Kristi in Blue, Anna in Red

Kristi in Blue, Anna in Red at Unalakleet in 2011

No, you're not seeing double.  At that place are Two Beringtons, Kristy and Anna.  They are Identical twins.  And so Identical that fifty-fifty in utero, their heartbeats were synchronized.  Kristy arrived first.  Mom, Dad and the attending md were completely surprised when Anna arrived five minutes afterwards.  Now, xxx-two years after, living in Knik, Alaska Kristy and Anna have established a pocket-size kennel and call information technology Seeing Double Sled Dog Racing.  They accept some of their own dogs and take rounded out their Iditarod teams by renting or borrowing dogs from other kennels.  It's near impossible to talk about one twin without mentioning the other.

Born in northern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Superior, Kristy and Anna began mushing at the historic period of ten.  The twins made exercise with what was bachelor to brainstorm their mushing careers.  They harnessed two family dogs, a bully pyrenees and a border collie, attached them to a make shift sled created from a pair of downhill skies and a milk crate and off they went.  A neighbor maintained a sprint racing kennel.  At first the girl'south helped out with keeping the kennel make clean.  It was a great chore considering they were with dogs, lots of dogs.  Their role at the kennel evolved into helping with grooming and doing some sprint racing.  After Graduating from loftier school Kristy, besides as Anna, served with the National Guard.  Then it was off to college.  Kristy is a very activeness oriented person and college wasn't action oriented plenty.  The same was truthful for Anna.  They chose adventure over the halls of higher learning and moved west.

Somewhen they concluded upwardly in California working for sled domestic dog touring companies during the wintertime.  Summers brought a different 4 legged mode of travel, horses.  Kristy guided tourists on horseback tours of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Kristy traveled to Alaska in 2007.  Upon coming together 1984 Iditarod Champion Dean Osmar, she decided Alaska was the answer to her desire for wilderness adventure with dogs.  Anna was on lath with the decision too.  They moved to the Terminal Frontier in 2007.  Information technology's a life style they actually savor as information technology rolls the things they dearest, gamble, dogs, endurance sports and exploring into in i exciting and challenging parcel.

Anna says that her all-time times running dogs accept been with twin sister Kristy and thankfully, for those of u.s. who can't tell them autonomously, they sometimes wear dissimilar colored hats.  In Anna'south starting time Iditarod, she wore a ruby hat and Kristy wore a blueish one.  Other years on the trail, at that place's no piece of cake style to determine who's who.  This year they take different colored sled numberless.  Anna's is red and black.

In Anna'south start two Iditarod finishes, she and Kristi accept come into Nome with their teams running beside each other crossing under the Burled Arch simultaneously while belongings hands.  What's Anna's favorite snack for the trail?  She gravitates to Smucker's Pb&J Uncrustables.

Kristy has finished Iditarod six times and Anna has finished Iditarod 4 times.  They would say it'due south not really almost the racing, only rather being in a remote location with your dog squad and being self-reliant.  The trail of the Concluding Dandy Race covers some of the most beautiful yet rugged and unforgiving terrain on earth.  Races allow mushers to experience that beauty and answer to the challenges.  The Iditarod is an opportunity for the mushers to test themselves as well as the dogs they have trained.  It'south like the last test for a semester course.

IMG_5437

Custom dog sweater with pockets for oestrus packs

Today in Unalakleet, they worked like twins every bit the bedded the dogs down, removed booties, massaged their athletes and feed them a high calorie repast.  Anna took a moment to testify me a specially designed dog coat with pockets for hand warmers.  I'd like to be a dog on a Berington team.  Seriously, massage then my own special sweater with heat packs.  How could it be whatsoever better?