Terrie Hanke

Eye on the Trail: Stewart in 50th

The good news for Jason Stewart, Anja Radano and Magnus Kaltenborn was wind direction. Rather than facing into the wind and wind blown snow for the miles to Nome from White Mountain, some of the time the wind was blowing from behind. It was a welcome relief after experiencing blizzards, whiteouts and the blowhole since …

Eye on the Trail: 49th Musher in Nome

Meredith Mapes made the Burled Arch this morning to earn 49th place in the 49th state with a time of 12 days, 19 hours and 53 minutes. When Mapes was asked what was tough about the trail she immediately responded snow, there was a short pause and she said Snow, a longer pause and she said SNOW, …

Eye on the Trail: Shaynee Traska in Nome

Shaynee Traska was the first musher to sign up for Iditarod 2018 back in June. She was the first musher into Nome on St. Patrick’s Day. True to her style, Shayne came in wearing a big smile. Friends, family and Iditarod officials greeted Traska when she arrived in the chute. Her dream of running Iditarod …

Eye on the Trail: Late Friday Finishers

The number of finishers for Iditarod 2018 will reach forty-seven before Thursday turns to Friday and St. Patrick’s Day is here. As of right now, fifteen mushers have scratched or withdrawn from Iditarod 2018. Yes, weather and difficult trail have played a part in that number. Forty-five mushers have arrived in Nome, all talking about …

Eye on the Trail: Friday Afternoon Arrivals

For me, it’s a welcome sight to see two, three or four mushers close together on the GPS tracker as they approach Nome. Granted, the chute might get a bit crowded with more than two teams but multiple teams make it worth the effort to walk out on the Bering Sea toward Cape Nome to …

Eye on the Trail: Nome Pre-dawn Friday

As temperatures hovered around zero in Nome, ten teams completed Iditarod XLVI. It started with the Master Musher Martin Buser at 00:02 and right now we’re waiting for Larry Daugherty to come in from Safety. Word from back down the trail indicates the temperature is well below zero in White Mountain. Martin Buser completed his …

Eye on the Trail: Konno to Casillo

Michi Konno completed his rookie Iditarod on Thursday afternoon in 23rd place with a time of 11 days, 0 hours and 35 minutes. Run Iditarod was something Joe Redington Sr. told Michi he must do. Twenty years ago as a sprint musher, Michi trained with Joee Redington, Jr. Joee was a celebrated sprint man and …

Eye on the Trail: Fog for Finishers

Anna Berington who started mushing behind a collie and a Great Pyrenees brought 10 peppy sled dogs to the Burled Arch early on Thursday afternoon. She’s the 22nd musher to complete Iditarod XLVI. As a youngster in Port Wing, WI, Berington and her twin sister, Kristi learned about sled dogs from a neighbor. Soon the inventive …

Eye on the Trail: Zirkle, Royer & Kool-Aid

Twenty-one teams have finished Iditarod XLVI. Having been in several checkpoints along the trail, a pattern of “bunches” has developed, a bunch of twenty near the front. McGrath experienced a very dense influx of mushers near the front as did Nome and everywhere between. I’m now in Nome and will pick up with the mushers …

Eye on the Trail: Continues to Snow in Unalakleet

While Joar Leifseth Ulsom was on his way to Nome from White Mountain, Shayne Traska was feeding her dogs on the slough in Unalakleet. Shayne and Joar, pictured above, were the lucky mushers to win free entry fees for the 20918 Iditarod. As they signed up to race at the Volunteer Picnic at Iditarod Headquarters …