This is a strange time for family and friends, as all the hype is over
and we're all just left standing around while our musher heads down the trail
with their 16 friends.
We're excited, nervous, exhausted, happy and sad all at once.
Mushing is a sport with tons of emotions, all needing to be held in check
for the sake of the dogs, who pick up on everything.
Mushers have to be tough physically and mentally as well in the face of the unknowns,
and sometimes more difficult, the knowns of the trail they're traveling.