6:40AM   Mitch Seavey, the 2013 champ rests in Finger, while Martin Buser has negotiated the Happy Valley steps and in Rainy Pass.   Mushers and strategies are all over the map.  In one camp we have Martin executing a daring move with a few followers including front running Nicolas Petit.  In the  camp of a more traditional style we find Mitch Seavey, Jake Berkowitz, and Robert Sorlie.  In between,  we find Aliy Zirkle and Jeff King who are on the trail in pursuit of Buser.

The sound of brake claws on ice is now a familiar kind of background static in the checkpoint, punctuated by the occasional scream for help.  DeeDee arrived with her 16 dog team and intended to camp.   “I can’t stop, I ca’nt stop” she said to the checkpoint crew leading her to a parking spot.  Finally, the dogs in a big ball of tangled towline stopped, and she was able to set a hook.

While some mushers, notably Jeff King and Aliy Zirkle blew through Finger lake, others stopped to rest and feed.   Jake Berkowitz was heating water for a cooked meal extravaganza for his team.   He observed, “You have to stop under these conditions for a rest.”  He acknowledged that some mushers were pushing over the Alaska Range, thinking that a tired dog team would be easier to handle .  But , he thought it was futile and counterproductive.

Mitch Seavey was not going to abandon his common sense strategy of runs and good rests, but did mention that his dog team definitely had him on alert.   He couldn’t stop them on the ice and was considering putting most of them on necklines so they could’nt pull as hard as in harness.  His dogs were organized in a perfect straight line on straw beds set on the right hand side of the tow line.  It makes it easier for him to walk up and down the gangline for chores.   “It works for me,” Mitch told me.

Jeff King’s team blew through the checkpoint, impressing everyone that saw his team in high gear exit the checkpoint.

I think it’s safe to say most mushers are anxious about navigating the trail from Finger Lake to Rohn, given their experience on the ice to Finger.  Jake Berkowitz, who is a big guy, said he had a tough time slowing his team going through the portages. Veteran mushers have visions of catastrophe in certain well-known tight parts of the trail.