Nicholas Petit was the first team into Rohn shortly before 6 p.m., followed closely by a number of teams. Rohn is a bit like going back in time; the Internet is marginal and barely allows for sending in and out times. So, we never really know who arrives and when. The crew in Rohn consisted of 18 volunteers; 4 Veterinarians, 2 Communications, 2 Vet Technicians, 1 return dog person, Myself as race judge and 8 checkpoint volunteers. Veterans like Terry Boyle and Lisa Jaeger have been in Rohn as volunteers for a long time. They are nicknamed the mayor and deputy. They come in with their own snowmachines. Terry has been with the trail breakers for 20 years. A lot of history and knowledge there.
This year the arrival of mushers was nicely spaced out. Parking teams in the Rohn forest can be challenging, so having a few minutes between each team really helps. Before teams arrive trees are marked with Pink ribbons to point out where each musher should set their snow hook. Typically the 1st fifteen or so teams into Rohn won’t stay very long, so three spots are created for short term parking. that way mushers can load up straw, heat, and supplies out of their food drop bags. The short-termers make life quite a bit easier here in the checkpoint. Also, they take their straw with them, which helps us when the time comes to clean up.
Most teams arriving after 10 p.m. end up staying overnight napping in the Rohn Roadhouse or a double insulated wall tent, complete with propane stove. This year the weather was very mild. Not much wind and temperatures barely below freezing. Terry and I went out with the snowmachines up into Dalzell Gorge to check on trail marking and bridges. They looked excellent. Mushers arriving echoed that sentiment. The trail breakers had put in an incredible amount of work.
Only one sled was in need of repair. Martin Apayauq Reitan’s sled busted up in the Happy River steps and he had it patched together nicely.
Rohn is not an ideal checkpoint to scratch. Getting a team out of here is not very easy. Sleds have to be taken apart to fit them in the small planes. Rohn is one of the more difficult places to fly in and out. We did not see any planes here for a long time. As I write this, still in Rohn,
A much-discussed topic was the reduction from 16 to 14 dogs in Iditarod. Last year Rohn saw about 60 return dogs. This year, 8! That is a new record. And a good record. Multiple factors contribute to that: Good trail conditions in the Gorge definitely helped. I firmly believe that going to 14 dogs was the biggest factor for less returned dogs. Very few kennels have 16 absolute bulletproof dogs. Often the last team members are not of the same caliber as the others.
Now, we are waiting for an update on flights. The weather here finally improving. I am waiting for “ 28bravo “ to pick me up and bring me to ??? Flexibility is key in this game. See you down the trail.
