What would you take with you on the adventure of a lifetime? What are the essential items you would want close at hand when faced with harsh conditions and extreme terrain that would challenge even the most accomplished athlete?
If you’re asking this question of 25-year-old, legally blind, professional sled dog racer Rachael Scdoris, the answers might surprise you.
Rachael Scdoris is preparing to compete this March in the 36th Annual Alaska Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race, taking on the challenge of 1,120 miles of the roughest, most challenging terrain Mother Nature has to offer. Rachael’s trek will pit her against jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast. And she’ll face temperatures that fall far below zero, winds that cause complete lack of visibility, ice and snow, and long hours of darkness.
So what is she packing in her sled bag? Rachael’s top ten essentials include:
- Hand and Heel Balm from Flexitol—The extreme conditions Rachael will face along the trail are no exaggeration. Bitter cold and severe wind chill will wreak havoc with her skin, and the athleticism required of her takes a serious toll on her feet. The products Rachael has come to rely on to combat the elements are hand balm and heel balm from Flexitol. In fact, she’s sending tubes of both products ahead to the trail’s 19 checkpoints to make sure she’ll have enough for the 1,120 mile race.
- Music—During some stretches along the trail, Rachael will cover as many as 90 to 100 miles between checkpoints. She’ll race at night and during the day, for long stretches of time over long stretches of terrain that can include tough geographic challenges. She’ll keep herself and her dogs motivated with music, and has been known to even sing aloud to the dogs to keep them energized. The music she’s packing this year is an eclectic mix that includes Josh Groban, Evanesence, Pink Floyd and the soundtracks to Phantom of the Opera and Fiddler on the Roof.
- Frozen Fruit—For quick energy boosts, Rachael’s snack of choice is fruit. She’s packing bags of frozen berries and orange slices to take with her on the trail. And with temperatures as cold as –50°F, there’s no worry about anything thawing out. She’ll also carry a cooker with her that lets her heat up food really fast.
- Little Hotties—The Iditarod trail will pit Rachael against extreme cold and challenging conditions. She’s tried every hand warmer on the market and swears that Little Hotties are the absolute best. She’ll go through thousands of these during the race.
- Sorel Boots—There is a tremendous amount of athleticism required from Rachael during the race. Whenever she can give her dogs a break and gain a competitive advantage, Rachael will jump off the sled and run alongside. More often than not, this is when the team is going uphill so Rachael’s offseason training regime of weight lifting, conditioning and running is essential. She’s got to be able to keep up with her team of canine athletes and Sorels give her the traction she needs on snow and ice.
- “Beauty Supplies”—Which basically means face wipes, toothbrush and lip balm. The race is about endurance, not glamour, but a girl still needs her essentials.
- Dog Booties—Rachael’s dog team is critical to her success so they always come first during the race. While on the trail, the dogs will wear booties to help protect the pads of their paws and give them the extra traction they need. Rachael replaces worn out booties as often as twice a day, which means she needs a huge amount to clad her team of sixteen dogs.
- Sunglasses—The glare off of the snow and ice, coupled with Rachael’s light sensitive vision, means she’s almost always in sunglasses. She’ll take multiple pairs with her on the trail to make sure she’s never caught without.
- Toolkit—The Iditarod calls out an extensive list of required items that mushers must carry with them. Important things like sled repair tools since Rachael is responsible for fixing her own sled, as well as a cold weather sleeping bag, ax, snowshoes, veterinarian notebook to be presented to the vet at each checkpoint, and fuel to use for heating water and cooking. Rachael will also carry a multi-tool, plastic zip ties, rope and a headlamp for use on the trail at night.
- Mail—Probably one of the most unexpected items on Rachael’s sled, the bag of mail that she and all of the mushers carry pays tribute to the origins of the Iditarod Trail, which had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal villages to the interior mining camps and all the way north to Nome. Perhaps better known is the trail’s role as a life-saving highway that allowed dog sled mushers and their teams to deliver essential serum to Nome, saving the remote village from a severe outbreak of diphtheria.
Last updated: August 09, 2011 6:41 pm EST
