No, many mushers have come from other states as well as from many foreign countries. Austria, Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Switzerland, and Russia have all fielded teams in the Iditarod. No. Every year a handful of mushers drop out of (scratch) the race. The reasons that a musher may scratch are varied, and tend to often be based in the musher being very tired or not feeling well.

mushers usually start the race. The most mushers ever to start the Iditarod was in the 2000 race when 82 mushers left the starting line. The most to ever finish was in '92 when 63 mushers successfully made it to Nome. No limit has been imposed on the number of entries, but talk has been made of limiting the number to 100 teams if needed at some point in the future.

No. After the team leaves the starting line in Wasilla, no help is allowed from outside people. The only exception is that mushers are allowed one helper for the first ten miles out of the starting line when the team is fresh and excited. This helper rides with the team to Knik, the first checkpoint. No crew is waiting at any of the checkpoints to help the mushers.

No, the Iditarod, like most dog sled races, starts every team at two-minute intervals. This allows teams to get out on the trail in an orderly and safe fashion and prevents teams from getting too congested on the trails.

Mushers draw starting numbers from a boot two days before the race starts. The order in which mushers pick numbers from the boot is determined by the order in which mushers signed up for the race the previous summer and fall.

is a lot of money to win in a dog sled race, and that money could definitely support a regular family for a year. However, the money can't support both a family and a large kennel of dogs requiring the best food and care possible every day. In other words, the prize money that mushers win helps to support the dogs, but is not enough to make a living. Most mushers view their lives with the dogs as a hobby, and focus considerable time on earning the money necessary to support the dogs.

The Iditarod Trail Breakers are some of the most hard-core snowmobilers in the world. They make an 1,100-mile "highway" across Alaska every winter. About 10,000 pieces of surveyor's stakes with orange paint and reflective tape are used to mark the trail. Additional ribbons and tripod markers are used in places like the Alaska Mountain Range and the Bering Sea Coast. The rules require mushers to stay on the marked race trail.

The most common means of training when no snow (or not enough snow) is on the ground is by using a four-wheeler. A four-wheeler is a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle that weighs about 500 pounds and has an engine that can be used to regulate how fast the dogs run and how hard they pull. Some mushers do train all summer. Some run their dogs as a part of a summer tour business, like IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours in Seward, Alaska. Others train their dogs all summer to keep them in shape.

Most major airlines fly to Alaska. Many of our trips start and end in different cities (Anchorage or Fairbanks) and not all the major airlines fly to Fairbanks. If you need help, we can arrange a one way flight between Fairbanks and Anchorage on local carrier Frontier Flying.

The Alaska Hunting Regulations book is available from all Department of Fish & Game offices, statewide, and wherever hunting licenses are sold (sporting goods stores, etc.). Current hunting regulations are also available on the division website. You may obtain a copy of the regulations book by contacting the Department of Fish and game by telephone (907/465-4190), email (dfg.dwc.webmaster@alaska.gov) or by mail at

Maps of Game Management Units are included in the Alaska Hunting Regulations book. Topographic maps of the state are available by mail order or over the counter in several Alaska locations, or they may be ordered through the USGS website. Some Alaska sporting goods or outdoor stores stock high demand maps. There are retail stores in larger Alaska communities that specialize in maps.

Most hunts in Alaska are open to anyone with the proper license and harvest ticket, or locking tag in the case of nonresidents. However, where hunter demand is greater than a game population can sustain, hunting is allowed by permit only. Three types of permits are used: drawing, registration and Tier II. Applications for Tier II permits and most drawing permits are accepted only during May.

No. Although the wolf survives as an endangered species in a handful of states, from 7,500 to 10,000 wolves populate Alaska — from the most remote wilderness region to the suburbs of our largest cities. Because so much of this state is undeveloped, with more than 160 million acres permanently set aside in protected status (an area larger than California), the wolf is assured of a permanent home in Alaska.

Alaska firearms laws and regulations are simple and pragmatic. Carrying hunting rifles and shotguns through Canada is also generally simple. In Alaska, hunters may generally possess and use firearms with few restrictions. State law prohibits the following firearms: Handguns are allowed to be carried concealed in Alaska by anyone 21 or older, other than convicted felons, without obtaining a special permit.

You can book your Alaska Railroad trip through Alaska Denali Tours. The Alaska Railroad schedule for summer 2007 is as follows: Please note: If you are traveling from Fairbanks to Denali, the Alaska Railroad makes timely connections with our lodge bus. However, guests traveling northbound from Anchorage by train will require a stay at the Denali National Park entrance the night before coming to the lodge.

Many thousands of dollars in prizes are awarded to the winning mushers. The largest prize is given to the musher whose team crosses the finish line first. However, prize money is also given to teams who first reach certain points along the trail. Mushers who are hired to be in corporate advertisements receive substantial financial benefits, as do mushers who reap royalties from the sales of books they write or the speeches they give.

Culling is a common practice among mushers. The Iditarod mushers breed many dogs, hoping to get a few who will be fast enough to race. According to an article in the Anchorage Daily News, "Killing unwanted sled-dog puppies is part of doing business" (October 6, 1991), most of the mushers cull by shooting their dogs in the head. An animal who is not properly restrained when the musher shoots may suffer an agonizing death.

Hunters who are not Alaska residents must be accompanied by a registered Alaska guide when hunting brown/grizzly bears, Dall sheep or mountain goats. Or, they must hunt with an Alaskan “resident” who is within the “second-degree of kindred.” Non-resident alien hunters (hunters who are not US citizens and do not live in the United States) must be accompanied by a guide to hunt any species of big game. A list of licensed Alaska guides is available for $5.00.

Yes, we do. However, only UPS 2nd, UPS Next-Day Air, FedEx 2nd or NextDay Air (currently not shipping options), and USPS deliver to Hawaii, Alaska and other non-continental US addresses. UPS Ground or FedEx 3Day does NOT deliver to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, or US Virgin Islands. Please note that our online shipping calculator may underestimate the shipping charge to these addresses. When they do, we may adjust the shipping manually after receiving the order.

the end of the audit, an error rate will be determined for Alaska's Medicaid payments. Alaska must reimburse the federal government for incorrectly paid claims. If a provider does not send in all requested materials before the deadline, the claim will be marked as improperly paid.

A statistical sample of payments and denials will be submitted to the federal contractors on January 2008. The sample will come from claims with payment dates from Oct. 1, 2007 – Sept. 30, 2008. The State of Alaska will submit samples of claims on a quarterly basis based on the dates of payment or denials. The first quarter audits consist of claims with payment dates from Oct. 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007 (see the attached samples dates that will be pulled each quarter).

The process of evaluating payment accuracy, called the “production cycle,” will take about a year. Then an Alaska Medicaid payment error rate will be calculated.

All 50 states will take part in this federal audit to measure both Medicaid and SCHIP programs. Alaska has been selected to participate in the 2008 FY, and will be measure once every three years for each program. This will allow States to plan for the reviews because States know in advance in which year they will be measured.

Yes. Customers in Alaska and Hawaii, who order $50 or more will receive free USPS shipping. Orders under $50 will be shipped USPS First Class (2-5 days) or Priority (2-4 days) with the appropriate shipping cost applied to the customer's total. Alaska and Hawaii customers who prefer UPS should select the USPS 2-day/Alaska & Hawaii shipping option. UPS shipping to Alaska and Hawaii is a shipping option on all orders. However, free shipping does not apply to orders over $50 that are shipped by UPS.

Go to http://www.dps.state.ak.us/PermitsLicensing/achp/index.asp, or contact the Permits and Licensing Unit, Alaska State Troopers, 5700 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99507, (907) 269-0392. Alaska's sex offender registration program is administered by the Department of Public Safety. Information about the registry, and an on-line, searchable data base of registered sex offenders can be found at http://www.dps.state.ak.us/sorweb/Sorweb.

Yes, to communities on the interior Alaska road system but expensive. There is a charge for delivery as it takes fuel and time and with current fuel costs, it would be much cheaper for you to pick it up. Combine it with a shopping trip to the big city! Not at all! I am partnering with a local Anchorage shop to build custom open type trailers of various styles (snowmobile/ATV, car haulers, utility, flatbed, tilt trailers, landscape, etc.). We can include whatever custom features or options you

For humans that live in the Arctic, conditions there dictate lifestyle to a very great extent. Residents must cope with very low temperatures and constant darkness in the winter, and temperatures above freezing and constant daylight in the summer. While temperatures are below freezing, the frozen, snow covered ground, ice covered rivers, and shore-fast ice are utilized for transportation using dog sleds (traditionally) or snowmobiles (recently).

Good question! Usually our guests fly to Anchorage, rent a car and drive 147 miles along the scenic Seward Highway. Allow approx 3-4 hours drive time from the Anchorage Airport to Tower Rock Lodge. Another option is to fly Era Aviation - ERA (800) 478-1947 or (907) 248-4429 or www.flyera.com to the Kenai Airport (approx. 25-minute flight), rent a car and take an easy 15 minute drive to the lodge.