 I've been a mortician in Alaska for over 30 years, and I'm honored to have helped families from all over this great state. While traveling the Iditarod Trail along both routes, I met families from Anchorage to Nome. I've had people yell out, thanks for taking care of my dad, or another family member or a friend, as I've traveled past the Alaskan-style tailgate parties from Willow to Shell Lake, then the checkpoints and the villages.