Ramy Brooks - Letter to my friends

April 2000

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to write me. I hope you enjoyed studying about Iditarod 2000 and Alaska. Iditarod is full of unknowns and adventures but it is also a lot of work. My family and I prepare year-round to be ready for the race in March. My family consists of my wife, Cathy, and daughters, Abby (5 years old) and Molly (2 years old).

The family spent time reading your letters and looking at the pictures you sent. We picked out some of the questions for me to answer that we thought might give you the information many of you wanted.

1. What are the names and ages of your dogs?

The dogs starting the Iditarod were: Pretty Boy (5), Bo (4), Jesse (3), Andretti (2), Goose (2), Dillon (4), Loopin (4), Dakota (2), Terese (2), Backtrail (2), Walker (3), Muldoon (2), Gamble (2), Pigpen (3), Hunter (2).

2. What kinds of things do you carry in your sled?

I carry an axe, dog booties, dog food, dog coats, snowshoes, cooker, sleeping bag, dry clothes and any outer gear I'm not wearing (i.e. parka).

3. How fast do you go?

4. How do you train?

We start training in the late summer / early fall and only run 4 to 6 miles every other day. We gradually work up to training runs of 150 miles a day with scheduled rest days. The rest days are as important as the running days to help develop their muscles properly.

5. How old were you when you started racing?

6. What do you eat on the trail?

I make sure I always have salmon strips and moose jerky on hand for a meal or snack. A friend of ours, Sally Smith, prepared lasagna, beef stroganoff, steak and some other great food, then vacuumed packed the food so I could take it on the trail. The food tasted real good, especially when I am tired.

7. What is it like to be on a sled in the wilderness for nine+ days?

8. Every year experiences on the race make it different from other years. What made this one different?

I was sick the entire race. I struggled with pneumonia and found concentrating more difficult because of my physical exhaustion.

I also had two very memorable events. The first was having my dog, Walker, take-off while I was switching his position with one of the other dogs. Normally Walker stays right beside me, however, this time he thought he'd play and head back down the trail. Luckily, Tim Osmar was only a short distance behind and saw Walker heading the wrong way. With Tim's assistance, I was able to catch Walker and continue down the trail the right direction. I sure appreciated Tim's help.

I was able to pass the kindness on when John Barron had an accident, injuring his head and losing his team. I was able to give John a ride on my sled until we found his team stopped father down the trail. Everyone was okay but John had a horrible bump on his head.

9. How does it feel to finish?

They fly to Anchorage and then ride in our dog truck back to our kennel in Healy. We put together a page with pictures to show you more about it.

As we come into the villages that serve as checkpoints, we are often greeted by the children that live there. Many of the schools are on spring break or allow the children the opportunity to watch and visit with the mushers. Sometimes the mushers come into a village late at night or only stop briefly before moving on down the trail and we miss the opportunity to visit with the local folks. One of the highlights of this years Iditarod was flying back with Doug Swingley to Koyuk and Elim to visit with the villagers after I had finished the race but while mushers farther back were still coming through. The youth represent the future of the village and it was a special treat to go back and visit.

I hope that you continue to watch and learn about the Iditarod and Alaska even after your school assignments are complete. Lots of information can be gathered from the internet or library resources. You are always welcomed to checkout our website for current information on what I and the dogs are doing.