2008 Archived Iditarod Updates

Out of Safety March 12th 2008 at 00:12
Moving a a steady clip now, Lance has only 22 miles to the finish line in Nome.


Listen to LIVE radio coverage
from KICY radio in Nome, Alaska

A winner is expected into Nome sometime between 02:30 and 06:30 Wednesday morning Alaska Standard Time..

It's not just his dogs that he connects with This was a rescue dog looking to be adopted. Rottweiler markings with daschund legs kissing up to Lance at a Home Depot show.

Out of White Mountain and giving it all he & his 11 dogs have
If anyone can convince an 11 dog team to "cheer up' and " let's have fun" Lance is your musher...a cheerleader & a coach...to do it. A man who's got a special connection with dogs. You can see it when he is in his dog lot or approaching someone's pet dog. The dogs just look at him with admiration. Lance understands them and knows what their body language means. You could say he's a man that "Runs with dogs".. Lance has that gift with the canine world. A gift...that could give him Iditarod 2008.



March 11th 2008 First
into White Mountain...
Lance marched into White Mountain 57 minutes ahead of his closest competiter, Jeff King. Arriving this morning at 8:53. Both mushers must rest 8 hours in White Mountain and then it's a sprint to the finish line in Nome. Lance can leave at 4:53 this afternoon. 77 miles to go, go, go!




Topo Map White Mountain    Topo Map - Safety

Leaving the White Mountain area

Trail from White Mountain to Safety...This can be one of the most dangerous stretches on the race when the wind blows or a storm hits. It can make or break champions, not to mention back- of-the-packers. Mushers have nearly died within what would normally be a few hours' easy running to Nome. In reasonable weather, this is a pleasant five- to eight-hour run; in the worst conditions, it can be impassable.

The race uses the main snowmachine trail to Nome. It is well marked at the beginning of the race, but inevitably many markers are knocked over or blown down. Some parts have been permanently marked. Markers are absolutely critical for this leg because visibility can be near zero in storms and ground blizzards.

The trail leaves White Mountain on the Fish River for about three miles, and then leaves the river to cut overland to the southwest, crossing low, rolling tundra and several streams before reaching the Klokerblok River. It runs up the river and across some low ridges, and then crosses into the drainage of the Topkok River.

The trail then turns west and climbs over a series of barren ridges to a 400-foot saddle just northwest of Topkok Head, overlooking the coast. It then descends sharply to the beach, reaching the Nome Kennel Club shelter cabin at the foot of the hill, 30 miles from White Mountain.

For the next 12 miles the trail runs along or just behind the dune line and the “driftwood line” on the shore. This stretch is wide open and is subject to winds of more than 80 miles an hour from the north, as well as blinding whiteouts. The trail will join the Nome-to-Council road (not plowed in the winter) at the Bonanza Ferry bridge and then follow it for the last 12 miles to Safety.

Trail conditions on this leg can range from excellent to abysmal, and usually include glare ice, overflow, drifted snow, bare tundra, sand, and exposed gravel on the road. You MUST check the weather carefully before leaving White Mountain; you may want to wait it out, stop at a shelter cabin, or at least convoy with another musher (preferably someone who has run this stretch before).

One consideration is that the wind will most likely die down right after sunrise (if it’s going to die down at all), but will probably come back up by noon and continue to blow through the afternoon and evening. In such situations, it is best to ask the locals at White Mountain or call race headquarters in Nome. All other things being equal, try to leave White Mountain about three hours before sunrise, so as to be heading up Topkok to catch any lull in the wind plus have daylight for the worst part of the run.

Safety to Nome (the final stretch 22 miles)
This is the home stretch, but it can be tough at times. The trail usually follows the Nome-to-Council road from Safety to just past Cape Nome, then cuts down to the beach and generally parallels the road (crossing it a couple of times enroute). The trail finally climbs up the seawall at the east end of Front Street for the last ten blocks to the burled arch. An alternate route swings around to the north of Cape Nome but still picks up the beach trail in the same place. Either way, it’s ten miles from Safety to the beach cutoff, and another eleven to the end of Front Street.

The trail is completely exposed to the elements—there are no trees anywhere close to Nome unless you count the “Nome National Forest” of used Christmas trees on the ice behind Front Street. The road is normally not plowed past Cape Nome, but the surface can be blown down to gravel. The wind can blow very hard sometimes (especially around Cape Nome) and ground blizzards aren’t unknown even as you pull up the seawall to Front Street. You can get caught in the open on this leg just as easily as on the trip from White Mountain. Allow two to three hours for the run to the arch under normal conditions.

 

 

 

March 11 2008 First Into Elim at 00:47... With Jeff King minutes behind Lance makes it to Elim at oo:47 March 11th. The Weather in the area is expected to be cloudy with scattered snow showers. Lows 5 to 15. Variable winds 10 mph except gusts to 20 mph north of Unalakleet.

Map from Elim to the Shelter Cabin

Map from Shelter Cabin to White Mountain

WallaWalla Cabin

Trail to Golovin: This is one of the more interesting legs on the race, with quite a variety of trail and terrain in a very short distance. Moreover, there is always a possibility of two extremely different routes for the first ten miles. The race follows the main snowmachine “highway” from Elim to Golovin and it is usually well marked and packed.

The trail usually heads back out on the sea ice from Elim and runs a mile or two offshore to a cabin at Walla Walla, on the coast eight miles south of Elim. In some years, when there is open water just off shore, the traill will stay overland on the Old Elim Mail Trail.

At Walla Walla, the trail rurns inland and climbs over the Kwiktalik Mountains with a series of long, moderately hard grades. The final summit is 1,000 feet at Little McKinley, about eight miles past Walla Walla and ten miles from Golovin. This is considered the hardest climb on the last half of the race.

The trail then makes a fast descent to Golovin Bay, running northwest along the bay ice for the last five miles to Golovnin. (The bay was first explored by Captain Gloving of the Imperial Russian Navy in the early 1800's. The bay and lagoon behind the town retain the original spelling; the town’s name ha been changed over the years.)

Plan on three to four hours for this leg. If the weather is bad, the trip over the mountain can be a long, hard one because it is almost all above timberline and exposed to the wind. The trail over Little McKinley can range from icy and windswept to soft and punchy.

Out of Koyuk headed for Elim
Lance chugged out of Koyuk this afternnon at 17:41:00. Lance told reporters " My team has great energy leaving but about half mile out they slow down to what seems like a snails pace. We just need to work through this" he said with a weary voice. Tired from lack of sleep and traveling for 9 days caring for their dogs, both Jeff King and Lance have their doubts. "It's a dog race, anything can happen". Lance says with his thoughts focused on his dogs.



Update March 10th 2008 Out of Shaktoolik
Lance rested his team a short time in Shaktoolik and at 05:57:00 this morning packed his sled headed for Koyuk.The weather for today in Koyuk is mostly cloudy. Scattered snow showers. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs 20 to 25. Variable winds 10 mph. Local gusts 25 mph north of Unalakleet.

Trail out of Shaktoolik

The trail to Koyuk There is only one thing to say about this leg—bleak, flat, and deadly monotonous. Locals say the actual distance is under 50 miles, but it always seems like a hundred. There is not so much as a shrub on this stretch, most of which is over the sea ice of Norton Bay. Plan on five to nine hours for the crossing, more if the wind is blowing hard.

The trail runs almost due north from Shaktoolik, overland across very low rolling terrain for about nine miles to Reindeer Cove, then across the ice for five miles to Island Point, then back onto the ice immediately for the last 45 miles to Koyuk. There are no hills.

The trail is also the main snowmachine trail to Koyuk and is well used. However, winds can wipe it smooth in hours. It is well marked with Iditarod trail stakes, spruce boughs, or both. The trail can range from a groomed speedway to rough ice to drifted snow to glare ice. The wind is usually blowing, and almost always right in your face. Days with less than 20 or 30 mph breezes are uncommon. The wind can blow at hurricane velocity out here and ground blizzards can reduce visibility to zero in minutes. You MUST check the weather carefully before heading out. If you get caught in a storm on the ice, you will be in very serious trouble.

Another problem is that some dogs are put off by the white expanse and won’t go or will try to turn back. Every year teams stall here; some drivers are able to get their teams going after a rest, and some can get their leaders to follow another team across. Some have to scratch. This is where a “coast leader” is invaluable; these are leaders used to running in this environment and who aren’t fazed by winds or wide-open spaces.

Update March 10th - Into Shaktoolik
Lance pranced into Shaktoolik at 01:14:00 this morning with 12 happy healthy dogs. Jeff King hot on his tracks rolled in just 13 minutes behind. It is a cat & mouse race for the two of them. Next stop, the village of Koyuk.

Update March 9th Out of Unalakleet
Lance has hit the coastline. He was first to leave Unalakleet this evening at 18:17. This is where the action begins. Although Lance & Jeff have managed to make us sit on the edge of our chairs the entire race. Lance says "This happened last year and I was able to break away from Jeff, I can only hope I can repeat it". His team is getting stronger by the day as they push closer to the finish line. "Anything can happen" Lance grins. A 42 mile run, 893 miles behind him, 219 to go.
Past updates click here

Trail description from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik
The actual distance on this leg is usually about 37 or 38 miles. (As with some other legs, the official distance sometimes reflects the longest possible routing, or old routings.) The race follows the main snowmachine trail to Shaktoolik; it is normally well traveled and well marked. The first 25 miles cross a mix of woods, taiga, open areas, and exposed ridge tops; the last 12 miles are completely in the open on the barren coastline. This leg usually takes four to six hours, but can be much longer if the weather is bad. The trail leaves Unalakleet northbound and runs just in from the beach, turning inland after five miles to pass behind rocky 850-foot-high Blueberry Point. It comes almost back to the shore at the fishing camp of Egavik before climbing up the Blueberry Hills, reaching the thousand-foot summit at the 18-mile point. At the top the trail turns west and makes a three-mile drop back to the beach, then follows a slough and the dune line northwestward for the last 12 miles out to Shaktoolik. The primary concern on this leg is the weather. Shaktoolik is windy even in good weather, but under some conditions the winds can blow from the north at more than hurricane force, with temperatures well below zero and chill factors worse than minus one hundred. If the winds are howling, the trail from Unalakleet to the top of the Blueberry Hills will be relatively sheltered (except on the ridge tops), but the last 12 miles out to Shaktoolik can be extremely difficult with drifts and ground blizzards.


Update March 7th Ruby: First to the Yukon River
Lance was first to arrive in Ruby at 07:32 this morning. "I'm first here by some kind of luck," he said, "because my team isn't 100 percent." Warm weather has had to change many mushers racing plans. These temperatures (mid 30's - mid 40's) tend to overheat sled dogs. Warmer weather also changes the mood of the dogs eating habits. It becomes a challenge to be sure the team is eating enough calories. Lance has made more rest stops to keep the dogs cooled down.

Lance's reward for being first on the Yukon River courtesy of the Millennium Hotel is $5,000 and a gourmet meal prepared by executive chef Keith Culhane and served by Director of Food and Beverage Brooke McGrath of the hotel. Knowing Lance and his vivacious appetite he ate all of the six course meal.

Lance is struggling with sore feet, an obvious limp reflects the injury, leftover issues from frostbite he got while on the Yukon Quest this year. He blows it off as the least of his problems. "My main focus is keeping the dogs happy and so far we are still having fun".

Update March 6th
Fresh off his 24 hour layover, Lance pulled the snow hook and blasted off for Ophir at 07:20:00 Thursday morning. Kjetil Backen left about 20 minutes ahead, Jeff King and Hanns Gatt pulled out 20 minutes behind Lance. All have taken their 24 hour mandatory layover.

Trail between Ophir & Cripple

Trail description from Ophir to Cripple by Donald Bowers, Jr. Quick Overview

This is now the longest leg of the entire race on either the northern or southern routes. The new distance is approximately 105 miles for the 2000 race. It will probably not run less than the posted mileage and will seem to take forever. It will now be necessary for most teams to camp for several hours along this leg. The trail generally runs along the Innoko River, crossing it three times. It then runs northeast away from the river, crosses the North Fork of the Innoko, and then runs along ridges on the east side of Poorman Creek. The terrain is mostly wooded with some open stretches in the river valleys. Expect 12 to 18 hours for this run. The trail has some rolling hills in the section between the North Fork of the Innoko and the Poorman airstrip. There are no unusually tricky sections and most of the run can be a fairly fast trail if conditions are right and the fast-moving Iron Dog snowmachines haven't bumped up the trail as they did in 1998.

The trail runs west from the checkpoint past the old townsite and along the runway, crossing the river twice in the first six miles. The river then makes a sharp bend to the north and the trail runs along the west side of the valley until about 31 miles out of Ophir, then crosses to the east side. The site of the old Cripple checkpoint is about 20 miles past this crossing, where the trail comes within about 50 yards of the Innoko River. From the old checkpoint site, the trail runs north along the east side of the Innoko River valley for about 5 miles, then cuts northeast along the flank of a series of low wooded ridges for about 30 miles to the North Fork of the Innoko. Then the trail follows the valley of Poorman Creek north for another 10 to 15 miles to the Poorman airstrip, near the old ghost town of Poorman Scattered overflow is common all along the leg, as are short glaciered and drifted sections.

It's a safe bet you won't have the faintest idea where you are for much this leg. Even if you sneak a GPS along with you it won't help much because every hill and creek seems the same as the one before and the one ahead. There are a few recognizable river and creek crossings, but precious few hills and prominent landmarks. At night you will be collapsed into your own little world and the trail will seem to go forever. At least much of it is along an old cat trail, so there's not much chance to get lost.

The trail will generally be well-marked and well-traveled on this stretch, since the Iron Dog snowmachine race uses the same trail on its way from Anchorage to Nome two weeks before the Iditarod. If past years have been any indication, a hundred or more fast-moving Iron Doggers will have thoroughly pounded the trail in many places.

High country between Tokotna & Qphir

Update
March 5th
Lance will be doing his 24 hour mandantory layover in Tokotna.

From there he will head to Ophir. This leg is probably closer to 32 miles than the posted 38. It follows the old mining road over to Ophir, built in the 1920s to connect Takotna and Ophir with Sterling Landing, a steamboat landing on the Kuskokwim River. It is now maintained by the state; the stretch from Takotna to Ophir isn’t plowed in the winter. Like other Bush roads, it doesn’t connect to the state highway system.