As the Father of the Iditarod , Joe Redington, was famous for saying, you can always cuddle-up to a team of sled dogs and stay warm, but a snow machine that won t start is no help at all. There are usually three or more veterinarians at a checkpoint in the beginning. As the race moves beyond that location vets may move on leaving less vets but there will always be a veterinarian at a checkpoint until the last team leaves. There are also volunteer checkers, radio operators and dog handlers at each checkpoint. Initially there is much to do to prepare for the arrival of the first team.
All supplies have to be inventoried and set out.
Each vet will pack a small bag of commonly used supplies that they carry with them so as to save time and effort. A dropped dog chain is setup in an appropriate location. All dropped musher supplies are inventoried to assure that all of each musher s shipped gear has arrived. Cooking fuel and straw for each team is placed in an easily accessible location. Trails are placed to allow teams easy access to prime resting areas.