by Terrie Hanke in Unalakleet
Tuesday morning in the Bering Sea coastal village of Unalakleet was a carbon copy of the two previous days – 30 degrees below zero with little or no wind. Since the arrive of Aliy Zirkle, Dallas Seavey, Aaron Burmeister and John Baker on Sunday morning, the cast of mushers has constantly changed. Everyone has used the checkpoint for rest – some longer, some shorter. Some have reached the coast and decided to scratch, Jeff King and Gerry Willomitzer. Jake Berkowitz was flown out for medical attention after slashing his hand before reaching this checkpoint.
On the same day that the 40th champion will reach the burled arch, the final trio of mushers are approaching Kaltag. Soon Dan Seavey, Jan Steves and Bob Chlupach will be heading to Unalakleet via the age old Portage Trail used by traders long ago. The conversation in Unalakleet centers around two topics – the conditions at Shaktoolik and the speed of the front running trio – Dallas Seavey, Aliy Zirkle and Ramey Smyth.
Aware that mushers in Shaktoolik were sitting still due to ground blizzard conditions with harsh winds of thirty-five miles per hour and visibility of only fifty feet, mushers were staying put on the slough in Unalakleet. No sense heading out to a place with such inhospitable weather conditions that would be crowded with dog teams. Cym Smyth, Kelly Maixner and Curt Parano were the last folks to leave Unalakleet for the village on the Norton Sound spit.
Ryne Olson and Anjanette Steer, both rookies are out in the weather crossing Norton Bay from Shaktoolik for Koyuk. Veterans Kelley Griffin, Martin Buser, Rohn Buser and Gerald Sousa are also running the trail to Koyuk. A host of other teams are riding the storm out at the Shaktoolik checkpoint – including a couple of guys with a lot of experience with ground blizzards – Rick Swenson, Lance Mackey.
Teams that came into Unalakleet last night are asking about a long term forecast. Karin Hendrickson , Scott Janssen and Tom Thurston are anxious to move on. Hendrickson grew up in California and moved to Alaska to work as a dog handler. It was her intention to run Iditarod once but here she is on the trail for the fourth time. Karin says, “I run dogs to feel like me.” Scott Janssen, the mushing mortician grew up in Minnesota and came to Alaska to work as a mortician. His dream to run the Last Great Race was sparked in 1986 after getting to know Paul Gebhardt. Tom Thursten lives in Colorado and together with his wife, Tami, runs Double T Kennel and tour business. Thursten earned his rookie buckle in 2009 and is back now for his fourth run.
Teams are rested and ready to go but for now are waiting on the weather. It’s a time for virtues, especially patience.
