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Like their sled dogs, mushers must also have
the best possible food and equipment.
Musher Food
Mushers must eat in order to maintain their energy level and
keep themselves going strong. The trick is that mushers have a difficult
time making themselves eat when they get out on the trail, get very tired, and
are extremely focused on their dog teams. To solve this problem, mushers
commonly have foods on the trail that are very good tasting but not
necessarily good for them. The reason is you will only eat appealing
foods when you don't feel like eating very much.
On the other hand, nutrition is also important. In fact,
research is being conducted at this time by Carla Cox at the University of
Montana in an attempt to determine the best possible diets for mushers and
other people doing endurance events in cold climates. A balance of fats,
proteins, and carbohydrates are essential.
What does all this mean for the musher? Bring your
favorite foods as long as they are at least a little bit nutritious.
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| This is a typical meal
pack for Jim Gallea. At least one of these is sent to every food
drop checkpoint with all of the other gear and supplies Jim and the
other Iditarod mushers send out. At the top of the picture is
Gatorade, Capri Suns, and a bag with snack foods like trail mix and
granola bars. The four items on the bottom are pre-cooked meals
sealed into tough plastic bags. These are known by the mushers as
"Seal-A-Meals." |
Ultimate Iditarod's Jim Gallea has his brother, Brian, make
much of his food. Here are some of Jim's Iditarod trail meals.
Keep in mind that these are Jim's favorites, but that every musher is
different.
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Angel hair pasta with pesto sauce,
sund-dried tomatoes,
and grilled chicken breast.
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Lasagna with spinach and home-made marinara sauce.
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Ham balls (meat balls made of pork and ham)
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Potato casserole
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Broccoli, egg, ham, and cheese casserole.
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Ravioli with spicy sauce and Italian sausage.
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Banana bread
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Pizza
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Desert bars and cupcakes
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ReeseSticks Candy Bars
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Ritz Crackers and cheese
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Beef Jerky
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Trail Mix
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Granola Bars
In addition, lots of liquids are needed. Mushers can get
drinking water at the checkpoints along the trail, but most mushers also send
out additional liquids. Jim Gallea sends out about 100 Capri Sun juice
pouches and 25 bottles of Gatorade for the Iditarod along with meals like the
ones listed above. Hydration is the most important thing for the
musher. If a musher becomes dehydrated, frostbite, cramps,
hallucinations, and dizziness are all much more of a problem. Drinks
like Gatorade are good because they contain things that help mushers' tired
bodies keep energy levels higher and work better.
Do mushers carry all of the food with them?
No, musher food is sent out with the dog food and other
supplies in the food drops.
How do the mushers cook the food?
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| This is the stove, or
cooker, that mushers use to heat water and warm up their own meals. |
The food is all pre-cooked. Everything sent out along
the trail in the food drops is frozen, so all the mushers have to do is thaw
out the food and heat it up.
The most common way that this is accomplished is for mushers
to vacuum-seal all of their food in tough plastic bags prior to being shipped
out in the food drops. Each plastic bag contains a single meal.
These bags can then be placed in the water in the musher's cookers
while the water is heating up for the dog food.
When the water is hot, so is the mushers food. The meals can then be
eaten right from the plastic bag.
The same thing is done to thaw out Carpi Suns and bottles of
Gatorade, juice, or water.
Musher Gear
As with their food, every musher has a slightly
wardrobe. However, the basic concepts are the same.
Mushers layer their clothing to allow for maximum warmth and
versatility. Multiple layers allow for different combinations of
clothing as the weather conditions change.
The lowest layer is a layer of long underwear or long johns
that insulates the musher and helps to draw sweat (perspiration) away from the
musher's body. Next come a few insulating layers. Many mushers
wear a lighter insulating layer over the long underwear and then put a heavier
insulating layer over that.
Outside the insulating layers are the protective layers.
These layers are made of thin, lightweight, tough, windproof fabrics that
block wind, snow, and moisture. Often mushers have a main protective
layer that is usually worn all the time plus a second protective layer that
can be put on when temperatures are extremely cold or winds are extremely
strong.
On their feet, mushers wear very well insulated boots
or mukluks (more traditional style of winter footwear that doesn't have a hard
sole like a boot does). Warm socks are also very common.
On their hands, warm fleece gloves and large insulated
mittens are used by nearly all the mushers.
On their heads, mushers wear warm hats. Having a
good hat is very important because up to 90% of a person's body heat can be
lost through the head. Face masks, goggles, scarves are also commonly
used in cold or windy conditions along with the ruff on the hood of the
parka.
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| This shows the ruff, face
mask, and hat used by mushers. |
The ruff is a piece of warm, thick fur that runs along
the outside border of the hood. When the hood is cinched down, the fur
surrounds the musher's face to protect it from blowing winds and snow.
Both natural fibers like wool and down and synthetics like
nylon, foam, and Primaloft (synthetic down) are used to make the clothing that
mushers use.
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