Kristy and Andy arrived in Nome just after 7am Alaska time this morning, pretty much right on schedule!  Kristy's team must have had a little extra spunk at the end, as she pulled in about a minute and a half before Andy. 

Kristy, 36th Place, 11 days, 16 hours, 8 minutes, 55 seconds.
Andy, 37th Place, 11 days, 16 hours, 10 minutes, 31 seconds.

Kristy dropped one dog in Elim, and another in White Mountain, while Andy dropped one more dog in White Mountain as well, so they both arrived with 10 dogs in harness.  I'll let them get settled in and rest up a bit, and then I'll start bugging Kristy for details!

I did speak briefly with Anna last night, and she sounded great!  She was really pleased with her race, and thrilled with how the dogs that finished with her performed. 

Here are a few pictures to tide you over until I can come back with a more fulsome recap from the mushers themselves.  CONGRATULATIONS SEEING DOUBLE!!
 

Kristy and Andy arrived in White Mountain, 77 miles from Nome, at 1:30pm Alaska time Thursday afternoon.  They're taking their final 8hr stop, and should hit the trail at precisely 9:30pm.  Their last couple runs have shown their speeds to be close to Anna's, so I'll also give them 6 1/2 hours to run to Safety and call it 2h 45m on the last leg to Nome.  Expect them under the burled arch between 6:45-7am Alaska time Friday morning.

I have to admit, part of me wonders if they'll do something lovebird-hokey at the finish, like Andy carrying Kristy under the arch much like a groom carries his bride over the threshold.  I mean, c'mon... they pulled out a hatchet, an ax, and then a chainsaw to cut their wedding cake.  More power to them.  I hope it's an amazing first chapter to a long and happy marriage. 

I've gotten a couple of texts from Anna since she arrived in Nome, but I know she'll be taking care of her dogs and then getting some much needed rest before she's ready to talk to the Mad Blogger.  I did watch her brief interview at the finish.  She was asked what she may have done differently this year, and she talked about their training schedule.  Rather than go week to week, month to month depending on how the dogs were feeling, the weather... they had a more regimented training strategy, leading right up to the Iditarod start.  When asked of any disappointments, she referenced having to drop 6 dogs.  Those she pulled in with all looked great, heads and tails held high and trotting happily.  But she said it's tough to work so hard to take care of all 16 from the start, only to have one step wrong or get a bug and have to go home.  But working closely with vets and sticking to a diligent dog routine, she was happy about getting 10 amazing looking dogs 1,000 miles to the finish.
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A couple more mushers have scratched, bring that total to 11.  Michi Konno was the 23rd musher into Nome nearly 3 hours after Anna, leaving 33 teams - including Kristy and Andy - still out on the trail.  11 Days after leaving Lake Willow.
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Whoo-hoo!  Congratulations Anna, the 22nd musher to cross under the burled arch to successfully complete Iditarod 2018.  She even secured a new personal record for finishing place (as her prior best was 28th).  A very respectable time on the trail as well, especially given all the snow they had to break trail through out there.

Anna's official time:  10 days 21 hours 44 minutes and 20 seconds, with 10 dogs in harness.

I'll be back later with a recap of her finishing interview and a projection on when we can expect Kristy and Andy to arrive in Nome.

Anna arriving in Nome and offering her dogs a snack.  Photos from our friend Tina Knolmayer who is in Nome awaiting arrival of her husband, Tom.

Anna has about 60 miles to go before reaching Nome, according to GPS trackers at 5:45am Alaska time Thursday.  She took a 5hr 19min rest in Elim, about 1 1/2 hours longer than I had guestimated.  But her run time into White Mountain was on track, and she pulled her snow hook exactly 8 hours to the minute and without dropping any dogs, so I expect her to be on track from here.  Given the slightly longer stay in Elim, I'm bumping out her finish time to between 1-1:30pm Alaska time today!  She's on track to claim 22nd place, Seeing Double's best finish by way of rank to date.  The closest musher to her is rookie Michi Konno running 9 dogs.  Anna is running 10 dogs, currently moving along at 8.2mph, and has a 10 mile buffer over Michi, who is currently running slightly slower at 7.7mph

I got an update from Jack on the rest of the dropped dogs.  It turns out Anna dropped Little Bit in Unalakleet, as the lovely lady broke a nail!  All kidding aside, if you've ever been clipping your own dogs nails and hit the 'quick', or vein, in the nail, you know how these can bleed.  And as Little Bit likely cracked or split a nail, this would be quite troublesome out on the trail.  She'll heal quickly with a bit of rest back at the kennel though.

So as Anna approaches Nome, she does so with these exceptional canine athletes in front of her sled:  Kiwi, West, Beaker, Hale, Cannonball, Sweetums, Pilgrim, Quintes, Tornado, and Rizo.

Kristy and Andy were hard at it themselves early this morning, pulling into Elim (race mile 875) just after 1am.  Recall Kristy is running 12 dogs, with her last dog dropped in Kaltag.  Turns out that was Pop who had to stop when a sore shoulder couldn't be worked out.  Andy has also dropped  a dog in Kaltag, leaving 11 in harness.  He dropped Hammer here, and turns out the poor pup has pneumonia, the 2nd dog from Andy's team to present with this.  But Hammer, along with all the other dropped dogs, are resting comfortably back at the kennel and expected to make full recoveries.

I'll be back later today when Anna crosses the finish!

After exactly 9 days and 12 hours on the trail, Norwegian Joar Leifseth Ulsom, with 8 dogs in harness in front of his sled, pulled under the burled arch in Nome to win the 46th Iditarod.  Despite arriving at 3am Alaska time this morning, there seemed to be a decent crowd gathered in the remote village to bid him welcome.  This 31 year old just finished his 6th consecutive Iditarod, placing in the top 10 in each prior race.  He was a name to watch this year and certainly made good on that speculation.

Nicolas Petit and Mitch Seavey have also reached Nome as of this writing, the 2nd and 3rd mushers to pull under the burled arch this year.  Nic arrived 2 hours and 15 minutes after Joar, securing his best Iditarod career finish by way of rank.  But it must also be a little bitter sweet... I know if I was Nic, I wouldn't be able to help but think of the detour earlier in the race on the sea ice and what might have been without that.  Nic was running 10 dogs when he finished.  Mitch arrived in Nome about 3 hours after Nic and had 9 dogs in harness. 

With 3 mushers into Nome and our scratch tally still at 8, we have 56 teams working their way to Nome.

Anna pulled into Elim, race mile 875, at 7:50am today which means it's time for the Mad Blogger to try and predict when she will reach Nome.  Factoring in her recent run speeds and rest times, the amount of time I think she was planning to rest in Elim, the mandatory 8hr she'll have to take in White Mountain, and the times she put up last year on this section of trail...  [Drumroll please!]  I put Anna into Nome Thursday, March 15th, between 11 and 11:30am Alaska time.  I'll do my best to fine tune that estimate after I see her rest time in Elim, whether she drops any dogs or not, and her run time into White Mountain.

About 30 minutes after Joar reached the finish line in Nome, Kristy and Andy pulled their snow hooks and mushed out of Shaktoolik, race mile 777, with 221 miles left to go.   They were reported in 37th and 38th place and did not drop any dogs, with Kristy running 12 and Andy running 11.  I'm going to focus on the rest of Anna's race to Nome, and then I'll come back and attempt the same finishing prediction for The Honeymooners. 

The weather is cooler, the snow has given teams a reprieve.  These should be just the sort of conditions the Seeing Double dogs were primarily training on, which should make for reasonably smooth mushing into the finish.  Stay tuned!

Joar pulled out of White Mountain right on schedule at 3:52pm Alaska time.  Like all the mushers, he has now been out on the trail for just over 9 days.  Iditarod hasn't had a champion with a last name other than Seavey since 2011, so some new blood would be nice.  A champion also hasn't crossed into the 9-day realm since 2013, the last time the southern route was run.  We'll have to ask the twins if that speaks more to similar (read ~ slow) weather or the nature of the southern trail.

Joar opted to drop 2 dogs when he left White mountain, leaving 10 in harness.  Nic Petit will be able to hit the trail 3 1/2 hours after him, and Nic will have at most 11 dogs in front of his sled if he doesn't drop any.  Mitch Seavey, with at most 9 dogs, 2 hours after that.  It gives Joar a comfortable margin, but not a certain one.

This screen capture from the GPS tracking system shows the racing groups I was referencing earlier.  The top 5, all in and around White Mountain; a cluster of other top 20 contenders +/- 20 miles around Elim; Anna leading the pack of the top 30 scramble, with her GPS putting her at mile 820 and in 22nd place.  Kristy and Andy are likely enjoying the solitude at mile 760 between Una and Shak, assuming the weather isn't so nasty as to preclude enjoying anything.  But other than 2 teams racing 4 miles ahead, they have 20 miles of trail in front and behind that is devoid of teams.  The last grouping of teams is scattered along the 85 miles between Kaltag and Una, except for Tara Cicatello and Steve Watkins, the last two teams at mile 581 on what is a long, lonely slug along the Nulato Hills between Grayling and Kaltag, particularly with Eagle Island still just a hospitality stop.

Several more mushers have scratched, bringing that total to 8, and leaving 59 teams on the trail.  Steve Watkins is running in the 59th position and under the same bib number, and I hope he and all the other teams make it to Nome for the symmetry alone.

Among those scratching are Wade Marrs, previously considered a top contender in this year's race, Ryan Redington (leaving Ray the loan Redington still in the race, but as he's up in 4th, I figure old Joe Sr is not complaining), and Allen Moore, Yukon Quest champion.  Marrs and Moore both mentioned personal health issues as the primary cause.  Seeing Double certainly wishes all of the mushers and dog teams no longer on the trail swift and safe journeys to their kennels.
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You may be hoping, faithful reader, that I'll be launching this blog entry with a sound file of something cool, like a team of dogs howling or mushers chatting about the trail in a checkpoint... 

Nope.

If you want to experience the Sounds of Norton Sound, may I suggest you find a friend with a driver's license, a vehicle, and a stretch of open road that will allow the driver to get to speed.  At 30-50mph, open the window, stick your head out, and... tah-dah!   That wind noise should be pretty similar to what the mushers are experiencing as they hit the coast.

Mushers have been out on the trail for 8 days and nearly 20 hours now.  Joar Leifseth Ulsom managed to recapture the lead from Nic Petit Monday afternoon when Nic's team lost the trail on the sea ice between Shaktoolik and Koyuk.  With multiple reports of high winds, blowing snow, and, at times, blizzard conditions, mushers are having to keep a close watch on trail markers to make their way - something that is frequently easier said than done.  Just ask Petit, who's 13 hour detour-run between Shak and Koyuk, compared to Joar's 8 hour 13 minute efficiency-run, may have just cost him the race.

But having followed the Iditarod for as many years as I have, I should know only too well by now that it isn't over until it's over.  And with Joar into White Mountain at 7:52am this morning, taking his final mandatory 8 hour rest and then facing "only" 77 miles to Nome, the proverbial fat lady may be warming up, but she's not singing yet.

The GPS trackers have Joar's closest competitors, Nic Petit and Mitch Seavey, 10-20 miles out of White Mountain, and the closest contenders for the race to win.  The next race-within-the-race appears to be taking place by the 20 or so teams on the 48-mile stretch between Koyuk and Elim.  These mushers are within 200 miles of the finish, fighting for a spot in the top 20 (which are the "in-the-money" positions for the primary race purse).  There are a lot of familiar mushing names in this group, including Ray Redington, Pete Kaiser, Aaron Burmeister, Aliy Zirkle, and the 2017 Humanitarian Award winner Jessie Royer.  A third competitive contingent seems to have formed amongst the mushers currently between mile 700 or so (on the stretch between Kaltag and Unalakleet) and those teams into Shaktoolik, mile 777.  These teams will reach Nome rounding out the top 30, an important psychological milestone for many mushers and one Anna will certainly have in the back of her mind with her personal best prior finish in 28th place.  But she cannot underestimate the quality and experience of the teams she has been running with, which includes former champions Martin Buser and Jeff King.  Finally, you have the 15 teams that are just into or approaching Kaltag, race mile 652.  They are probably all too cognizant of how long they have been out there, and how far they still have to travel.  With the majority of these teams rookies, I have to imagine they're focused on dog care and to simply keep going.

Watch for Joar to hit the trail again as soon as his 8hr is up, or at 3:52pm Alaska time Tuesday afternoon.  Last year, Joar finished in 4th place.  He needed 6hr 41min to run from White Mountain to Safety, and another 3hr 2min to get from Safety to Nome, or a total (with 2 min of rest in Safety) of 9hr 45min. If he has a similar pace this year and no mishaps, he could claim the 2018 Iditarod Championship around 2am Alaska time Wednesday morning. 

What about our Seeing Double teams?  It's a bit too early yet for me to start predicting when they're likely to finish, but I'll get to that in the next entry.  In the meantime, I can tell you Anna pulled out of Shaktoolik, race mile 777, at 10:32am Tuesday morning in 26th place.    When we last left her on Sunday, she was nearing Kaltag.  She took a 6hr 50min rest in Kaltag before heading out on the 85 mile stretch to Unalakleet.  She spent 16 1/2 hours on this stretch, arriving in Una before 8pm Monday night. The Iditarod Insider caught up with her in this checkpoint and posted a nice long interview.  For those who are not paid Insider subscribers, I can tell you she sounded really good!  She joked that there has been no lack of snow this year, with some of the most challenging trail she's seen this year on the section into Iditarod and on through Shageluk.  The snow was very deep, the trail hard to decipher.  She said both she and the dogs worked really hard on that stretch given the deep snow, the need to break trail, the unusual warmth this year, and the hills along that section.  When asked about her dogs, she mentioned two in particular.  Beaker, part of the Muppet litter, made his first run to Nome last year, and finished the entire race.  Anna was hoping she could rely on him again this year and so far, she has.  Beaker has spent a lot of time in lead, and, even for a young dog, has really excelled in challenging conditions that often involved breaking trail.  The other dog she mentioned was Kiwi.  On loan from another musher, Kiwi required a lot of work over the season.  He went from a dog that hated having his feet touched and freaking out at the sound of Velcro (which is on every bootie and the dog jackets), to being a really great dog and excellent cheerleader on the team.  Anna said once in a while he still has a Velcro phobia, but by and large he has turned into an excellent dog and is an asset to the team.

Another great thing about the Insider video?  I got some clarity on which dogs she has dropped.  I was previously under the impression Quintes had been dropped in Grayling.  And that is what the paperwork said.  But then I spotted him in the video with Anna in Una, which is well beyond Grayling!  So I was confused, and promptly got in touch with our DDC Jack.  He doubled checked and sure enough, the paperwork erroneously said Quintes, but his collar revealed it was really RT (who was dropped with signs of lameness in his right shoulder).  So this means the 11 dogs in front of Anna's sled out of Grayling included:  Little Bit, Kiwi, West, Beaker, Quintes (not RT), Hale, Cannonball, Sweetums, Pilgrim, Tornado, and Rizo.  Anna did drop one dog in Unalakleet after her interview, leaving her 10 precious pups in harness.   

Anna also commented that it was a little weird not running in close proximity to her twin, and this Mad Blogger has to agree.  We last left the Lovebirds out of Grayling Sunday morning and making their way on the long stretch through Eagle Island and on to Kaltag.  After nearly 22 hours out on the trail, they arrived in Kaltag just after 8am on Tuesday.  They took a 7 hour rest here.  Andy had dropped one dog in Grayling and Kristy dropped one in Kaltag, so when they hit the 85 mile trail on their way to Unalakleet, Kristy had 12 dogs in harness, Andy had 11.  It was another long slog between checkpoints, and after 17 1/2 hours, they pulled into Unalakleet just before 9am Tuesday morning.  They'll take a good long rest here, I'm sure, before heading out onto the sea ice to Shaktoolik.

The spread on our leader board sure has changed!  First place at mile 921, Anna at 793, Kristy & Andy at 737, and our current red lantern back at mile 558!  That's a lot of trail for organizers to keep track of.

Here are some more pictures from recently in the race.  I grabbed a number of stills from the Insider video with Anna, as well as a few others to try and give you a sense of what things are like out there right now.  And see that Coleman Personal 24 cooler Anna is using?  The twins LOVE this size and style of cooler, but sadly Coleman quit making them (mushers must be the only ones that liked the fully removable lid...).  If any of our fans ever stumble across one, be it new or in good used condition, at a discount store, in your garage, or at a garage sale... grab it!  We cannot find enough of these exact coolers, and dread the day we have to replace them.  If you find one, email the Mad Blogger and we'll find a way to get it to Seeing Double.  :)

As your weekend winds down, mushers are wrapping up their 6th full day on the trail.  Day 7 looms large, and Mother Nature continues to remind everyone she is in charge.    The GPS trackers show teams spread from mile 460 between Iditarod and Shageluk and just past mile 700 with the leaders closing in on Unlakleet and the Bering Sea Coast.  Iditarod Insider videos carry lots of reports of challenging trail.  Musher and friend of Seeing Double Tom Knolmayer recounted chest deep snow drifts and no trail at all.  He and his family live not far from the twins' kennel in Knik, and like them is used to colder temps and harder-pack trail.  Iditarod conditions this year are mandating slower speeds and more rest, particularly if one is breaking a lot of trail (which most mushers are) and/or hitting the nasty storms that seem to be cropping up regularly at this point in the race.

I watched several Iditarod Insider videos, and the ones capturing mushers out on the trail made obvious that winds are picking up.  I could hear them gusting in the background.  Musher Jeff Deeter reported the same chest-deep drifts as Tom, and 20mph cross winds.  As mushers get through Kaltag and Unalakleet, they'll hit the Bering Sea Coast, where temps are likely to drop and winds likely to increase.  As of this writing, weather centers are reporting temps around 10F (-12.2C), but feels more like 1F (-17.2C) when you factor in a 5mph wind.  Pressure is falling and teams are likely to see snow again on Monday.

Nic Petit, Joar, and Mitch Seavey still lead the pack, with GPS trackers putting them all beyond mile 700.   They're running 13, 13, and 11 dog teams, respectively.  Like nearly all teams at this point, they've checked off their 24s and Yukon 8s.  The next and final mandatory stop will be another 8hr for all teams in White Mountain.  The back of the pack is checked out of Iditarod and closing in on Shageluk.  A 4th musher, Robert Redington, the 3rd and youngest Redington brother in the race this year, scratched in Shageluk, leaving 63 teams out on the trail.

And now to our Seeing Double teams!  The leader board had Anna out of Grayling in 27th place Saturday afternoon.  She dropped one dog here (full update on all the dogs below), leaving her with 11 dogs in harness.  She and her dogs spent their Saturday night and Sunday morning on the trail, with her GPS tracker showing they took one longer camp to rest along the way.  She's closing in on Kaltag, where she will most certainly take at least a 5hr rest before embarking on the 85 mile run to Unalakleet.

Kristy and Andy were reported out of Grayling at 10:20am Sunday morning, with Andy leading the way in 42nd place and Kristy in 43rd.  Andy is one of 16 rookies in the race this year, and none have scratched yet.   There are 5 rookies ahead of Andy, and I think holding in the top 3rd of a tough field of rookies is good work on Andy's part!  Having Kristy by his side helps, I'm sure, but his own athleticism and familiarity with the trail (having fat tire biked it) must be contributing as well.  Their GPS trackers have them just past mile 550 and closing in on Eagle Island.  I am unclear if this is still a hospitality spot, or if it resorts to a normal full checkpoint when/if the weather permits.  Andy dropped one dog in Grayling leaving 11 dogs in harness, while Kristy pulled her snowhook with the same 13 unbelievable canine athletes that have been running since Willow, having not dropped any dogs since Takotna.

With that, to our Dropped Dog Correspondent Jack!  He sent me a few texts and we also chatted briefly.  We knew Anna had dropped Timmy, Bob Barker, and John.  Ruby is the teammate coming home from Ophir (with a sore shoulder) and Quintes had to bow out in Grayling.  He caught a last minute flight back to Anchorage, so Jack is just heading to pick him up now and will learn more about why he was left in checkpoint.  That means the 11 dogs currently leading the way in front of Anna's sled include:  Little Bit, Kiwi, West, Beaker, RT, Hale, Cannonball, Sweetums, Pilgrim, Tornado, and Rizo.  With the exception of Quintes, whom we're awaiting details on, all of Anna's dropped dogs are back at the kennel, recovering from mild soreness of shoulders and/or wrists.  Jack says they were all dropped out of an abundance of caution.

We knew Kristy had dropped Beatris, and I now know Foxtrot and Blowhole had to be left with vets in Ophir.  They were also dropped with mild soreness and are chilling back at the kennel.  Kristy is thus running with 13 dogs in harness:  Haley, Jack, Serac, Duramax, Gutten, Pace, Susintna, Bootleg, Pop, Bulliet, Wallace, Colt, and Henry.  Unfortunately, with all the chaotic events surrounding the Iditarod start, I didn't have a chance to do a proper bio of Andy's team.  :(  I am getting updates from Jack, though, as his dogs come back to the kennel.  Of course he also left the restart with 16 dogs.  Shark was dropped early in Nikolai for mild soreness, and three more were dropped in Ophir ~ Kavic, Oklahoma, and Natchiq.  They're all recovering back at Seeing Double kennel.  Kavic was also just sore, while lady Natchiq was in very bad heat, which would have been harder on her and very distracting to males on the team!  Oklahoma came back with a cough, which upon further examination vets diagnosed as mild pneumonia.  Oklahoma is enjoying some kennel time inside by the fire for day or two, paired with medication, to make sure his precious athlete's lungs clear up fully.  Andy is currently racing down the trail with 11 dogs in harness.

Net net, all 48 dogs spread across 3 Seeing Double teams involved with this year's Iditarod are either happily running down the trail or home, lording their stories over the other dogs back at the kennel.

KTVA.com posted a couple of cool videos on YouTube... Kristy nearly wiping out coming out of Shageluk when a sharp corner met with a steep drop.  As well as a cool montage showcasing the dogs of Iditarod 2018.

Here are some stills from Kristy's video as well as other images from out on the trail to Nome.  Even the leaders have over a day and some 300 miles of it left to conquer.  

Whatever you might be doing this weekend, mushers and their dogs are doing the same thing they've been doing for 5 days and 22 hours ~ making their way through the Alaskan wilderness on their way to Nome.

Well, at least 64 mushers are doing that.  An additional musher, Scott White, scratched in Takotna, bringing the number out of the race to 3.  The back of the pack is all out of Ophir (race mile 352) and GPS has the leaders around mile 600 between Eagle Island and Kaltag.  They could wave at each other across the southern loop.  But as the trail runs, teams are now spread across 216 miles.

Mother nature has decided it's time to remind all involved that she has a loud say in most everything that goes on.  Mushers and snowmachiners came into the checkpoints of Iditarod and Shageluk with reports of high winds and blowing snow; 2-6" of fresh base snow before the drifts that ate the trail, forcing many teams to break their own paths; and blizzard-like conditions.  The weather got so bad at the Eagle Island checkpoint, midway along the Yukon River run, that the Iditarod was forced to reclassify it as a "hospitality point", somewhere mushers can drop a dog, seek veterinary advice, or rest briefly, but not an official stop and thus no resupplying.  Teams will have to be loaded for 122 miles of trail when they pull out of Grayling and make the river run to Kaltag.

That is something Anna will be doing soon, at least, as of this writing.  She arrived in Grayling, race mile 530, at 9:42am Saturday morning.  She was reported in 30th place.  We last left her on the way to Iditarod.  She spent 1 minute shy of 14 hours on that stretch of trail, ahead of my estimate.   She took a 5 hour rest there Friday morning before hitting the trail to Shageluk, where she declared and took the 8hr rest that is required at some point along this portion of trail.  Probably an easy decision for her, as it made for an even run/rest against the 8 1/2 hours she had spent on the trail.  She was out of Shageluk a little before 4am Saturday morning and spent nearly all of the next 6 hours moving along the trail.

Kristy and Andy, as expected, were out of Ophir a few hours after Anna late Thursday.  I also expected them to take longer on the long stretch of trail to Iditarod, but perhaps not 4 hours longer than Anna.  Be that as it may, 18hrs 18min later, they arrived in Iditarod Friday afternoon, stayed for a little over 6 hours, and then pulled their snow hooks for Shageluk, where they arrived in 39th and 40th place between 8:30 and 9:30am Saturday morning.  It wouldn't surprise me if they took the daytime hours here on Saturday to check off their own 8hr rests.

Update 1 on the dogs ~ when Iditarod first reported Anna out of Ophir, they did not show her dropping any dogs, and I reported as such.  They later amended the site to show she dropped one dog.  She has been traveling the trail with 12 amazing dogs since Ophir.  Kristy dropped 2 dogs in Ophir while Andy dropped 3, leaving them with 13 and 12 dogs in front of their respective sleds.  Our DDC Jack is meeting a flight in Anchorage today with many, if not all, of the 6 dogs we're anticipating back at the kennel.  I'll be sure to report back with details as soon as I have them!

I know we're long past Valentine's day, but if you have a soft spot for a bit of romance, check out the story on how Kristy and Andy met on ADN.com.  Don't worry, it's entirely Rated G (for gushing grin or gag, your call!).

Here are a few great photos to tide you over until my next posts, which will be forthcoming over the rest of the weekend.

Hope you're having a good one!

When Anna's stay in Ophir extended to 5 hours, I became pretty certain she had adjusted her race schedule and decided to 24 there instead of pushing on to Iditarod. That was confirmed when she pulled out of that checkpoint at 4:15pm Thursday afternoon, only 2 minutes after her mandatory time was complete. And she didn't drop any dogs! Pulling out with 13 amazing canine athletes in front of her sled. She was reported in 34th place.

Enough mushers have satisfied their 24 hour requirement that I'm willing to talk about position again. While Joar is still at the top of the leader board as of this writing, he's sitting out his 24. A long list of mushers are closing in and will soon pass him, including Nic Petit, Mitch Seavey, Jeff King, and a host of other well known names. Most teams coming off their 24s have 13 or more dogs on the gang line. The front of the pack is into Iditarod or close to it. There are still only 2 scratched teams, leaving 65 racing down the trail. The back of the pack is into McGrath as of this writing, leaving the teams spread out across over 120 miles.

Kristy and Andy should be out of Ophir fresh off their 24s a few hours after Anna, and I'll be very curious to see if they drop any dogs. Our "DDC" Jack is getting off easy so far this year, especially with Seeing Double having 3 dog teams out on the trail.

From Ophir, the teams face the long 75-80 mile run to Iditarod, not to mention a daunting 640+ miles to the finish. They've already been out there for over 4 days.

The weather remains very warm by Iditarod standards, hovering around freezing during the day, and trail reports keep coming back with creative renditions of snow and slow. One musher described the snow as 'deep, really deep, and bottomless'. That will reduce the amount of really technical sled driving required, as the mushers are pulled more slowly through a sea of mashed potatoes.

I expect it will take Anna 15-17 hours of mostly nighttime mushing to get from Ophir to Iditarod, putting her into that checkpoint in the early hours Friday morning. I'll be thinking about lunch. She'll pull over to camp trailside for at least 3 hours along the way. I expect a similar run time, maybe skewed to the end of that range, for Kristy and Andy only a few hours behind Anna.

Here are some more pics of Seeing Double teams out on the trail to tide you over until my next update. Fair warning ~ barring breaking news, my Friday evening post will be brief, if it is crafted at all. But I'll be back Saturday and Sunday with race updates and a couple of weekend special editions.