Seeing Double fans seem to hail from all over the place, so I don’t know what exactly the weather has been like where you’re at, but I hope it’s been a beautiful day. This Mad Blogger has been busy the last couple of days, and I promise you I haven’t just been sitting around enjoying the nice weather we have had in northern Wisconsin. Regardless, I owe everyone a big update.
(This is where you get comfortable, grab a beverage and a snack, maybe put your phone on silent…)
There have bee several additional scratches from this year’s race, and, tragically, at least two dogs have died. I will elaborate on all of that as much as I can. But first and foremost, let’s catch up to Anna.
Anna hasn’t scratched and all of her dogs are good!
I think you needed to read that first, before we armchair mush 125+ miles and catch up to her.
We last left Anna and her 10 dog team in Kaltag (race mile 629) Sunday evening, more than 7 days into this event. They had been there for a couple hours when I posted the last update, and sure enough ~ she ended up resting in checkpoint for 5 hours 43 minutes before hitting the trail again (as I had suspected she would).
She did return one dog from Kaltag, and I now know that to have been Ruckus. He wasn’t injured or anything, he simply was getting a little too thin. Which means he wasn’t eating enough calories to compensate for how hard he was working out there. And if you will recall from the dog bios, Ruckus is the hardest worker on the team. I’m sure Anna will really miss having him on the line, and I know that is where Ruckus would prefer to be. But if he was working really hard but not eating enough, the cold temps and the miles ahead could have taken their toll. Anna’s decision to return him was the right one.
Anna and her now 9 dog team pulled out of Kaltag in 22nd place at 10:46pm on Sunday. Ahead of her was the longest, and probably coldest, stretch of trail. She did camp out along the way, and ultimately it took 16 hours 38 minutes to mush that 85 miles. It took a couple mushers 17, or even 18, hours to complete that run. Travis Beals spent a whopping 22 hours and 6 minutes running that leg!!
It was 3:24pm on Monday, March 11th, when Anna and her team reached Unalakleet (race mile 714). She arrived in 21st place.
I expected Anna to rest in UNA for 6-7 hours after the long run she had just had, and I was right. She rested 6 hours 30 minutes before taking off again. And I know while she was in checkpoint, in addition to taking extra good care of her dogs, she also got a long nap in a shelter. And she had some pizza! Many years ago, fans facilitated a pizza delivery from Peace On Earth in Unalakleet to some mushers (including the late Paul Gebhardt). Instantly a tradition was born. Now Peace On Earth takes orders for lots of mushers from friends and fans all over the place. They watch the GPS trackers so they can try to get the pizza ready at the checkpoint for right when a musher arrives. Each pizza box has a name, a bib number, and perhaps a personal greeting. Can you imagine what a warm slice and a nice message mean to a musher at this point in the race?!
After dog care, a slice, and a nap, Anna left Unalakleet with 9 dogs in harness on Monday afternoon (3:24pm). She arrived in the next checkpoint of Shaktoolik before 10pm after a little more than 6 hours out on that 40 miles of trail.
If you’ve looked closely at the Iditarod map, you’ll see that mushers reach the Bering Sea coast when they reach UNA. But most of the trail from there to Shaktoolik (race mile 754) is still overland. Close to the sea ice and the coast, but mainly on land. After Shak, though, mushers cross a brief peninsula of land before heading out onto the sea ice. Every year since 2010, when one of my sisters has been on the trail, I dread that section of trail. Seeing one or two trackers out on this expanse of sea ice, and knowing it is a loved one and all their furry loved ones, is quite stressful.
And that’s where Anna is while I finish up this post. Smack dab in the middle of a frozen bay. My weather app says it’s 5F below zero and there are winds at over 20mph. It allegedly feels like -28F. She left Shak to tackle this stretch of trail at 4:11am. She left with 9 dogs still in harness and was out in 21st place.
It is 50 miles from Shak to Koyuk, and mostly over that dreaded sea ice. I expect Anna and her pups to take another good 5-6 hour rest in KYK after they get there.
Ok - are you cold? Are you tired? Are you craving pizza?! Hang on, we’ll get there.
Speaking of people getting there… Did you realize we are close to having this year’s winner? Dallas Seavey is reported out of the final checkpoint, Safety, and is only 13 miles from Nome. If he seals the deal, he will now hold the most Iditarod championships in history with 6 wins. Previously, his 5 wins had him tied with Rick Swenson. And Dallas’s dad, Mitch, holds the record for the fastest Iditarod, which he earned in 2017 after 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds on the trail.
But wait! 2017 was the year they rerouted the race to run from Fairbanks to Nome (due to a lack of snow through the Alaska range). That year, the race miles amounted to 979 miles. This year? 975. But! A great deal of the 2017 race was run on the Yukon River freeway. Not over the Alaska Range and through the woods. Should Iditarod recognize a “fastest” finish for each trail route run - northern, southern, Fairbanks, and Gold Trail Loop (covid year)? Maybe. But they don’t. And we’re past the 9 day mark, so Dallas won’t be taking any “fastest” titles away from his dad.
The back of the pack is still a long list of Iditarod rookies, with the red lantern Bryce Mumford having pulled out of Kaltag just before 7am on Tuesday. Bryce is running a 12 dog team. According to GPS, as Dallas approaches Nome and our red lantern moves from UNA to KTG, our field has a spread of 310 miles!
With 32 active mushers still racing, our scratch tally has grown to six. I reported previously on Erin, Connor, and Isaac. Late Sunday, March 9th, in the checkpoint of Nulato, veteran Deke Naaktgeboran also opted to scratch. He had 10 dogs in harness, all reported in good health. After that was long time Iditarod veteran Aaron Burmeister, who scratched in Unalakleet just after 10pm Monday night. He had 11 dogs in harness, also all reported in good health. Finally, we had Hunter Keefe, our 3rd veteran to scratch. He scratched before midnight on Monday, also in UNA.
Erin, Aaron, and Connor were all interviewed by the Iditarod Insider about their decision to scratch, and the videos were interesting. Poor Erin had a heckuva time out there, losing her sleeping bag, crashing her sled at least 3 times, and reuniting with her sleeping bag again (a mandatory piece of gear). The cold was definitely a factor. Connor had some similar things to say with respect to some lingering injuries to his dogs (namely sore wrists) and the impact of the cold temps.
But if you’re going to only watch one video about a musher scratching, watch Aaron Burmeister’s. This year is his 22nd time running the Iditarod, and he finished every one - eight of them with a top 10 finish. But this year? Things just weren’t jiving. His dogs were eating, drinking, pulling. They had energy. But they were “flat”. They didn’t have the attitude, they weren’t having fun. He could have muscled through. But should he? He didn’t think so, and I think he made the right choice. He said it wasn’t about him. His pride. It was about the dogs. Something was missing, and he wasn’t going to find it traveling further down the trail. So he called a Simone. As in Simone Biles. And I say that with a great deal of respect, no italics or implied sarcasm. Mental health is health.
Now I must report further on the two dog fatalities I am aware of this year. Rookie Isaac Teaford had a dog named Bog collapse just outside of the checkpoint of Nulato. A veterinarian was able to get to the dog quickly and CPR was performed, but Bog did not survive. A necropsy (dog autopsy) was performed but no further determinations as to cause of death were made, per the press release. Additional investigation will continue.
The second dog was on Hunter Keefe’s team and was named George. This dog allegedly collapsed on the trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet and unfortunately attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. A necropsy is also pending to further identify his cause of death.
Pursuant to Iditarod rules, both mushers scratched from the race immediately thereafter.
That is the extent of my knowledge. But my heart is heavy and I am sad. For Bog and George. For their respective mushers who, if they are anything like my sisters, love their dogs and would never in a million years want to see them come to serious harm. It’s gravely unfortunate for the Iditarod as an event and distance mushing as a sport.
I know these dogs love doing what they do. I know the mushers love their dogs. I’ve also had reality smack me in the face a time or two and remind me that no amount of love negates the forces of risk and reward. And no matter how hard you work to limit the risk, or your willingness to sacrifice any reward, risk remains, and it can find you. All I can hope is that a cause of death for these two dogs is identified and steps can be taken to limit the chance it happens in the future.
My heart goes out to George and Bog, and I know they’re running free on trails over the rainbow bridge.
That was a heavy post, I know. Both length and content! But the race goes on, a winner is imminent, and Anna is still on the trail. I’ll be back tomorrow with more on our first finishers into Nome and an update on Anna’s progress.
Seeing Double Iditarod 2024 Playlist…
Song 11: Beautiful Day by U2.
(This is where you get comfortable, grab a beverage and a snack, maybe put your phone on silent…)
There have bee several additional scratches from this year’s race, and, tragically, at least two dogs have died. I will elaborate on all of that as much as I can. But first and foremost, let’s catch up to Anna.
Anna hasn’t scratched and all of her dogs are good!
I think you needed to read that first, before we armchair mush 125+ miles and catch up to her.
We last left Anna and her 10 dog team in Kaltag (race mile 629) Sunday evening, more than 7 days into this event. They had been there for a couple hours when I posted the last update, and sure enough ~ she ended up resting in checkpoint for 5 hours 43 minutes before hitting the trail again (as I had suspected she would).
She did return one dog from Kaltag, and I now know that to have been Ruckus. He wasn’t injured or anything, he simply was getting a little too thin. Which means he wasn’t eating enough calories to compensate for how hard he was working out there. And if you will recall from the dog bios, Ruckus is the hardest worker on the team. I’m sure Anna will really miss having him on the line, and I know that is where Ruckus would prefer to be. But if he was working really hard but not eating enough, the cold temps and the miles ahead could have taken their toll. Anna’s decision to return him was the right one.
Anna and her now 9 dog team pulled out of Kaltag in 22nd place at 10:46pm on Sunday. Ahead of her was the longest, and probably coldest, stretch of trail. She did camp out along the way, and ultimately it took 16 hours 38 minutes to mush that 85 miles. It took a couple mushers 17, or even 18, hours to complete that run. Travis Beals spent a whopping 22 hours and 6 minutes running that leg!!
It was 3:24pm on Monday, March 11th, when Anna and her team reached Unalakleet (race mile 714). She arrived in 21st place.
I expected Anna to rest in UNA for 6-7 hours after the long run she had just had, and I was right. She rested 6 hours 30 minutes before taking off again. And I know while she was in checkpoint, in addition to taking extra good care of her dogs, she also got a long nap in a shelter. And she had some pizza! Many years ago, fans facilitated a pizza delivery from Peace On Earth in Unalakleet to some mushers (including the late Paul Gebhardt). Instantly a tradition was born. Now Peace On Earth takes orders for lots of mushers from friends and fans all over the place. They watch the GPS trackers so they can try to get the pizza ready at the checkpoint for right when a musher arrives. Each pizza box has a name, a bib number, and perhaps a personal greeting. Can you imagine what a warm slice and a nice message mean to a musher at this point in the race?!
After dog care, a slice, and a nap, Anna left Unalakleet with 9 dogs in harness on Monday afternoon (3:24pm). She arrived in the next checkpoint of Shaktoolik before 10pm after a little more than 6 hours out on that 40 miles of trail.
If you’ve looked closely at the Iditarod map, you’ll see that mushers reach the Bering Sea coast when they reach UNA. But most of the trail from there to Shaktoolik (race mile 754) is still overland. Close to the sea ice and the coast, but mainly on land. After Shak, though, mushers cross a brief peninsula of land before heading out onto the sea ice. Every year since 2010, when one of my sisters has been on the trail, I dread that section of trail. Seeing one or two trackers out on this expanse of sea ice, and knowing it is a loved one and all their furry loved ones, is quite stressful.
And that’s where Anna is while I finish up this post. Smack dab in the middle of a frozen bay. My weather app says it’s 5F below zero and there are winds at over 20mph. It allegedly feels like -28F. She left Shak to tackle this stretch of trail at 4:11am. She left with 9 dogs still in harness and was out in 21st place.
It is 50 miles from Shak to Koyuk, and mostly over that dreaded sea ice. I expect Anna and her pups to take another good 5-6 hour rest in KYK after they get there.
Ok - are you cold? Are you tired? Are you craving pizza?! Hang on, we’ll get there.
Speaking of people getting there… Did you realize we are close to having this year’s winner? Dallas Seavey is reported out of the final checkpoint, Safety, and is only 13 miles from Nome. If he seals the deal, he will now hold the most Iditarod championships in history with 6 wins. Previously, his 5 wins had him tied with Rick Swenson. And Dallas’s dad, Mitch, holds the record for the fastest Iditarod, which he earned in 2017 after 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds on the trail.
But wait! 2017 was the year they rerouted the race to run from Fairbanks to Nome (due to a lack of snow through the Alaska range). That year, the race miles amounted to 979 miles. This year? 975. But! A great deal of the 2017 race was run on the Yukon River freeway. Not over the Alaska Range and through the woods. Should Iditarod recognize a “fastest” finish for each trail route run - northern, southern, Fairbanks, and Gold Trail Loop (covid year)? Maybe. But they don’t. And we’re past the 9 day mark, so Dallas won’t be taking any “fastest” titles away from his dad.
The back of the pack is still a long list of Iditarod rookies, with the red lantern Bryce Mumford having pulled out of Kaltag just before 7am on Tuesday. Bryce is running a 12 dog team. According to GPS, as Dallas approaches Nome and our red lantern moves from UNA to KTG, our field has a spread of 310 miles!
With 32 active mushers still racing, our scratch tally has grown to six. I reported previously on Erin, Connor, and Isaac. Late Sunday, March 9th, in the checkpoint of Nulato, veteran Deke Naaktgeboran also opted to scratch. He had 10 dogs in harness, all reported in good health. After that was long time Iditarod veteran Aaron Burmeister, who scratched in Unalakleet just after 10pm Monday night. He had 11 dogs in harness, also all reported in good health. Finally, we had Hunter Keefe, our 3rd veteran to scratch. He scratched before midnight on Monday, also in UNA.
Erin, Aaron, and Connor were all interviewed by the Iditarod Insider about their decision to scratch, and the videos were interesting. Poor Erin had a heckuva time out there, losing her sleeping bag, crashing her sled at least 3 times, and reuniting with her sleeping bag again (a mandatory piece of gear). The cold was definitely a factor. Connor had some similar things to say with respect to some lingering injuries to his dogs (namely sore wrists) and the impact of the cold temps.
But if you’re going to only watch one video about a musher scratching, watch Aaron Burmeister’s. This year is his 22nd time running the Iditarod, and he finished every one - eight of them with a top 10 finish. But this year? Things just weren’t jiving. His dogs were eating, drinking, pulling. They had energy. But they were “flat”. They didn’t have the attitude, they weren’t having fun. He could have muscled through. But should he? He didn’t think so, and I think he made the right choice. He said it wasn’t about him. His pride. It was about the dogs. Something was missing, and he wasn’t going to find it traveling further down the trail. So he called a Simone. As in Simone Biles. And I say that with a great deal of respect, no italics or implied sarcasm. Mental health is health.
Now I must report further on the two dog fatalities I am aware of this year. Rookie Isaac Teaford had a dog named Bog collapse just outside of the checkpoint of Nulato. A veterinarian was able to get to the dog quickly and CPR was performed, but Bog did not survive. A necropsy (dog autopsy) was performed but no further determinations as to cause of death were made, per the press release. Additional investigation will continue.
The second dog was on Hunter Keefe’s team and was named George. This dog allegedly collapsed on the trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet and unfortunately attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. A necropsy is also pending to further identify his cause of death.
Pursuant to Iditarod rules, both mushers scratched from the race immediately thereafter.
That is the extent of my knowledge. But my heart is heavy and I am sad. For Bog and George. For their respective mushers who, if they are anything like my sisters, love their dogs and would never in a million years want to see them come to serious harm. It’s gravely unfortunate for the Iditarod as an event and distance mushing as a sport.
I know these dogs love doing what they do. I know the mushers love their dogs. I’ve also had reality smack me in the face a time or two and remind me that no amount of love negates the forces of risk and reward. And no matter how hard you work to limit the risk, or your willingness to sacrifice any reward, risk remains, and it can find you. All I can hope is that a cause of death for these two dogs is identified and steps can be taken to limit the chance it happens in the future.
My heart goes out to George and Bog, and I know they’re running free on trails over the rainbow bridge.
That was a heavy post, I know. Both length and content! But the race goes on, a winner is imminent, and Anna is still on the trail. I’ll be back tomorrow with more on our first finishers into Nome and an update on Anna’s progress.
Seeing Double Iditarod 2024 Playlist…
Song 11: Beautiful Day by U2.
And a few pictures direct from Anna, taken recently on the trail!