Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now

She ain’t no rookie even if it is her first Iditarod. A member of the Han Gwich’in from Eagle Village, Alaska, she’s run plenty of sled dog races, but this was the first time she had to run off a bison charging her team.

They came upon it — a woods bison, slightly larger than a plains bison and just as unpredictable. She pulled her Glock. The gun jammed. She got out in front of her team and threw sticks at it. The bison pawed the snow and bluff charged them. Then she remembered the words her grandma used to run off a bear. Apparently it works on bison, too.

Here’s a link to her video describing the encounter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7nQ2cyv-84

She’s one of 30-plus racers in a run from Anchorage to Nome, just under 1,000 miles. She’s not in the front of the pack. She’s taking care of her dogs and running her own race.

I have a soft spot in my heart for this race. For the decade that I lived in Anchorage, it was always such a highlight to head downtown the morning the race began. We’d go before it was light, when the mushers and their dogs were getting ready. Those dogs were so eager, so ready to run. I love that today many of the mushers post images along the trail: mushing in the dark, through blizzards, hunkering down at checkpoints feeding and caring for these smart, amazing animals.

Rock the race, Ms. Potts-Joseph. I’m inspired, regardless of where you place.