It’s still cold (sitting right at zero as I write this), but the below-zero temperatures seem to be abating. It’s been a cold, cold March, and I bet nobody’s feeling it more than the tough men and women who are out behind a team of sled dogs whenever they can manage it. Mushing’s an interesting hobby; I haven’t tried it and likely won’t, as it’s a major investment of time and money. But we have friends who do, and most of them love the sport. One of our friends even ran in the Iditarod a few years ago.
Speaking of which: We have a 2026 Iditarod winner, and it’s a familiar name!
Jessie Holmes is back again as Iditarod champion.
The field of mushers and the elements threw everything at Holmes, but he never flinched, crossing under the burled arch at 9:32 p.m. Tuesday to claim his second consecutive Iditarod victory in a total time of 9 days, 7 hours, 32 minutes, and 51 seconds.
Holmes led the race ever since he passed Cantwell veteran Paige Drobny on the trail between Cripple and Ruby, where he claimed the “First to the Yukon” prize, a gourmet five-course meal.
The Brushkana veteran maintained a strong presence at the front of the field throughout the roughly 1,000-mile endurance race that was inspired by the vaunted “Serum Run” of 1925.
Good for Jessie. I have a funny feeling we’ll be seeing him again next year.
Alaska Man score: 5 tired but happy sled dogs.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: It's Iditarod Time Again
Now then – ever wondered how mining companies in Alaska haul heavy equipment out where there are no roads? Read on:
An unusually cold winter and moderate snowfall in Southcentral Alaska have created the perfect conditions for Nova Minerals Ltd.'s current transport of antimony mining and sorting equipment over a winter road to its Estelle project roughly 100 miles northwest of Anchorage.
"Having just ridden out and back on the snow trail myself, I can confirm this was the fastest and smoothest I've ever seen it – a testament to the exceptional cold temperatures this winter and the outstanding work by our team and partners," said Nova Minerals General Manager Hans Hoffman.
The cold temperatures over the winter and during the road construction allowed construction crews to build more than five-foot-thick ice bridges over stream and river crossings with the capacity to support freight loads of more than 100,000 pounds.
This was an ideal scenario for Nova, which had a particularly large amount of freight to deliver to Estelle to support a pilot-scale antimony mine funded by the U.S. Department of War (DOW).
This equipment crosses the Susitna, a long stone’s throw from where I sit writing this. It’s a long, long journey to the mining site, made more so by the fact that it can, now, only be done in winter. The proposed Susitna West road may one day help with that, but for now, it’s the cold way or no way.
If they do get that Susitna West road and the Ambler road built, what I want to know is whether the roads will be open to recreational travelers. There’s a lot of great hunting and fishing along those routes.
Alaska Man score: 5 rock-hard frozen moose nuggets.
Read More: Nova Minerals Boosts Estelle Project With New High-Grade Gold Target
Now then, it won’t be long until spring breakup. What does that mean? Watch:
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