Okay so the Idita-bikers came into town, and I said to myself, "These guys are nuts." People who ride their bicycle down the same route as the dog mushers are a whole new kind of person.
They have some serious bikes. The bike&gear weigh in at 60+ lbs, and when I asked one of the riders how often they actually get to ride their bike, he just shook his head and said, "About half the time."
Ever see a 300$ bicycle tire?
Then the Idita-walker showed up, a spaniard name Jose. WOAH. This guy has seen/done everything! At least from the eyes of an extreme outdooring enthusiast. Last night he was describing some of his various adventures and my principal jokingly said, "What are you going to do next? Climb Mt. Everest?" Then he scrolled down the page of his website that showed him at the summit of Everest. WOAH. And he climbed Everest with no guide, sherpa, porter, or anything. I didn't know that it took him 50 days because he had to set up 4 different camps. That doesn't sound very fun. But anyways, he is walking the Iditarod trail, pulling his sled behind him. The students had a lot of fun asking him questions!
Jose's website is here:
http://porelcaminodelviento.blogspot.com
A fellow blogger! It was embarassing when I mistranslated his site into, "The Horse of Friday." It turns out cabello = horse, camino = way, and viernes = friday, viento = wind. So his project is called, "The Way of the Wind." That sounds much more romantic. "Por el Cabello del Viernes." Maybe I'll start my own Spanish website...I feel bad for Jose though, because he's going to "scratch" on his Idita-walk. He is taking a flight to Koyuk today because the sea-ice will probably be too treacherous, and his legs have been bothering him. You walk 700 miles across the bleak tundra, pulling a sled, and just now your legs are bothering you? HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!?! Awesome guy though.
Here are some more Iditarod pictures from fellow teachers. They took some excellent photos, so I might as well share em'! Here is Rick Holt coming into Shaktoolik, a fellow BSSD educator and former principal of this school:
1 comment:
Tell the Friday Horse guy he is crazy. That sounds like way too far to walk. I wish you could see some of these old-school bicycles and the crazy Ugandans who ride them. I saw one bicycle with 4 goats and at least 12 chickens all tied to it. They only have 1 gear, so whenever there is any form of an incline they just get off and walk. Sounds similar to your Idita-bikers, except the Ugandans do it 100+ weather, not 50 below! The other difference; they do it to survive, not for some strange masticistic kind of fun.
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