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| Headed to Finger Lake | Mon, Mar. 9th, 2009 | |
Heather and the Hardcore Team are back on the trail after a five hour and 28 minute rest in Skwentna. They left the Skwentna checkpoint in 45th place at 6:18 AM AKDT (6:18 EDT). Now they begin the slow climb toward the Alaskan Range.
From Skwentna the trail heads southwest up the Skwentna River for a mile or so and then turns left (south) onto a long series of swamps that parallels the river on the east side for about ten miles. The trail crosses the river at the abandoned Skwentna Roadhouse, one of the original Iditarod Trail roadhouses; some of the old buildings can still be seen at the side of the trail on the west side of the river.
They’ll then climb immediately up into the Shell Hills. Heather and the Hardcore Team can expect a narrow, twisting, climbing trail for a mile and a half, which will then open onto a long, narrow, gradually descending swamp. After another mile and a half, which includes some interesting downhill runs through the woods, the Hardcore Team will cross Shell Creek, then climb back up for three more miles of up-and-down running through the woods and across swamps and small lakes to Onestone Lake. Depending on how much snow has fallen and how the trail is actually laid out, the run over to Onestone Lake can be bad in places (more snow usually equals better trail).
When the Team reaches Onestone Lake the worst is over. A few miles past Onestone the trail will pass half a mile south of Shell Lake Lodge, about the halfway point of this leg. Somewhere in this area will be the last big trail party Heather and the Team will see on the race: dozens and sometimes hundreds of people will fly their ski planes, run their snowmachines, and drive their dog teams out to a huge bonfire blowout that starts on Sunday night and continues well into Monday.
After the bonfire the trail runs across an almost boring series of long level swamps and meadows interspersed by quick jumps through thick stands of spruce and birch to get from one open area to the next be gradually but steadily climbing the entire time. When they pass a small lake under a hogback-looking rocky ridge, they will be within three miles of Finger Lake. The trail works around the south foot of the ridge and then drops down onto Finger Lake.
The checkpoint is on the far (west) side of the lake, on the lake ice in front of the lodge. Heather can usually get cold water in the lodge, and there might be a bite to eat in the lodge kitchen, as well as a place to grab a nap.
Historical Note: The race trail doesn’t actually follow the original Iditarod Trail as much as you might think. The first eight miles or so from Knik are on the original trail, but after that the race follows modern trails and cleared seismic lines generally paralleling the original alignment on the south. The old-time trail crossed the Susitna River at Susitna Station and went more or less direct from there to the old Skwentna Roadhouse, and never went up the Yentna River or to Skwentna.
Through the late 1980s the race used the general alignment of the original trail from Susitna Station (which was a checkpoint on early Iditarods) as far west as Rabbit Lake (approximately abeam Yentna Station 8 miles southwest) before angling northwest on a seismic survey line to Skwentna. By 1990 the race was using the Yentna River, dropping the Rabbit Lake checkpoint and replacing it with a new checkpoint at Yentna Station. The change was made mainly because the river had become a major snowmachine highway and the trail up it was much easier to establish and maintain each year than the old overland trail. The overland route was last used in 1992 because of poor conditions on the river; it is still an option.
The race trail rejoins the original Iditarod at the old Skwentna Roadhouse and generally follows it until Finger Lake. After Finger Lake, the old Iditarod dropped back down to the Skwentna River, avoiding the Happy River Steps and the subsequent Happy River Hill, passing by the long-vanished Mountain Climber Roadhouse and coming off the Skwentna near Shirley Lake. Today’s race trail runs north of the Skwentna River after Finger Lake, rejoining the old trail in the vicinity of Shirley Lake. Rumor has it the current race trail from Finger Lake to past Shirley Lake was a trap line trail used by Gene Leonard, an early Iditarod musher and checker who had a cabin at Finger Lake for many years.
From the Rainy Pass checkpoint to Rohn the race trail is essentially on the original routing, with the exception of the Dalzell Gorge, where the old trail on the mountainside above the canyon has long since been ravaged by avalanches and the race trail goes down through the gorge as a matter of practicality.
It should be noted that even the original Iditarod sometimes changed its routing from year to year. For instance, the trail up from the Skwentna River to Shirley Lake took at least two different routes, and one alternate route from the vicinity of Finger Lake went all the way to the Puntilla (Rainy Pass Lodge) area on the north side of Happy River, bypassing the Steps, the Hill, and even notorious Round Mountain.
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| Heather and the Hardcore Team Rests in Skwentna | Mon, Mar. 9th, 2009 | |
Heather and the Hardcore Team are only 149 miles into the race and they have already jumped ahead of a lot of the field. They are currently being shown in 45th place. Race records show they are nearly 2.5 hours ahead of last years pace.
The Team left the official re-start at Willow at 4:02 PM yesterday (8:022 PM EDT). The trail began on Willow Lake and wound through typical northern forests, consisting of alternating birch woods and spruce swamps. Most of the trail is flat to gently rolling hills. Most of the hills are around the Susitna River. They arrived at the Yentna Station Checkpoint which is located at the confluence of the Susitna and Yentna Rivers at 8:17 PM AKDT (00:17 EDT on 3-9).
After a short 42 minute rest to snack the dogs, Heather and the Team left Yentna just before 9 PM local time. They followed the Yentna River, with the last few miles up the Skwentna River to the checkpoint.
True to form the Skwentna checkpoint is a beehive of activity. This is probably the biggest and busiest checkpoint on the trail because all of the teams hit here at once on the first night of the race. There are thirty or forty other teams on the river with Heather and the Hardcore Team.
The actual checkpoint is in Joe and Norma Delia’s two-story cabin high atop the east bank. Joe has been the postmaster of Skwentna since anyone can remember, and was the checker for the first 25 Iditarod’s. (He retired as checker after the 1997 race, but his place is still the checkpoint.) Heather will water the Hardcore Team from a hole in the river ice. After she got the dogs fed and looked over by the vets and bedded down, and after she got her food drop bags sorted out and get everything ready to go in three or four or five hours, she probably headed up to the big cabin for a good meal (and more Tang) and maybe a couple hours` nap in a corner while her parka and boots dried out next to the wood stove.
From here its uphill most of the way to Finger Lake, but the trail isn’t overly tough.
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| They`re Off to Nome!! | Sun, Mar. 8th, 2009 | |
Heather and the Hardcore Team are officially on their way to Nome. Just after 4:04 AKDT (8:04 PM EDT) Heather and the 16 member team left Willow and are on the way to the first checkpoint at Yentna Station.
We talked to Heather just a short time before she left the re-start and she was confident.
“My team is peaking at just the right time,” said confident Heather. “We have a plan to finish in 10 to 11 days.”
The 16 dogs selected for the race are:
Earp, Kitty, Wyatt, Cal, Chewy, Lyra, Deacon, Dollie, Fast Eddy, Gavin, Piggy, Colvin, SnoGo, Sharp, Minnie and Tweaty.
The first leg of the race takes the mushers from the official re-start in Willow to the Yentna Station checkpoint, about 42 miles. The trail begins on Willow Lake and winds through typical northern forests, consisting of alternating birch woods and spruce swamps. Most of the trail is flat to gently rolling hills. Most of the hills are around the Susitna River. The Yentna Station Checkpoint is located at the confluence of the Susitna and Yentna Rivers.
In 2007 Heather took 4 hours and 11 minutes to complete this first leg of the race. Last year she did it in 3 hours 39 minutes.
When the mushers arrive at the checkpoint, the veterinarians and checkers will meet the teams by the river. The checkpoint is actually the home of the Gabryczak family who has been running the lodge for many years.
There is cold water by the lodge kitchen and a warm plate of spaghetti waiting for those mushers who want to take a break.
The race this year officially measures about 1131 miles. When Heather and the Team arrive in Yentna they will have 1016 miles left to get to Nome.
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| Racing for Mom | Sun, Mar. 8th, 2009 | |
The ceremonies have ended. Mushers have plotted their strategy and packed their sleds. The dogs have been trained and the tow lines checked and re-checked. At this point the only focus is the race. By that is not true for Heather and her Hardcore Team. Her team is thinking of a passenger they will carry, not in body, but in spirit.
“I am dedicating this race to my mom who has terminal cancer and to caner awareness,” said Heather shortly after completing yesterday ceremonial start.
Heather’s mom, Deb Stuart, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia and has metastatic breast cancer. Her disease has spread to her bones, liver, lungs and most recently her brain.
“Last fall they found I had at least 8 tumors in my brain and I underwent radiation treatments,” said Stuart. “The treatment really took a toll on me but unfortunately not so much on the tumors.”
Heather says her mother has always been an inspiration to her.
“My mom has been fighting cancer since 1991 when I was in junior high,” Heather recalls. “I remember seeing her bald for the first time when she got back from her treatment in Maryland. It was awful and I felt so sorry for her.”
Stuart received treatment at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She flew from Bismarck, ND every few weeks and underwent surgeries, chemo and other various treatments. Stuart currently receives two drugs but one of her oncologists recently told her “We’re running out of treatment options.”
Heather says her mother has exhibited considerable strength and perseverance during her 18 plus years of treatment.
“When I look at all that she has been through I am truly amazed,” says Heather. “So whenever I am feeling down or going through some tough times on the trail this year I will think of my mom and her spirit will carry us through the rough times and all the way to Nome.”
The real race starts in just a few short hours. Heather says her and the team are set. Minnie and Dixie have joined with Earp, Kitty, Wyatt, Cal, Chewy, Lyra, Deacon, Dollie, Fast Eddy, Gavin, Piggy, Colvin, SnoGo, and Sharp as the 2009 Hardcore Team that will carry Heather and her mom to Nome.
When you follow Heather and the Team along this journey to Nome, she asks everyone to do something special this year.
“Think of my mom. Pray for her. Pray for all the other people like her suffering from cancer and pray that someday they find a cure to this dreaded disease.”
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| More People Wish Heather and the Team Best Wishes | Sat, Mar. 7th, 2009 | |
Heather;
Warm wishes from Alabama! Best of luck on the 37th Iditarod!
Go Hardcore Huskies!
Virgil and Susan Burrer
Huntsville, Alabama
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Hello Heather,
Good luck from Upstate New York!!!!!!!
We`ll be following you on the GPS tracker.
Mike Radigan
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"Go Team Heather!"
Love your cousins,
Matilda & Victoria Covington
From Fort Huachuca, Arizona
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Good luck Heather and dogs, especially Fast Eddy!! A check is in the mail to cover some dog expenses.
You go, girl!!!
Anita Johnson
Bismarck
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Hi Heather -
Best of luck and we will be watching every day. Go get `em girl!!!
May Jones
Madison, Wi.
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Sending you wishes from Georgetown, Texas.
GO TEAM, GO!!
Ed & Shirley Harmes
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Good Luck Heather and Hey do her good. We love you and are watching every minute.
Love Auntie Joann and of course Harry
Wing, ND
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Hanging on the wall beside me is the race bib you wore in your first Iditarod together with a pic of you waving to me at the start of that race. Some how a lot of us knew you were the person to bet on. You have not let us down and I hope we have not let you down either. My sweatshirt came today just in time to wear it for the start of the race. I am proud to be on your team because you are all of the good things needed in this world today. Be tough, steadfast and loyal to your team of dogs. They will not let you down. They love you just as we do. On to NOME!!!!
Bill + Ann Arnold
P.S. - My daughter-in-law, Janet Halvorson Arnold formally from Bismarck and now living in Kodiak sends you her best also.
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Good Luck Heather, We`ll be praying that the weather is ideal and safe travels for you and the dogs. Have followed your journey the past two years and this will be no different.
Travel Safely.
Love Hugs and Prayers
Ann Vollmer
Greencastle, PA
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Hi Heather
We are cheering you on in Illinois and praying for you to have a great race! We look forward to hearing all the updates and checking your progress.
The best to you and the dogs!
Dan & Mary Chin
St. Charles, IL
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Greetings form Georgia,
I`ll be following your progress every day and be cheering you on. Your 11 day race sounds to be a winner. I send my best wishes for you and your dogs. See you in Nome at the finsh line as you cross #1.
Silverfox
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Heather,
We are rooting for you and your team from Charles Town, West Virginia.
Have a great time and a safe trip.
Carroll Bond
Charles Town, WV 25414
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