ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Thomas Waerner won this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March, but he is still waiting to return to his home in Norway.
Waerner and 16 of his dogs have been stranded in Alaska by travel restrictions and flight cancellations caused by a coronavirus pandemic, The Anchorage Daily News reported Saturday.
“I love Alaska,” Waerner said. “This is the kind of place of my dreams. But I have a family. “
Waerner has five children and 35 other dog sleds in Torpa, Norway. He missed the 10th birthday of one of his children and skipped morning coffee with his wife, Guro, who left Alaska in March shortly before health restrictions stopped the trip.
The 47-year-old plans to fly home in early June on a DC-6 to the Air History Museum in Sola, Norway.
Everts Air Cargo from Fairbanks sold the historic aircraft, and Waerner said the museum was expected to finalize the agreement this week.
“We hitched a ride,” Waerner said. “The plane will go to Norway, and we will go with them. We are very lucky. “
Before the trip, Waerner was expected to undergo a COVID-19 test and collect his dogs from a cage in Salcha owned by fellow musher Arleigh Reynolds.
Waerner said he had friends in the cities of Esther and Salcha in Alaska and often spent several days around Fairbanks after the Iditarod. This year, some days turned into more than a few weeks and Waerner is ready to resume his normal life.
“My wife has treated 35 dogs, children and worked as a veterinarian,” he said. As soon as he returned home, “‘yes, dear,’ will be the answer for everything,” he said.
For most people, new coronaviruses cause mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that go away in two to three weeks. For some people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia, and death. Most people recover.
