Temperatures & Trail Conditions

[Luna]

Weather predictions for McGrath:

[aren]

Just picked up a little article from Hurdal.com relating to the current temperature around Mcgrath:

THE ICE IS MELTING...


The ice is melting... The mild weather is causing problems for others than Team Norway´s reporters in Alaska and our eminent plane and its pilot Chad. The mushers are struggling with a slow trail caused by the warm weather, and Sigrid and Kjetil have both spent more time than scheduled on the trail from Nikolai to McGrath. Iditarod Insider broadcast an interview with a slightly disappointed Sigrid who at Nikolai realized that apart form the fact that she had spent two hours more than scheduled on the stretch, her favorite ice cream from Ben & Jerry´s had melted in her sled. Even so, she is now back out on the trail and heading for McGrath with 14 dogs in her team. TNs reporters on the trail guarantees that there will be stacks of Ben & Jerry ice cream waiting in Nome when she crosses under the burled arch. Mush on, Sigrid!

Great article

aren

[Deerskin and Anja]

so its getting even warmer? yikes, not good! i was worried yesterday when i saw something about it being 22 F, remembering seeing reports in past years of mushers calling that a 'heat wave'. aside from making for slow trails, doesn't that wear out the runners faster, with the snowpack thinned out or gone in places? is the rule about only one spare sled still in effect, or are they allowed to stock extra bits and pieces as well to repair with?

[Di*]

is the rule about only one spare sled still in effect, or are they allowed to stock extra bits and pieces as well to repair with?

As far as I know the rule is still in effect. Many mushers pack a few repair items, depends on how much weight they want to carry etc. I don't think there is a lot of bare area yet? What I've heard is that there is a LOT of snow and the warm temps are just bogging down sleds and there are huge ruts in the trail from the heavy traffic. They have extra plastic for their runners so if they wear out they can replace them on the trail.

[Another UK Fan]

is it true not all the mushers with GPS trackers are showing up anymore? I guess they're not working, or maybe the mushers changed their mind and took an axe to it??

One was not working because a dog was riding in the sled bag for a while which interferred with the signal or something. Make of that what you will

What I've heard is that .....there are huge ruts in the trail from the heavy traffic.

They are huge. There's pictures - or film - can't remember which, on Insider. They are scary.

[mamamia]

is the rule about only one spare sled still in effect, or are they allowed to stock extra bits and pieces as well to repair with?

Mushers can ship all the bits and pieces for sled repair they want in their drop bags subject only to the rules for weight limits. They usually ship a lot of plastic sled runners both for replacing worn runners but also because different runners work better in different conditions. As far as sleds go they are allowed a total of three sleds a race and only two can be shipped to points beyond the start. If any musher has to borrow a sled from another musher before getting to his replacement sled that is considered one of his allowed sleds. In the past there have been great pictures of rows of sleds in McGrath. It seems to be a popular place to ship sleds to because it is a popular place to 24 and also because the sleds take such a beating going over the range and across the burn.

Another consideration is having the right sled available for the job. Many mushers want a heavy solid sled for the first part of the race but by the time they get to the flats of the interior they don't need so much weight. I was amused to see that J. King cut the caboose off of his sled at one of the checkpoints (McGrath I think). That is a new approach. Anyway, many mushers ship a light weight sled to Unalakleet on the coast where they are planning to do some hard fast racing to the finish. The Yukon and the portage to Unk can also take its toll on a sled so it is a good place to have one waiting for you.

reference rule #15

[Deerskin and Anja]

i remember seeing some pics last year of someone who had somehow attatched a cooler to the runners in back, to use as a seat! that could help, i imagine, if they needed some weight, but that would be a pain if they had to do a lot of pedaling

[mamamia]

more on sleds... this from the Windy Creek Kennels, Ken Anderson's wife's blog:

I am expecting Ken to stop in McGrath for a little shorter than his run takes to get there, as has been his strategy to this point. He will switch to a faster, lighter sled made by Antipode (formerly Extrapole), a company in France whose equipment we really like. He wanted to take this sled from the start but broke a runner on an easy training run earlier in the season and decided against risking it in favor of his tougher ‘Hans Gatt’ sled which he has used in several Iditarods plus the Quest this year.

[aren]

The weather/temps around the Kuskokwim are obviously a problem at the moment. Jessica Hendricks scratched at Nik due to the warm weather. ADN wrote the following:

Young Two Rivers musher Jessica Hendricks, the Iditarod rookie of the year in 2003, scratched on Wednesday at Nikolai after the unseasonably warm weather took a toll on dogs accustomed to much colder conditions.
Hendricks, 25, had dropped five dogs in Nikolai, a big number for any musher at one checkpoint. That left her with just seven dogs, and she eventually decided to scratch. She was in 53rd place.

The weather forcast for the next few days for Kuskokwim Valley is:

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. Isolated snow showers in the morning. Highs in the upper 30s. South of McGrath...southeast wind 15 to 25 mph becoming light in the afternoon. Light winds elsewhere.
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Tonight
Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 20s except in the teens at lower elevations. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday
Cloudy with a chance of rain and snow. Highs in the low to mid 30s. North wind 10 to 20 mph.
Friday Night
Cloudy with a chance of snow and rain. Lows in the lower 20s. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday
Cloudy with a chance of snow. Highs in the mid 30s. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night through Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper teens. Highs in the mid 30s.

It is obvious that it would be an advantage to try and ajust the rest run schedule so that most of the running takes place during the cooler hr of the night and to rest during the days. But ofcourse for the most compettetive teams that is impossible. They can't stay put during the day and just run at night if they want to win this race.

aren

[Deerskin and Anja]

what is going to happen when everyone gets to the sea? with things thawing, will the teams stay on land, or what? i was looking at the route again, and the temps, but i know nada about sea ice