By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media Exclusive - December 12, 2023


Erin Altemus, a resident of Grand Marais, Minnesota, is a musher preparing for the ultimate challenge: the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 2, 2024. Her love for the sport began 14 years ago, sparked by winter adventures at Camp Menogyn. Today, she leads a close-knit team of dogs, most of whom were born and raised with and by her. 

Training is a time and energy-intensive process, but one that is critical for the health and safety of the dogs. Certain training exercises help Erin determine which dogs will make the cut for which races. "We push them a little doing training runs that challenge their physical and mental capabilities," she explains." For races like the Beargrease, with its longest leg spanning 60 miles, she ensures her dogs can handle the distance without distraction. "Most of these dogs train up gradually to the distances we are asking them to race, so unless they get injured or there is some other environmental factor, they are ready for the races we run," she added. 

This year, with little to no snow, the team is training using a running ATV to help keep a steady pace. Altemus will tackle the Iditarod solo as a rookie, while her husband Matt provides crucial support. He will stay behind, caring for any dogs needing to be "dropped" from the race and meeting Altemus and the team at the finish line in Nome. And while she may be running the race solo, she will know another rookie, Anna Hennessy, who Erin says "has helped us with our kennel,  is a former guide at Camp Menogyn, and is an ER nurse at the hospital in Grand Marais." Fellow musher Ryan Redington will be racing as well, whom Altemus has raced several times with.

The prep work, time, and expenses that go into running the Iditarod are extensive. At the time of the interview, Erin was sitting at the airport waiting for a flight to Anchorage to attend a required in-person all-day rookie meeting. "It was $4000 just to enter the race. We will drive the dogs up to Alaska and back. Fly them out from the finish. Matt is building a new sled that is more appropriate for this type of race. We need 1,000 dog booties, a coat for every dog, dog food at every checkpoint, the list goes on. Perhaps the biggest expense though is that this isn't possible without an insane amount of time and expense just training dogs and feeding them a very high-quality diet," she said. 

To support Erin and Matt leading up to and during their first Iditarod race:

• Purchase merchandise at Joy and Company until the start of the Iditarod
• Sponsor one of Erin and Matt's dogs or a checkpoint (find more information here)
  
• Buy a bag of kibble or a round of booties (find more information here)
• Follow along via Erin's website: https://sawtoothracing.weebly.com/
• Follow her articles and updates via Northern Wilds: https://northernwilds.com/author/erin-altemus/
• Follow Sawtooth Racing on Facebook
• Up coming fundraiser in Duluth, details TBD

During the actual Iditarod, you can follow Erin's journey on https://iditarod.com/ or https://sawtoothracing.weebly.com/

Sled Dog Meet and Greet Recap

Text below by Alex Dobbins. All photos and captions below by Alex Dobbins for Boreal Community Media

On Saturday, December 2, Joy & Co. hosted a Sled Dog Meet and Greet for one of Grand Marais’ sled dog teams, Sawtooth Racing, who will be competing for their first time in the 2024 Iditarod. Boreal Community Media Event Photographer Alex Dobbins visited the team for some photos. Musher Erin Altemus was unable to attend as she was in Alaska at a mandatory all-day meeting for rookie mushers. Matt Schmidt, her husband and partner of Sawtooth Racing, brought two of their dogs, Itsy and Teddy, both six years old and strong team members. Itsy and Teddy will both be a part of the Iditarod team this coming up year. The Meet and Greet event allowed community members see what gear is used in these races such as: the sled, the dog harness, the booties, a snow anchor, and warm gear that the mushers must wear. This event was apart of the first ever Holiday Harbor Village.

 Erin Altemus wears these very insulated musher boots to keep warm during races

The booties that the Sawtooth Racing sled dogs wear to keep their feet protected from the snow and ice

 Sawtooth Racing sled dog team member Teddy showing off his racing harness

Lead dog Itsy gets cozy on the hay stack 

Musher Erin Altemus was not present at the meet and greet as she was attending a musher conference in Alaska for the Iditarod Race. However, her husband and Sawtooth Racing partner  Matt Schmidt posed for a picture with her cutout

 Musher gloves made out of beaver hide help keep the musher's hands protected and warm from the harsh winter climate

Sled dogs Itsy and Teddy ran 20 miles on Saturday prior to the meet and greet, to prepare for the Iditarod

Lead dog Itsy, who is 6 years old, receives some love and affection