Volunteering as a dog handler in Alaskan Iditarod race
<p>For Christchurch woman Libby Harrop, Alaska has become her second home.</p>
<p>She has just returned from Alaska where she volunteered at this year's Iditarod, "the last great race on Earth".</p>
<p>For the last two years, she has travelled to the icy American state to be a dog handler in the world famous sled trail race.</p>
<p>"It never crossed my mind that little old me would go to the Iditarod," she said.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="280" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37672/dog-sled-in-text_497x280.jpg" alt="Dog Sled In Text"/></p>
<p align="center"><em>Christchurch woman Libby Harrop with Norwegian dog sled rider Joar Ulsom, wearing Harrop's Delphi Lavender logo.</em></p>
<p>She first visited Alaska in 2013 and said the highlight of the trip was visiting a dog shelter and learning about the dog sledding huskies.</p>
<p>"I realised then I had some hankering to do this," she said.</p>
<p>"I've always liked the cold, the north, the Antarctic, exploring, the wild… I thought, 'Let's actually do something about it. Don't just sit and dream, what a waste of time'."</p>
<p>Harrop's interest in sled races began when she read about the 1925 serum run to Nome as a child, in which a dog sled relay transporting medication across Alaska saved the town of Nome from an epidemic.</p>
<p>"I read about it in the '50s and it peaked my interest, and I've been interested ever since."</p>
<p>Researching Iditarod online, she became a sponsor for one of the riders, tracking the 2015 race from New Zealand.</p>
<p>The following year Harrop went to Alaska as part of a tour group where she became a dog handler in the Iditarod race for Norwegian riders rider Ralph Johannessen last year and Joar Ulsom this year.</p>
<p>Harrop said dog sledding was "like the All Blacks" in Alaska.</p>
<p>Held in March each year, thousands gather for Iditarod in which riders and their 16 dogs traverse 1700 kilometres across white Alaska, taking around eight to 12 days to complete.</p>
<p>Support crews, including Harrop, flew to the mandatory stops for the riders and their dogs, which were small villages on the trail, some with populations as small as 10.</p>
<p>This year, of the 76 racers hitting the snow, Ulsum came fourth, completing the trail in just under eight-and-a-half days.</p>
<p>As a dog handler, Harrop's main job was to keep the dogs – including beautiful Siberian huskies and Alaskan malamutes – calm while they lined up to start the race.</p>
<p>Harrop said the friendly Alaskan people and their "snow from seashore to seashore" wilderness was "incredible".</p>
<p>"It's so different here from in New Zealand.</p>
<p>"You have no idea what -45 [degrees Celsius] is like … it is so cold, it's unbelievable, but so invigorating."</p>
<p>Each trip was "not a cheap expedition", costing around $25,000 all up, but she said it was worth it.</p>
<p>She said mushing in the white wilderness and playing golf on the frozen-over Bering Sea were life-changing experiences.</p>
<p>At home in Christchurch, Harrop owns Delphi, a lavender oil product line. She is a regular at the Riccarton Farmer's Market, which is now an official sponsor of her favourite rider and friend Ulsom, who uses a Delphi lavender product as massage oil for his dogs.</p>
<p>"I didn't think I realised what I could do and how much I really enjoyed doing this sort of thing.</p>
<p>"Honestly, I'm getting on, I can't do it forever, I'll keep doing it 'til I can't do it anymore.</p>
<p>"I've already booked the next year," she said.</p>
<p><em>Written by Monique Steele. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>
