It’s something that we don’t get to do very often here at Kaiser Central– See Pete and the Team at a Checkpoint in a race. 50 miles down the trail of the 2017 Willow 300 lies the checkpoint of Knik. Placed on a small lake near Knik Bar and Grill, the secluded little lake was alive this evening with the howls and sounds of hundreds of dogs, support crews, and mushers.
As the sun set into the fog of the Matanuska Valley, Pete and Team Kaiser arrived into Knik 17 minutes behind the leader, Nicolas Petit. It was a beautiful evening in the crisp still air. Just perfect for mushing.
Generally Pete and the Team leave off into the wilderness leaving all of us behind until the finish line appears. In this race, support crews are mandatory in a couple of checkpoints to clean up straw and other presents left behind.
After the Team was bedded down and snacked, it was a pleasant break for Pete as we all gathered in the restuarant for Alaska sized hamburgers from the Knik Bar and Grill. Being it was a Friday night, the place was packed and festive to celebrate the event.
In this race, mushers are mandated to take 18 hours of break. Knik is 50 miles into the 300 mile race (think Tuluksak if this was the K300). But many teams were taking 3 and even 4 hour breaks before heading back onto the trail. I’m sure the Team was wondering what was going on with a 3 hour break after such a short time, but not a one complained and fell fast asleep on their beds of straw.
After his monster-sized hamburger and fries, Pete made his way out to the Team, bootied them up, and with a “Ready- Let’s Go!” – They were off into the darkness. It was just a fun time with Pete and the Team. Highly Recommended! Here are Pete’s Photos!
