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Our 16 favorite photos of frosty Iditarod mushers and fuzzy muzzles

Alaska Public Media | By AKPM Staff
Published March 11, 2020 at 12:48 AM AKDT
One of Joar Leifseth Ulsom's frosty dogs in Nikolai on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. The village serves as a race checkpoint about 260 miles into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
One of Joar Leifseth Ulsom's frosty dogs in Nikolai on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. The village serves as a race checkpoint about 260 miles into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)

With temperatures plunging deep into the negatives on Tuesday, mushers and dogs sported a coating of frost when they pulled into Nikolai, a small village about a quarter of the way into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Here are some of our favorite photos from the cold day in Nikolai:

Josie Owen, center, of Alaska Air Transit and local children practice presenting a blanket and handmade beaver mitts to the first musher to reach Nikolai on Tuesday. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Richie Diehl, of Aniak, arrives in Nikolai on Tuesday with plenty of frost from cold night on his run from Rohn. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Frosty dogs on Richie Diehl's team in Nikolai on Tuesday, waiting for a snack and a nap. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Richie Diehl puts straw down for his dogs to sleep on in in Nikolai on Tuesday. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
The beaver mitts made by Oline Petruska of Nikolai and presented to Richie Diehl for his first place arrival to the community on Tuesday. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Mushers get their hot water from modified oil drums in Nikolai. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Jessie Royer, who splits her time between Montana and Alaska, pulls into Nikolai with 14 dogs at 10:56 a.m. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Travis Beals, of Seward, and his 14 dogs race into Nikolai at 11:05 a.m. Tuesday, about 10 minutes after Jessie Royer's team. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Then comes Wade Marrs, of Willow, around 11:15 a.m. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Wade Marrs and his frosty, frozen mustache. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Joar Leifseth Ulsom and his sled dogs wear matching neon orange jackets as they glide into Nikolai around 11:30 a.m. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
Joar Leifseth Ulsom is also frosty. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
Sixth into Nikolai on Tuesday is Aaron Burmeister. He, like many mushers, decided to park his team and take a break after a cold run from Rohn. (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)

Related:  Follow all of our coverage of the 2020 Iditarod.
Iditarod
AKPM Staff
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