Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, who has won the race four times, says Redington taught her some about mushing, but mostly what being an Alaskan is all about. Mushing, after all, is a lifestyle in Alaska, one that mushers enjoy talking about when they are not busy feeding, exercising, cleaning up after and training their huskies. They like to talk about life on the trail, and more than a few have written books about their adventures in dog mushing. Not everyone can be, or wants to be, an Iditarod competitor. It takes years of work to prepare for the race.
Many mushers hone their skills by working as dog handlers for more experienced mushers.
Many other Alaskans do compete in shorter races, in cities and villages all over Alaska. The races attract numerous onlookers, to cheer on competing friends and relatives and to photograph the mushers going out of the shoot and crossing the finish line. For those who don't have a friend or relative with a dog team, a number of commercial dog mushing operations in various communities of Alaska are ready to take visitors for a real sled dog ride, lasting from one hour to several days. Commercial musher Bob Mucha at Girdwood, south of Anchorage, says visitors are often surprised at how small his huskies are. Mucha has close to 40 huskies in his kennel and runs 8 to 12 at a time.