By Terrie Hanke
Dogs that were sunbathing yesterday in McGrath will be curled up tight with paws tucked under this morning. It’s clear and close to minus 10 degrees, add the wind and it feels like twenty-five below. Mushers are used to it, sled dogs like it.
Two teams are still resting in McGrath and scheduled to leave around noon today – day five of Iditarod XL. Further up the trail, Mitch Seavey has collected the First to the Yukon Award sponsored by the Mushing Mortician, Scott Janssen. Third generation mushers, Dallas Seavey, followed his father into the Yukon River checkpoint about an hour later. Eight other teams including defending champ John Baker and 4-time champ Jeff King are within 25 miles of Ruby.
Jan Steves and Bob Chlupach will complete their long layover and head out of McGrath shortly after noon today. They are the final mushers to pass through McGrath. Steves is a rookie who spends time between Edmonds, WA and Willow, AK. She’s had her eye on Iditarod since spending time with sled dogs in 2007. Jan came into McGrath with 14 spirited dogs. Chlupach a veteran musher graduated with a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University. After taking a fishery job in Juneau he became fascinated with sled dogs. He completed his rookie Iditarod in 1977. In total Bob’s completed 10 Iditarods over four decades. The 2012 race makes for running an Iditarod in five decades. The Chlupach dogs looked strong and happy coming into their long layover.
After Dan Seavey shared stories with race fans, volunteers and McGrath residents about the Historic Iditarod Trail and its centennial celebration, he looked at the clock and said, “I can answer questions but I want to be back on the trail by 5:00 pm.” Slightly off schedule, he dropped down the steep bank onto the Kuskokwim River at 17:21. In the next twenty-five minutes, there was a flurry of activity in sending teams out of McGrath. Pat Moon, leaving with 10 of his 12 dogs from Middy Johnson’s Unalakleet team departed at 17:26 followed by Hank Debruin’s Siberians at 17:41 and Karen Ramstead’s Siberians at 17:48. There wasn’t a reluctant starter in the whole bunch of dogs that left during the 1700 hour. Hank Debruin finished putting booties on and attaching tug lines, walked back to his sled and said, “Okay boys.” In a unison move, 13 powerful Huskies stood, head and tails high and began howling, barking and lunging. They were more than ready to go, no questions about it.
Jamie Kinzer, running Jonrowe dogs was resting in McGrath yesterday. What a colorful group sporting green dog coats. At first glance, one had to do a date check to see if time had sped by to St. Patrick’s Day. Rather than wearing the coat as usual, one dog’s had slipped around to the front and appeared to be a bib. Perhaps the dog was waiting for a bowl of corned beef and cabbage. Kinzer said her run has been good. The trail hasn’t been any worse or better than she expected. Coming out of Rohn, she was waiting for “the glacier.” Some distance had gone by and while she had stopped to snack her dogs, another musher passed. Inquiring about “the glacier,” Kinzer was told she’d passed it several miles back. Jamie has been challenged by a veteran dog who likes to chew the gang line.
