IditaProject Forum

by **tanglefoot** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:55 am

lance has just pulled into elim...so next stop golovin....not an official checkpoint but the town welcomes the mushers each year...

lance arrived at elim with a few mph faster than jeff, who just said on II interview that he might not be able to pass mackey untill the beach at nome as when ever he has a look, lanc calls up the dogs and they take off and jeff cant catch him.... jeffs looking tired, lance is looking wake bu mad as hell at jeff for breathing down his throat.... its gonna be a fight to the finish with neither wanting to give in...could it be a re run of ***** and swenson chargin down the chute on foot....lance would surely win that one..those mackeys boys are fast on their feet when ti comes to the line!...

all aboard next stop golovin

http://www.switchpod.com/f59129.html?puser=none

listen to aily discription of mushing the trail past shak koyuk and GOLOVIn on to white mountian

by **tilstede** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:04 am

Wow, what a report Tangles!

An almost hallucinatic experience, I almost heard your post as a radio voice commenting a horse race :-)

by **tilstede** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:46 am

Mackey and 11 of his magnificent on their way to Golovin. Left 2.20 am. Cp-staff, be ready to skip your breakfast!

Elim to Golovin
by Donald Bowers, Jr.

Quick Overview
This is one of the more interesting legs on the race, with quite a variety of trail and terrain in a very short distance. Moreover, there is always a possibility of two extremely different routes for the first ten miles. The race follows the main snowmachine “highway” from Elim to Golovin and it is usually well marked and packed.

The trail usually heads back out on the sea ice from Elim and runs a mile or two offshore to a cabin at Walla Walla, on the coast eight miles south of Elim. In some years, when there is open water just off shore, the traill will stay overland on the Old Elim Mail Trail.

At Walla Walla, the trail rurns inland and climbs over the Kwiktalik Mountains with a series of long, moderately hard grades. The final summit is 1,000 feet at Little McKinley, about eight miles past Walla Walla and ten miles from Golovin. This is considered the hardest climb on the last half of the race.

The trail then makes a fast descent to Golovin Bay, running northwest along the bay ice for the last five miles to Golovnin. (The bay was first explored by Captain Gloving of the Imperial Russian Navy in the early 1800's. The bay and lagoon behind the town retain the original spelling; the town’s name ha been changed over the years.)

Plan on three to four hours for this leg. If the weather is bad, the trip over the mountain can be a long, hard one because it is almost all above timberline and exposed to the wind. The trail over Little McKinley can range from icy and windswept to soft and punchy.

by **tilstede** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:17 am

So; King is in the chase. Number of dogs unknown at the moment.

by **tanglefoot** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:38 am

jeff still got a string of 16 swifts...mackey 12...but lancey boy is moving well and is a mile fast an hour than jeff and 3 miles ahead of him at the moment,,untikl we get a Go Puppies Stats in....go lance go!

by **tanglefoot** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:55 am

lance now climbing up hill and has 7 mile lead on jeffery who is below sea level?

this is no time to go paddling jeff!!!

by **fladogfan** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:06 am

According to ITC stats;
Jeff was 3 minutes after Lance coming into Elim, wonder what the reason is for leaving 50 minutes after Lance.
I'm having a hard time choosing between these two to win. Would love to see them neck and neck down Front Street

A shuttle lifted off at 2 something AM today. It's easily seen, if no clouds in way, from central Fl. Very beautiful and bright for night launches. Usually try to see them.
Last night, I chose to get SLEEP in the bank in anticipation of a finish tonight. :lol: