Dear Friends,

The mushers who were delayed in Elim are resting and finishing up their 8 hour mandatory stop in White Mountain.  I bet their dogs were really happy to take that 46 mile run…finally!  They should have lots of energy after all that resting.  Sometime Friday night, in the dark, the eleven remaining teams will be able to leave once again, but this time, head to the checkpoint of Safety.

Safety Roadhouse is the final checkpoint, 22 miles before the finish in Nome!

From White Mountain to Safety is 55 miles.  In that stretch can be a danger called “The Blow Hole” where freezing winds whip and swirl snow into a blinding blizzard.  After all these mushers have been through, hopefully it won’t be a problem and they can just mush along easily.  

Did any of you wonder if the mushers had enough food for the delay in Elim?  Remember, in each checkpoint, mushers have drop bags awaiting them with extra dog food, supplies, and people food.  Usually they pack a lot more than they actually use, so they probably shared their food and had “pot luck” meals.  Some things mushers pack in vacuum-sealed bags are breakfast-egg casserole, burritos, pizza, pasta, nuts, candy, and more.  They can drop the bags into hot water to thaw their food, or microwave it inside certain checkpoints.  More drop bags of food and supplies will be waiting for them in White Mountain!

Musher drop bags are usually arranged in alphabetical order.

Vacuum sealed musher food [photo credit Susan A. Smith]

Thanks for following the race.  The mushers REALLY appreciate you following and cheering them on to Nome!

Until next time, this is your canine reporter,

Gypsy