Jody Potts departed Cripple checkpoint at 05:55 and joined nine other teams on the trek to Ruby and the Yukon River. With her departure, trail crew and other volunteers began dismantling the checkpoint that comes to life once every 23 months. When the work is done and the final IAF plane takes off with comms equipment, musher return bags and volunteers the bustling checkpoint will return to ghost town status.
Potts-Joseph departed with 11 dogs in harness after resting for 8 hours and 46 minutes. They have 70 miles before they’ll reach Ruby and the Yukon River. She’ll continue to travel through Athabaskan lands until reaching Unalakleet where maps indicate Yupik to the south and Inupiaq to the north. Jody says she enjoys talking dogs with Athabascan mushers from the Interior. She has acquired much traditional mushing knowledge from her uncle and brother and the old time mushers. Having worked for both Sven Haltmann and Jessie Holmes she thanks them for sharing tips and knowledge about modern racing dogs and racing strategy.
Potts-Joseph enjoys being on the Yukon in any season. She will be in her happy place for the next 134 miles as the trail runs west on the Yukon River through Galena then about 20 miles before Nulato the river bears southwest to Kaltag. Generally the mushers find the winds on the Yukon to be in their favor on the northern route. Jody has been running with eleven dogs since Nikolai. She is adjusting her schedule to the needs of her dogs to bring the all to Nome.
Jody shared the story of the beautiful dog blankets her dogs wore for the ceremonial start. The blankets adorned with beadwork and bells show love and respect for the dogs. But also wearing the blankets is a way of showing respect to the family and friends you are traveling to visit.
Looking at contenders toward the front of the pack, Jeff Deeter has departed Galena after taking his Yukon 8. Jeff left with 15 dogs in harness , the same he arrived with. This is surprising because back in Ruby he mentioned that he was going to strategically return a couple of dogs because booting 60 feet is just harder on his back than booting 52 feet. Jeff said his team is holding together and he’s making decisions based on his team and what they need. He’s not looking at anyone else as he can only run his team. Compared to other years, Deeter felt the Yukon River trail was slower and rougher due to punchy conditions.
Jeff told Insider that the coast is his favorite part of the trail. You might be surprised about his response if you remember the 2022 coastal storm that caused 6 mushers, including Jeff and his wife Katti Jo to scratch. Jeff along with Katti Jo struggled mightily against 80 mph winds, blowing snow and dirt as well as icy trail. They were thankful to make the safety cabin, to have shelter for themselves and their dogs. After the storm subsided, they finished the journey to Nome.
Canadian Michelle Phillips who is 13 for 13 in Iditarod starts and finishes since 2010 commented on the quality of teams that she’s been running with. Phillips said Ryan Redington has a really fast team as does Travis Beals.
While resting in Galena, Ryan Redington told Insider that his team was doing great and eating good. Sick during the first part of the race, Ryan said he was the weak link in the team. He said he’s done the best he could and he apologized to sponsors and fans for not doing as well as everyone hoped. He thinks of Iditarod every day of the year and even with being sick, he was exactly where he wanted to be – on the trail with his team. Ryan was very happy to have 16 dogs coming into Ruby. He’s never gotten a full team to the Yukon. He returned a dog before leaving Ruby but he’s impressed with the way the team is performing.
While in Galena, Jessie Holmes shared a bit of strategy with fans regarding his run along the coast. Jessie hopes to pass through both Unalakleet and Shaktoolik by camping at a little cabin in the Blue Berry Hills situated between the first two checkpoints on the coast. To make that work, Jessie will likely camp between Nulato and Kaltag, which he’s currently doing. Then he’ll pass through Kaltag to camp along the old portage trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet. That will set him up to rest at his favorite quiet cabin where he and his dogs can get quality rest. In passing through Kaltag, Jessie stopped long enough to accept the Bristol Bay Native Corporation Fish First Award.
As the first musher to arrive in Kaltag, Jessie Holmes received the BBNC Fish First Award. Holmes arrived in Kaltag as 16:23 with 13 dogs in harness. BBNC’s Board Chairman, Russel Nelson, made the presentation. Holmes will receive 25 pounds of fresh Bristol Bay salmon filets, $2,000 and a wood burned art piece by Apay’ug Moore. Bristol Bay is home to the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery. In all land management and resource development decisions, adequate protections for fish and fish habitat will always be a priority for BBNC.
