Forrest Sheppard has crossed off the top item of his Bucket List.

The Woodridge resident returned March 7 from a trip to Alaska, where he had the opportunity to sit in a dogsled piloted by a competitive musher during a ceremonial kick-off to the legendary Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race March 1.

“You go from the chaos of being on a barricaded street in downtown Anchorage with the excited shouting of 20,000 spectators and 1,600 dogs barking at the same time to a sudden hush of the woods,” said Sheppard, 62. “All you hear is the ‘shhhh’ of runners gliding through the snow. Oh my God, it was unbelievable.

“I was sitting in a basket with all of the equipment between my driver, Jennifer Freking, and the wheel dogs watching their tails going crazy and taking in my surroundings,” he added. “We were on the trail for about an hour, hour and a half. The temperature was 20 degrees not counting windchill, but adrenaline carried me the whole way, so I didn’t feel it.”

Sheppard scored an Iditarider spot following a bidding war through an online auction, where winning bids ranged from $500 to $3,100. The avid dog lover and Husky owner received an official race checkpoint memorabilia piece from wife, Joan, as a birthday gift five years ago, and Sheppard has been tracking the Iditarod on the Web ever since. The obsession led him to research riding options, and he discovered the race committee allows Average Joes to accompany mushers on the first leg of the relay to help fund supplies and veterinarian care for the event.

The Iditarod is a 1,150 plus-mile trek through mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forests and desolate tundras from Anchorage to Nome. The journey usually lasts 10 to 17 days, with record-breakers making it in eight days’ time. The race commemorates the heroic efforts of 20 mushers and their incredible dogsledding teams who delivered life-saving diphtheria serum to isolated Nome when an epidemic threatened the city in 1925.

“Being able to attend this year’s kick-off was a peek into Alaskan history and culture,” said Natalie Mazzarella, Sheppard’s niece who accompanied him and his wife on their trip to Alaska. “It doesn’t seem like something that would still be occurring in 2008. It was just amazing to be part of the tradition.”

VIP passes were issued to Joan Sheppard as well as Mazzarella and boyfriend Fred Tuch, both of Woodridge, so the Forrest Fan Club was able to participate in meet-and-greets with the dogs and talk to mushers and animal handlers just before departure.

“We got to talk to (Forrest) just before he started the trail. It seemed like forever until it was his turn because they left in two-minute intervals and he was like 60th out of 96 sleds,” Tuch said. “I got to run along side of his team as they took off and I snapped a bunch of pictures. It just looked wild, and I was so jealous.”

Sheppard’s cheerleaders took a shuttle bus to an airport, where the ceremonial 11-mile stretch ends. There, competitors unharness the dogs and transport them to a checkpoint where the race restarts the following day.

“At each rest stop, the dogs dive in the snow head first to cool off and drink a little, then Jennifer would say ‘Hike!’ and they’d immediately snap back into it,” Sheppard said. “Getting a behind-the-scenes look at everything gave me memories of a lifetime. My family and I really connected with Jennifer and the dogs.”

Sheppard’s gang arrived in Alaska Feb. 27 and met Freking during a lunch and evening banquet. She also took the group to an open house at the kennel where her team was being housed.

Mazzarella said meeting Freking, who is running the Iditarod with her husband, was extraordinary and that her family immediately was invested in their well-being.

So Sheppard and company were devastated after learning that a snowmachine struck the dog team at 10 p.m. March 9 near the Yukon River, killing 3-year-old Lorne and seriously injuring another Husky named Aries, who was helicoptered to a vet clinic.

“Since I got back, I’ve been checking in on Jennifer. She’s a trooper, so she’ll continue on even though (she’s grieving),” Sheppard said. “Three weeks ago, Jennifer broke her hand and wouldn’t let that stop her from running the Iditarod. She told the doctor to put a pin in it or even cut her finger off because she’s not to be denied after preparing for such a big undertaking.”

The race is still ongoing, and Freking is in 55th place after the accident held up her progress. She and her husband have been keeping pace with one another, so he ranks 54th.

Sheppard was so moved by the trip that he plans to volunteer at the race in the future so he can see it through to its culmination.

“It’s still weird to be home after such a life-altering experience,” he said. “I wish I was up in Nome right now for the finish line — I truly envy the competitors. I’m an animal lover and enjoy the outdoors, so I feel like it’s in my blood now.”