Early Morning in Koyuk – Tough Trail on the Northern Coast

 

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Pete and the Team were into Koyuk early this morning at 4:02am after spending a bit over 8 hours on the trail from Shaktoolik last night. Followed closely by Ken Anderson, Team Kaiser arrived in 9th position.

Things look a bit less optimistic on the trail to the West from Koyuk this morning. Teams are struggling and trail times show it. Last year Dallas Seavey took 5 and a half hours to make the trip to Elim from Koyuk. Last night’s journey took almost 2 hours longer and other teams are making the trip in over 8 hours. Currently Dallas and his Team are half-way between Elim and White Mountain and it is looking like they will be close to the trail time of Mike Williams Jr. last year. Kaiser Fans will remember last year Mike Jr. set out from Elim in a horrible storm with near Hurricane force winds on one of the worst trails in history. Glare ice and craziness had musher scratching and clawing to move forward over Golovin Bay.

Something is up on that trail this morning, also known for unexpected winds and “blow holes” along the way.  Forecast is calling for fog so visibility could be the factor.

Surely Pete will be watching these times once he awakes from his rest period later this morning. I am expecting a 6-8 hour break before Team Kaiser returns to the trail.

Mushing Weather Forecast for today:

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.
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“We Can’t Go Anywhere!” Stopped on the Trail to Shaktoolik

Insider captures what we have all been speculating about. Wrong place at the wrong time had Pete and Wade Mars walking their Leaders after running into a non-existent trail. After looking and not gaining any ground, they finally found a band of trees that could protect the Teams and bed down until they could see anything. Pete and Wade sound in good spirits after their ordeal which cost them positions, but made it safely to Shaktoolik. Good Job Men! Listen in:

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Kaiser Racing Radio – What DOES A Musher Think About for 1000 Miles?

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Kaiser Racing Radio Day 8 Episode- A week ago we were watching Pete and the Team pass through Nenana and then we parted company as we drove south and Pete and the Team headed West on the Trail to Nome. In tonight’s episode we talk about the Seavey’s, Tourism Mushing Programs, and what a musher thinks about for 1000 miles on the trail to Nome. Fun stuff- Listen In!!

Go Team Kaiser!

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From the Gangline – Who to Cheer For

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Myron Angstman

There is nothing worse for a dog race fan than to have a long race decided early. The unusual experience of watching an event unfold from afar for eight or nine days, non-stop, and at a very slow pace creates a level of suspense or drama that is best served by a close finish, hopefully involving a team or two among the favorites of the fan doing the watching. There is not likely to be a close finish in this year’s Iditarod.  Dallas Seavey was described as the team to beat  a couple of days ago here, and that has now become ever more clear as he has seriously out gunned his closest competition in the last two days.  He set off from Koyuk this evening with more than an hour lead, and ample speed to stretch that lead.

It is a dog race, and there are numerous things that could yet go wrong, but it would take a major turn of events for Dallas to finish any place but first.  This comes from a guy who called last year’s race for Jeff King hours before he withdrew from the race. But King encountered weather that is not likely to repeat itself, in fact there is a forecast of nice weather all the way to Nome. Dallas is in line to win his third race and establish himself as the team to beat for years to come.

Some race fans will not be happy with that result.  There are many reasons to cheer for a certain team or teams, and I thought it would be helpful to explain how I pick a team to pull for in the Iditarod. Its fairly complicated.  First, I like to pull for the underdog,  and that usually means someone who has not won the race before. It is likely better for the race, and for the sport, to have a new face emerge as winner as often as possible. Second  I like to cheer for rural Alaskan teams, because of a common bond rural people share.  There are only a few rural teams, so that narrows things a bit. I also like to cheer for teams that have  a history with the Kuskokwim 300, our home town race and one which has been my favorite since I helped start it in 1980.  The rural racers tend to all have a K300 history, so that part is easy, but I also tend to favor those racers from outside rural Alaska who take part in the K300 and speak well of our race wherever they go. Finally I naturally favor our local racers, and that definition  includes anyone from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

That list resulted in a handful of favorites, none of which are going to win.  The one with the best chance, Aaron Burmeister, looks to fall just a bit short, likely in the top five for sure.  Another with a good chance, Pete Kaiser, is driving a nice bunch of dogs,  good enough to win the Kuskokwim 300 this year, but in his view not seasoned enough to compete at the end of the Iditarod just yet.  He is now battling to make the top ten. Other favorites like Richie Diehl and John Baker are a bit further back but still in line to get a pay check, while Katherine Keith and Chuck Schaeffer are in the middle of the pack.  One more personal favorite Paul Gebhardt, will not win, but has come on strong in the last two days, and is now gunning for a top ten finish as well.  I cheer for Paul because of his long history with the K300, and the fact that he is from Minnesota.  He always claims the K300 is his favorite race, and has now become a fishing buddy.

Distant readers may not be aware of the fact that most teams in the Iditarod enter without any realistic chance of winning, in fact most who start know they are not likely to finish in the money (Top 30). But still they take part, training all winter, feeding and equipping a team, paying a huge entry fee and considerable freight expenses to be on the trail on many days that can be described as uncomfortable  at best.  Throw in lack of sleep and physical exertion and a reader might start to question why folks take part.  To fully understand that you would have to experience the sight of Nome, Alaska, at night, 10 miles ahead as you top a rise and realize that after a thousand mile struggle across Alaska the end is actually in sight.


Myron Angstman is a veteran of the Iditarod and past champion of the Kuskokwim 300 and John Beargrease sled dog races.  He practices law in Bethel, Alaska. For more dog race stuff, check his website at angstmanlawoffice.com

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Tough Trail Ahead. Conditions Sour.

Pete and the Team are now out of Shaktoolik on the trail for Koyuk. Weather cams show low visibilities have moved in and the wind is again a factor. News from the trail is that Pete is reluctant to push this young Team too hard and a longer break was needed to prepare for the long trail across the ice. In low visibilities, the trail can sometimes be seen easier as the reflectors light up in the dark. What is white in the day, is a foggy haze that actually can be seen better for the Musher and Team.

Pete was out of Shaktoolik at 7:45pm with 11 in the Team. It’s an all nighter tonight as the 8 to 9 hour run will be tough for Man and Team. Miles and Miles of Miles and little to make it known you are even moving. The lights seem to just sit still as the hours go by across the ice. I can write about it, but only Pete can tell us how it truly feels. It’s going to be mentally challenging, but the advantage is this 6th run across. That will make it just a bit easier.

Go Team Kaiser!

What started as a really pretty nice day has deteriorated a bit.

Koyuk Weather presently –
Temperature 12F – Visibility 2miles – Wind NE @ 10-14knots – Overcast Skies 2400ft – Light Snow.

Shaktoolik Weather presently –
Temperature 16F – Visibility 7 – Wind Northeast at 10-14knots – Overcast Skies 2400ft – Light Snow.

Mushing Weather forecast for this evening:

EASTERN NORTON SOUND AND NULATO HILLS-
INCLUDING...UNALAKLEET...STEBBINS...ST MICHAEL...ELIM...KOYUK...
SHAKTOOLIK
313 PM AKDT MON MAR 16 2015

.TONIGHT...PERIODS OF SNOW. AREAS OF FOG. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF
1 TO 2 INCHES. LOWS 10 TO 15 ABOVE. EAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH
BECOMING SOUTHEAST TO 10 MPH LATE IN THE NIGHT.

Iditarod Trail description:

There is only one thing to say about this leg—bleak, flat, and deadly monotonous. Locals say the actual distance is under 50 miles, but it always seems like a hundred. There is not so much as a shrub on this stretch, most of which is over the sea ice of Norton Bay. Plan on five to nine hours for the crossing, more if the wind is blowing hard.

The trail runs almost due north from Shaktoolik, overland across very low rolling terrain for about nine miles to Reindeer Cove, then across the ice for five miles to Island Point, then back onto the ice immediately for the last 45 miles to Koyuk. There are no hills.

The trail is also the main snowmachine trail to Koyuk and is well used. However, winds can wipe it smooth in hours. It is well marked with Iditarod trail stakes, spruce boughs, or both. The trail can range from a groomed speedway to rough ice to drifted snow to glare ice. The wind is usually blowing, and almost always right in your face. Days with less than 20 or 30 mph breezes are uncommon. The wind can blow at hurricane velocity out here and ground blizzards can reduce visibility to zero in minutes. You MUST check the weather carefully before heading out. If you get caught in a storm on the ice, you will be in very serious trouble.

Another problem is that some dogs are put off by the white expanse and won’t go or will try to turn back. Every year teams stall here; some drivers are able to get their teams going after a rest, and some can get their leaders to follow another team across. Some have to scratch. This is where a “coast leader” is invaluable; these are leaders used to running in this environment and who aren’t fazed by winds or wide-open spaces.

 

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It’s that Time Folks- Fan Fotos!!

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Jeremy – New Zealand’s Biggest Team Kaiser Fan!

It’s that time! Time for Fan Fotos! We have had fun with this for many years now. Take a selfie with you and your “Homies” with a Go Team Kaiser Sign. We will post it for the WWWorld to see! Go Team Kaiser!!

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Finish Estimate – 1st Edition

Koyuk to Nome including Layover- Last 5 Years Winning Teams.

Koyuk to Nome including Layover- Last 5 Years Winning Teams.

It’s that time again folks! Time to begin the guessing game to see when the Winner will cross the Burled Arches!

Dallas Seavey just left Koyuk on his way west tow4:4ards Elim and White Mountain. Using the past 4 winners Out Time at Koyuk to Nome, including the mandatory Layover and stops in checkpoints, I come up with about 31 hours as the trail time for the run into Nome.

Now given that Dallas left at 4:48pm, 31 hours would be 24 hours plus 7. Calculating out loud, that would be tomorrow evening at 4:48pm plus 7 for a Finish close to Midnight tomorrow night.

There are lots of variables in front of all the Teams tonight, including Aaron Burmeister, Aliy Zirkle, and a weather system that doesn’t know if it wants to roar or sleep! So it’s far from over folks!

Tonight’s Northern Coast Weather forecast:

SOUTHERN SEWARD PENINSULA COAST-
INCLUDING...NOME...WHITE MOUNTAIN...GOLOVIN
313 PM AKDT MON MAR 16 2015

.TONIGHT...SNOW LIKELY. AREAS OF FOG. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO
1 INCH. LOWS AROUND 3 ABOVE. NORTHEAST WINDS TO 10 MPH. 
.TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE
TEENS TO LOWER 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS TO 10 MPH.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY. SNOW LIKELY IN THE EVENING...THEN A
CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. AREAS OF FOG. SNOW ACCUMULATION
AROUND 1 INCH. LOWS IN THE TEENS. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH.
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