Anna and Kristy checked out of Ophir after completing their mandatory 24 hour rests right on schedule Thursday afternoon. Anna stayed only 4 minutes more than required, which I always take as a good sign that she's rested, the dogs are rested, and everybody is ready to hit the trail again. And Kristy led the two of them out of checkpoint around 4:15pm Alaska time, having technically stayed 34 minutes longer than required, certainly a worthwhile sacrifice to remain even with her twin.
It looks like Kristy did return two dogs from Ophir, giving her 10 dogs in harness as she hit the trail again. Anna didn't return any, so she is still running 12 dogs in front of her sled. I should get an update on the dogs from Andy back at the kennel in a day or so. The dogs returned earlier in the race are all home and relaxing comfortably. Crocket and Saison from Kristy's team, and Kevin and White Sauce from Anna's, are all "fat and happy" according to Andy. I will spare you the specifics, but ultimately these pups were sent home with only minor issues out of an abundance of caution by the twins. I'm certain that is also the case for the two pups we're awaiting from Ophir.
The twins spent the overnight hours tackling the 73 miles from Ophir to Cripple (race mile 425), with GPS trackers showing them closing in on the next checkpoint at 6am Friday morning. They would have camped out for 4-5 hours trailside during this trek, giving the dogs a hot meal and a good rest. Kristy and Anna each carry a large cooker and several bottles of HEET in their sleds which allows for the hot meal no matter where they stop. They would also have traveled out of Ophir with a half bale of straw each, which is used to make the comfy nests the dogs rest on alongside the trail.
We may see the twins stop only briefly in Cripple before hitting the trail again, with their plan indicating a run-through to camp trailside again not long after. But after that many miles out on the trail, the allure of being in checkpoint, even with precious few amenities, may prove too much. My guess, if we see them in Cripple for more than 45 minutes or so, they're likely to stay a full 4-5 hours.
As for the rest of the field... The top 18 teams were reported out of Cripple Thursday afternoon, about the same time Seeing Double arrived in Ophir. Brent Sass was the first musher out and he maintained his position, arriving in Ruby (race mile 495) in first place early Friday morning. The back of our field is in McGrath, giving us a lead/lag spread of over 180 miles. We also had our second musher, Ryne Olson, withdraw from the race this year. She had 11 dogs on the line when she set her snow hook for the last time in McGrath. Safe and swift travels home for both you and your team, Ryne.
As we head into the weekend, 47 mushers and their dogs continue making their way to Nome. I'll be back with more race updates and a special edition or two in the days ahead.
It looks like Kristy did return two dogs from Ophir, giving her 10 dogs in harness as she hit the trail again. Anna didn't return any, so she is still running 12 dogs in front of her sled. I should get an update on the dogs from Andy back at the kennel in a day or so. The dogs returned earlier in the race are all home and relaxing comfortably. Crocket and Saison from Kristy's team, and Kevin and White Sauce from Anna's, are all "fat and happy" according to Andy. I will spare you the specifics, but ultimately these pups were sent home with only minor issues out of an abundance of caution by the twins. I'm certain that is also the case for the two pups we're awaiting from Ophir.
The twins spent the overnight hours tackling the 73 miles from Ophir to Cripple (race mile 425), with GPS trackers showing them closing in on the next checkpoint at 6am Friday morning. They would have camped out for 4-5 hours trailside during this trek, giving the dogs a hot meal and a good rest. Kristy and Anna each carry a large cooker and several bottles of HEET in their sleds which allows for the hot meal no matter where they stop. They would also have traveled out of Ophir with a half bale of straw each, which is used to make the comfy nests the dogs rest on alongside the trail.
We may see the twins stop only briefly in Cripple before hitting the trail again, with their plan indicating a run-through to camp trailside again not long after. But after that many miles out on the trail, the allure of being in checkpoint, even with precious few amenities, may prove too much. My guess, if we see them in Cripple for more than 45 minutes or so, they're likely to stay a full 4-5 hours.
As for the rest of the field... The top 18 teams were reported out of Cripple Thursday afternoon, about the same time Seeing Double arrived in Ophir. Brent Sass was the first musher out and he maintained his position, arriving in Ruby (race mile 495) in first place early Friday morning. The back of our field is in McGrath, giving us a lead/lag spread of over 180 miles. We also had our second musher, Ryne Olson, withdraw from the race this year. She had 11 dogs on the line when she set her snow hook for the last time in McGrath. Safe and swift travels home for both you and your team, Ryne.
As we head into the weekend, 47 mushers and their dogs continue making their way to Nome. I'll be back with more race updates and a special edition or two in the days ahead.
What it’s like running a dog team at night. From Anna in January during a training run.
