February 7, 2013 Straw Drop

Today was the beginning of the herculean effort done by thousands of volunteers each year prior to the dogs hitting the trail on Saturday March 2nd. 33 volunteers, some of them having been doing this for 26 years, spent the better part of a day bagging 1500 bales of straw and 68 bales of hay. All for the sake of the dogs. Jennifer Ambrose, the lead volunteer, had the group well-greased in an assembly-line style fashion which made the work quick and easy. As usual for me it was “old home week” as I rubbed elbows with the people I have the privilege of working with every year. It was a flurry of activity, so shooting the photos was fast and furious. It was such fun watching these folks work and laugh and talk about the race to come.

Chris Blankenship, left, and Denise Ronek zip-tie one of the 1500 bags of straw at Airland Transport in Anchorage to be sent out to the 22 checkpoints along the Iditarod trail Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.

Mary Maddux pushes some of 1500 bales of straw down to other volunteers at Airland Transport in Anchorage to be sent out to the 22 checkpoints along the Iditarod trail Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.

Wyatt Hickman of Black Foot, Idaho plastic wraps some of 1500 bales of straw at Airland Transport in Anchorage to be sent out to the 22 checkpoints along the Iditarod trail Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. Hickman is volunteering through the Helping Hands ministry, part of the LDS church.

Volunteers bag, palletize and add postage to 1500 bales of straw at Airland Transport in Anchorage to be sent out to the 22 checkpoints along the Iditarod trail Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013.