joined on the trail by Nik Wikstrand with the B Team! This is an exciting time for Nik and he is joined by his brothers and father to get things going. Nik has been handling for Pete for the last few seasons and now it’s his turn to make his way to Nome on the Iditarod trail!

It’s an exciting time as we prepare to take to the trail and we are glad to have you onboard!

Go Team Kaiser!!

2019 Banquet – Congratulations Matthew Failor

Each year the Bethel Cultural Center becomes the hub of dogsled mushing, arguably there is no other place like it in the world!

Celebrating 40 races and 40 years of dogsled mushing was a beautiful thing. Over and over we heard from long time mushers and mushing legends of how the Kuskokwim area needs to be proud of the traditions that have been kept alive and revitalized by this great race.

There were celebratory words, and some with a loss of words. We said hello to new faces and goodbye to old ones. Jason Pavila, only 15 years old took home his Bogus 150 Championship, but our old friend and mentor, Nels Alexie said goodbye after so many years as the Kuskokwim 300 Race Marshall.

The Kuskokwim now resounds with more and more barking and more and more Teams participating. For now the dream that Myron Angstman had for our region has come to pass. 40 years after an idea spawned on the Iditarod trail, we all are treated to the beset of the best in this great sport.

Jeff King, the winningest K300 Champion said it. Aaron Burmeister said it. Over and over they said it– We need to be proud of this event.

If you talk to Myron Angstman or Bev Hoffman, they will tell you they are still worried. How do we make sure that this tradition stays alive and keeps going for another 40 years?

We are so lucky to have mushers like Pete, Richie, Mike Jr., and now Jason that keep the dream alive. Our job is to help them and make sure that the next generation keeps this alive!

It was a great evening. We welcomed a new face as Champion– Matt Failor, and hope to see all of our friends again next year!

Go Team Kaiser!!

Here are the photos!

Across the Finish Line – Position to be determined

Team Kaiser made it across the Finish Line of the 2019 Kuskokwim 300 in the early morning hours looking like they were ready for another 300 miles. Wagging their tails and happy, the Team, the true stars of the show were just beautiful to watch.

After the excitement of the evening, the question on everyone’s mind was- “Where is Nic Petit?” Nic apparently left his tracker in Tuluksak, so we all were wondering where he was.

Matt Failor crossed the Finish Line at 7:02 to claim his first K300 Crown and then, wouldn’t you know it, there was another headlamp and Nic Petit showed up!

Nic apparently got off the trail and followed Church Slough into Bethel. Unfortunately for Nic, this slough is not part of the racecourse and the Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee has another bit of work to determine what this lapse in judgement will cost the Girdwood musher.

For Pete and the Team it means that finish order is still undetermined. Although following Petit in to Bethel, it may be that the penalty will cause the order to change. The official word from K300 is that Petit’s case is being reviewed.

So we have drama (again) at the Finish line, but that did nothing to dampen the spirits of Pete or the folks at the line. It was very cold with the windchill and one of my cameras got pretty unhappy (Sorry for the photos in advance). Pete had nothing but praise for his Team. “We made a gamble and it didn’t work out, I’m nothing but pleased with the Team’s performance,” said Pete in an interview.

After meeting and greeting, it was off to Kaiser Central (Mom and Dad’s house) where we all sat and ate scrumptious breakfast bites and contributed from friends and family. A fine finish for the Team! Everyone is very happy!

Here are the photos from the finish. (Thanks Nili and Cindy for helping out)

Go Team Kaiser!