Just arriving into Iditarod. I wouldn’t think he will be there long. Onward to the Yukon!
Anvik – 6:00pm
Pete and the Team just returned to the trail a few minutes ago after a 5 hour break on the trail. They stopped about 20 miles up the trail from Iditarod just south of Six Mile lake. After an almost 12 hour run, the break at this point in the trail probably means that he will move quickly through the checkpoint of Iditarod and move on towards Shageluk. I’m actually thinking that he will keep moving and take his next break in Shageluk. We will see here in a few hours.
Mushing weather for tonight isn’t great- It’s warm and windy, but at least the wind is at their backs. In the weathercam photo above you can see the hills are Sunny and the weather is partly cloudy. That is much better than expected. Some forecasts were calling for blowing snow and freezing rain earlier today, so this clearing means that if nothing else it may be a bit drier than predicted. Clear skies also make for cooler temperatures at night which will also be an advantage.
Though we don’t have Iditarod Checkpoint weather, Anvik is light winds, as well as the surrounding reporting stations. Also good news is that this weather pattern should be gone by tomorrow night. Good news for the weekend.
LOWER YUKON VALLEY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...RUSSIAN MISSION...GRAYLING... HOLY CROSS...SHAGELUK...ANVIK...FLAT 234 PM AKST THU MAR 7 2013 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT AKST TONIGHT... .TONIGHT...CLOUDY. PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW IN THE EVENING BECOMING ALL SNOW OVERNIGHT. LESS THAN AN INCH SNOW ACCUMULATION. LOWS IN THE 20S TO AROUND 30. EAST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH. LOCAL GUSTS TO 45 MPH. .FRIDAY...CLOUDY. SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH.
Just off the wire! Anvik School is getting ready for the Iditarod! Marcy Nikolai and her class are working hard to welcome the mushers into the Community. Thanks Kids!
Collage of Iditarod Alaska Ghost Town used as the Checkpoint for the Southern Route.
With warm temperatures in the forecast and a team that looks like it is on fire, Pete and the Team look like they may push all the way into Iditarod for their break. This isn’t a new thing for them as a couple of times in recent memory they have done pretty long runs in previous races. Tracker shows the team at a pretty good pace and moving along nicely. We will see how it goes. 20 miles sounds small, but that is still a couple and a half more hours to put on the team.
They now are 20 miles from the Iditarod Checkpoint. This move definitely plays his hand in some ways as other teams have decided to stand pat and break up the run with a rest.
The logic here is probably weather related. If he goes all the way into Iditarod it will be a long run, but he can then rest a bit longer during the heat of the day and go back out on the trail in the evening when it is cooler. Basically the longer he runs in the day with good time will give him even that much more this evening.
It is definitely a power move, but one that Aaron Burmeister is also doing as he approaches Iditarod as well. Both team went head to head in earlier races this year, so it is fun to see them go at it again.
Stay tuned, but the excitement of the trail has not left us yet! Go Team Kaiser!!
Laureli Kineen – KNOM
Laureli Kineen talks with Pete about his Strategy for this next part of the race- As usual, KNOM really has the best Iditarod coverage!
[mejsaudio src=”http://kaiserracing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/petetakotna.mp3″]
Just got these from Christine Harrington in Takotna of Mike Jr. feeding his dogs and Pete and the Team leaving Takotna.
Good Morning Kaiser Race Fans! Pete and the Team were out of Ophir early this morning at 4:03 leaving a dog before moving back on the trail. They are currently running in 13th position factoring in the teams in the pack that haven’t taken their 24 hour layover. The run between Takotna and Ophir was one of the faster times posted and almost identical to Jake Berkowitz the night before.
Pete’s Times-
The trail from Ophir to Iditarod will take the team Southwest through the rolling hills towards the mining country of Flat and Iditarod. It is a long stretch of trail winding down to the Mining Ghost town of Iditarod.
From Iditarod:
This is one of the emptiest legs on the entire race, a full 90 miles of lonely country and endless trail. The trail crosses a mix of terrain and vegetation, ranging from taiga (black spruce) to barren upland tundra to thick river-bottom forests to brushy ravines and hillsides to swamps and lakes. This leg has no major problems, although are always patches of minor overflow, plenty of hills, and some potentially rough trail across the uplands. Its biggest feature is, as somebody once said of driving through Texas, miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.
You should plan for 12 to 18 hours, including a good several-hour rest somewhere along the way. Many drivers stop at Don’s Cabin, 36 miles out of Ophir. It’s a ramshackle plywood hut but it’s sheltered in the trees and has a stove. Another good camping spot is the tree line at the Windy Creek crossing, 10 miles past Don’s Cabin, or the Dishna River, a couple of miles past Windy Creek.
Don’s Cabin
Mushing Weather Forecast:
The story of today is undoubtably going to be about weather. Predictions are for high winds, but luckily for Pete and the Team they will actually play into their favor if it works out right. Presently it is warm, but below freezing with Northeast winds at their backs. Preditions are for the wind to switch to the East, but that is okay as from Iditarod to Anvik is an Eastward trail, so again wind will be at their back.
Present Anvik Weather:
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...RUSSIAN MISSION...GRAYLING... HOLY CROSS...SHAGELUK...ANVIK...FLAT 328 AM AKST THU MAR 7 2013 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT AKST TONIGHT... .TODAY...SNOW. A CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN. SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 2 INCHES. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S. EAST WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 35 MPH WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 45 MPH. .TONIGHT...CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW. A CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN IN THE EVENING. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S. EAST WINDS 20 TO 35 MPH WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 45 MPH. .FRIDAY...CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 TO 30 MPH.
Check out the Kaiser Super Dogs in Mushing Magazine!
