Iditarod
Richie pulled through Takotna just after 10am this morning, after leaving McGrath and his 24 hour rest. He stopped just long enough to grab some gear from his drop bags, then headed off to Ophir. He told us he had planned to 24 in Takotna, but he had a slow run into McGrath and didn’t …
It’s lightly snowing in Takotna again this morning. Mushers have been pulling out all night coming off of their 24 hour rests and hitting the trail once again. Dogs have looked great pulling out of here, everybody’s been happy and ready to go! Now the real race begins, with the lead mushers all coming …
Martin Apayauq Reitan came into Takotna at 9:59 this evening, still cheery as ever! He reports he broke one of the stanchions on his sled, but he’s rigged it well enough that it should last the rest of the race. He’s still got my buddy Apok in lead (I handled for Martin at the ceremonial …
The afternoon was quite warm but the temperature has dropped from the upper 30’s to the upper 20’s and the dogs coming in tonight are very spirited. Martin Apayauq Reitan blew through McGrath at 18:56. Kristin Bacon arrived at 20:44 and after signing in and talking to the vets, Kristin also headed to Takotna. Other …
Emily Maxwell and Ramey Smyth are parked in front of the McGrath Cap’n Snow Center that houses city administrative offices and is home to the McGrath Checkpoint. While Maxwell arrived mid-day on Wednesday afternoon, Smyth has been here since early this morning. He is eligible to depart at 03:47 on Thursday. Maxwell can depart at …
The recurring theme here in Takotna seems to be how good the food is, mushers and volunteers seem pretty happy! Mushers are also talking about how slow the trail has been up to this point, and speculation about the mushers that have pushed to Iditarod for their 24 hour rest. The consensus seems to be …
Wednesday afternoon finds 14 mushers parked in sunny warm McGrath. Three more will be arriving within the hour, followed by another five who’ve recently departed Nikolai. Seth Barnes who is here in McGrath for his long rest summed it up by saying, “It’s warm here but it’s warmer in Anvik! Of course that can change.” …
Sled Dogs are amazing athletes, perhaps the finest in the world. The Iditarod Veterinarian Team under the direction of Dr. Stu Nelson, Jr. is about 45 strong. They are specially certified by the ISDVMA (International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association). Vets volunteer their time to care for the canine athletes out on the trail. Multiple …
Ed Hopkins arrived into Takotna at 10:39 this morning, greeted by his partner Michelle Phillips who is volunteering as trail crew here in Takotna. His dogs looked super happy when they arrived, as soon as they spotted Michelle their tails started wagging and Ed’s leader jumped on her to say hi and give her kisses. …
On Wednesday morning, McGrath is right smack-dab in the middle of Iditarod action! Yes, some teams have passed through to Takotna, some have gone beyond Takotna to Ophir. Yesterday, due to snow, some portions of the trail were not flyable so veterinarians were dispatched to Ophir by snowmachine. Meanwhile, back down the trail, all teams …
