HUMAN

Name: Gary Keane

Residence: Evergreen, Colorado

Age: 78

Occupation: Retired

Years involved with Iditarod: Since 2017

Iditarod Role: I am a IditaRider

Current Location: Lakefront Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 3, 2022

Temperature: 68 F Indoors

What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?

I first became involved with Iditarod on one of my numerous trips to Alaska during the summer. I had stopped by 3A to pick up a map of Anchorage. And I don’t remember who started the conversation, either my wife or myself. When we picked up the map, something came up about the Iditarod. A woman in 3A said, “Don’t talk to me about it. You need to talk to so-and-so.” I was not aware that you could ride in it. And the individual that I had talked to was going to ride in the Ceremonial Start gratis because she had volunteered so many years for it. So after that, I had followed it a little more closely, and in 2017, I was fortunate enough to ride with Hans Gatt. And that was a tremendous experience.

What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?

I am with the Iditarod today because I am a IditaRider also this year, and I’m going to ride with Hanna Lyrek from Alta, Norway. I’d like to go to Norway sometime. Probably not in the winter, but do some fishing there.

Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences.

My most memorable experience with the Iditarod was when I rode with Hans Gatt and he wanted the dogs to haw. They would not haw. They would gee. And we stopped. Then he gave them a rest, started off with haw, and they went that direction. My most memorable experience with the Iditarod was when I rode with Hans Gatt and he wanted the dogs to haw and they would not haw, they were geeing. And we stopped. He gave them a rest and started off with haw and they went that direction. I was amazed also on that trip the number of people all along the trail out in, I want to say the middle of nowhere, but this is actually downtown. There were no roads nearby. There were people having barbecue parties with barbecues bigger than your house. How they got them there, I have no clue. But it was very interesting.

What do you know for sure?:

There are a couple things for sure that we know in life. Change is always constant and we will not be around forever. We do not know when we are leaving.