Sad about Claudia having to scratch -- though she was down to seven dogs -- and possibly seven unhappy dogs, especially after their incoming overflow experience. I always feel especially sad for those that have to scratch so near the end after they've negotiated so many difficulties successfully. But at least they're safe.
I was concerned about all the latter teams, coming in through several miles of such serious overflow including one place reported two feet deep for fifty feet, where some (all?) of the latter teams had to stop, carry their dogs across, get their sleds across, then reassemble and proceed. Considering that that was in the "backtrack" section of this years path to Whitehorse, they'd all have been facing the prospect of having to go back through a worsened version of that overflow shortly after leaving for Whitehorse, then having to complete the remaining 75 miles with themselves and dogs wet in varying degrees.
I did see that the race announced 2/15 that they had rerouted that section but I didn't see when they did it -- anyone know whether they did it before those last five mushers waiting at Braeburn started for Whitehorse?
At least Claudia left Braeburn at 1:11 with Dave Dalton right behind her at 1:28, so if the trail was still unaltered at that point the likelihood of fatal consequences was reduced.