HUMAN

Name: Benjamin Saunders

Age: 26

Residence: St. Paul, Minnesota

Occupation: Pilot for Ryan Air based in Unalakleet

Years involved with the Iditarod: This is my first year with the Iditarod.

Iditarod Roles: Trail crew. I scoop the poop.

Current Location: Nulato, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 12, 2022

Temperature: 9F Outdoors & Windy

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

I first became involved with the Iditarod because I watched Balto when I grew up. Flew out of Nome for a while and currently fly out of Unalakleet. It’s always been a dream of mine to get down and dirty with the dogs, I guess. It’s just a really unique experience.

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

I’m here today and involved with the Iditarod because I love animals. I have a long history of veterinarians in my family. I had two weeks off of work and didn’t really have anything else to do and seemed like a really fun experience.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was when a bunch of dudes from Italy and New Zealand came through on their bikes in the middle of the night from the Iditarod Trail Invitational. I got to nerd out with all their cool gear, and I think their bikes cost more than my car. So that was pretty cool.

What in life do you know for sure?

What I know for sure in life is I’m probably too naive, inexperienced to even begin to think about that. Yeah, I guess that’s my answer.