On The Trail
The weather hasn’t been bad for the first part of the race, but after they enter the interior anything is possible.
They have started with about 11 hours of daylight, and that will increase every day. Running at night is going to require their headlamps because the moon is a waxing crescent and won’t provide much light. They need the light because you definitely don’t want to go off the trail. It runs along the side of gorges, and requires switchbacks to make it up some of the heights. A lot of mushers and their sleds get broken while crossing the mountains and the Farewell Burn [second growth as the result of a major wildfire].
The positions keep jumping around because the experienced mushers have their own run/rest schedule They will be leapfrogging each other.
The experienced teams all rested at Rainy Pass so the dogs will be alert and fed for the nasty bits just ahead of them. This is the slowest part of the trail, as a wrong move can take the team out of the race.
The first award, Spirit of Alaska Award, awaits the lead team into McGrath. PenAir gives them an original spirit mask [it is piece of handmade Native Alaskan art] and $500 in credit for air freight or travel on PenAir.
8 comments
Sounds like the “moose and stump dodging” stretch went pretty well this year. I didn’t hear of any dogs or people getting hurt, did you? This is the only time that I’m tempted to get the Iditarod Insider – I’d love to see video of the mushers going through some of this territory. But, hey, I’m cheap.
They’ll be dodging them into McGrath, Juanita, but the snow must be deep and packing. As long as the runs of the leaders don’t break it down, it should be a safe run. It is usually the back of the pack that suffers, as the trail breaks down a bit with every passing sled.
Rohn marks the end of the mountains, the Farewell Burn, with the stumps and moose is what the leaders are dealing with now.
After the way they introduced the “Insider” program, I will never join. The Iditarod is more corporate than BP.
OT: You mistyped a bit of your ID and the software thought you were someone new and held the comments for moderation.
Bryan, I read as far as the subject of your post, and now I have an “earworm” of the movement “On the Trail” from Ferde Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite. But I believe the program for that movement involves a donkey rather than a sled dog, and a rather different kind of trail.
Actually the Grand Canyon and the Dalzall Gorge have a lot in common, and the dogs will move through the Gorge at a donkey’s pace to avoid coming off the side.
Oh, that’s right! The stumps would be where the Farewell Burn is – well, that makes sense 🙂 Just a little slow today. Rainy Pass is where all the switchbacks and ravines are located, right?
OT: Apparently, I’m really not hitting on all cylinders today. It could be that the PAWS people are scheduled to pick up the puppies tomorrow. We all agreed at the Animal Shelter that if I took the mother, then they would take the puppies when weaned. But dang, it’s harder than I thought. I’m really tired of the poop, but I’m really attached to those pups. Still, it’s time…
The mountain climbing is both sides of the Pass. The infamous “steps” are before the Pass, and the Dalzall Gorge is after. The “steps” are a sled eater and musher buster, as series of stone ledges going down to the bottom, and if you aren’t lined up exactly right on them, you and the sled will part company and slam into the rocks. The leaders get the clean trail and proper line, but things get iffy with every sled that goes through.
Apparently there is good snow on the Burn, and people aren’t bouncing off the stumps. That will probably change for the back of the race.
Juanita, there are kids out there that need those puppies. Think of those kids, as well as the puppies.
there are kids out there who will love those puppies too, and the puppies will love them back. unconditionally. but yes, you really do get attached to them, in spite of all the poop.
Thanks for the moral support, guys. And yeah, I really do know that it’s best which is why I had planned on turning them all over to PAWS when all this started. What seemed so simple in theory, turned out to be a lot harder in reality. The PAWS van came by about 11:00 and picked them up. I know that they’ll do their best to find them really good homes which is the most important thing. These are happy little puppies and deserve the best.
After all, the mother originally had 24 hours before the shelter was going to euthanize her, so I have a lot of satisfaction knowing that we all worked to save her AND all her pups.