Above: Kim Darst racing in the 2009 Iditarod. Photo contributed by Morgan Outdoors.
The Iditarod, the 1,000-mile sled dog race that takes place annually in Alaska, kicked off on March 1 this year. Today, dog teams and mushers are about halfway through the course, which stretches from Anchorage to Nome, and will keep running for about another week.
To celebrate the race, Kim Darst and her sled dog Cotton are visiting Morgan Outdoors in Livingston Manor tomorrow to talk about their harrowing experience in the 2009 Iditarod, which is the basis for a book, "Cotton's Tale."
According to the Star-Ledger in New Jersey, Darst had to choose between finishing the Iditarod and keeping Cotton alive:
The dog or the dream? Rookie Iditarod musher Kim Darst had a decision to make.
She had trained for a decade to enter the sled dog race that is to Alaska what the Super Bowl is to the lower 48 states. The Warren County resident was halfway to her goal of becoming the first New Jerseyan to finish the Iditarod when a blizzard Monday left one of her dogs, Cotton, with a temperature nearly 20 degrees below the average 101.3 for dogs.
Fearing the hypothermic dog would die before they reached the next checkpoint, Darst had to decide.
She chose the dog.
Cotton will be at Darst's side tomorrow in Livingston Manor, and so will signed copies of the book about their journey.
From the Morgan Outdoors press release:
Kim Darst, living in New Jersey, trained for 10 years to compete in the 2009 Iditarod. Cotton was part of her dog team! Kim is a helicopter pilot and, at one time, she was the youngest helicopter pilot in the world. When piloting trips to Alaska, Kim became fascinated with the state sport of dog mushing.
What did Kim pack in her sled, what did she feed the dogs and how much sleep did they get? These are just a few of the questions we’ll ask Kim on March 8th. Her experience racing in the 2009 Iditarod is the theme of a book, “Cotton's Tale.”
Meet Iditarod Musher Kim Darst and her sled dog Cotton. Saturday, March 8, 3pm. Morgan Outdoors, 46 Main Street, Livingston Manor. Reservations suggested. Call 845.439.5507 or email info@morganoutdoors.com.
