Last night we paid a late visit to the checkpoint to use the high-speed
connection and got there
just in time to watch Rick Casillo pull in. He was looking good
and his dogs were very spirited as they planned an eight-hour stay.
Mark Moderow and Jim Connor were in the community hall about to
grab a few hours sleep before their planned take-off at 4:00AM.
Jim was a bit nervous, “on pins and needles,” as he
put it but he was really doing okay as a rookie. Mark was talkative
and a couple of other mushers were asleep nearby.
Today we spent a few hours with the Day family as we decided just
what to do about flying in the weather. The prediction was not good
up towards Nome. Mitch Seavey, Jeff King or Backen may be pulling
under the burled arch without us, darn it. Snow was falling gently
outside the Day’s big picture window and as time passed, it
snowed harder and harder. Later in the day we went down to see which
mushers were in. Five were parked in Kaltag for a rest. These were
Harmony Barron, Bennie Stamm, Jacob Lysyshyn, Matt Weik and Cliff
Wang.
One of Cliff’s dogs had to be flown out regardless of the
weather but the dog was much improved
by the time we spoke to the veterinarians. Harmony’s dogs
were perky and her wheel dogs up playing with each other. She let
some of the village kids help her give the dogs snacks. Bennie’s
dogs, including Chubby, were napping while listening to Bob Seger
over his MP3 speakers. Matt Weik was inside sleeping. Cliff and
Jacob were comparing notes on just what else could be eliminated
from their sleds to trim down on weight. After evaluating pretty
much each item, they decided there was nothing they could leave
out. Cliff showed us his bruised side from a wreck on the Happy
River Steps. The activity was
sort of slow while the mushers waited on their dogs to complete
their rest. The five who were here today gradually massaged, bootied,
encouraged and got their dogs up and about. Approximately 6:30PM,
they each pulled the hook and trotted out of Kaltag. Bennie’s
dogs were a bit reluctant to leave. He stopped and switched leaders
several times as the other four teams passed by. A smile crossed
my face when I realized they were parked by the town’s fire
hydrant. Maybe that was the problem.
After dinner, we watched the evening news on TV in hopes of seeing
the live finish of the race and checked online updates ourselves.
It was interesting to note that Mitch Seavey lost a bit of time
when he took a wrong trail out of Golovin. The Iditarod trail markers
looked a
bit different this year and in the dark, wee hours, Mitch backtracked
all the way to town, losing about 52 minutes of his nice lead, to
be sure he was headed the right way. Charlie Boulding lost a chunk
of time when he pulled over at a one-room shelter cabin outside
of Elim, found it warm inside and collapsed for an unplanned two
and a half hour nap. Ed Iten pulled ahead of Boulding with 13 dogs
and Ramey Smyth, know for his speed near race end, was also in contention
with the front-runners. This is the first time in years the Iditarod
has been quite this close and so exciting.
We can only imagine the excitement under the burled arch in Nome
tonight as Mitch pulled under this historic monument in first place!!
Mitch’s wife, Janine, had to be overjoyed as I’m sure
were his parents, Dan and Shirley, along with his sons, Tyrell,
Danny, Dallas and Conway. But for the weather, we would’ve
been there to cheer Mitch on his well-deserved victory. Let’s
not forget that even though the race is now won, it is not over
for the many others out on the trail, struggling to finish the last
great race on their own terms.
Around 10:00 the checkers let us know that Sue Allen had pulled
in and was closely followed by another team, which turned out to
be James Warren. Sue was looking great, in high spirits and her
dogs were awesome. They were up, playing and wanting to eat right
away. A few minutes later, Perry Solmonson and Steve Madsen cruised
into Kaltag. Steve still had all 16 dogs even though one had ridden
in the basket most of the day. The veterinarians were examining
his team as we hopped on our borrowed snowmachine to get back to
the house.
here
just in time to watch Rick Casillo pull in. He was looking good
and his dogs were very spirited as they planned an eight-hour stay.
Mark Moderow and Jim Connor were in the community hall about to
grab a few hours sleep before their planned take-off at 4:00AM.
Jim was a bit nervous, “on pins and needles,” as he
put it but he was really doing okay as a rookie. Mark was talkative
and a couple of other mushers were asleep nearby. 
mproved
by the time we spoke to the veterinarians. Harmony’s dogs
were perky and her wheel dogs up playing with each other. She let
some of the village kids help her give the dogs snacks. Bennie’s
dogs, including Chubby, were napping while listening to Bob Seger
over his MP3 speakers. Matt Weik was inside sleeping. Cliff and
Jacob were comparing notes on just what else could be eliminated
from their sleds to trim down on weight. After evaluating pretty
much each item, they decided there was nothing they could leave
out. Cliff showed us his bruised side from a wreck on the Happy
River Steps. The activity w
as
sort of slow while the mushers waited on their dogs to complete
their rest. The five who were here today gradually massaged, bootied,
encouraged and got their dogs up and about. Approximately 6:30PM,
they each pulled the hook and trotted out of Kaltag. Bennie’s
dogs were a bit reluctant to leave. He stopped and switched leaders
several times as the other four teams passed by. A smile crossed
my face when I realized they were parked by the town’s fire
hydrant. Maybe that was the problem. 
bit different this year and in the dark, wee hours, Mitch backtracked
all the way to town, losing about 52 minutes of his nice lead, to
be sure he was headed the right way. Charlie Boulding lost a chunk
of time when he pulled over at a one-room shelter cabin outside
of Elim, found it warm inside and collapsed for an unplanned two
and a half hour nap. Ed Iten pulled ahead of Boulding with 13 dogs
and Ramey Smyth, know for his speed near race end, was also in contention
with the front-runners. This is the first time in years the Iditarod
has been quite this close and so exciting. 
