Vern and his wife Susan Whiton posed with lead dog, Ruger, and team dog, Trouble. Vern has placed in the top 10 of the Iditarod races he's entered. With 1999 being his best place so far of 3rd! Susan has competed and finished respectively in the 1995 & 1996 Iditarods. They own and operate "Dream a Dream Dog Farm in Willow and Trapper Creek, Alaska. Susan is well known as "The Country Vet." She's been a teacher and a police officer, too!

Vern and Susan talked to the kids about the extreme weather conditions in Alaska while racing the Iditarod. There are many layers to clothing, insulated and uninsulated, wind suits, mukluks, at least 4 layers of gloves, parka with hood, and headlamp to see in the dark! John was dressed from head to toe as a musher would to encounter winds and cold temperatures during racing.   We all learned about what materials work best to retain heat while remaining dry!

Here are the mukluks that Vern wears during his racing. They look mighty warm. They have a leather sole to them and fur around the tops. Notice that they also lace up. No velcro here! Vern also mentioned how changing socks often helps to keep feet dry. Some mushers change them 5 times each day! Hypothermia is something mushers are very careful to prevent.

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