Leaving Aniak with a few Stats!

Pete and the Team are back on the Trail!

Taking a look at the Stats from the Leaderboard shows good tidings for Team Kaiser. There are many miles and challenges (Poptart Anyone???) between Aniak and the Finish line in Bethel, but Team Kaiser is showing good speed for 2016. Pete and the Team were the 5th Team to reach Aniak, but they were the fastest Team over the 34 miles from Kalskag.

Go Team Kaiser!!

aniakin

 

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You got the 4-1-1?? We do!! Resting a bit in Aniak

aniak

Pete and the Team are into Aniak for a short one hour break before returning to the trail. Brent Sass took no layover time and returned directly to the trail, so for the moment, Team Sass with Wild and Free Mushing is leading the 2016 Kuskokwim 300.

Pete and the Team are doing an AWESOME job today as their trail times indicate good consistent speed along the trail. Pete dropped one member of the Team in Kalskag, so presently 11 are in harness.

The 4-1-1 is that Pete and Team Kaiser could be the Team to beat in the 2016 Kuskokwim 300! Go Team Kaiser!!

Weather in the Aniak area isn’t too bad, but once the Teams head out towards Whitefish Lake it could get windy. Bethel is still windy and the snow is kicked up to hazy, cold, blustery day. The wind will be on their back though, so that is one advantage. Staying on the trail tonight will be a challenge to the most experienced musher. Last night when we were on our little expedition, as we drove in a southern direction with the wind, the blowing snow just a few inches off the ground made it a bit difficult to see. It was clear, but the trail was obscured. The K300 Committee is known for great trail marking and I am sure it shouldn’t be too bad, but still a bit challenging.

bethelam

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Congratulations Jackie Larson! 2016 Bogus Creek 150 Champion

12489404_10153919924719031_5110389705892328666_oThe Bogus Creek 150 is a completely different race than the K300. Teams run to win not only the cash, but the bragging rights on the Delta. Village teams are proud time honored traditional forces here in the Delta and winning this race brings the trophy and pride to the winners village.

Congratulations to Jackie Larson of Napaskiak! It’s your year to shine!

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On the Trail Again! Out of Kalskag!

kalskagout

Thinking of that old classic Willie Nelson song, On the Trail Again… Pete and the Team took 4 of their 6 mandatory rest hours last night in the Kalskag checkpoint. They arrived into Kalskag at 4:52am in 6th position. The K300 requires 6 hours of mandatory rest in the checkpoints of Kalskag UP-Aniak-Kalskag Down, BUT it can be taken in any combination of full hours at those checkpoints. Here’s where the strategy and gaming takes place and makes it like no other race in the world. Mushers will choose wisely their rest times to come up with their “Winning” combination.

At this hour, Pete and the Team are back on the trail after a four hour break. Expect them to take an hour in Aniak and another hour in Kalskag on the way down for a total of 6 hours. Knowing that he will have to snack his dogs anyway, Pete will use his rest time “On the Clock” so to speak, to put that time on the mandatory clock time. It is 34 miles up to the Aniak checkpoint and then another 53 miles back down to Kalskag.

Each Team has a different strategy and over the years weather, trail, and other factors have changed the game after a Team has chosen their strategy. In this race, weather isn’t as much of a factor. Yes it’s cold and windy, but nothing like many of them have seen in other races or this race before.

Once the Teams leave Kalskag on the way down, we will know the true leader, but I am thinking a good long break and then a return to racing will be a good play in this race. Go Team Kaiser!

Here’s your K300 Mushing Weather forecast– A beautiful day of mushing ahead!

LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY-
INCLUDING...ANIAK...
434 AM AKST SAT JAN 16 2016

.TODAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS SOUTH OF ANIAK AND ALONG THE ALASKA 
RANGE. LOWS ZERO TO 5 BELOW. NORTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

Here is a breakout of the teams sorted by arrival time into Kalskag-

kalskagin

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Best laid plans of Mice and Men…

Pete signing into Tuluksak on the way to Kalskag. Photo By Valerie Bue

Pete signing into Tuluksak on the way to Kalskag. Photo By Valerie Bue

Next time you head out on the river, take my advice (or actually my wife’s advice 🙂 )- Spare tire and jack! But for the help of friends on the trail, this reporter and his wife would be sleeping in the truck in Akiak. A wrong turn and a bit of a detour put us behind the other trucks on the river trail to Tuluksak, but then a flat tire ended our hopes of greeting Pete and the Team in Tuluksak. Many thanks to Doug and Val Bue for giving us a ride back to Bethel.

Back to the talk of the trail-

Teams rushed into Tuluksak this evening following this year’s rabbit, Lance Mackey. At one point there were up to 6 teams waiting for checkers to sign them in as they came in together stacked up in the checkpoint.

Pete and the Team were the 11th team into the Tuluksak checkpoint at 11:43pm and departed just a minute later. Word from the folks gathered to watch was that the Teams were lively and looked great. Go Team Kaiser!

Tonights weather has been updated-

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOCALIZED AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ALONG THE
COAST. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTHEAST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 40 MPH. WIND CHILLS 5 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY IN THE MORNING THEN BECOMING PARTLY
CLOUDY. LOCALIZED AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ALONG THE COAST. HIGHS 10
TO 15 ABOVE. NORTH WIND 15 TO 30 MPH EXCEPT NORTH 20 TO 35 MPH
ALONG THE COAST. WIND CHILLS 5 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.
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And They’re OFF! 2016 K300 Underway!

Chicago is known as the “Windy City,” but it doesn’t have anything on Bethel, Alaska, and the 2016 Kuskokwim 300! The winds are blowing and the dogs are running, but word from the trail is that some drivers are having to lead their teams to stay on the trail. The river stretches before the trail heads overland were especially slippery and Teams weren’t too keen on turning into the 30mph winds that would lead them to better trails.

Looking at the Tracker, though, shows teams making good time now that they are on overland trails. The 50 mile stretch between the Start and Tuluksak will lead Teams overland North of Akiachak and then Northeast towards that checkpoint.

The 2016 Start was pretty cold, but not as bad as some years. The wind was the issue and the polished ice of the Kuskokwim River that makes up the Starting Line was especially slick. All teams left with Snowmachines in tow to keep the Teams settled down and on the trail. This is standard practice and about a mile or so out of town, Teams release and are underway.

Friends, Sponsors, and well wishers stopped to watch Pete and the Team get set to go. In the -20 windchill Team Kaiser fans still make their way down to send them on their way! Thank you so much for your support! Don’t you worry, Team Kaiser noticed each and every one that stopped by.

As luck would have it, the truck trail is good enough to go, so we are headed to Tuluksak to watch the Teams as they enter the checkpoint. We won’t have any updates until the morning, but hopefully we’ll get a few good shots for you!

Mushing Weather for this evening:

KUSKOKWIM DELTA-
INCLUDING...BETHEL...
349 PM AKST FRI JAN 15 2016
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE. NORTHEAST WIND 15 TO
30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH. WIND CHILLS 5 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.

Here are the photos from this evening’s festivities:

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Ready to Go!

An afternoon visit to Kaiser Racing Kennel found Pete relaxed and making last minute preparations. Dog Sled Mushing is a family affair and the compound was bustling with relatives and friends hurrying here and there. I got a quick interview which I’ll post later, but wanted to put up a few photos from the visit. Ray “Gonders” Hoffman and Pete’s Dad, Ron, were on hand to give advice when needed, but mostly to just hang out with our favorite musher before he and the Team make their way out on the trail. Bethany was there as well getting all of his goodies ready, but nowhere to be found was little Ari, who already is missing his Daddy for the next two days or so.

Here are the photos! See ya down there shortly!

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