Saturday, March 14

2 degrees, clear skies

Sunrise on the Yukon.  It is a beautiful clear morning in Grayling, and we can see how the teams are spreading out.  The first team in last night was Jeff King, followed by Sebastian Schnuelle, Aaron Burmeister, and Lance Mackey.  The first three stayed, and Lance breezed through this checkpoint.

When I got up this morning I could just begin to see the pinks, purples, and yellow of the rising sun.  It was breathtaking!  I ran out to snap some shots of the new day and find out who had come in while I was sleeping.  I felt so fortunate to see several ladies of the race.  Aliy Zirkle was preparing to leave, Jesse Royer was snacking her dogs, and within the hour I watched Dee Dee Jonrowe pull into the checkpoint.  What a thrill!

At the front of this race there appears to be no weak teams.  The top 15 or so teams are all strong and capable.  The dogs of these teams are highly energized and eating well.  Even at this point in the race, the first team into Grayling may not be the first team into Nome.  There are still far too many challenges to predict a winner yet.  This race is very interesting.

Once again, just like in Nikolai, this village is making the mushers feel very welcome.  Grayling has opened the school for mushers to get water, to shower, and spend the night.  The children are so excited about the race.  They were running, leading the way into the school to show the mushers where to get water.  The teachers at David-Louis Memorial School guided mushers to the classrooms where they had provided extra mats for them to sleep on.  They even had a sign on the door, “Shh, Musher’s Sleeping!” In fact, Jeff King and Hans Gatt slept a few hours in the classroom beside the one I slept in last night.  It is important for the mushers to catch naps when they can.

The mushers appreciate Grayling for its fine hospitality; it is also a good place to escape the flow of cold air on the river.  Many have taken the opportunity to give their teams the mandatory 8-hour break (required somewhere along the Yukon).  Others will rest at least 6 hours here because the next push is a tough 60 miles on the Yukon River to Eagle Island.  Resting on the river is a poor place to rest because there are no wind breaks.

I believe I’ll take a rest too, a rest from writing.  I’m going to see what’s happening at the checkpoint.