HUMAN

Name: Tim Johnson

Age: 51

Residence: Seward, Alaska

Occupation: Physician’s Assistant

Iditarod Roles: Trail Crew

Years involved with Iditarod: This is a baker’s dozen, 13

Current Location: Finger Lake checkpoint at Winterlake Lodge.
Date of Photo: March 6, 2022

Temperature: 20 F Outdoors 

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

I first became involved with the Iditarod back in 2005. We had a neighbor that was running the Iditarod that year. Trine Lyrek and her husband Don were right across the road from us, and so we helped them out with some bag drops and some handling and that’s how we first got caught up in the race.

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

I’m here today, involved with Iditarod just because I love the culture of this race and what it stands for with Alaska, and I really think that’s important to continue. The continuity of being here every year is what really drives it for me. What I mean by culture is, I think that the old ways of running trap lines, and being out with dogs and being in the back country, I think that is so ingrained with our indigenous populations and otherwise. I think that’s really important.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was coming out here with glare ice. We had to have them set their snow hooks in these holes that we’d drill for them, put little lights in there for them to target, to throw them in, and they’d hook them. It was incredible.

What do you know for sure?

What I know for sure in life, the main important thing is that we’re all pulling together, and we don’t have enough of that these days. I think that’s key.