Dallas Seavey Leader in White Mountain (Photo:Siri Raitto)

The race is spread from Kaltag to White Mountain a distance of 269 miles.  With a three hour lead over Matt Hall and four hours over Jessie Holmes it would appear that Dallas Seavey is on his way to claiming a sixth victory and an elite rung on the Iditarod ladder of champions.  But as they say it’s not over until it’s over.  Hall and Holmes will be there to capitalize on any opportunities. 

Think back to 2014 when Jeff King had run the perfect race and was poised to join Rick Swenson at the top with five championships.  Mother Nature changed that in a hurry when strong winds drove King from the trail. Then it looked like Aliy Zirkle would take the title.  However when she arrived in Safety, she stayed.  Dallas Seavey who left White Mountain almost two-hours behind King passed both on the trial without knowing it because of the intense ground blizzard.  He arrived in Nome thinking he was in 3rd place only to find he had just won his second Iditarod crown.

Bryce Mumford is the solo musher in Kaltag.  Joshua Robbin departed Kaltag for Unalakleet at 00:15 about 25 minutes before Mumford arrived.

Aaron Burmeister’s Team Rests in Unalakleet (Photo: Siri Raitto)

Looking at the stat sheet and GPS Tracker there is a defined group of ten leading the race, and a defined group of 11 in the middle spread from Shaktoolik to Koyuk.  Then a whole batch of rookies between Kaltag and Unalakleet with six having made Unalakleet and 5 on the Kaltag Portage trail.

A word about the trail from Kaltag to Unalakleet formerly known as the Kaltag Portage.  It’s been used for centuries to connect the interior villages to the coast.  It’s the shortest route between the Yukon River and the Bering Sea.  The Russian-American Company established a trading post in Unalakleet.  Athabascans from the interior would travel to Kaltag to trade goods, especially furs, with traders who traversed  the portage to Kaltag.  During the gold rush, prospectors moved from the interior to the coast on the trail to find gold.

Mushers Pass by Wind Turbines Departing Unalakleet (Photo: Terrie Hanke)

Unalakleet is a village of 700 located at mile 714 of Iditarod’s Northern Route.  There are commonly two translations of the name coming from the languages of the indigenous people of the area.  One meaning is “where the east wind blows” and another “from the south side.”  The wind is a constant in Unalakleet, as dependable as the sun rising.  The village has 6 wind turbines situated on a high hill about two miles out of town.  They’ve been functional for 13 years and since have generated about 25% of the communities electric power annually, saving 70,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

Veteran Aaron Burmeister of Nome, running his 22nd Iditarod, scratched yesterday upon reaching the Gold Coast.  Burmeister said he made the decision “to help promote the mental wellness and health of my team for the future.”  Burmeister told Insider that his dogs were eating and hydrating and in excellent physical condition but they just didn’t have any spark.  He’s baffled by this unexpected turn of enthusiasm.  He concluded that if they’re not having fun it would be best to scratch.  His is the sixth scratch, 32 mushers remain in the field.