In this Friday, March 9, 2012 photo, an aurora borealis swirls in the sky over the Yukon River village of Ruby, Alaska- www.spokesman.com
Pete and the Team are into the Ruby Checkpoint at 8:52pm. It’s been a long day on the trail, but a very good run with satisfying times across the longest leg of this year’s race.
There are three 80 mile or so legs ahead, but the balance of the trail is segmented into much smaller legs which might allow resting in checkpoints. With the tourists behind them, mushers might opt for checkpoint stops with warm water and a cozy cot after many miles in the deep freeze of interior Alaska.
It’s hard to say what might play out here. Teams don’t want anyone to get out too far ahead and Teams not having their 8 hour layover may hold on to it in case of weather. The 8 hour layover must be completed by and including Kaltag. Tomorrow night’s forecast calls for some severe cold temperatures. I am not sure if Mushers are allowed weather reports, but hopefully they are. If they see the forecast, you may see Teams hunkering down for their 24 or getting in position for their 24 hour layover before the cold sets in. That would mean a push to Huslia or a 24 in Galena after the 50 mile trail from Ruby.
If Pete were to take 4-5 hours in Ruby, that would put him out on the trail by 1am or 2am. A 6 hour run would put him into Galena at 8am or so.
It’s really hard to feel out what is going to happen here in the next 24 hours. I am thinking 24 hour layovers are about to begin. It is going to be like watching a chess game, but we don’t know the plays. In an Anchorage to Nome race it is fun to see different strategies play out from Rohn to Cripple. In this race we really haven’t seen that yet. We have basically been watching a horse race with closely matched Teams doing fairly similar rest schedules. Now the fun begins!! Who has the best recipe?
Go Team Kaiser!!
Tonight’s Mushing Forecast:
LOWER KOYUKUK AND MIDDLE YUKON VALLEYS- INCLUDING...GALENA...NULATO...HUSLIA...KALTAG...RUBY...KOYUKUK 217 PM AKDT WED MAR 11 2015 .TONIGHT...BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A FEW FLURRIES IN THE EVENING. PARTLY CLOUDY AFTER MIDNIGHT. PATCHY FOG. LOWS 15 TO 25BELOW. NORTHWEST WINDS TO 10 MPH. .THURSDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 5 BELOW TO 5 ABOVE. NORTH WINDS TO 10 MPH. .THURSDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 20 TO 35 BELOW. NORTHWEST WINDS TO 10 MPH.
