Noah Pereria has left Unalakleet with 12 very happy dogs.  They were all on their feet with tails flagging and ready when the boss pulled the snow hook.  Before leaving they moved over to investigate the new team belonging to  Lisbet Norris that had just come into the checkpoint.  Noah lined his team out and they took off running close to the bank then onto the trail that heads to Shaktoolik.

19 year old Rookie Sensation, Noah Pereira

From this morning when it was rather cold, Noah had his wish of warmer weather by perhaps thirty degrees.  The sun was warm, the sky very blue but the wind was noticeable.  It will be more noticeable by the time he gets to the windy village of Shaktoolik.  As a rookie, It’s all new for Noah.  He’s read the trail notes, he’s been coached by experienced Iditarod veterans but until you see it or experience it for yourself, it’s still new.  Noah is soaking it all in.  He’s a very optimistic fellow and is really enjoying living a dream from his childhood.

Miriam Osredkar has been in Unalakleet since this morning.  Last night as she was between the Old Woman cabin and this checkpoint, she stopped to change out a couple of dogs.  Another team came by at about the same time.  As the other team passed there was a minor tangle.  Once that was all straightened out and the other team had moved on, Miriam suddenly realized she was one dog short.   Miriam stayed for a while hoping the dog would return.  Finally, she decided to move to the closest checkpoint to get help in searching.  Shortly after, Lisbet Norris who was coming into Unalakleet from Old Woman Cabin saw the dog in the trail.  Lisbet who has a way with dogs and for good measure a nice big piece of salmon in hand lured the dog to come to her.  She hooked Tytte to her gang line and brought her to an anxiously waiting and very happy Miriam in Unalakleet.

Trent Herbst is resting in the checkpoint while his dogs are resting on the slough.  They look very content.  I’ve heard there are scrambled eggs awaiting mushers courtesy of Middy Johnson and his able crew of kitchen assistants.  When Trent wakes up there will be a plate waiting for him.  Trent brought 14 dogs over from Kaltag.  He broke the 90 mile distance into two 40 mile runs.  He made the distance in 16 hours and that includes 6 hours of rest.  That’s a nice run for the young dogs.      

Trent left Unalakleet at 1816.  He should make Shak in six hours.  The weather forecast says the temperature will be zero degrees with a 20 mile an hour wind which will create a wind chill of minus 22 degrees.  He’ll rest there and make the run across Norton Sound to Koyuk in the morning.  Minus 22 will probably be closer to minus 30 for that historic leg of Iditarod.

In 1925 when the children of Nome desperately needed the diphtheria antitoxin, Leonard Seppala met up with Henry Ivanoff on the Norton Sound between Shaktoolik and Koyuk.  Seppala had run from Nome.  He took the serum from Ivanoff and carried it to Golovin where he handed it off to another musher.  Seppala’s team ran a distance of 261 miles .

Rob Cooke departed Unalakleet for Shaktoolik about an hour later than Trent Herbst.  He’s running a team of Siberians and for the sake of his dogs, will appreciate the lower temperatures.  Lisbet Norris followed Rob by an hour and likewise with her team of Siberians will enjoy the colder run.

This is my final post from Unalakleet.  There are more mushers to finish the run form Kaltag to the first village on the Gold Coast but I’m flying to Nome late this afternoon.  Stay tuned for more stories from the finish line