Ready to Race!
The chill of the night did nothing to dampen the spirits of Teams and Fans at the Starting Line of the 30th running of the Kuskokwim 300. Temperatures well into the -20’s were dampened by the absence of our common friend, the wind, but it was noticeably chillier than the earlier Bogus Creek 150 Start.
Team Kaiser was one of the last to arrive and last to hitch up as Pete and Ron kept the dogs warm and cozy as long as possible. Just like any athlete, the cold is tough until you get going. Once on the trail the dogs heat up quickly as the exert themselves, but just standing in the cold temperatures is a bit tough.
So at the last minute, an maze of dogs and rope were orchestrated into Team Kaiser and off to the Starting line they ran. A quick handshake, a short kiss for his new bride, and off into the night made Pete and the Team.
As cold as it is now, it was raining 3 weeks ago and the truck trail is by far as good as it has been in many years. Several folks are venturing up to Tuluksak this evening and tomorrow morning more are planning to make their way all the way to Aniak.
Weather tonight will be cold, but it should be fast. A very slight breeze from the West almost make for a calm run up the trail. New this year is a section of trail from Akiak to Tuluksak over a wood cutting trail on the West side of the Kuskokwim. This will make for an interesting run through the sloughs and trees in that section of the area. With the blizzard last night leaving snow on the trail, it should be a pretty ride for Team and Driver, but the cold temperatures will demand attention and care.
Go Team Kaiser!!
Weather Forecast for this evening:
Lower End of the Trail-
Tonight: Patchy freezing fog after 3am. Partly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near -29 by 11pm, then rising to around -22 during the remainder of the night. Wind chill values as low as -55. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuluksak towards Aniak –
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow in the evening…then partly cloudy after midnight. Lows 25 below to 30 below. Variable wind to 10 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs 20 below to 25 below. Light winds.
Here are photos from the Night Start of the 2017 Kuskokwim 300 – It happened so fast that I hardly got a chance to get the shots taken 🙂
