Trail snippets

[elsietee]

This was a really nice FB post from Tim Muto, Brent's handler, who took his puppy team through the YQ300 this year:

Tim Muto
Follow · March 14 ·

The Wild and Free Mushing team is about to embark on their final push to Nome, the last leg of the 1000 mile Iditarod sled dog race. I can't sit here too long and reflect on it without feeling the emotions build. Living with and learning from Brent Sass and his dogs the last two years has changed my life forever. The lessons learned and experiences gained from living this lifestyle go so much deeper than just learning how to drive dogs. In fact, it seems that becoming a great 'dog man' is really more of a result of figuring out the meaning of my own life. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING is the cliche, and it is cliche for a darn good reason! In my eyes, Brent and his dogs are LEGEND, not because of what position they finish in at these races, but because they recognize the importance of appreciating every single occurrence that life gives us no matter what it is. If things are going good for you, rejoice, smile for your fortune. If things are less than ideal, negativity can only hurt, so smile for the growth you are going through. That is what Brent and his team mean to me. So, paws crossed for a terrific last run, and smile because you can, and because you are here!

It was accompanied by this pic:

[Moose]

Elsietee, I can't thank you enough for your recaps. You've kept the race alive for me this year. Thank you for all the time and energy you put into them. Warm hugs and a smooch beaming your way.

[elsietee]

* Jason Mackey (34th):

His son Patrick had just landed as Jason was mushing up Front St so it was a race to see who'd get there first. Didn't find out who, becuase they cut the sound.

He came in with 8 dogs, dogs looked good.

No sound until suddenly it cuts in with Jason in the middle of what sounds like a hallucination story:

"I'm trying to talk to this lady who evidently was not there. I started laughing and the dogs are looking at me like "what are you laughing at?". So yes, Galena was best part of whole trail because of things that I was seeing that weren't there."

Asked about his dogs:

"Yes, these two girls, Siri and Anshor (sp?) They led every step of the way. Without them I wouldn't be here - they're the only two leaders in the team, the others all got dropped early on. They never let me down. "

"You are 34th, in 10 hrs 3 hrs 52 mins 11 secs!"

"10-3? eh, just shy of 9, that's a bummer..."

* Lars Monsen(29th), returning to the chute to chat with Danny:

Danny: "You've done a lot of things - how does it rate by comparison?"

Lars: "Hard to compare - I have a really good feeling. I enjoyed the whole trail. Realise the weather has never been better <laughs>.
But seeing all that nature I am filled with gratefulness. I camped a lot on the trail. Was really, really nice."

Danny: "You see things differently at 10 mph, did you see a lot of animals?"

Lars: "No, hardly any, because we make a lot of noise, even when we think we're being quiet."

<rushes out of chute because Jason Campeau is coming>




* Jason Campeau

Wife Jennifer tyring to get qualified, has done two, third got cancelled.
They have twin 13 yr old daughters, also mush - it's something they can do as a family.

"He's always wanted to mush since he was 8 yrs old.... So we bought dogs."

"Is he going to try and win this?"

"He's competitive, but he's v inexperienced. Probly learned 5 million new things in this race.

"WhHat did you do while he was doing the race? during last 9 days?"

"The family was in ANC for start, daughters had to go home for school. I flew in yesterday. Jason doesn't know I'm here."

Sound off, sound back on:

"...yes, we were taking 8-12 hour rests when we were supposed to be taking 4s. The dogs were not feeling well, no energy, so you have to think of them and pull back. Started the race with 16 healthy doy, and the virus hit all 16 dogs at once. ...At times I thought I'd scratch , but at the end of the day we got here and I'm pretty pumped about that. It was a heck of an experience for us. "

[elsietee]

In view of Lars' comments about wildlife, I went back to grab Paul G's quick finish line interview:



* Paul Gephardt (14th):

Dogs too busy sniffing the ground to move up the chute.

"Aah, I'm glad to be here....

Me n robert were travelling together. He's fun. , but he's got more dog power than I got.

Fast, right?

Seen a nice big flock of ptarmigan. Seen a red fox on the way in . Just a good day. "

[elsietee]

Elsietee, I can't thank you enough for your recaps. You've kept the race alive for me this year. Thank you for all the time and energy you put into them. Warm hugs and a smooch beaming your way.

It has been my pleasure - it'd be a bummer if no-one was reading them or enjoying them, so I'm glad to hear it means so much.

[Luna]

it'd be a bummer if no-one was reading them or enjoying them, so I'm glad to hear it means so much.

My favorite tread. Thx

[elsietee]

* Noah Burmeister (11th):

(Of interest - this year Noah finished in 9d 1h 39m 55s.
Last year, Aaron finished the same team in 8d 23h 47m 31s
so less than two hours difference.

Last year that was good enough for 3rd place... this year 11th
(and he still would have gotten 3rd last year with this year's time).

Also of interest - last year Aaron had completely blown out his knee
and could barely walk - yet he still got 3rd. This year, Noah hadn't
done the ID in ten years, and certainly had never run a competitive
ID before.

What could these dogs do with a healthy, experienced musher?? )

Noah at the finish (after finishing less than six minutes behind Scott Smith):

Scott gives him a big hug.

"Pretty much at Safety, I looked behind and he was a couple of miles behind me, and seeing him sneak into the checkpoint and come out - I grabbed the two lathes [trail markers] and started pumping all the way here"

Interviewer laughs "So you grabbed trail markers?"

"Oh yah, I broke my ski poles a long time ago.

I feel real good about it, I learned a lot this year, change some stuff around and come back next year."

Aaron:

"It's amazing to have the race over and to see Noah in great shape, the dogs in great shape - he's done a phenomenal job. We're very proud of him and he did the kennel and the team proud for us this year. It was a great opportunity for me to have the year off and he's far exceeded what my expectations were for the team and himself this year, and done an incredible job, so we're very happy."

* Jesse (15th)

"Allright Ranger!

...

We made it here, yah, it's been a fight this year to get into the top 20. Crazy how competitive it is, and I pretty much had sick dogs all the way from Takotna to UNK, they started feeling a little better on the coast, but by then I was so far back.

I think they said I checked into UNK in 23rd, so it's just been a fight all the way up the coast to try and gain any placings - it's just so tight.

Ranger's my white leader, he's 8 yrs old, he's led me across the finish line the last five years I think, and then Chilkat it was her second ID finish."

Chilkat - aka Yak Dog:

chilkat2.JPG

* El Sielstra (33rd)

(another musher I know nothing about, but I really liked him. He was so upbeat and excited in the chute, greeting his six year old son.)

"We did it! We did it buddy! Holy crap, a six year old! <lifts his son into a big hug>... You got so big. I love you! <son: "I love you too"> Did you see the dogs? They did awesome. <waves to the camera> <hugs his wife>.

That was my hardest one yet, that's for sure. That was a doozy. I knew I'd make it, but I wasn't quite sure the method. It was a mentally-challenging run for the whole race for me. I didn't really have a lead dog, so we had a little 'team bonding' the whole way.

But *beautiful* run, their speeds were great, it was just in the tricky sections who was going to step up for me.

Enzo... Mukluk, a 2 yr old who just lead in here - just stroking tonight, ...and then Louis at times really stepped it up. And then also finishing we have Woodstock, Rambling, Winkle, Forest, Butter, and Baker.

And in some ways it was easier - they ate great the whole ways, but I just didn't have that "go-to" lead dog - it would have been nice. "

[elsietee]

* Michelle Phillips (25th):

Dogs look *GREAT* coming in.

"It was actually pretty good, in a lot of respects. I improved on all kinds of things I wanted to, so I was really happy about that. I was kind of bummed out in Golovin, but it turned around and the dogs finished strong - and they left there, and then they left WM really well, so I was super-happy about that. I got to meet some really cool people in Golovin, that was kind of fun. Hung out at the VPO office <smiles> ...very interesting.

But no, a lot of really nice people in Golovin who were super-postive, ...

I'm just happy that my dog team looks good, that's the main thing.

It's always an adventure - Life is. "

[I reran the tracker, and it looked like Teacher-on-the-trail stopped there while she was resting. Maybe they asked them to check on her? I didn't even know there was an airstrip there... maybe there is everywhere in AK?]

[elsietee]

* Hugh (22nd):

Brought a new Dr Seuss book with him called "If I Ran the Dog Show" <..."the Stu Nelson Story", he quipped> for the library in Nome.

"The dogs performed great. I'm the one who still has to grow up one of these years. Obviously I went out a little too fast there in the beginning. Paid for it in the latter part of the race.

But I'm really proud of them. This is basically my Quest team I ran a couple of weeks ago with. And Nicole's going to be taking them to Kotzebue here to do the 440 in a couple of weeks.

The dogs did great. The dogs that I dropped were all yearlings, I ran a lot of younger dogs - they were barely two years old - and they did OK, some of them even made it to Cripple which is quite far into the race. But to be in a competitive dog team, you really need dogs with a little more experience that that...

I had a fun time, really proud of all the other mushers ...I know Brent had a tough finish, but I think all of us were really proud by what Brent did this year. He really put on a good show for everybody. And of course, congrats to the Seaveys, they're... the Seaveys."

[elsietee]

* Kelly (21st):

Dallas (who must have woken up from his 10+ hour nap) was feeding Kelly's dogs in the chute.

Kelly: "I heard you won again? Congratulations"
Dallas: "That's what they're saying. I had a good run"
Kelly: "You make a good handler, maybe you could come [inaudible. Perhaps 'more often'?]
Dallas: "I could be Kelly's apprentice?" <laughing>

"It was the Murphy's Law of races for me. Lots of little things went wrong, but nothing major."

"You got a drill in your hand fixing something and...?"

"Yeah, everything was breaking, ...but we got here and did pretty decent..."