Veteran Alaska Musher First to Reach Iditarod Halfway Point

A veteran Alaskan musher looking for his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race victory became the first to reach the official halfway point late on Thursday, pulling into the trail’s northern most community.

Aaron Burmeister, 39, arrived in Huslia on the fourth night of this nearly 1,000-mile race, which commemorates a 1925 rescue mission that carried diphtheria serum by sled-dog relay to the coastal community of Nome.

Welcome signs and cheers greeted Burmeister in this largely native Alaskan village of fewer than 300 people that serves as a checkpoint in the famed race, now in its 43rd year.

Huslia became part of the trail when race officials designed an alternative route after deeming sections of the traditional trail unsafe for competition.

Iditarod blogger and former competitor Sebastian Schnuelle wrote on the Iditarod website that “the whole town seemed out and about” awaiting Burmeister. (Read more from “Veteran Alaska Musher First to Reach Iditarod Halfway Point” HERE)

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