Martin Buser continues to lead the pack of Iditarod mushers through Greyling enroute to the isolated checkpoint of Eagle Island on the north bank of the Yukon. He arrived Greyling at 10:22 PM, quickly grabbed gear and food, and exited the village, located high on a bank in pictaresque grove of tall spruce and thick trunked birch trees overlooking the Yukon River. The race trail leaves the village on a steep slip that leads teams directly back on the wind blown hardpack of the Yukon.

While it is relatively calm in Greyling, a constant downriver wind blows in the face of huskies and dogs. From the air, we saw bands of brown sand bars, the work of ceaseless winds. In the dark moonless night, the wind is the obstacle.

Jeff King’s, according to trail pundits, is traveling like a mirror image of Buser’s. Jeff and team arrive at 10:22PM and give Buser more than an hour advantage. He also breezes through Greyling and drops down on the Yukon and a hard 65 mile trail to Eagle Island.

Wild Card

Lance Mackey and Paul Gebhardt are shadowing Buser and King. The question for their fans is a question of speed and strength. Are they closing the gap on the two leaders Buser and King? According to race pundits looking at checkpoint data, Mackey and Gebhardt are faster—-at least temporarily.

After we watch Buser and King buzz through Greyling, the phone rings at the checkpoint and a fan living upriver reports that he sees Mackey and Gebhardt in pursuit and considers them faster. This heightens the uncertainty, and of course the interest, in the front of the pack.

While the crowd of villagers and fans waits for the next mushers at the checkpoint, a few of us argue about a time sheet and report which shows Zach Steer still in Shageluk. Someone them deduces that an eleven must have been mistaken for a seven, and it is to understand the cause of world war. Shortly after, Zach Steer arrives at 10;50 PM and immediately asks for a parking spot. The team looks animated and lively, so we are surprised when he tells us that he is stopping for four hours rest. But after a little thought, it is a great idea and totally consistent with his very cautious strategy. This little rest in Greyling will set him up for a powerful run to Eagle Island.