Rounding out the Top 10

The mushers who have arrived this evening have rounded out the Top 10 of Iditarod. And their finish times are no slouch, in most years the winners would arrive this time on Tuesday night.

When I last saw Jessie Royer in Koyuk, she was in 13th place and hoping to catch up to 11th. Now she finished 7th due to the many unforseeable events of mushers stalling on the ice, scratching before Safety. It has been a wild one. Jessie is tough as nails, and if she says that this year’s race tested her abilities to the limit, that says a lot. You could tell by looking at the ice stuck to the dogs fur, that it was still windy out there. Her dad Jim had flown up all the way from Montana as well as Warren Palfrey who was a race judge for part of the race greeted her at the finish, as Warren and Jessie had pooled dogs for this year. Jessie said without her white lead dog Ranger in single lead she would not have made it across Golovin Bay on the glare ice. She recalled the story of how she, and Ray Redington who finished minutes behind Jessie , as well as Hans Gatt and Hugh Neff, were trying to help each other on the glare ice and kept on getting blown all over the place. Ray was greeted by his wife and kids. He was visibly tired. There were several of Gerry Willomitzer’s dogs in his team, who I recognized from running them on the glacier during the summer month.

Next up was Yukoner Hans Gatt, who made a comeback after taking some time off. When Iditarod Champion Libby Riddles asked him if he was coming back for another one he replied, ” This was definitely it ” Ha! I have heard Hans say that before, ask him in July again. Once you are in the vortex of Iditarod, it is hard to get away.

After Hans there was a bit of a break until local Nome Musher Aaron Burmeister mushed under the burled arch to a cheering crowd.! Honestly, I can only imagine what Aaron has gone through during the past week. He severely injured he knee. To drive a powerful dogteam with that injury in the best of conditions for a short run would be a challenge, But to do that, day in day out, under these conditions is unimaginable. No wonder Aaron was visibly in pain and very glad to be greeted by his family. His son Hunter rode the runner with him from the beginning of Front Street. Future Musher in the making.

The power of passion is nowhere as visible, as standing under the burled arch in Nome and seeing the dogteams come across the finish line. Well done to the Top 10 mushers and all the one who are still out there battling their way to Nome.

Now there is a bit of a gap until rural Alaskan Musher Mike Williams will make it in sometime late tonight.

Enjoy the pictures below! Happy trails

Sebastian