Each year in early March, more than 50 competitors and hundreds of dogs convene in Anchorage, Alaska, for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Over the course of about 15 days, the competitors — or mushers, as they’re called — traverse slushy terrain and whiteout blizzards with a team of pups, traveling more than 1,000 miles to reach the finish line at the west coast city of Nome. Few have the ability to bear witness to the grand competition — until now.
Google Street View has unveiled a stream of photographs from last year's mush, letting audiences outside Alaska look inside the wintry race using its Trekker gear (a portable backpack fitted with a camera, letting its Street View technology squeeze into hard-to-reach places). Last year, the backpack was worn by a Google employee towed in a sled by 1984 Iditarod champ Dean Osmar.
The technology has also previously documented the icy slopes of Mont Blanc in France, the crevices of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and the crystal waters in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, among others.
[img src="http://admin.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/trekker-cam-640x359.jpg" caption=""The Trekker enables Street View to feature more places around the world - places no car, trike, trolley or snowmobile can access," says Google. " credit="Google Street View" alt="trekker cam"]
After finishing the 11-mile mush, Google completed 60 more miles with the Trekker, capturing panoramic views of cities such as Anchorage, Fairbanks, Galena, Unalakleet and Nome. The company's camera gear also snapped some pretty cute candids of the pups.
The annual race, named after the Iditarod River, is regarded as a celebration of Alaska's history -- a place where dog sledding was once an indispensable form of transportation. In previous years, a lack of snow has made the race more difficult; the 2015 race had its commemorative start in Anchorage but officially began in Fairbanks due to the bleak weather.
Still, residents and visitors swarmed the finish line to congratulate participants, each of whom is tethered to 16 specially-trained dogs. Some brave souls even dress in costume to greet incoming competitors.
This year's race begins on Saturday.