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Hardcore Huskies Newsletter 08 Race Edition.pdf [ Archive ] |
| Heather and Team Resting in Shaktoolik | Thu, Mar. 13th, 2008 | |
The Hardcore Team, lead by their leader Heather, arrived in Shaktoolik at 6:46 PM AKDT (10:46 PM EDT) this evening after a 6 hour 41 minute 42 run from Unalakleet, only about 20 minutes slower than last year with one less dog.
Shaktoolik has a population of about 200. One look down the street at the snowdrifts will tell you this is one of the windiest stretches of the trail. The checkpoint here is at the armory.
Race records show that most teams are taking a rest of about 6 hours before heading out on ice of the Norton Sound to the next checkpoint in Koyuk.
From here the trail continues overland for a short distance, then leads the musher’s out onto the ice of Norton Bay, one of the most treacherous segments of trail that the musher may have to contend with. There is only one thing to say about this next leg—bleak, flat, and deadly monotonous. Locals say the actual distance is less than 50 miles, but it always seems like a hundred. There is not so much as a shrub on this stretch, most of which is over the sea ice of Norton Bay. Plan on five to nine hours for the crossing, more if the wind is blowing hard.
In 2007, Heather took 6 hours 56 minutes to complete this leg of the race.
In another race development, rookie Molly Yazwinski, formerly of Deerfield, Mass who now resides in Fairbanks, AK, just arrived in Unalakleet after a journey of 67 hours 39 minutes from Kaltag. Reports from Nome say that Molly initially left Kaltag on Monday evening around 9 PM AKDT. Somewhere along the trail she developed some problems with her dogs so she returned to Kaltag. She left there again earlier today and finally arrived in Unalakleet at 4:40 PM AKDT Thursday. Most other musher’s took anywhere from 10 to 24 hours to complete this stretch. Again, Molly took nearly 68 hours! WOW! Kudos’ to you Molly for sticking it out!
Finally, Heather’s landlord, mentor and fellow musher Jerry Sousa arrived in Nome a little after 1 PM AKDT today to complete his run from Anchorage in 10 days and 22 hours. He finished in 32nd place. Congratulations Jerry!"
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| Heather and Team Leave Unalakleet | Thu, Mar. 13th, 2008 | |
The Coastal Run Nome is Underway!
Heather and the Hardcore Team are back on the trail, next stop Shaktoolik. Heather and her team rested for 9 hours 46 minutes and left the checkpoint at Unalakleet at 12:05 PM AKDT (4:05 PM EDT) for their 42 mile run to Shaktoolik, population less than 200. The team is still 8 dogs strong! These are mighty little warriors and have pulled Heather a long way!
Some race veterans say the actual distance on this leg is usually about 37 or 38 miles. (As with some other legs, the official distance sometimes reflects the longest possible routing, or old routings.) The race follows the main snowmachine trail to Shaktoolik; it is normally well traveled and well marked. The first 25 miles cross a mix of woods, taiga, open areas, and exposed ridge tops; the last 12 miles are completely in the open on the barren coastline. This leg usually takes four to six hours, but can be much longer if the weather is bad. The forecast for today is pretty good, cloudy sky and the temp in the lower teens with a breeze from the north northeast of about 5 mph.
Heather and the Hardcore Team will leave Unalakleet northbound on the slough behind the town, passing to the east of the airport. The trail will probably be icy. Heather will need to watch the markers carefully so she doesn’t end up on the gravel beach road after she passes the airport; it’s usually plowed and she will destroy your runner plastic before she even gets out of sight of the town.
The trail runs generally inland of the road for about five miles until the small settlement of Power, where it leaves the shore and starts to climb, turning inland to pass behind 850-foot Blueberry Point. In a few years on early races, the trail ran along the sea ice under the bluffs, but has not done so recently. Heather will climb steadily to about 300 feet, passing through a wide, mostly open saddle east of Blueberry Point about three miles after leaving the beach, then descending gradually back toward the shoreline in a wide valley come back almost to the shore at the fishing camp of Egavik, about 12 miles from Unalakleet. The trail will cross Egavik Creek, (where she need to watch for overflow) and then make a short but relatively steep climb directly up a 300-foot ridge. This is the first (and easiest) of three hills before Heather reaches the summit of Blueberry Hills.
The Hardcore Team will run along the open ridge line for a mile or so and then descend almost back to the coast, crossing a small creek about three miles past Egavik. Then they’ll turn slightly northeastward away from the shore along a small wooded valley to get around a 750-foot hill on the coast. (Note that trees in this area tend to grow only in sheltered areas.) After a mile or so they’ll turn back to the north, climbing up over another several-hundred- foot ridge before returning almost to the shoreline to cross another small creek about six or seven miles past Egavik. This is the second hill.
The last hill is generally considered the second most difficult climb on the last half of the race. It’s about four miles long and runs right up the spine of the Blueberry Hills; the Team will be gaining a thousand feet in elevation. Much of the trail is in woods, but some stretches are exposed and can be heavily drifted. The grades are generally steady, but there are a few short, steep pitches. Heather will also make a few dips down into ravines.
As they near the top, the trail will become more open; they’ll pass what is called the false summit, descending sharply into a ravine and then climbing back up to the real summit. For the last mile or so, they can see out to the west from the ridge tops; 15 miles away.
Once on top, the trail will make a left turn (to the west). Heather doesn’t want to miss this turn or she’ll be following another trail that continues along the top of the hills and bypasses Shaktoolik. A quarter-mile past the turn is the beginning of the three-mile descent to the beach. The first couple of miles are basically one big downgrade with many curves, not overly steep but unrelenting and mostly in the woods. The trail can be icy here and the curves are lined with trees, which have wrecked many a sled. Heather will need to make sure she her team well under control before she drops off the edge of the planet headed down for the beach. She shouldn’t let them speed up too much on the way down or she may find herself in major trouble. The experience gained last year going through this area should help a lot.
The Hardcore Team will bottom out in a small valley and climb sharply back up over one last wooded hundred-foot ridge to the beach. There are a couple of cabins where the trail hits the shore; if the wind is howling ahead (and she’ll know it), she might consider stopping here until things let up a bit. Generally the north winds on the coast die down (if they’re going to die down) just after dawn but will often pick back up by afternoon when Heather is going through this area.
Once on the shore, there aren’t any more trees, and precious few bushes. The trail will run northwestward along a slough behind the dune line, which will be on her left. If the slough trail is drifted in, it is sometimes possible to make your way along the dune line. The slough trail can be rough and icy. About halfway to Shaktoolik the trail will come up out of the slough and onto the dune line. By this point the trail is actually an ATV path. The first buildings Heather will see ahead are Old Shaktoolik, abandoned since the 1960s. The trail will go past them and continue to New Shaktoolik, a couple of miles farther. The Team will run right up the main street of town to the checkpoint, which is in the National Guard armory.
Cold water is available from the village power plant and pump station next door. The dogs will usually be parked on the south side of the armory, which is the only place they can be sheltered from the north wind. Most people don’t plan to spend much time at Shaktoolik, because if the gales come up you can easily spend a whole day or longer here. Just remember that the next leg is 60 miles of complete bleakness across the sea ice of Norton Bay, and the sooner Heather and the Hardcore Team gets it behind them the better they’ll be.
When they arrive in Shaktoolik, Heather and the Hardcore Team will have completed 893 miles with 219 more to Nome!
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| Hearther & Team Arrive in Unalakleet | Thu, Mar. 13th, 2008 | |
The long 90 mile run from Kaltag to Unalakleet is over. It ended at 2:19 AM AKDT (6:19 AM EDT) when Heather and her 8 member Hardcore Team completed a 17 hour 29 minute run from Kaltag and arrived at the Unalakleet checkpoint in the old semi-abandoned Covenant School gymnasium, which is opened up for the race every year. The checker and his assistants will met Heather and her Team and guided them to the parking area around the old school.
In spite of all of the obstacles they’ve faced this year, the Hardcore Team continues to run faster than last year. It took the team 12 days 14 hours and 33 minutes to reach Unalakleet during the 07 race. This year the Team arrived in just 10 days 10 hours and 49 minutes, which is more than two days faster.
After tending to her team mates, Heather will find a kitchen in the gym to serve mushers and the relatively large contingent of race personnel here. Unalakleet is a major logistics hub for the race and the Iditarod Air Force bases out of here for its work along the coast. In previous years the sleeping room has been upstairs behind the gym. She’ll be able to hang her wet gear in the boiler room to dry. There is usually hot water available for dog food and even showers if you want one.
Population 882 -- Situated on the coast of Norton Sound, just north of the Unalakleet River, this village is the largest community on the Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Nome. Two well stocked stores, as well as two restaurants can be found here along with limited lodging by advance booking. The trail is now entering the gateway to the Bering Sea and from here on the mushers can expect sudden storms and an ample supply of wind. The checkpoint is in front of the AC store.
Heather and the Hardcore Team have now completed 851 miles and have a 261 mile run along the coast to reach the burled arch in Nome. Based on her times from this point last year, Heather and the Hardcore Team should arrive in Nome between 12 and 4 PM AKDT (4 and 8 PM EDT) on Sunday, March 16th, just in time for the Mushers Awards banquet at the Rec Center in Nome.
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| Students Across America Following Hardcore Team | Wed, Mar. 12th, 2008 | |
Iditarod Dog Sled Race Provides Many Educational Opportunities
Students in classrooms from coast to coast are following the 2008 Iditarod; picking mushers and plotting the progress of their team. One musher has caught the fancy of many of the kids and it’s our own Hardcore Heather! In fact, the 5th grade classes in one school even became a major sponsor of the Hardcore Team!
“Our three 5th grade classrooms at the Ft. Lincoln School in Mandan North Dakota, are studying and following the Iditarod as part of our reading curriculum,” said teacher Tammy Kelly. “We decided to support Heather in her 2nd Iditarod endeavor. She had visited our school following her first race so the students were familiar with her and were excited to see her race again.”
Before the race, the Ft. Lincoln students studied the checkpoints on the map of the 2008 Iditarod Race. They researched the history of the Iditarod and discovered what it takes to be able to run the Iditarod Race.
“They didn’t know how much preparation it took them and how much money it takes to run a sled dog race,” said Kelly.
Knowing how expensive it is to run the race prompted the 5th graders to have a bake sale for Heather. The students and their teachers brought home baked goodsto sell. They made $260.
According to Kelly and the other teachers involved, the Iditarod race incorporates many subject areas. For instance, in math, the speed between each leg of the race is averaged and many predictions are made regarding where the mushers will have the fastest speed and why. In social studies, the state of Alaska is explored while looking at the land elevations, time zones, weather and climate, and important landmarks.
Kelly says the knowledge learned about mushers and the checkpoints mushers and the checkpoints are also used in writing projects. Some of the students wrote poems about mushers, stories about being on the trail, or pretend letters from mushers telling about their lives.
Amy Zachmeier (computer specialist for Mandan School District) visited classrooms to share her dog sled racing experiences in Minnesota. She brought the sled that her father had made for her.
“They are very excited and can’t wait to get online to check the progress of their musher each day,” says Kelly. “Some of the students check the current standings before they come to school and in the evening. Of course, Heather is watched very closely!”
Kelly adds if a musher scratches the students are eager to find out what happened and are searching online for answers. She says they were very lucky to get to meet Heather last year when she came to our school.
“Hopefully, she’ll come again!”
In Treynor Iowa, Julie Kudron says her daughter Emily’s 6th grade class is doing a project on the Iditarod. Each child drew a musher`s name to "sponsor". The kid’s track where their musher is every day and they also go to the lower grades to teach them about the Iditarod.
“It`s been a very fun unit for the kids to do,” says Kudron.
Kudron is friends with one of Heather’s cousins Rachel Ehli who lives in Bismarck, ND.
“My daughter teacher automatically gave Emily Heather as her musher,” said Kudron. “Emily was so proud to wear her Hardcore Huskies shirt to the opening banquet on Feb 29th.”
St. Josephs’ School in Martinsburg, WV is also following the race. Heather’s mother, Deb Stuart who lives in Martinsburg, recently went to the school and spoke with the 4th grade classes. She showed them pictures taken at the start of the race and some from Heather’s preparations before the race.
Stuart was shown some of the projects the class has done like making trail maps and pictures of sleds.
Anna Stas, one of the students, says she learned about Alaska and that some parts of the race have lots of snow and other parts do not.
“I think I would be too scared to do a race like the Iditarod,” says Stas. “Heather has guts for doing it.”
“The students and teachers there are very interested in the race,” says Stuart. “This is my second year going there to talk with students at St. Joe’s School.”
Fourth grade teacher Mrs. Highlands says the kids are just fascinated by the whole Iditarod experience.
At St. Mary’s School in Bismarck, the students are watching Heather’s progress many times throughout the day.
“You have stolen our hearts,” says 5th grade teacher Joan Sieler. “Our class has been rooting you on!”
Sieler says each student got to choose a musher before the Iditarod started and Abby (the student in the middle with "47") Abby (the student in the middle with "47") was lucky enough to get Heather.
“We talk about you all day long and also remember you in our prayers,” Sieler added.
Sieler says the 5th grade class at the St. Mary’s Grade School hope that Heather can make it back to Bismarck and visit her class.
“You have no idea how much we`d love to meet you!” Sieler concludes
For more pictures of what the various schools are doing, CLICK HERE
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| Off the River and Headed for the Coast | Wed, Mar. 12th, 2008 | |
The Hardcore Team rested for just over 8 hours leaving the checkpoint at Kaltag at 8:50 AM AKDT (12:50 PM EDT) and is now back on the trail. Heather and her eight member Hardcore Team, who have trudged over the last 150 miles of the trail, are headed to the Norton Sound and the town of Unalakleet, population 859. This village is the largest community on the Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Nome. When they arrive they’ll find the trail is now entering the gateway to the Bering Sea and from here on the Heather and the Team can expect sudden storms and an ample supply of wind.
The trail to Unalakleet follows the ancient Kaltag portage, a relatively straight valley angling southwest through the coastal mountains; the route has been used for millennia by Natives. It is normally a well-used snowmachine highway. It marks the major transition from the inland river environment to the Bering Sea coast. Conditions can be vastly different at opposite ends of the portage, and wind is a constant threat on the western half.
The distance to Unalakleet is actually about 82 miles. Heather and the team can plan on 14 to 18 hours for this trip, depending on long she’s camps along the way, and for how long. If the weather gets bad, though, this trip can easily take 18 or 20 hours. Last year Heather completed this leg in 16 hours 7 minutes. There are two excellent resting spots on the trail, fifteen miles apart: the Tripod Flats cabin is 35 miles from Kaltag, and the Old Woman cabin is 15 miles farther on, about 35 miles from Unalakleet. Both are snug log cabins maintained by BLM and the local villages and can provide welcome refuges in case you encounter a storm.
When the Hardcore Team leaves Kaltag they’ll head toward the airport (which lies a mile west of town) and then run along the right (north) side of the runway for a mile. The trail then works southwest up the valley of the Kaltag River through woods and occasional open areas, slowly climbing. After about ten miles the trail begins to climb more steeply in places, eventually angling up the south side of the valley to the summit of the portage, 800 feet above sea level and 15 miles from Kaltag. There may be some narrow stretches with some sidehill in the last few miles to the summit, along with a few moderate grades, but normally nothing too serious.
Once past the summit Heather will guide the team southwestward along the north side of the valley, slowly descending. The trail will pass through a mix of wooded areas, taiga, and open stretches, occasionally dropping down to cross small streams (all of which should be well frozen). About 15 miles past the summit she’ll enter an area of pothole lakes and the trail will go over what appear to be sand dunes. Shortly after, they’ll come out onto a long, gently sloping flat area; this is Tripod Flats.
Toward the far end of Tripod Flats will be a standard wooden BLM sign pointing to the Tripod Flats cabin, a hundred yards off the trail in the trees on the left. The access trail makes a loop for easy-off, easy-on. The cabin has a good stove and bunks and is open to all comers. If they stop there, Heather must be sure to replenish the firewood before she pulls out. (This is basic Bush etiquette—the next person to use the cabin may need fire RIGHT NOW!)
Immediately after the Tripod Flats sign, the trail will cross a bridge over a rather deep ditch. There are no railings on the bridge, so Heather will need to stay in the middle. After a few more miles of gentle hills she’ll notice the Unalakleet River flowing in from the right (north). It will swing southwest and will become the chief river in the portage valley you’re following.
The trail will stay on the south side of the river, running across low hills and ridges and dipping down to cross some side creeks and rivers. At one point the trail will run along a bluff close above the Unalakleet River. In this area Heather begin to see Old Woman Mountain, with its distinctive flat top. The trail will head directly toward the mountain, eventually running for a mile or so along some looping sloughs of the Old Woman River. The trail will swing off the sloughs and into the trees, where she’ll see an old plywood cabin. This is the original Old Woman cabin, 15 miles past Tripod Flats and 32 miles from Unalalkeet. It’s still usable and has a good stove, although it’s a bit the worse for wear and has been mildly trashed over the past few years. Legend has it if you stop here; make sure you leave something (such as food) for the Old Woman when you leave. You don’t want her ghost chasing you to Nome and throwing bad luck your way.
After the old cabin, the trail winds back along the Old Woman River a bit farther and then heads out of the river bottoms to the west. As soon as you come out of the treeline and onto the tundra you’ll see a BLM sign for the new Old Woman cabin, just off the right of the main trail. It also has an easy off, easy on access trail. This snug log cabin is similar to the Tripod Flats cabin, and even has an outhouse. By the way, none of the cabins on this trail has water readily available; Heather has to melt snow if she wants to feed the dogs a proper meal.
As soon as the Hardcore Team leaves the new Old Woman cabin, the trail will run on the open tundra, staying a mile or two south of the greenbelt along the Unalakleet River cut through some straggly treelines along creeks flowing in from the south, but mostly they’ll be out in the open. This stretch of trail (all the way to Unalakleet) is notorious for wind and drifts and sudden snowstorms. The weather report for today appears to be good with the temperatures around 15 and a light wind. There are also some patches of light overflow and glaciering. Heather will need to watch carefully for the markings; in the open areas, the markings are fastened on wooden tripods every few hundred yards.
At night Heather should be able to pick out the flash of the Unalakleet airport beacon (green, then white), or at least its reflection. As long as she can see the beacon flash, she’ll know it’s not snowing between her and Unalakleet. In this respect she’ll be like the early airmail pilots, flying at night in all kinds of weather from one airway beacon to the next.
The Hardcore Team will cross one relatively large stream flowing in from the south, the Chiroskey River. It has a significant treeline and you’ll cut through a mile-wide wooded stretch in the process of crossing it. The Chiroskey is about 16 miles from Unalakleet.
After the Chiroskey Heather will run about eight more miles on the tundra before the river makes a 45-degree right turn and drops back down onto the Unalakleet River for the final run into town.
Once the Team is back on the river they’ll have 8 miles to go, but they’re not home free yet, although they’re much better off than out on the open tundra. The weather can still be bad enough to keep you from finding your way to town. The trail makes a couple of portages to stay to the north side of some bends. There are plenty of trees along the river if the Team needs shelter, as well as a number of cabins.
Heather will finally cut up a low hill and at the top she’ll see Unalakleet sitting on its barren spit across a frozen lagoon. The snow is usually very sparse for the last few miles into town, and the last mile across the lagoon is often on glare ice. If the wind is blowing (the town’s name means Place Where the East Wind Blows) it can be an interesting skate.
The checkpoint is usually in the old semi-abandoned Covenant School gymnasium, which is opened up for the race every year. The checker and his assistants will meet Heather and her Team and guide them team to the parking area around the old school.
There is a kitchen in the gym to serve mushers and the relatively large contingent of race personnel here. Unalakleet is a major logistics hub for the race and the Iditarod Air Force bases out of here for its work along the coast. In previous years the sleeping room has been upstairs behind the gym; so Heather should take her sleeping bag in with her after she’s got the dogs taken care of. She can hang her wet gear in the boiler room to dry. There is usually hot water available for dog food and even showers if she wants one.
Unalakleet has a couple of well-stocked stores and a restaurant. It’s the biggest town between Wasilla and Nome, with close to 900 people. Heather is now about 275 miles from Nome and this is a good place for her to plan her strategy for the next few days. For the most part, the country from here to Nome is generally bleak and windy, and that’s on the good days—and she’ll need to be prepared for anything.
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