Teams work out the kinks in the Iditarod’s early stages

(Photo by Patrick Yack/Alaska Public Media)
It was busy overnight in Skwentna as teams passed through the second checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail and made their way into the Alaska Range.
Teams are shaking out the kinks early as they settle into race mode.
Spectators stood around a blazing orange, crackling bonfire. They swigged beer and swung their hips in time as a live band played a few tunes. Snowmachines buzzed by on the river and the northern lights glowed faintly.
In the distance, mushers