After fried eggs and toast, Bill and I hopped on the snowmachine
to see who was still parked in Kaltag. Sue Allen and James Warren
had left at about 6:00AM and Perry Solmonson
left about 8:00 but Steve Madsen was still parked and G.B. Jones
had just pulled in. G.B. was gathering his drop bags and fetching
hot water to cook for his team while Steve was gearing up to leave.
Race officials were suggesting that G.B. needed to pick up the pace
and he heartily agreed. His dogs had been making about 3 mph average
and he was lacking leaders. G.B. said he was determined to make
it to Nome, in spite of everything. “Scratch is not in my
vocabulary.”
Before we knew it, time and weather were closing in and we needed
to get to the plane. Earl
had already been to the airport, warming the engine. We said our
goodbyes to the Day family then we zipped up our bags and zipped
into the air. I will have to say the ride from Kaltag to Nome involved
a few bumps in the air, not my favorite part, but Earl did a great
job jockeying us around the clouds to try to avoid the turbulence.
We soared over many parts of the trail that Bill could identify
from the air: the Blueberry Hills, Little McKinley, Topkok, etc.
We spotted The Last Train to Nowhere, the gold dredges, Safety checkpoint,
Fort Davis Roadhouse and all the landmarks familiar to Nome. After
we landed, and hitched a ride from the airport, we heard the sirens
going off and a musher was spotted coming in, Tim Osmar. We made
a quick pass through headquarters as the Seavey family was coming
in. Big congratulations to Mitch and Janine, Dan and Shirley were
expressed. A short while later, Dee Dee Jonroe passed under the
burled
arch and right behind her, Jerry Sousa. Libby Riddles was in the
crowd watching the incoming finishers. Of course we had to stop
by Fat Freddies for dinner where we continued to meet lots of Idita-friends
from years past. A steady stream of mushers including Ken Anderson,
Jim Lanier and Paul Gebhardt came in as the sun set behind Iditarod
Headquarters.
Later in the evening, we stopped by Leo and Erna Rasmussen’s
home for dessert and coffee and met lots of new friends. We walked
back to headquarters to type our update. The temperature was –5
degrees and the stars were out overhead. However, word around headquarters
was that Race Judge, Andy Anderson, was advising mushers not to
leave White Mountain in current storm conditions. Probably Rookie
of the Year, Hugh Neff, is expected in Nome soon.
Solmonson
left about 8:00 but Steve Madsen was still parked and G.B. Jones
had just pulled in. G.B. was gathering his drop bags and fetching
hot water to cook for his team while Steve was gearing up to leave.
Race officials were suggesting that G.B. needed to pick up the pace
and he heartily agreed. His dogs had been making about 3 mph average
and he was lacking leaders. G.B. said he was determined to make
it to Nome, in spite of everything. “Scratch is not in my
vocabulary.”
Earl
had already been to the airport, warming the engine. We said our
goodbyes to the Day family then we zipped up our bags and zipped
into the air. I will have to say the ride from Kaltag to Nome involved
a few bumps in the air, not my favorite part, but Earl did a great
job jockeying us around the clouds to try to avoid the turbulence.
We soared over many parts of the trail that Bill could identify
from the air: the Blueberry Hills, Little McKinley, Topkok, etc.
We spotted The Last Train to Nowhere, the gold dredges, Safety checkpoint,
Fort Davis Roadhouse and all the landmarks familiar to Nome. After
we landed, and hitched a ride from the airport, we heard the sirens
going off and a musher was spotted coming in, Tim Osmar. We made
a quick pass through headquarters as the Seavey family was coming
in. Big congratulations to Mitch and Janine, Dan and Shirley were
expressed. A short while later, Dee Dee Jonroe passed under the
burled
arch and right behind her, Jerry Sousa. Libby Riddles was in the
crowd watching the incoming finishers. Of course we had to stop
by Fat Freddies for dinner where we continued to meet lots of Idita-friends
from years past. A steady stream of mushers including Ken Anderson,
Jim Lanier and Paul Gebhardt came in as the sun set behind Iditarod
Headquarters. 
