Rohn to Nikolai: (Near) Disaster…or How to Practice Hanging on to the Freight Train for Dear Life

Upon leaving Rohn the team winds its way through the woods and VERY shortly finds itself on the glare river ice. VERY shortly meaning the team is fresh and just getting warmed up when we hit the river and then things really start to rock and roll! Gerry was in lead…and whenever I have “mushing adventures” it is almost always with Gerry in lead. This run proved no exception. Oh, did I mention that Gerry likes to go around the world to the right??? So of course out on the river, running headlong with no chance of stopping, the trail angles…left. He continues to veer right. I realize we’re off the trail and tell the team “HAW!” We start to swing left – at a dead run – and cut across a gravel bar which is inconveniently in our path. Which was bouncy and the sled was clattering along but still upright and I had this fantasy everything was under control…right up until we hit the driftwood and boom! Tipped over to the right and down we went, “WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!!!!!” OK, slowly assess damage and injury and try to stay calm – as soon as we get upright again, we’ll be off to the races. A busted stanchion top, a torn sled bag, and a scraped up forearm…EASY!...here we go again!

No more gravel bars, but at a dead run we missed the trail exit off the river into the trees – and I desperately wanted to get off that river and glare ice. So we finally stopped and managed to get the team turned around, then drive them back to the point where we were supposed to enter the woods and finally got them to go in. Whew…so I thought… We were now embarking on the infamous “buffalo tunnels”, many miles of twisty tiny trails through the woods created by the many buffalo who roam the area. Although I didn’t actually see any buffalo, I heard them in the woods a few times as we went by, and saw plenty of evidence of their work in crafting the area to their own needs. Twisty turny tight trails, lots of ups and down, replete with stumps, roots, rocks and precious little snow it was very much like a caricature of a trail, or one dreamed up by an evil fairy godmother. So of course the dogs LOVED it! Every twist, every turn, it seemed as if all they did was accelerate. “Woo-hoo! Let’s see if she can hang on for this bump! Did she make that corner? How about this one?”

It was intense and required total concentration…and you could really feel the power of a 16 dog team. Then in an instant disaster struck and the experience went from being exhilarating to excruciating. I think what happened is that we struck a rock, which dumped us on our right side, and one of my snow hooks which were riding on top of the sled fell to the ground underneath the sled and embedded on a log/root on the right side of the trail, bringing the team to an immediate halt. I finished falling to the right as the sled dumped, and landed on the iron bar on the back of the snow hook – landed hard. Luckily the team was securely stopped, so I could holler and writhe in pain to my heart’s content without fear of losing the team. So I did. Eventually (maybe 30 sec to a minute) I managed to get up and hobble up to the team, and proceeded to unhook all the tug lines except for the leaders and the wheel dogs, to cut down (drastically) on the power available for them to use. At this point Rodney Whaley caught up to me and helped me right the sled and get the snow hook out of the log…and away we went again! Only this time it was relatively more controlled and no more disasters, even though I thought I could feel the blood pooling in the huge bruise growing at the top of my thigh. We were satisfyingly boring going across the Post River Glacier, much to the disappointment of the videographer waiting and hoping to catch the team struggling or me losing it – nope, just motored across and up it like we did it every day.

A few hour rest at Buffalo Camp, then on our way again to Nikolai. The pre-dawn hair-raising adventures were replaced by an endless and easy trail to Nikolai, except for the interminable moguls. The sled of course went into every single hole and the dogs pulled me out the other side. The front end of the team would try to avoid the mogul holes – go around, jump, etc. but the back end had no choice but to go where the sled went. About 15 miles out of Nikolai Utah did some gymnastics to avoid yet another mogul hole, only this time he came out with pronounced gimp as he managed to pull or strain something in his front end. By this time too my leg and hip where I’d landed on the snow hook were nice and swollen, and becoming increasingly immobile. Nuts to both! I would have to deal with them when I got to Nikolai.

Rainy Pass to Rohn – Lots of Video Moments!

Our time at Rainy Pass was uneventful…treated a couple of sore wrists, everyone ate and rested well. It took us a couple of hours to get a vet check, as so many teams came in at once. This was also the first place where we encountered the nasty foxtail straw. I hadn’t noticed it so much when we stopped at Skwentna, but the straw we got at Rainy Pass was bursting with foxtails. Ugh! I typically spend all sorts of time, energy and money to avoid foxtails at all costs – they are utterly evil to dogs, who get them into their ears, eyes, nose and skin, where they fester and abscess and generally wreak havoc. I’ve spent too many trips and dollars on emergency after-hours vet visits having foxtails removed from where they’ve been inhaled into dog noses to ever think of them as benign. So I was pretty unhappy to see them in droves throughout the straw. One of the vets warned me of them, but I’d already seen them, however there was no alternative and nothing to be done except keep my fingers crossed that we would have no problems. Another vet then told me she was concerned about 2 of my dogs who were coughing and she thought they should be checked for pneumonia or kennel cough. Pneumonia? Try inhaled and ingested foxtails! They eventually got the foxtails out of their throats and stopped coughing, so we were OK…for now.

Heading out of the checkpoint, the dogs were so ready to go when we swung the team around to head to the trail I needed help holding them from some of the tourists who were stranded there due to non-flyable weather. Luckily they were game, and one gal was most helpful, including keeping her sense of humor and adventure when the team dumped the sled (and her). Then just out of the checkpoint we got off the hard packed trail and they dumped me. Sigh…my oh-so-well-trained team knows how to keep me humble.

The next humbling experience came when we hit our first open water crossing. A little stream…maybe 4 inches deep, about 10-12 feet wide…you would’ve thought I was asking them to cross the Pacific Ocean. Rope and Coast were in lead, we came around the corner to the water crossing, they put on the brakes and we all balled up…much to the delight of the couple sitting there on snow machines and taking pictures. While the woman took photos of our mess, the guy actually offered to help hold the sled while I got the dogs untangled and pulled them across the “chasm”. I knew once the front end of the team got across there was no way they were going back into the water, so they would pull the rest of the team across no matter how much they balked. It all worked as planned…didn’t dump the sled, just drug it through the water so the bottom and sled bag was pretty soaked. Thanked them and on our way.

As we started up Rainy Pass itself, the trail markers were a little thin, and we got off the main trail a couple of times – it was wide open, so that wasn’t a big deal as we could look around and eventually find a trail marker to get back on track. Then as we got into the heart of the Pass, the wind came up, and we were suddenly in a near whiteout. The trail crossed some exposed knobs that were deep with blown snow, and kept climbing, generally to the left. Shortly after the water crossing we came across a knob where the wind was blowing strongly toward our right (downhill) and the trail veered sharply uphill to the left. Rope would have none of turning into the wind and pulling uphill – he insisted on going downhill and out of the wind to the right. Just as we started a discussion about how that was not where the trail was, a helicopter cleared the rise ahead of us, circled and saw we were having problems, and went back to hover just above the rise and watch. Nuts! I tried a couple of more times, but it was clear it was going to take quite a while to convince Rope to head into the wind, and it was really fatiguing to hike up and down the team through the deep snow he’d pulled us into. So I opted to pick my battles…and save that one for another day. I switched he and Gerry, showed Gerry where the trail was – and off we went, much to the disappointment of the helicopter folks, I’m sure. As soon as it was evident we were on the move again, they continued back down the trail to find more trouble. Shortly I heard them hovering over the open water crossing, so they didn’t have to look far.

Rainy Pass, the upper gorge, and the Dalzell Gorge itself all kind of blended together. Not sure what I was expecting, but while there was a lot of pretty intense sled driving, it wasn’t undoable, it wasn’t scary, it wasn’t overwhelming. It was a lot of work and energy. HUGE moguls – we dropped into holes over my head, and the dogs would pull and out we’d pop over the opposite side. Steep uphills and downhills. Trees and rocks to avoid, sharp corners to negotiate…but so much snow it was eminently doable, and I kept waiting for “The Gorge” to bite me, but it never was as bad as I’d expected. The moguls were pretty tough on the sled however, and I think that’s where I broke the bracket on one of the front stanchions of the sled.

At the bottom of the Gorge the trail zig-zags on ice bridges across the Dalzell River, and a couple of those did bite me. Once they caught it on an Insider video (see the one titled “Tipped Sled in Rainy Pass”, shot on 3/6/2008). One someone caused…the video/audio team was on the left-hand side of the trail, and the dogs headed right for them, before suddenly veering back onto the trail. Glare ice, no steering, no stopping, so we slammed right into their sled and gear, as they jumped out of the way at the last second. At least the audio guy helped get us back on track…while the video guy kept shooting and I kept my mouth shut. But all in all a pretty fun tour of the Gorge, and I kept waiting for the really bad stuff – then suddenly I saw a sign on a tree saying 2 miles to Rohn. What?! And we were there, shortly before sunset…what a days’ work!

Skwentna to Rainy Pass – How ‘Bout Them Steps?

We departed Skwentna in the daylight and shortly left the river and started heading toward the mountains. Moguls and heavy, wet snow characterized most of the passage. Initially when we left the river we passed through forest and intermittent swamp trails, where you could see the Alaska Range drawing ever closer. Skirting lakes, occasional overflow, and it started snowing. More moguls…endless moguls. We all learned quickly that while the front part of the team might be able to skirt some of the holes, the sled was going in – just aim straight so you don’t tip.

We pulled into Finger Lake amidst some fairly heavy snow – didn’t plan to stay long, as I wanted to get through the Steps in the daylight. We ended up staying a bit longer than planned…the vets had to look over the team, I had to use the outhouse, and I chatted a bit with Laura Daugereau, whom they parked us beside when we stopped. Then of course we needed to put on new booties, as the dogs were getting to be quite efficient at pulling them off the instant we got into a checkpoint. However they also were getting quite proficient at “surfing” the ground where we were parked for snacks, and a few remaining kibble that might remain where a previous team had been parked. They would get the chance to perfect their surfing techniques during the upcoming checkpoints.

An hour later we pulled the hook and started toward the Steps…with much trepidation. We were rapidly losing our light and it was going to be dark by the time we hit the Steps – oh well, gotta go, certainly don’t want the dogs to be rested when we did them. That didn’t seem to matter…the dogs love running at night, and they got a new burst of energy as we started into the trail going through the Steps. The great news is that there was LOTS of snow. LOTS! Sinclair and Coast were in lead, the trail was twisty turny, and the 16 dog team were in high gear. And it was fun! It would have been even moreso had I not been thinking about the Steps drawing ever closer.

The Happy River Steps are a series of drops (“steps) bringing the trail down off the mountainside onto the Happy River, where it stays for just a short while, then starts climbing again toward Puntilla Lake and Rainy Pass. The drops are more like short cliffs, and once you start, down you go. I’d seen various pictures from summertime and from previous years, but really had no idea what it was going to look like or how you started them. The difficulty/dangers of the trail vary tremendously depending on the snow level. Why? In low/no snow years, your team is steamrolling down the mountainsides on rocks and ice, and with sharp turns there’s nothing to keep the team and sled on the trail. Deep snow is a blessing because you have a well-worn trail “slot” to follow. This year it was really a chute, sometimes with walls over my head. So as long as the sled got into the chute, you were golden – just ride it and hang on and have fun! I discovered this once I got in the first Step, but the anticipation was nearly killing me as we drew closer and closer.

The team was motoring along the winding trail when it seemed all of a sudden Sinclair looked to her left, spied the first step and DOVE for it. Literally lunged and jumped into it, and of course dragging the whole team with her. Me too…here we go! As soon as we got into the chute I realized how deep it was and that while I couldn’t really brake and control the speed, there was very little we could do to get into real trouble, as there was nowhere else to go. The sides of the first chute towered well over my head. I saw fleeting vignettes of walls of snow, flying feet, twisting dog butts, and kept ever focused on ensuring the bow of the sled followed my wheel dogs and stayed in the slot of a trail. Down we went. And it WAS fun! We were committed now, so there was no point in worrying any more…might as well enjoy it. The dogs certainly were – they always run silently, but if they had been teenagers on a rollercoaster, I can imagine they would have been hooting and hollering. They were clearly in their element. Swish! Whoosh! Whump! Slide…. Whip turn. Whoosh again! Accelerate!! Let’s go!!!

It was completely dark and I figured we were done with all the looky-loos and videographers looking to capture teams in trouble. Wrong! How naïve of me…that’s what lights are for! As we approached the last Step, I noticed a glow above the trail ahead of us – how odd, being out here in the wilderness. We rounded a corner and there was a guy standing there at the top of the Step – as we zoomed by, he commented dryly “Have fun!” Great…so this one is worse than the others. The lights were set up to video the bottom of the Step, and yes, we dumped for a split second. I’m not sure how dramatic it was however, since the snow was so deep we landed on our left side, I stood up, up righted the sled, and off we went. It didn’t seem like that big a deal to me, and the snow was certainly soft and cushy…

Suddenly and dramatically we were down on the Happy River, and the trail was eerily flat. Deep snow down here in this gorge too. Then as we started to climb out, the trail got twisty again, and LOTS of really deep mogul holes…it was to be like this the entire way to Puntilla Lake, although I didn’t know it at the time. I was travelling with a couple of guys who were also rookies, and so we all helped each other out if one got stuck or tangled. It was a fun trail. Up and down, round and round, in and out. Finally got to a side trail where there was a tent where someone was set up to provide hot water you could put in your cooler to take into the checkpoint, a couple of miles ahead. Since it was dark and no moon, it was hard to tell exactly what we were passing through, but that area seemed wide open, maybe another lake or meadow. Then we dropped down onto Puntilla Lake and pulled into the Rainy Pass checkpoint. We were all pretty happy with ourselves, having enjoyed the Steps…so what was the big deal, anyway? ;-)

The Real Start (Exciting and Boring and Terrifying, Oh My!)

The Re-start on Sunday at Willow Lake was almost surreal. I was fairly calm and relaxed, and needed to gainfully find a way to spend 5 ½ hours before I actually left the start line. Luckily, a whole series of minor events popped up to occupy my time. Friends kept offering food and drink, so I was able to nibble and snack my way to the race start. Several folks stopped by for pictures, interviews, etc., my Idita-rider and Ceremonial Start dog handlers, among them. The zipper and Velcro on the sled bag needed repair and Lori got those taken care of with a couple of hours to spare for packing. New race collars for the dogs, a few final pictures for the team photo frame, visiting with neighboring teams, entertaining Amy, Karen etc., final packing items, changing into trail clothes, bootie the dogs, ready, set, go!

On one hand, the actual start of Iditarod is just like any other sled dog race start. Teams leave the start at prescribed intervals. Lots of help to get the team to the line and hold the sled. Crowds lining the starting chute. Dogs getting all revved up. Did I forget anything major?

In other ways it is very different. Never before had I lined up 16 dogs in competition, never before had I had friends show up in such force just for me at a sled dog race, never before had I been in a race where I had to wait nearly 2 ½ hours after the start of the race before I started. It was nice all the hoopla was there to entertain my friends, and my world compressed just to the dogs, my sled, and myself. Everybody looking good? Where are my boots and snow suit? Did I remember enough hand warmers to get to Skwentna? Time to pee…no, not yet.

Once we left the starting line, my whole objective was to get the team under control and into a trot. Didn’t crash and burn on Willow Lake or on the road…whew! The team was going strong but not 100% all out -- glad we had a chance to do a few last minute runs toward the end of the week and take the edge off of them. The first team that passed me was Fabrizio’s, early on Vera Lake. Everything was familiar since we’d run these trails a million times, so the dogs did seem pretty settled down, as if we were going 20 miles not 1150.

Turned to head down the Corral Hill trail to get down onto the river, and my race was almost over when it had barely begun. A couple of other teams had passed me, there were lots of spectators on the trail sides, and ahead where the trail turned sharply and dropped onto the river, a ton of folks there to spot/help in case a team had problems. So above that, as we had just started down Corral Hill, I expected no trouble. Then I heard a snow machine heading up hill, toward us, as we headed toward a sharp left turn. The snow machiner burst from around the curve just as we reached it – he was going WAY too fast, and swerved violently to miss my leaders. He almost didn’t miss – swerved first right, then a hard left, then another hard right as the machine fishtailed out of control. The dogs jumped back and forth to avoid his machine…Tie and Coast in lead, and with Tie having been involved in the Klondike 300 snow machine accident, he knew what was happening and made sure to avoid the machine, and was barely able to do so. I didn’t see anything except that the guy had a red snow machine. He finally ended up on my left-hand side, I hollered at him to slow down and he rooster-tailed us as he sped by us up the hill. Everybody was OK…but what a jerk!

Down onto the river without further incident, and smooth sailing to Yentna. I wasn’t planning to stop – good thing, as I couldn’t…the dogs were going to have none of that! We signed through and on our way – no taste of spaghetti dinner for me! That’s OK – later on we passed some tailgaters handing out hot dogs shortly before Skwentna, and they were wonderful (as anything would be at that point, I was hungry!). On into Skwentna, and the dog chore routine began. The dogs really appreciated their snacks, straw and meal; I treated a couple of sore wrists, the team settled down to rest and I muddled my way up the hill to the roadhouse for some food and sleep.

Returning to the "Real World"

Greetings from Whitehorse! The team, Elaine and I are enroute on our return to our post-Iditarod lives. We had a bit of snow yesterday after leaving Alaska, but the temps are incredibly balmy compared to when we passed through this area in January (25-30 above vs. 25-35 below). The dogs are great travellers, love their dog truck and always eager to get back in and hit the road.

Some aspects of the race seem like a dream already. I'll be posting more about the race and our experiences as time and internet connections permit. We've been busy packing and travelling, and I've hardly had a chance to even think about it all to put it into perspective. This last part of the adventure has a somewhat bittersweet feel to it. On one hand, I'm most excited about heading home (finally!), and it was great to pack up and get out of the cabin and on our way. Yet I know that the magical experience with the dogs will never be repeated. We'll never be in the same space again, and that has been something to savor that I'll never forget. Those dogs who finished the race I think sense they did something really special. They're happy to be reunited with the rest of the kennel, and still a little subdued and resting...yet I think they look at me and know in some way what an adventure we've all had.

More later!

Mission Accomplished !!!!!!

Liz completed the race on Monday, March 17th at 10:51am. It was a thrilling moment!! Peggy and I were at the Iditarod HQ and Peggy asked if they had a spotter out on the trail to let us know when she was 20 minutes out from the finish. They didn't have one out and it was 10:30am. We estimated she would be coming in around 11am. So one of the volunteers said "Lets get in the van and I'll drive out to the end of town!" We jumped in the van and drove 3 miles out and just then suddenly we saw Liz and team driving out on the ice of the Bering Sea. What a thrill!!! The volunteer, who had been a trail spotter for many past Iditarods, remarked that the team was really moving. When the team reached a point where the trail is parallel to the road, we drove along side and clocked the team at 12 mph. They were really truckin!!!! The volunteer dialed a number, handed me the phone and said when someone answers, tell them Liz is at the Roadhouse, get the checker to the finish line and get folks moving quickly as Liz would finish in 5 minutes.

She let us take a few pictures and then she said we had to get back to town fast!
So we zoomed into town. As we got near the Finish Line they sounded the siren which meant Liz was 5 minutes out. It gave us goose bumps. We jumped out of the van and situated ourselves under the burled arch to await the team's arrival. Just a few minutes later there they were proceeding down Front Street to the finish line. As the team approached people started cheering and they announced Liz's arrival time. I ran to the head of the team to ensure they stopped at the end of the chute and then hugged and kissed each dog. They looked terrific!!! Liz was jubliant and all smiles. After Liz, congratulated her dogs and checked in with the race officials, I finally got to go up and give her a big congratulatory hug. Then we took off the dogs booties and gave a few out as souvenirs to the school kids at the Finish Line. Tourists asked to pose for pictures with the dogs and Liz. Crimp was a real ham laying down amidst all the comotion--he needed a quick 40 winks! Finally, after many pictures and celebration, we moved the team to the dog yard and got them situated at a temporary site at the edge of the yard. We would have to wait later that afternoon to move them to the areas where we could attach them to lines where they could rest comfortably in dog crates filled with straw. This is where they would stay until flown back to Anchorage. I fed the dogs and then took Liz back to our host family's home where she could shower and rest. Then Richard, the husband of our host family, took me back to the dog yard on the four wheeler and he helped me assemble crates, move the dogs to their spots and spread straw for them. We got back to the house at 4:30pm and then went out to eat. Liz needed a meal in her. We had a huge pizza and returned to the house. Richard and I went back at 7pm to feed the dogs. Just as we finished (close to 8:30pm) the siren sounded the impending arrival of the last musher. We stopped at the Finish Line to watch her come in and extinguish the lantern and receive the Red Lantern trophy for last place. It was quite a moving moment and lots of folks had tears in their eyes. As the sun set over Nome, I thought about how fortunate I was to see the start of the race in Anchorage, and the official end of the race in Nome. What an amazing experience!

When I got back to the house at 9pm, Liz had already been sleeping a few hours and was out cold. At dinner she had talked a little bit about how satisfying and enjoyable her race experience had been. I'm sure she will be filling you in on this blog with her thoughts, experiences and impressions of participating in "The Last Great Race on Earth"!

I will also try and post some pictures soon of her and the team approaching Nome and the actual crossing of the finish line.

So long from Nome!
Elaine

Oops!

Well, I didn't proof read the last post so I didn't correct the word some in the title. Also, not sure why the Togo picture didn't get posted and there are duplicate pictures of the drop bags. Have patience, I'm just learning how to do all this fancy manipulation of images from the computer to the blog.

I checked the race status and Liz left Shaktoolik at 12:37pm this afternoon. She is sticking to her schedule the last two checkpoints so I think she is really energized and eager to get to Nome!

Elaine

Somne pictures

Finally, I've managed to get some pictures on the blog. They are as follows:

Lori, Liz, Elaine and Wrangell pose with packed truck and dog trailer in Togo, MN
Drop bag preparations
Liz shipping sled to McGrath
Liz crashing sled at Ceremonial Start

I'll try and size more while I'm in Nome and when we get back to Willow I can post them.

I am estimating that Liz will finish the race at approximately 9:30am Monday, March 17th.

elaine

Liz calls from Takotna!

Liz took her mandatory 24 hour layover at Takotna, as planned. She called yesterday and left me a message. I just missed her call and ironically I was at the Iditarod Headquarters on Wasilla checking on the race status, buying a few souvenirs and looking at the historical displays they have on the past winners of the race. In her message she sounded great and said all was well and the dogs were fantastic! She advised me to call Lori in Wisconsin with whom she had just spoken. I called Lori and got more details.

All the dogs are eating well--even Circle--who is a picky eater. Physically they are in great shape. Foot pads in good shape and no problem sore muscles. I relayed this information to Jamie Nelson and Jamie was of the opinion that the dogs are getting stronger as the race goes on, which is wonderful!!

Liz herself did sustain an injury on the part of the trail known as Buffalo Camp which is on the way to Nikolai. It is an area which is inhabited by herds of buffalo and they make trails through the willows which creat "tunnels". She was going through a tunnel and dumped the sled and as she fell, fell upon one of her snow hooks. Snow hooks are cold, hard steel. Luckily, she only got a huge bruise on her butt and no laceration. However, she said the pain was tremendous and she could not move for a while. She managed to get back on the sled and made it into Nikolai where the veternarians checked her out. She had only intended to stay 8 hours at Nikolai but stayed 16 hours to allow her bruise to start healing. The vets did a tape job on her leg/butt muscles to alleviate the pain and she made it to McGrath where she got her new light weight Gatt sled with the seat and "caboose". She reported that the sled feels great to drive! She enjoyed much needed rest at Takotna and took a long, hot shower. Takotna is known as the best checkpoint with the best hospitality and food.

She left Takotna at 6:24am this morning and made in and out of Ophir, at 9:12am, and 10:28am, respectively. She is now on her way to Cripple.

It was so good to hear the energy and enthusiasm in her voice and hear that the team is doing an outstanding job. They are a great bunch of Alaskan Huskies that truly want to get her Nome. I could feel their eagerness and enthusiasm to get on the trail, and they are proving that they have what it takes. It also demonstrates that Liz is doing a superb job of dog care on the trail.

I'm still working on some pictures to post. I have plenty to keep me busy while Liz is on the trail. Making housing arrangements in Nome for us, caring for the 10 dogs that didn't go on the race, organizing gear and equipment in readiness for packing the truck/trailer for the return trip home, etc. I'll be taking the dog crates to the airport Monday for shipment to Nome. Mushers have to supply their own dog crates to transport the dogs from Nome back to Anchorage via Alaska airlines. The airlines used to supply them, but the policy changed last year.


I also took some time out to have fun. Went to hear Hobo Jim perform in Wasilla. He is famous for his "I did the Iditarod Trail" song. He was very entertaining, playing golden oldies for us baby boomers.

Today I played in a snow golf tournament here in Willow. The Chamber of Commerce makes a 9 hole course on the Willow Lake surface, which was the site of the restart last Sunday. 16 teams participated and I played with the women of the United Methodist Church of Willow. We had a great time and I won the trophy for women's low score. Each golfer played with one iron and putter and orange golf balls. It was a real kick to hit the "ice fairways" and try to putt through ice,snow and water to a cup filled with icy lake water. No one wanted to retrieve their ball out of the ice water cup, so we had alot of "gimmies".

Well, that's all for now. The library, where I can access wireless is closing in 15 minutes. Back to the cabin and dog chores!

Elaine

The Race Has Begun!!!

The moment we have been working toward and waiting for finally arrived! March 1st, the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage. Team Parrish arrived in Anchorage at 7:15am , parked the dog trailer on 4th and F street and then ate a hearty breakfast at the Downtown Deli on 4th street. We then proceeded to the dog trailer and dropped the dogs and started preparations. The race started at 10am, but we were not scheduled to depart until approximately 12:30pm. Liz had drawn starting position 75 at the Mushers Banquet on Thursday night. 96 teams registered for the race, a record number!

The downtown area was filled with thousands of folks who walked by and were very interested in the dog teams. We answered numerous questions, posed for pictures, and Liz was interviewed several times. The governer of Alaska, Sarah Palin was at the start of the race. The day was cold, breezy, and brisk. You could feel the excitement in the air!

Finally, the "heads up" point person came to our dog trailer and we got the team hooked to the gang line. Liz and her sister Amy led the lead dogs to the starting line. Lori and Scott were on the main sled, Karen on the drag sled, Anna's son rode the drag sled to the starting line, and everybody else had a dog on a lead to assist the team to the starting line. Others helping were Kim, Patty, Jan, and Iditarod volunteers. Once we reached the starting line we had one minute to prepare. Liz got on the main sled, I got on the drag sled and all of the sudden the count down started....10, 9 , 8..... Go!! We shot down Cordova street, with the crowd cheering and yelling Good Luck Liz, see you in Nome! We reached the infamous right hand turn on Cordova and 4th and Liz cut it too close and dumped the sled. My sled just stopped. Race voluteers helped her right the sled and we were off again. In my opinion, that right hand turn was the most tame of all the turns and icy stretchs on the trail. We made all of the remaining turns, but icy conditions caused my drag sled to slide after a turn and I could not avoid a small birch tree. Bang!!! I smacked the sled into it and my knee into the lower sled crossbar. Oh well! I dislodged the sled from the tree and we continued. Then we got to an icy stretch and both sleds kept sliding to the right off the trail. My sled kept dumping over. I'd get dragged for about 10 yards, the team would stop, I'd get up, and we would continue until I fell over again. At one point one of my snow hooks got stuck in the snow and a volunteer helped me free it. After about 3 dumps and drags totaling about 25 yards, we finally reached a flat, snowy spot. I righted the sled, and off we went! The next challenge was a bridge over a creek. Instead of going over the bridge, Gerry decided he wanted to go across the creek. So the team proceeded to the right of the bridge. It would have been fine but there were tree limbs hidden in the snow and they caught the sleds. Liz did a great job of figuring out how to dislodge first her sled, then mine with the assistance of the Iditarider Phillip. He enjoyed the experience of being dragged in the snow for a bit too!! We went up the snow bank and my sled took out a snow fence just after the bridge, and away we went! From then on it was smooth sailing to Campbell airstrip, the completion of the Ceremonial start. Our dog truck and the crew were there to meet us! It was a thrilling ride! One thing that really impressed me along the entire route of the run was the personal interest of the crowd in every musher. Onlookers had the musher roster so they knew who was coming by when they saw the bib number. They called out Liz's name and wished her well, some yelling See you in Nome, and extending high fives for her to reach out and return. A boy scout troup had a trumpet salute for each team that went by and handed out hot dogs and cupcakes to the mushers as they flew by. There were alot of hot dogs and cupcakes run over on the trail!!! The entire run was festive with a personal touch==very heartwarming.

Now, on to the real start of the race!!! Team Parrish convened at 9:30am Sunday morning at the cabin in Willow. The team was fed and loaded on the trailer. Liz's sled was loaded on the trailer, and away we went to the start at Willow Lake arriving at around 11am. It was a partly sunny day in the high 20's or low 30's. Lots of spectators! The race re-started at 2pm. Liz was scheduled to depart at 4:42pm so we had quite a bit of time to get ready. The atmosphere was relaxed and Liz could take her time and complete last minute preparations to the sled, including Lori's sewing job on the sled bag zipper. Liz was interviewed and lots of pictures were taken. AT 3pm we dropped the dogs. We checked to ensure the race collars were secure. Then the booties went on, and finally the harnesses. At 4:05pm we hooked the team to the gangline and Liz was ready to get on the sled. At 4:18pm we started making our way to the starting line. And then, we were there, in the starting chute with 1 minute to go. Liz left the sled and went to the front of the team to encourage her leaders Coast and Tie and then walked the line to make sure all was in place for a good start. 30 seconds to go, 10 seconds to go..... and BAM, she was off on the race of her dreams! It was quite an emotional moment. Several of us shed tears and hugged. It is a moment I will always remember. All of the hard work, long days, nights with very little sleep, preparing drop bags in -38 degree weather, the training runs, all the logistics, details,etc. finally culminating in a magic moment at 4:42pm on March 2nd!

So, Liz is currently on her way to Rainy Pass. She should make it there late tonight and then will take an 8 hour rest. Follow her progress on the Iditarod home page. They update race progress every 15 minutes.

I'll try to post some pictures soon. I have to size them for the blog, which takes some time.

Should Liz call from a checkpoint, I'll be sure to update this blog!

Elaine

Update on Race Preparations

I finally have some time to bring you up-to-date on what Liz, the team, and I have been doing since our arrival in Willow, AK on January 15th. We arrived the evening of the 15th in a snow storm and the next day immediately started preparing for the Klondike 300 race. We had two days to prepare drop bags which had to be ready on Jan 17th for drop off at the mushers meeting in Big Lake. We proceeded to unload the dog trailer and the truck, move into the one room cabin, and get the dogs situated in the dog yard. We took the dogs to the vet check the morning of the 17th, went back to the cabin to finish the drop bags, and then back to Big Lake by 7pm to deliver the drop bags and attend the mushers meeting. We did it, with time to spare!!



The race began at noon on January 19th at the Tug Bar located on KnikGoose Bay Road, about an hour's drive from Willow. We arrived there at 9:30am and met Scott Brown, a fellow musher Liz met through Mushing Boot Camp. He agreed to help us at the start of the race. Scott and his wife Janet live in Washington state, but he recently accepted a job in Anchorage and had just moved up the week prior while Janet stayed back in Washington to sell their house and stay with their dog team. He was ready for a sled dog fix and it was great to have his assistance. Liz and the team got off to a thrilling start, taking a sharp left turn onto the trail and off they went! The only race updates were on the race website. Not having internet access at the cabin, I had to rely on help from the "Outside" from Jan in Montana who would check the website and call with any updates. We didn't find out until Monday that a snow mobile, or snow machine as they call them here in Alaska, had hit the team on Sunday. Everyone was fine, but Crimp seemed to develop some soreness and Liz thought it best to drop him at the Yentna checkpoint. Liz got the Red Lantern, finishing the race Tueday night. She and the team enjoyed the new experience of traveling on the Yentna River which she thoroughly enjoyed.



Then, the next 2 weeks were spent putting together all of the supplies for the drop bags for the Iditarod checkpoints. 19 checkpoints, 3 bags per checkpoint. We spent a week cooking, freezing, and vacuum packing her trail meals, stuffing chore gloves, liner gloves, socks, clothing, snacks, protein drinks and juices, and toiletries into zip loc bags. Every day was spent putting together some part of the supplies needed. Then Liz, Scott and I traveled to Fairbanks the first weekend of February to package all of the dog meat into zip loc bags. We also had to cut 300 lbs. of beef fat and package that as well as package 17 50 lb bags of kibble into zip loc bags. Charlie Champaign, who operates a dog meat business , cut 2100 pounds of beef, race diet,lamb, tripe, and chicken skins into 1/2 lb. chunks and froze them. We worked at his yard packaging the meat in below zero temperatues, i.e., -19 on Saturday and -34 on Sunday. We packaged meat on Saturday and Sunday and Liz put together her supplies for the bags. We accomplished alot, but by 6:30pm Sunday, we realized we would not finish the bags that weekend. So, we returned the following weekend and finished packing the bags in -30 degree weather and placing them on 2 pallets for Charlie to shrink wrap and deliver to the airfield on Monday morning for subsequent delivery to the checkpoints. Charlie's wife took several triumphant pictures of us standing between the 2 pallets, although you couldn't see the wide smiles on our faces hidden by our face masks. Many, many thanks to Scott who helped us both weekends!!!



Since then Liz has been taking the dogs out for training runs on the trails in Willow. This past weekend she ran the GooseBay 120, which started at the Tug Bar. Liz ran a team of 10 dogs and Kim, a fellow musher staying at the Willow "training facility" with us, ran Liz's remaining 9 dogs, so all of Liz's Iditarod candidates were able to get in a nice training race. Based on the training runs, Liz has narrowed the potential team down to 18 dogs. She will select 16 of them to run the big race. The dogs will have their pre-race vet check this Wednesday, and we will take her new Gatt sled to Anchorage later this week for shipment to the checkpoint where she intends to switch to the new sled during the race. She will start the race with a heavier Gatt sled which is better suited to negotiating the tough trail encountered during the first part to the race. Her new Gatt sled is lighter and also has a seat.



So, here we are less than 2 weeks before the race. It has been a month and a half of alot of hard work, continous planning, rethinking details, not much sleep, and trying to get in sufficient training runs. The dogs are in great shape and seem to look healther and happier each day. The other night it snowed and when we went out to the dog yard the following morning, the dogs looked beautiful in the new snow. Alaska snow becomes them!!!





Elaine