Iditarod photos: Village of Nikolai

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A snowmachine lies buried in the snow in Nikolai. The Athabaskan village of 100 people is located on the South Fork of the Kuskokwim river, and is the first Iditarod checkpoint after the treacherous farewell burn. March 6, 2012

On Tuesday morning, mushers in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog started showing up in the Alaska village of Nikolai.

The first traditional village along the Iditarod Trail, Nikolai shines like an oasis for mushers and dog teams tired from the climb into the Alaska Range to the south, pummeled by the drop down to the north, and sometimes just beaten by 75 miles across the rough and desolate Farewell Burn.

Predominately Athabascan, the village of about 100 people traces its roots back thousands of years.

Read more about Nikolai