The snow has been melting quickly with lots of sunshine. Hopefully the trail will last another couple of weeks.

I spent Wednesday May 10th, at the Harry E James School in Hopewell Virginia, talking to over 300 students from kindergarten to first grade about dog sledding. The kids were all attentive and had some wonderful questions. I was amazed how brave they were as they had to come up to the microphone to ask each question, which I then tried my best to answer. As a child I was so shy, I hardly ever asked questions because I didn’t want to feel stupid.

They are currently doing an Idita-read challenge where they score points for reading about and answering questions about the Iditarod. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take Alma Rose with me due to time constraints and my worry that flying her would be too stressful for her. I hope to go back next year with Alma Rose.

It was a wonderful experience and the teachers showed me tons of hospitality and made me feel very welcome. I was a bit exhausted from nerves (public speaking still makes me nervous) and getting lost on the way there. But the day was a beautiful 70 degrees and I was able to get out and visit some of the battlefields in Virginia.

Now back to dog sledding!