9 am Ten miles Out
With our competitors ten miles out, I take the time to take a few photos around the checkpoint. Although we think of 9AM as top of the morning,it is just making a transition from the gray light of dawn to day. Wind is blowing at the checkpoint, a preview of the winds stacking up drifts …
7AM—don’t forget Daylight Saving Time—Burmeister, Seavey the Elder make statement My collegues, including Sebastian now at his computer analyzing the race, Al and Paul at their station in Unalakleet Comms, race Judge Warren, and a pool of reserve specialists, are commenting on the developments over the night. After we REMEMBER to compute an hour disappeared …
9PM Unalakleet—-Zirkle leads pack out of Kaltag, but with her own plan Our insider crew just arrived this late evening in Unalakleet, the first village on the Bering Sea Coast. Symbolically, the Bering Sea Coast and villages of Shaktoolik, Koyuk, Elim, White Mountain and the finish to Nome represents the last third of the race, …
3PM Martin Buser into Kaltag Martin led the pack into kaltag with a bright sun, 20F temperature, a fresh stiff wind blowing on the high north bank of the Yukon. The village of kaltag overlooks the Yukon, a constant companion for a population that looks to the river for drift …
11:30 Am Just got a call from Greg Heister. Greg, our Insider producer just arrived in Kaltag after an all night expedition by snow machine from Anvik to Kaltag. He has reported that deep snow going into Eagle must certainly have frustrated mushers. Additionally, leaving Eagle was “unbelievable with about 20 places, at least, with …
11AM Trail Report from Kaltag
Flash, just got a call from kaltag. Martin Buser is leading the pack at mile 607, keeping in mind that Kaltag is the next checkpoint at mile 624. I talked to a race official who had just arrived at the checkpoint, having been ferried in by the Iditarod Air Force. The air force has been …
Flash—A report from Eagle Island 8:45 AM , just received a call from Jim Gallea in Eagle Island by personal sat phone. Jim is acting as race judge, coordinator, camp boss, and facilitator as he and one Vet are trying to handle the front pack into Eagle Island. The Iditarod air force has been hampered …
7AM news update Martin on trail to Kaltag in Lead Sub-Plot Zirkle chipping away at lead, Berkowitz fastest on trail with 16 Weather conditions continue to appear DETERIORATED. It is now slightly snowing here in Anvik, but arriving musher Wade Mars tells us it was raining when he left Shageluk, a testament to the very …
8:00PM, Lance Mackey departs 5:53PM from Anvik John Baker scheduled to depart Anvik at 8:27PM What are people thinking when we look at the stat charts at 8PM this Friday March 8? Who would have ever thought that this Norwegian named Joar Leifseth Ulsom would be in third place behind Aliy Zirkle and …
Update on Lance (very warm here at 44F and rain in Anvik) Lance is hanging at the checkpoint so I had a chance to talk with him. This guy is one of the world’s leading optimists, not only in how he approaches his own life after nearly biting it with cancer, but how he deals …
