Iditarod musher Zoya DeNure has not had an easy trip home after she scratched out of the race in Cripple this past weekend.
She says her bag containing a custom parka, bibs, headlamps, and fur mittens, went missing from the Anchorage International Airport baggage claim, following her flight from McGrath.
“I just opened it and realized, ‘Oh my god that’s not my stuff,’” she said Tuesday, recalling the moment of shock when she grabbed the black plastic trash bag she thought contained her gear.
DeNure said she checked her belongings in the plastic bag because she was without a suitcase or duffel bag, having scratched mid-way through the race.
The trash bag that ended up at the baggage claim contained men's work clothing. She suspects another passenger mistakenly took her plastic bag, not knowing it contained nearly $2,000 worth of mushing outerwear.
Or worse, her stuff was stolen.
The airline, PenAir, says it called all the other passengers and still no luck.
“I just traveled 500 miles with that stuff on my body. It kept me warm and kept me alive and I don’t have any of it,” said Denure.
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