Trent Herbst's Blog http://blog.trentherbst.com Information about Trent Herbst Elementary School Teacher, Musher, and Iditarod Competitor posterous.com Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:25:00 -0800 Surf some great YouTube videos of the Quest http://blog.trentherbst.com/surf-some-great-youtube-videos-of-the-quest http://blog.trentherbst.com/surf-some-great-youtube-videos-of-the-quest

Trent_yq_2012_start

There are some fantastic videos up on YouTube from the Yukon Quest Race that Trent just finished 12th in.  There are a few links below but just point to the YouTube website, search for 'Yukon Quest 2012', and happy surfing.  


Great videos produced by the Yukon Quest Event Team:

 

 

 

Some interesting trail footage

 

 

 

 

Couple of fun dog videos, one coming in to initial vet check.. and second with some dogs who were 'dropped' at checkpoints getting a bush pilot ride home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:57:00 -0800 Trent Takes 12th Place in the Yukon Quest! http://blog.trentherbst.com/trent-takes-12th-place-in-yukon-quest http://blog.trentherbst.com/trent-takes-12th-place-in-yukon-quest
Trent_yq_2012_start

Hello folks who follow posts from Trent's blog!   We are very late in getting going this year.   Will get Trent to post his pre-campaign hello, when he gets back from the Yukon Quest.

Because of the harsh winter conditions, difficult trail, and the limited support that competitors are allowed, the Yukon Quest is considered by many to be the most demanding 1,000 mile dogsled race in existence.  It runs between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory (YT).  A "map" of the course is show below.

 Trent started the race noontime on February 4th in Fairbanks and finished at 4:53AM on February 16th in Whitehorse.

Yq_map
Trent started 22nd out of 24 mushers (shown above) and generally ran between 12th and 15th during the race.  The Yukon Quest is considered the most serious race in the lead up to the Iditarod.   Iditarod and Yukon veteran Hugh Neff won the race, and Lance Mackay came in 3rd.  Jake Berkowitz was Rookie of the Year and finished in 4th place.   

Jake and Apex Kennels are Trent's kennel partners and key sponsor.   Trent is running the 'B' team and Jake runs the 'A' team but they are clearly both having a great year and looking forward to a great run at the Iditarod.   Jake also finished 1st in the Knick 200 early in the season, with Lance Mackay finishing 2nd and Trent finishing 5th out of a field of nearly 40 mushers (majority Iditarod bound)

Below: Here's a couple of pictures of Jake and his team at the start of the Yukon quest as well.

Below: Here are a few more of Trent at the Race Start.

Below: And a couple from him at the end of the race.   

Below: Couple of neat pix from the pre-race banquet ... our boy picking his starting number and saying hi, and then at "Meet the Mushers".  Great artwork the little girl has for signing. 

 Below: Here are a couple of shots from the trail that are just spectacular.  

Check out the Yukon Quest site for standings and stories:

If you want to look through the photostream of the Yukon Quest go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/yukonquest

If you want a great read, check out the book below.  I downloaded it to my iBooks on my iPad and it is just a wonderful, funny, and exciting story of the race and history, the traditions, and the 2000 race.

Balzar, John. Yukon Alone: The World's Toughest Adventure Race.

Iditarod start is March 3 and coming up soon.   We're getting excited and will start to share activity leading up to the race.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:10:00 -0700 Trent gets Most Improved Musher Award for 2011 Iditarod http://blog.trentherbst.com/trent-gets-most-improved-musher-award-for-201 http://blog.trentherbst.com/trent-gets-most-improved-musher-award-for-201
Last night at the annual Musher's Banquet in Nome, Trent received the "Most Improved Musher Award" for the musher who moves up the most places relative to the finish the previous year.  Trent moved up to 25th place this year from a 49th place finish a year ago.   Picture of Trent receiving his award below.   If he moves up another 24 places next year, he'll win Most Improved and come in 1st!

Remember that Trent also led the race at the halfway point by being first in the checkpoint at the ghost town of Iditarod.  Trent also received that award last night.  I watched the video from the Iditarod Insider of the award presentation and Trent's receiving the award. 

Trent said "This is really cool, I never thought this would happen.  I was kinda in the right place at the right time to make it first to Iditarod.  I need to thank all my students, my wife who has put up with all this the past six years, and all my sponsors back in the Wood River Valley.  I'd never be where I'm at at right now in this race without them. I thought I'd do it once and now I'm on #5, it's pretty incredible.  Thank you Alaska and thanks for all the fun I've had the past five years."

For anyone who signed up for the Iditarod Insider, please check out the videos of Trent accepting these awards on the Iditarod.com site.

Trent_accepts_most_improved

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:59:13 -0700 Race Update March 17 http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-17 http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-17
Trent pulled in to Nome this morning.   he finished the great race in 25th place.  He made the 77 mile trip from White Mountain in 9 hr 54 min at 7.77 mph.  His overall time for the race was slighly over 10 1/2 days.   His best previous finish was 48th place and and 12 1/2 days.  It was a great race and a great year for Trent. 
 
The goal for the 2011 campaign had been: “Moving day, as in moving up the standings… stronger kennel… mid 10 day finish in top 30"
 
Trent nailed it.  He even led the race on two occasions and was first musher to the halfway point.
 
Snapshot from the Iditarod Insider video of Trent crossing the burled arch at the finish in Nome this morning.   We'll post a gallery of pictures from the race later.
 
Trent_in_to_nome

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:35:00 -0700 Couple of Great Videos on Iditarod Site http://blog.trentherbst.com/couple-of-great-videos-on-iditarod-site http://blog.trentherbst.com/couple-of-great-videos-on-iditarod-site

dogs, tundra, and more dogs

http://iditarod.com/flashmap/free/video_BAB4314A-BA5B-DC6F-CC8BE4C4097421D2.html

http://iditarod.com/flashmap/free/video_BAB36080-0612-F158-998D817D48993FC2.html

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:05:00 -0700 Race Update March 16 http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-16 http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-16
Trent pulled in to White Mountain sometime around 6:00 this morning in 27th place.   The standings are not updated on the Iditarod website to know the time for sure, but on the GPS tracker he is in White Mountain.   This checkpoint is a mandatory 8 hour rest point for the teams and then it is 77 miles on to Nome and the finish.

I suspect Trent will leave late afternoon today well rested and get in to Nome sometime Thursday morning.   The team had 7 dogs checking out of Elim heading to White Mountain.   Trent has slowed his pace and increased his rest times since the Yukon, it appears.   He discusses this with the Iditarod Insider team in the article below.

It still looks good for a top 30 finish for Trent which was his goal heading in to the race, and he's had a great campaign.  He led the race after the Skwenta checkpoint, and was first to the halfway checkpoint at the ghost town of Iditarod.   Trent is likely considered a serious musher by all of the Iditarod competitors now, and has always been considered a friend.   We wish him luck on the trail in to Nome!

Iditarod_route_map

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Tue, 15 Mar 2011 08:45:12 -0700 Race Update: March 15 7:30 AM Alaska time http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-15-730-am-alaska-time http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-15-730-am-alaska-time
Trent just finished the run accross open water on the Norton sound from Shaktoolik to Koyuk.   He left shortly after midnight and arrived at Koyuk at 6:38 this morning covering the 42 miles in 6hr 33m at a pace of 7.33 mph.   Trent checked in to Koyuk in 24th place.   Trent sits about 150 miles from the finish at Nome at this point.  He'll probably reach White Mountain and the mandatory 8 hour rest there at some point today and then the final 77 miles in to Nome should have him at the finish at some point on Wednesday.   Also a picture of a team crossing the open water of the Norton Sound.
 
This is the stretch of open ocean travel made famous by Leonhard Seppala in the serum run in 1925 to save the children of Nome from a diptheria epidemic.   The dog sled relay of the serum from Fairbanks to Nome is the inspiration for today's Iditarod.   Seppala took the over sea route coming from Nome to meet the serum and on his return to save time over land travel.   Read the "Cruelest Miles" by Gay Salisbury sometime for an incredible accounting of the epidemic and the heroic efforts of the dog teams that saved the town of Nome.   A picture of Leonhard and his lead dog Togo is below.   There is also a slightly more detailed map to get a feel for the "shortcut" from Shaktoolik to Koyuk.
 
 
Seppla-and-togo
 
 
 
Norton_sound_crossing
 
Iditarod_route_map
 
330px-norton_sound

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Sun, 13 Mar 2011 08:27:59 -0700 Race Update: March 13 http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-13 http://blog.trentherbst.com/race-update-march-13
Sorry, the blooger took his 24 hour rest stop yesterday.   When we left Trent last, he as checking out of Iditarod after being the first in the race to the halfway point and then completing his mandatory 24 hour rest.   He left Iditarod at 7:30 AM on the 11th after his rest.   The leaders who had taken their 24 hour rest at Takotna had long passed through and Trent hit the trail in 24th place. 
 
In the past 48 hours Trent has made 1) the 65 mile run from Iditarod to Shageluk in 6 hr 28m at 10.05 mph where he rested for 6 hours; 2) the 43 mile run from Shageluk to Graying (checking through Anvik at the start of the Yukon) in 5 hr 41 min averaging 7.6 mph where he rested for 5-1/2 hours; 3) the 60 mile run from Grayling to Eagle Island in 7 hr 5 min at 8.47 mph.   
 
Trent was back on the Yukon at 10:30 last night to head up the final leg of the Yukon to Kaltag.  Looking on the GPS tracker just now, he is 14 miles from Kaltag and running 23rd in the field.   Trent will surely rest after the grueling leg and prepare for the 75 mile journey to Unalakleet and the Norton Sound.  At that point is is 236 miles to Nome starting with the crossing of the Sound over water.   Trent's times are good and the experience of the past 4 Iditarods will take him home from here.   A top 25 finish is very possible and a top 20 finish is possible if enough things work in Trent's favor.
 
Trail map below.   Also find a nice shot of Trent pulling in to Iditarod the other night with a well frosted beard (screen scrape from Iditarod Insider video)
 
 
Trent_arrive_iditarod_2_jpeg
 
 
Iditarod_route_map

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:21:00 -0800 Back out of the Iditarod Checkpoint... http://blog.trentherbst.com/back-out-of-theiditarod-checkpoint http://blog.trentherbst.com/back-out-of-theiditarod-checkpoint
After his 24 hour rest in Iditarod, Trent is back on the trail.   Probably don't have to remind you that he pulled in to Iditarod Thursday morning at ~5:45 in 1st place, won $3,000 in gold nuggets and upset the "old guard" in claiming the prize.  He left Iditarod the morning in 27th place and has moved up to 24th place on the trail.  The weather is colder heading in to the Yukon and the trail is supposed to be getting softer.   If Trent and the team run as strong in the next 5 days as they did in the past 5 days, all of us are in for a treat.  Below is a picture of Trent accepting the gold nuggets from his award for leading the race at the halfway point.  Grabbed a screen shot from the video on the Iditarod Insider website.

Trent_halfway_award_jpeg

Also below is a gallery of photos from the Willow start on Sunday, that Bob Vogel from Anchorage email'd to us today.  Enjoy them, thanks Bob!

Trent Trent2 Trent3 Trent4
See the full gallery on Posterous

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:05:27 -0800 A day in the sun... http://blog.trentherbst.com/a-day-in-the-sun http://blog.trentherbst.com/a-day-in-the-sun
I wish we had a picture of Trent right now in the ghost town of Iditarod.  He's probably sleeping in the sun, camping with the dogs, and enjoying what he's done.  He should be, he's the talk of the race.
 
Here area a couple of links to articles today, two from Iditarod.com and one from the Boise TV Station KTVB-7
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trent_cartoon
 
 
 
 
 
Trent_at_willow_start

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:22:00 -0800 Holy Cow Batman!, Trent wins 1st to Iditarod Halfway point in the Great Race! http://blog.trentherbst.com/holy-cow-batman-trent-wins-1st-to-iditarod-12 http://blog.trentherbst.com/holy-cow-batman-trent-wins-1st-to-iditarod-12
March 10: 7:25 Alaska Time

Trent is in 1st place 1/2 way through the Iditarod! 

Trent has had an amazing past 24 hours in the race.  He pulled out of McGrath yesterday morning and cruised the 18 miles to the Takotna checkpoint in 1 hr 49 m averaging 9.91 mph.   Most of the mushers and the race elite had stopped at Takotna for their 24 hour rest.   Trent checked right through Takotna and headed out the trail in 4th place.  He made the quick 25 mile run to Ophir in 2 hr 26 m at 10.27 mph and just missed catching the leader, checking in to Ophir in 2nd place in the race right at noon yesterday. 

Trent had talked about taking his 24 rest in Ophir, even before he left Ketchum.  There is a video of Trent and the dogs at the Ophir checkpoint up on the Iditarod site from yesterday afternoon.   The weather looked perfect, blue skies and 20 degrees.  Trent was in great spirits.   I think he and the dogs took a 5 hour rest and decided they could go on.   And go on they did.   The ghost town of Iditarod mark the halfway point of the race.   One of the sponsors, GCI, offers $3,000 in gold coins for the first musher to reach the halfway point.   I think Trent considered the opportunity and the team's disposition and decided to take a run at it.   Only 3 mushers checked out of Ophir for the 90 mile journey to Iditarod.  Trent left at 5:42 last night and pulled in to Iditarod in 1st place at 5:29 this morning.   Including his rest along the way, he averaged 7.64 mph.   Trent has shown that he has one of the fastest and strongest teams in the field.   In a few hours the real leaders will go through the Iditarod checkpoint, but for the moment Trent is the leader in the race!

Trent_first_in_to_iditarod_5

 
Iditarod_route_map

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:34:00 -0800 Day 3 Race Update 8:30 AM Alaska time http://blog.trentherbst.com/day-3-race-update http://blog.trentherbst.com/day-3-race-update
Another good day for Trent yesterday.   Yesterday at 5:48 AM he headed out of the Rohn checkpoint in 37th place.  Ran the 130 miles between Rohn and McGrath with one stop on the trail and going through the checkpoint in Nikolai arriving in McGrath at 1:15AM this morning.   The final 54 mile run from Nikolai to McGrath was done in 5 hours, 11 minutes at an average speed of 10.42 miles.  Trent was in 24th place as he checked in to McGrath and sits in 37th place at the moment as many mushers who came in to McGrath last night after Trent choose to continue on. 

Couple of interesting items
* Trent's 10.42 mph trip from from Nikolai to McGrath was as fast as anyone in the field, including front runners Martin Buser and Lance Mackay.   Trent's team can go fast on the run cycles. 
* The weather has been "balmy" and sunny.  Bright blue skies and 20's in the day and 0's and below at night have been ideal conditions for travel.   This is supposed to be the case for the next few days in the Central Range area.   Will the Yukon be as kind?
* It looks like everyone is positioning and taking their 24 hour mandatory rest.   The top 20 teams all arrived in Takotna between 10:00 last night and 2:00 this morning.   Takotna is a quick 18 miles from McGrath.  I just now see  on Iditarod Insider GPS Tracker, that Trent has pulled out of McGrath so he must not plan on taking his 24 hour rest at this point.  He will likely zoom through Taktona and probably be high on the leader board for the next day while the top teams are on 24 hour rest.   Maybe he goes all the way to Iditarod in the next day to take his 24 hour rest?

Trent_cartoon
 

Iditarod_route_map

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:31:00 -0800 Day 2 Race Update http://blog.trentherbst.com/day-2-race-update http://blog.trentherbst.com/day-2-race-update
Good day for Trent yesterday.   He took a long rest after leaving Skwentna checkpoint Sunday evening and claiming 1st place in the race for several hours.  Went through the Rainey Pass checkpoint without stopping and arrived at Rohn before midnight Monday night in 33rd place.   Stayed for about 6 hours last night and left Rohn at 5:48 AM in 37th place, currently running 34th on the trail.     Yesterday's run was 98 miles.   Trent arrived in Rohn about 6 hours behind Lance Mackay, the first musher in to Rohn so he is making great time.It will be interesting to see what Trent has in mind for his 24 hour rest stop.  Many mushers will stop in McGrath which is about 130 miles down the trail.  

The elite mushers have moved to the front of the pack and starting to separate a bit.   I suspect Trent will travel for the next 5-6 days staying in the 30th -35th position and then see if he can move up towards the end if the team is running strong.   Below find a picture of Trent leaving Rainey Pass checkpoint last year and a map of the trail.

Trent_leaving_rainey_pass_2010

Iditarod_route_map

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:04:00 -0800 Day 1 Race Update http://blog.trentherbst.com/day-1-race-update http://blog.trentherbst.com/day-1-race-update
Trent drew Bib #4 at the Musher Banquet Thursday night and thus was the 3rd musher out of Willow at 2:04 Sunday afternoon.  With the lucky draw and a proven speed dog team from the kennel partnership with Jake Berkowitz, Trent employed a "rabbit" strategy to start the race.   He stayed close to the front all the up the Yentna River, running one of the five fastest times to Checkpoint #1 at Yentna Station.  Trent pulled in to Checkpoint #2 at about 8:15 PM and went through to about mile 70 where he set up camp for the evening.   At that point he was the first musher out of Skwentna and claimed the race lead as most all mushers stayed at the Skwentna checkpoint to rest.  Very few mushers get to claim that they led the Iditarod, it's like winning a stage of the Tour de France and claiming a yellow jersey for the day.  

For a few hours, Trent was the leader of the Iditarod!   Screen shots from the official Iditarod website and a picture of Trent at the start in Willow are below.   Also a map of the race route and a link to a Day One article on the Iditarod website that mentions Trent's "Rabbit Run".   Trent is up and at it on the way to Finger Lake and Rainey Pass checkpoints, suspect he will pull in to Rohn sometime during the night. 

Iditarod_route_map

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:45:00 -0800 Ready for the Race http://blog.trentherbst.com/ready-for-the-race http://blog.trentherbst.com/ready-for-the-race
Hey Everyone,

I drew Bib #4, the 3rd starting postition at the Musher Banquest this past Thursday night.   It meant I had to get up early on Saturday for Ceremonial start and I'll get to be in the front of the field at the Willow re-start heading up the Yentna River on Sunday.

(see quote at bottom of Alaska Daily News Article)  http://www.adn.com/2011/03/04/1735723/jonrowe-redington-jr-draw-first.html 

Dogs are looking super...I have never driven a team this fast....feels like the sled is going to tear into pieces with all the power. My race plan is to rest early and often in the first part of the race...then start racing on the Yukon if the dogs look good......goal of a top 30 if all pans out....in any event I am off on another adventure.  Amazes me every year how different each race is.  Trail reports sound good until the coast where there is high winds and snow....worry about that a week from now.  Ed Stielstra's team is made up of all the yearlings I trained the last few years....fun to see those dogs again.
A huge thank you to all my friends, family, students and their parents for getting me to the start line once again....it's a huge undertaking that could not have been done without you.  I feel like the luckiest musher at the start line.  To do this race for the fifth time almost makes me speechless.

Here's a pic from the ceremonial start today, wish me luck!

Trent

Ceremonial_start_2011

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Wed, 12 May 2010 13:36:39 -0700 The Buffalo Suit http://blog.trentherbst.com/the-buffalo-suit http://blog.trentherbst.com/the-buffalo-suit

This can go under my “gear head” category.  From time to time, I plan to tell you about the assorted gear that I have for the race.

 

The buffalo suit is a two piece brown suit made of fleece.  If you happened to be in the armed services and stationed in Alaska, say in the 70’s, you probably owned one as it was standard issue.  The top is a normal zip top with great pockets to store liniment, foot ointment, and my lip balm.  The bottoms are bibs.

 

Once I put on my buffalo suit in Willow, it usually doesn’t come off until I am back in Anchorage after the race.  I run, eat, and sleep in it.  I use it as a layer.  Under the buffalo suit, I use FIRSTLITE merino wool long underwear.  (more on that later.)  I don’t even take the thing off during my 24 hour in McGrath.  I’ve attached a picture so that you can see the buffalo suit in action.
 
 
Trent_suit_1
 

Buffalo Suit in action at Willow 2010 START

 

A lot of people question my choice of clothing.  I figure that if all the teams actually run into a buffalo in the buffalo tunnels on the trail…..that my trusty suit could give me the advantage I need to propel me to the front of the race.

 

I get quite a few laughs when people see the buffalo suit.  I bought it at the local army surplus store for $10.   At -40 this year, it was still performing as long as I was running alongside the sled in a full sprint. My students are amused at the strategically located zippers on the bibs so you do not have to de-robe every time that nature calls. 

 

During the race, villagers would come up to me and talk about “their buffalo suit” when they were in the service.  They told me that it sure didn’t keep them very warm and wondered how it worked with me.  I think you could wear a garbage bag in -40 below and as long as you run, all is well.  HEFTY trash bags could be next on the sponsorship agenda. 

 

Hopefully it doesn’t come down to that and my buffalo suit keeps running.  I might even attach horns to it next year.  When the front of the pack start heading to the burn and their teams start chasing a very swift tatonka in front of them, they are not hallucinating …….Herbst is in front of them heading to the FIRST TO MCGRATH AWARD.  (I really want that hanging in my classroom).

 

 

George_present

 

In the suit in Ruby in this year’s race with Athabaskan Indian craftsman George Albert and the snowshoe my students made for him

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:17:00 -0700 SPONSORSHIP (How do we do that?) http://blog.trentherbst.com/sponsorship-how-do-we-do-that http://blog.trentherbst.com/sponsorship-how-do-we-do-that

A teacher in the Iditarod?  How do you afford that? 

 

This is a question that I receive a lot from other kennel owners.

 

Very generous sponsors.  I could never do this without all of those that help out.  From gear to cash, this thing is expensive.   I pitch in a lot myself, but it took over $25,000 to organize and run the puppy team this year.   I always tell my wife Candida (when our bank statement comes in and we are overdrawn from my last desperate purchase of lithium batteries before the race), “Hey, it could be worse.  I could have gone out and bought another $500 vehicle to add to the yard.”

 

Thanks to everyone who made it possible this year….  Windy City Arts, Nature's Kennel, Howling Husky Homestead Tours, Clark Gerhardt Family, Tim Semones Family, Jake Peters Family, Jerry Flynt Family, Tom Swift Family, Jim McDermott, Dick York Auto & Towing, Dennis Stitt and the Camas County Mushers, Shannon McLimmons, Sturgeon Bay Model Shop, The Herbst family, Janet Shelfer (author of TAKU), Sue Morgan, Dr. Richard MacAuley, Parents and Students at school, The Polk family!

 

Next year we have an even more ambitious program in mind, stay tuned. 

 

Newton Marshall may be onto something.  Newton as many of you know, was the first Iditarod finisher from Jamaica, he ran this year’s race.  He is a great guy and I had the chance to travel down the trail with him.  Newton is sponsored by Jimmy Buffet.  This is a marriage made in heaven for both of them.  If anything, they both had a great laugh and a lot of fun over the entire project that they both embarked on.  I have a lot of respect for that.

 

 
Newton_marshall
  

Jamaican musher Newton Marshall

 

 

Thus my brain is ticking.  I’m thinking that ZZ TOP is in the need to sponsor a dogsled team and I know just the musher with the beard to fit the brand.  So if ZZ TOP is out there reading this very popular blog, please contact us and let’s talk.…………..I do have a lot of legs in my team.

 

 

       

 

Billy_gibbons

 

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Twin sons separated at birth?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:58:36 -0700 THE FINISH (better known to me as “THE START”) http://blog.trentherbst.com/the-finish-better-known-to-me-as-the-start http://blog.trentherbst.com/the-finish-better-known-to-me-as-the-start

Hard to believe it’s been over for a month now.   My 2010 race is finished and this is the time of year where if I let myself, I can go into a slump.  Project over, dogs are home and off the trail, back to a somewhat “normal” life if there is any degree of that in our household.

 

That lasts for about 8 hours as we are now at the start of Iditarod 2011.

 

There was a clean house and organized basement for the last month that I wasn’t home.  That has drastically changed.  We are busily unpacking gear……bags of used booties, clothing, assorted gear that need to be washed, sorted, and then organized so that I can find it when I need it without tearing the house apart.  My daughter helps me unpack until she catches the whiff of liniment stained bibs or the oily parka.  I took out the fleece “buffalo suit” that I have worn for the past two races. ….straw and foot ointment still sticking to it.   Did I really smell like that?

 

The kennel is melting.  Equipment needs upgrading and repair.  Dog houses mended or upgraded.  Not that much different than your basic spring cleaning for a normal family….except that the family housing includes 18 houses. 

 

Straw raked, compost pile sorted, utility barn cleaned out.  My front yard the prior 7 months was full of dog carts, ATV’s, assorted vehicles in assorted running conditions, dogsleds, fencing, lines, dishes, training gear.  Now it looks like a hurricane came through Sun Valley as I have 2000 booties drying on lines, 50 pairs of gloves waving in the breeze, dog jackets drying on the fence, and enough clothing drying in the sun to clothe an entire team of Everest climbers.  (assorted vehicles remain in assorted running conditions.)

 

Plus there is all that duct tape that I have to peel off semi-repaired items and actually make all the repairs.

 

Trent_checking_mapquest_for_cl

 

Picture during race from Anchorage newspaper, caption was “Trent Herbst checks MapQuest for closest barber”!

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:01:00 -0700 Update from Gavin and Nick http://blog.trentherbst.com/update-from-gavin-and-nick http://blog.trentherbst.com/update-from-gavin-and-nick
Hello!!

Trent has arrived back safely.  The dogs are back home in their kennel.  Trent would like to thank everyone for their help and support.   We will post stories from Trent's students from the trail as they slowly reveal themselves!

Thanks Again!
Gavin & Nick

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:49:05 -0700 TRENT’S 4th IDITAROD SYNOPSIS http://blog.trentherbst.com/trents-4th-iditarod-synopsis http://blog.trentherbst.com/trents-4th-iditarod-synopsis

TRENT’S 4th IDITAROD SYNOPSIS

 

I ran, I rested a lot.  Dogs ran faster.  We rested more.  Dogs ate more.  We continued to run fast.  I got a lot of sleep and got to Nome in 12 ½ days as planned.  We really finished fast. 

 

This is fun.

 

I was running a group of inexperienced youngsters from Ed Stielstra’s Natureskennel.  This was my 4th Iditarod running young and inexperienced dogs.  I like the yearling schedule for many reasons.  Those at the front who are burning out, need to come and join the “puppy” team drivers in the back and actually enjoy the race.  Heck, LET’S TRADE TEAMS FOR NEXT YEAR and let me become sleep deprived. 

 

We are not making a lot of money at this.  We all have 2nd hand gear, broken sleds, and a whole lot of duct tape between us.   This year’s group of puppy teams (or younger inexperienced dogs out for a training run) included Sam Deltour running a team of Seavey youngsters.  Sam is a blast to be around.  Nicest guy you will ever meet.  This is the second time I have had a chance to be around him in the race and I hope the Seavey’s get him to stick around for another run.  Dave Decaro in his rookie run with Jeff King’s rookies.  Another great guy to be on the trail with.  Though his second hand gear was a lot better than the rest of us…..plus a lot more interesting.  My memory of Dave will be cemented in Koyuk when he sliced his hand with his knife and we all grimaced in the village hall as a vet stitched him up.  How Dave never flinched as the vet was sticking him with a needle is beyond me. 
 
Thanks to everyone who helped get me there!
 
Trent
 
Trent_frost_face
 
 
 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/405768/kiel-18.jpg http://posterous.com/users/3st1fzJC3xvP Trent Herbst Husky Herbst Trent Herbst