Here from the Kaltag checkpoint building you can see the dog teams a long way down the river. As the checkers here call it, they are first a dot…. then a semicolon…. then a comet…. and soon its time to head outside to greet them. Robert Sorlie has arrived at 12.55 and is not bedding down for his 8 hour layover.

Wade Marrs was outside changing runner plastic on his sled. This year pretty much every run, except the last one from Nulato to Kaltag, had some gravel, sand and or generally snowless section. Mitch Seavey had a replacement sled send out here and was finally able to change his brake bar, which had been broken for a long time. While he worked on that, his dogs were napping in the sun, and some actually looking for food. That is a very good sign.

The mushers can sleep in the octagon community hall. their dog teams close by. It has been relatively quiet here, with little snow machine traffic. Wade will stay for about 4 hrs before heading down the trail. He doubts that he will run all the way to Unk; he wants to stay on a schedule of shorter runs with shorts rests till Shaktoolik. Wade just asked for a 14.20 wakeup call. Just a short nap…

I will now head down the trail and visit with the 3 race leaders en route.