Tracking Daddy!
Good Morning Race Fans!
As dawn begins to break on the 2013 Kobuk 440, Kaiser fans will find Pete and the Team about 9 miles from the front of the pack on the way to Ambler. This race is a bit different than other races we have seen lately as there are no mandatory layovers. All mushers have 20 hours of rest in the “bank” and need to spend it before the finish. This adds to the strategy as a musher could spend a bit at each checkpoint or go a long way and with longer breaks. At this point all of the mushers seem to be on the same rest schedule. Most of the Teams took about a 4 hour break in Kiana before heading back on the trail. I am thinking that after this long run into Ambler that many teams will take a longer break before doing the Kobuk Loop.
After Teams leave Ambler, they will head up the trail to Kobuk and then back to Ambler before taking the trail over to Selawik.
Weather for today is great for mushing. A bit sunny, but great. I was talking with Ron Kaiser yesterday and he related how Sunshine can actually be a hindrance at some point. In our long spring days, the sun on the snow is brilliant. Actually too much so and the brightness can actually cause the dogs and mushers a bit of snowblindness. Too much sun and the reflection from the snow can really give the musher and the dogs a bit of pain and make it a hard to see. For thousands of years Eskimos made “sunglasses” to protect themselves.
Ancient “Sunglasses” used by Eskimo Hunters. Slits in the ivory reduce the glare from the sun.
Today’s Mushing Weather.
UPPER KOBUK AND NOATAK VALLEYS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...AMBLER...SHUNGNAK...KOBUK 456 AM AKDT FRI APR 12 2013 .TODAY...SUNNY. HIGHS IN THE TEENS. LIGHT WINDS. .TONIGHT...INCREASING CLOUDS. LOWS AROUND 7 BELOW. LIGHT WINDS. .SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS IN THE TEENS. LIGHT WINDS.
