Team Kaiser is rollin’ on a Rail this morning!
As Teams were resting in Elim, Team Kaiser took a short one hour break and went back on the trail. Teams that were in Elim were caught cat napping.
Whatever happened to Pete and the Team on the trail from Skaktoolik was obviously helped by a 13 hour break in the checkpoint.
Let’s talk about 13. Is 13 the Lucky Number?
Pete and the Team have finished in 13th place for the last 3 years.
The Team Kaiser Fan Club is obviously very excited this morning!
GO Team Kaiser!
White Mountain – 2012 during the Day
Never say never! Bethany and I were watching the tracker one last time before turning the computers off for the evening and what do we see?? Mr. Kaiser has got another plan brewing. Pete and the Team are in and out of Elim and back out on the trail!
Pete trains 100 mile runs regularly and when the Team wants to go, he lets them. In this case, they must be on fire as they are burning up the trail on the way to White Mountain.
Teams on the trail better look over their shoulder– There’s a freight train behind them and it’s name is Team Kaiser!
Go Team Kaiser!!
Golovin Weather – Temperature 12F – Wind West 10knot – Visibility 10 miles – Mostly cloudy.
Trail Description to White Mountain:
This is one of the more interesting legs on the race, with quite a variety of trail and terrain in a very short distance. Moreover, there is always a possibility of two extremely different routes for the first ten miles. The race follows the main snowmachine “highway” from Elim to Golovin and it is usually well marked and packed.
The trail usually heads back out on the sea ice from Elim and runs a mile or two offshore to a cabin at Walla Walla, on the coast eight miles south of Elim. In some years, when there is open water just off shore, the traill will stay overland on the Old Elim Mail Trail.
At Walla Walla, the trail rurns inland and climbs over the Kwiktalik Mountains with a series of long, moderately hard grades. The final summit is 1,000 feet at Little McKinley, about eight miles past Walla Walla and ten miles from Golovin. This is considered the hardest climb on the last half of the race.
The trail then makes a fast descent to Golovin Bay, running northwest along the bay ice for the last five miles to Golovnin. (The bay was first explored by Captain Gloving of the Imperial Russian Navy in the early 1800’s. The bay and lagoon behind the town retain the original spelling; the town’s name ha been changed over the years.)
Plan on three to four hours for this leg. If the weather is bad, the trip over the mountain can be a long, hard one because it is almost all above timberline and exposed to the wind. The trail over Little McKinley can range from icy and windswept to soft and punchy.
After Golovin:
This is normally a yawner (unless the wind is blowing or it’s snowing). The trail follows the main snowmachine route, running straight as an arrow for ten miles across Golovnin Lagoon, then winding gently around (with some gentle ups and downs) to cross the delta of the Fish River. The last few miles are on the river. There is sometimes overflow on the lagoon or river. Plan on two hours for the trip, perhaps three if the wind is blowing.
Pete Kaiser’s team runs down the bank and onto the sea ice as he leaves the Elim checkpoint at dawn on Tuesday March 12, 2013.
After the struggle of today, a nice quick run, best time today between Koyuk and Elim, has to give Pete and the Team some measure of confidence. After a great showing for most of the race, Pete took extra time in Koyuk to regroup before heading out for Elim this afternoon.
I am expecting a good break here. Probably 4 hours before making the next leg to White Mountain, 46 miles away. Teams into White Mountain today have had fairly slow trail times with Dallas having the quickest time at 7 hours and 13 minutes, but the average being closer to 8 hours or so.
With a fragile Team, a break here will solidify the confidence in Musher and Team and put the trials of Koyuk into a distant memory.
It has to be a good feeling to see this improvement for Pete. The young Team is performing nicely with such a nice run.
Go Team Kaiser!
Mushing Weather for the Morning:
OUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST- INCLUDING...NOME...WHITE MOUNTAIN...GOLOVIN 307 PM AKDT TUE MAR 17 2015 .TONIGHT...CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS. PATCHY FOG. LOWS AROUND 10. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH. .WEDNESDAY...PATCHY FOG IN THE MORNING. MOSTLY CLOUDY. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN PARTLY SUNNY IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
Our Final Kaiser Racing Radio for the 2105 Iditarod. After today’s long break in Koyuk, we talk about the thought process of a musher when things go sour. We also talk about the future of mushing. How do we keep this sport alive? How do we get young mushers to enter this sport. Good conversation for the last one! Thanks to Myron Angstman for allowing me to pick his brain!
Sometimes you got to take a break. 4th down and it all falls apart, what do you do? You take a timeout!
Pete and the Team are now underway and once they arrive into Nome we will hear all about it. For now we are very happy that he was able to continue. Obviously Pete saw something that we can’t see. Team care is at the top of everything Pete thinks about. Today was definitely tough to watch for Kaiser Racing Fans, but it is all part of the program.
Pete sees each race as an opportunity. Ideally it is to win a race or do well, but ultimately it is about the program. I have heard Pete say several times in this race that this is a very young Team. At this point in the race, Pete is not thinking about position, he is thinking about the future of the Team and what the balance of this race can do for the training of this Team. Whatever he saw or didn’t see today in Koyuk, he needed to deal with it and waiting it out was probably the best thing for all involved.
It also probably helped to have a few friendly faces, such as John Baker and Richie Diehl, that gave him some encouragement as well.
Pete and the Team are underway at just after 5pm this evening. 11 dogs are in harness and they are moving along nicely. That is GREAT News! Go Team Kaiser!!
Weather in Nome is downright beautiful! What a nice evening to give Pete and the Team some encouragement.
Make sure to tune in to tonight’s Kaiser Racing Radio- Last Show for the Iditarod.
Elim Weather- Temperature 21F – NE Wind at 9knots – Overcast Skies – 10miles Visibility
White Mountain Weather – Temperature 16F – North Wind at 9knots – Partly Cloudy – 10miles Visibility
SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST- INCLUDING...NOME...WHITE MOUNTAIN...GOLOVIN 307 PM AKDT TUE MAR 17 2015 .TONIGHT...CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS. PATCHY FOG. LOWS AROUND 10. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
As Pete and the Team prepare to head west from Koyuk onto the final 171 mile stretch into Nome, the Kaiser Racing Fan club also boards Alaska Airlines headed the same direction. What will take Pete and the Team 30-35 hours, we will accomplish in only a few hours. Awaiting in Nome is our annual visit to Bob and Sherrie Madden’s home, our home away from home — In Nome!
Bob and Sherrie have been so awesome over the years- Bob cooking up meals at all hours of the night and making his vehicle available to us. One night, I believe it was my first, I was dog tired. It was going to be a late finish. Bob announced that breakfast would be on at 4am. He would have it no other way and it was a huge breakfast. Biscuits and Gravy, Crab, Eggs, the works. And then he went of to work!! Such nice folks and really a huge part of the Team! He is also the Man behind the Cam for its entire lifespan. Thanks again! We really appreciate it!
Weather in Bethel was snowing heavily for a bit, but alas it is now raining 🙁
Weather on the Northern Coast looks good by the forecast. A bit warmer and hopefully a good trail that the front runners have packed down a bit for Pete and the Team.
Mushing Weather Forecast:
SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST- INCLUDING...NOME...WHITE MOUNTAIN...GOLOVIN 259 AM AKDT TUE MAR 17 2015 .TODAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS BECOMING ISOLATED IN THE AFTERNOON. AREAS OF FOG. HIGHS IN THE TEENS TO LOWER 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS TO 10 MPH. .TONIGHT...CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SNOW. AREAS OF FOG. LOWS 10 TO 20 ABOVE. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
Check out the Kaiser Super Dogs in Mushing Magazine!
