Monica Zappa arrived in McGrath mid afternoon on Wednesday. Monica came in behind the leadership of tried and true Blue Steel. She’ll stay for a short time then move on to Takotna. Zappa echoed the other mushers in reporting the trail coming all the way from Rohn has been soft. Some have described the trail …
Thirty-two mushers have passed through McGrath over night. Early mushers included Mitch Seavey, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, Nicolas Petit, Ryan Redington, Ray Redington Jr. and Aaron Burmeister. Seavey won the PenAir Spirit of Alaska Award. Strategies are revealed at this point of the race. Seavey went on to Takotna for his 24-hour rest. Joar surprised everyone …
The Dalzell Gorge cascades down from the Alaska Range into a narrow river valley, which the Tatina river still carves at a geological pace. Down-valley, the river passes Egypt Mountain, an iconic cornerstone at the north end of the Alaska Range where the valley dramatically opens up into the wide expanse of the Alaskan …
McGrath checkpoint welcomed Mitch Seavey as the winner of the Pen Air Spirit of Alaska Award. Seavey, wearing Bib 13, departed Nikolai at 12:49 followed very closely by Joar Leifseth Ulsom, Ryan Redington, Nicolas Petit, Aaron Burmeister, Wade Marrs and Ray Redington Jr. McGrath will be a busy place this evening, overnight and all through …
Mushers shipped sleds to McGrath. They are sitting at the checkpoint waiting to be called into action. It’s like a fashion show for sleds. Some are Prairie Built, some are Dog Paddle Designs and some made by the mushers themselves out of Ultra-lite but Ultra-strong hockey sticks. It’s been snowing the sled have a settled …
Reaching Rohn officially places teams in the Interior of Alaska. The weather pattern is different on this side of the range – wind, precipitation and temperature. The Rohn safety cabin is located near the remains of the old roadhouses that served the Historic Iditarod Trail mail carriers. Traveling from Puntilla Lake to Rohn the mushers …
As of Tuesday morning, three rookies, Tom Schonberger, Anja Radano and Jason Steward, are tackling Rainey Pass and the Alaska Range. The elevation is officially listed at 3,160 feet. From the highest point the mushers descend to the interior and spill out of the Dalzell Gorge near the Rohn Safety Cabin. Mushers and athletes cross …
It’s getting on toward suppertime on Monday evening, a little more than twenty-four hours into the race. The frontrunners are climbing over the Alaska Range through Rainey Pass, the highest point of the trail at 3,200 feet. The challenging Dalzell Gorge awaits the frontrunners before they reach the beautiful tranquil checkpoint of Rohn. At last …
Between Willow and Nome rises one of the greatest geological features in all of Alaska: the Alaska Range. It is the gateway to the Alaskan interior; a weather break that separates the relatively warm and wet climate to the south from the colder, arid expanse to the north, where annual rainfall is comparable to …
By sunrise on Monday morning, Yentna Checkpoint at mile 42 is a ghost town. The mushers have passed through, the volunteers are being flown out, relocating to other responsibilities and the Gabryszaks who host the checkpoint at their roadhouse are enjoying some peace and quiet after a night of intense Iditarod traffic. Beginning at around …
