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| They're Back On the Trail | Mar-15-2007 | |
Heather, Don Smidt, and Bruce Linton are all listed as leaving the Eagle Island checkpoint. Linton left at 11:00 AM AKDT, Smidt at 11:30 AM and Heather at 12:25 PM (4:25 PM EDT). Ellen Halverson is still shown at the checkpoint but reports say she should be leaving within minutes. She continues to hold the Red Lantern.
After the long haul from Grayling to Eagle Island, this leg is more of the same—exactly the same, in fact. Just like its predecessor, it’s also 62 miles, and it’s also all on the Yukon River. Because the dogs should be well rested after a 15 hour break, this leg should take another 6 to 9 hours to Kaltag.
There’s nothing really new on the river for this leg see plenty more islands, sandbars, sloughs, bluffs, and river bends probably also see a few stretches of windblown sandy trail in the last 20 miles before Kaltag.
Heatehr and her group will be glad to arrive at the Kaltag checkpoint. From here to Nome they'll be on well-traveled village-to-village trails—and finally off the endless white expanse of the Yukon. Heather and the others will want to make sure their dogs get plenty of rest here. Veterans say it’s best to rest your dogs before you leave the Yukon, because they may not get much rest out on the coast, especially the next run to Unalakleet which is 90 miles down the trail.
We just spoke with a bush pilot who overflew the Yukon a short while ago and he said there is good visibility and light wind so that should make the run a bit easier. When he finished earlier today, Rick Swenson, the only 5 time Iditarod champion, told us that the thermometer on his sled rarely read above 0 the entire race.
Historical Note: The original Iditarod Trail never ran on the Yukon. It went directly from Iditarod to Kaltag across the marshy maze of the Innoko Valley. Old-time mushers on the way to Nome only saw the Yukon when they crossed it to Kaltag.
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| Halverson & Smidt Finally Arri | Mar-15-2007 | |
Ellen Halverson and Don Smidt finally arrived at Eagle Island at 1:30 AM AKDT (5:30 AM EDT) after 12 and 14 hours on the trail respectfully.
In checking with officials in the race communciations center in Nome, no explaination was given for their unusually long run. Most of the other mushers, including rookies like them, had been making the trip in 8 to 9 hours. Heather had made the same run in 8:41.
Smidt had actually left the Grayling checkpoint 35 minutes ahead of Heather but arrived nearly 5 hours later. Smidt is now listed as the Red Lantern.
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| Slow Reports from Eagle Island | Mar-15-2007 | |
Remote reporting sites like the one at Eagle Island are often slow to report activity at the checkpoint. The last report from Eagle Island was from 7:15 PM AKDT last night when rookie Bruce Mine left for Kaltag. We are still waiting for official word on the arrival of Halverson and Smidt and the departure of Bruce Linton and Heather.
As you may recall from an earlier post, one 1997 musher said that Eagle Island is so remote it’s actually beyond the edge of the planet: it’s as if you've gone to the edge, fallen off, and discovered that the Place Down Below really has frozen over. It’s definitely lonely. Stay tuned!
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| Heather in Eagle Island | Mar-14-2007 | |
Heather arrived at the Eagle Island Checkpoint at 8:26 PM AKDT this evening (00:26 EDT, Thursday morning) with 10 dogs. Somewhere along the Yukon Heather passed Don Smidt who had left the Grayling checkpoint about 30 minutes ahead of Heather.
As of the 11 PM update from Iditarod Headquarters in Nome, no reports had been received on the arrival of Smidt or Ellen Halverson. Because Halverson left nearly 2 hours after Heather, she would not be expected to arrive at Eagle Island until around 10:30 PM AKDT.
At this checkpoint, mushers find their constant battle with cold winds on the Yukon River about half over, but it’s still a long 65 miles to the next checkpoint at Kaltag. Ralph Conatser’s cabin, the only dwelling in Eagle Island, is the checkpoint.
Records show mushers usually rest between 6 to 8 hours before leaving for Kaltag. Heather has now completed 702 miles and is 429 miles from Nome. She is listed in 58th place out of the 60 mushers still in the race.
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| Halverson Finally Leaves Grayl | Mar-14-2007 | |
Ellen Halverson left Grayling at 1:28 PM AKDT, about 1:45 minutes after Heather. Officials at Iditarod Headquarters in Nome could not offer an explaination as to why she left so long after the others. On an earlier leg, Heather also left long after Ellen and the others only to catch them along the trail. Since Halverson's team is posting speeds faster than that of Heather, she will probably catch up with her along the Yukon River.
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