After that brief interlude of rest and relaxation, the race is back on! Pete and the Team left Takotna at 4:42 this morning. The Team is currently 14 dogs who also basked in the sun and got recharged for the push to Nome.
After the layover, all teams are now on the same race time as starting differential has been added to the rest time to account for the start time difference. Team Kaiser is currently running in 16th position.
Today’s trail will take the teams north into the Yukon. After the checkpoint of Ophir, teams head out into the wilderness as they push towards Cripple, and Ruby. They have been on trails on the Kuskokwim river and the mining country of McGrath, but this next section of the trail is much less traveled and can seem a real long stretch. Temperatures will also be falling the farther north they go.
The decision by the Busers to push to Ophir for their layover may not have been a good one from the times we are seeing. Martin and his son Rohn made the trip between Takotna and Ophir in 3 hours and 48 minutes while rested teams are trimming almost an hour off the time. Before the race I talked with Pete and he said he was thinking about Ophir as well, but it just goes to show that a musher really can’t plan the entire race beforehand. A lot of the race happens as it comes and that is where experience and a little luck sometimes come into play.
Go Team Kaiser!
And keep those fan fotos coming!
GO TEAM KAISER!