Iditarod musher shares tales with students

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By ELISA D. KELLER
ekeller@njherald.com
FRANKFORD — When Blairstown resident Kim Darst talks about facing bitter cold, dangerous winds and unpredictable wildlife during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, even a room full of seventh-graders listens with rapt attention.
Darst visited Frankford Elementary School last week for a presentation about her experience in the famous 1,000-plus mile Alaskan sled dog race in March, including a PowerPoint photo presentation and some equipment demonstrations with a few members of her dog team.
Darst’s experience on the Iditarod Trail culminated with one of her lead dogs, Cotton, developing hypothermia in the midst of negative 60-degree winds. Rather than going on with the race and risking the dog’s life, Darst bundled Cotton in her sleeping bag and tried to keep the animal warm until help arrived to take the sled dog for emergency medical treatment.
“I said, ‘I won’t take my sleeping bag (back). Cotton needs it more than me,’” Darst told the crowd of assembled students, noting that the dog’s temperature was nearly 20 degrees lower than normal and it would have died had help arrived even 10 minutes later.
“I could’ve been without that dog and finished, but I wouldn’t have changed it for the world,” she said. “All the (fan mail I received) said, ‘I hope you win.’ It’s not if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”
Darst was 600 miles and 10 days into the race before being forced to quit, and as the first New Jersey resident to qualify for the Iditarod, has become an increasingly sought after guest speaker for schools and organizations throughout the state.
Her visit to Frankford Elementary on Tuesday was orchestrated by literature teacher Karen Balzano to coincide with two Alaska-themed books — “Julie of the Wolves” by Jean Craighead George and “Woodsong,” a memoir by former Iditarod racer Gary Paulsen. This was Darst’s fifth year of bringing a dog team to the school, but her first since participating in the Iditarod.
“I get satisfaction teaching the kids about teamwork,” said Darst, who brought along one of her 16 dog handlers, Jean Pollack, to help with the presentation.
Balzano said her students followed the Iditarod results each day on the Internet, and she hopes to put together a fund-raiser in the fall to help Darst raise some of the $40,000-50,000 she will need to compete again in 2010.
“It’s just amazing,” Balzano said after hearing Darst’s personal experience on the trail. The teacher noted that her 85 students were in awe of Paulsen’s book detailing how to take care of dogs in extreme weather, and the incredible dedication required to complete the Alaskan journey. “In New Jersey, that’s a little bit intangible, so it’s wonderful when they get to meet (Kim).”
Caitlin Slate, 13, of Frankford, said she appreciated Darst’s presentation more after reading “Woodsong” in class. “It was a good book. It taught you about perseverance and achieving your goals. I thought (this) kind of brought the book to life,” she said.
Branchville resident Mackenzie Ramberger, also 13, enjoyed visiting with a few of Darst’s dogs, including Avalanche, C.B., Maple and the fully-recovered Cotton.
“I learned there is a chance of a dog dying on the trail,” said Ramberger. “I just got a lot out of it on how to take care of the dogs.”
Darst demonstrated the ice-resistant booties she puts on the dogs’ paws during the race — it takes about an hour each time she has to slip them on and off the 16-dog team, she said — as well as how the sled and dog harnesses work.
A professional helicopter pilot and flight instructor, Darst spends part of the year training her Husky Haven crew of around 30 dogs in Michigan and Minnesota, but got started having them pull an engine-less ATV along the Paulinskill Valley Trail near her home in Blairstown. The team will begin training for the 2010 Iditarod in October. ? Created: 6/6/2009 | Updated: 6/6/2009