My Alaska Life
I just love stories about hardy people which you find a lot of in the wilds of Alaska. I’ve told you about the Iron Dog Snowmachine race this year and it’s about time to move on to a new subject but there is one more team I’d like to talk about before I do. Team 21, the Hale Brothers, Israel and Joseph, were the Red Lantern and Rookie Team of the Year for 2021. That means it was their first time to run the race and they were the last team to finish out of 14 teams. They did a great job and they were a fan favorite. The amazing part of this story is that Israel Hale, one of the 2 brothers, was the first double amputee to compete in the IronDog. He was in an accident a few years ago. He was stopped alongside the road repairing a trailer when a driver passing by hit him. The accident caused him to lose both legs. This 2500 mile race is not an easy one anyway and you can imagine what an additional challenge it is to do it as a double amputee. Israel rides with no prosthetics. What an amazing spirit he has to get right up after such a life changing accident and compete in one of the toughest competitions on earth. Way to go Team 21.