After a 4 hour break in Kalskag, Pete and the Team were out at 8:57 in 5th position on the trail to Aniak. This year’s race will send the Teams out onto the flats and through Whitefish Lake and then into Aniak. This couldn’t be a better year for this 50+ mile of trail as conditions are clear and calm. Yes, it’s cold, but the lack of wind and sometimes blizzard snow conditions that can make this section a challenge will make for a pretty ride. Teams will get a beautiful view of the sunrise over the mountains into the Aniak area.
Here are the Stats so far and this latest Kalskag report:
As we wait for Teams to reach the Finish Line in the Bogus Creek 150, here’s a conversation Pete and I had just before the Start of the K300. KYUK is reporting -40 at Tuluksak as well. Just to give fans an idea of Finish Line, Teams are just into Akiak in the Bogus Creek 150. On the way up with fresh dogs, the fastest Team from Bethel to Akiak was 2 hours 30 minutes, so a finish around 11am should be doable.
Don’t forget the mass Start of the Akiak Dash at 2:00pm this afternoon! Go Team Kaiser!
Good Morning Race Fans! It’s been a cold night out there on the trails, but the action is heating up for a great weekend of racing!
Temperatures on the Trail are as close to as low as we have ever seen. -40 this morning in Kalskag has Teams hunkered down and taking layover time in that checkpoint. Teams began arriving after 4am this morning with Pete and the Team checking in at 4:47 in 4th position.
The weather prediction for today is calling for cold temps, but sunny skies and calm wind, so it will warm a bit as the sun takes hold for today’s trail. Mushers are taking this into their race strategy making the Kalskag break a good move for this year’s race.
Meanwhile in the Bogus Creek 150, Teams are making their way down the Trail towards the Finish Line having taken their layovers last night at the Bogus Pit Crew campsite. It’s been a cold one for Mushers, Teams, and Pit Crews alike, but for the Bogus Teams, today will mark a new Champion and a warm bed, Kusko Mushers will have to endure!
Niklas and the Kaiser Team are doing a GREAT job for his first race! The Bogus Creek 150 is traditionally a shootout of Village Teams bent on keeping the trophy in their Kennel. Each year the Teams of Kwethluk, Akiachak, Akiak, and Napaskiak, shoot it out and make for a real exciting race. This year is not different, and Nik is in the heat of the fight.
Time to make a bit of coffee and get ready for the day. Remember to dress warm!
Go Team Kaiser!
Teams are into Tuluksak on the trail up the Kuskokwim. Pete and the Team are making good time, but temperatures on the trail are dropping slowly as mushers move further inland. Memories of the Starting Line and -23 earlier this evening will feel balmy compared to dropping temperatures near -36 in Aniak.
Iditarod Mushers on the Trail who experienced the Huslia loop a couple of years ago are definitely going to have a deja-vu moment for sure!
Nik and the Bogus Team will surely be looking forward to the Pit Crew who surely have a grand fire awaiting his arrival shortly. Mushers haven’t seen this kind of cold since the first race in 1989.
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 🙂
Check out the Kaiser Super Dogs in Mushing Magazine!
