Up the coast (Kaltag - Koyuk)

[COHusky]

thanks for those snaps and insider reports, elsietee

yes, nic has really come on. unfortunate for him that his emotions got the better of him early on, he definitely has a world class team

[tanglefoot]

jessie now 2 miles from koyuk, she'll see the lights aaron nor far behind

1
BIB
#40
Thomas
Waerner MILES
798 TO FINISH
177
REST
24 8 SPEED
- STATUS
Resting 12
Updated: 3h 46m ago

2
BIB
#31
Jessie
Royer MILES
796 TO FINISH
179
REST
24 8 SPEED
5.5 mph STATUS
Running 13
Updated: 6m ago

3
BIB
#25
Aaron
Burmeister MILES
795 TO FINISH
180
REST
24 8 SPEED
5.2 mph STATUS
Running 11
Updated: 5m ago

4
BIB
#27
Mitch
Seavey MILES
791 TO FINISH
184
REST
24 8 SPEED
6.3 mph STATUS
Running 10
Updated: 4m ago

5
BIB
#7
Wade
Marrs MILES
788 TO FINISH
187
REST
24 8 SPEED
2.1 mph STATUS
Running 11
Updated: 6m ago

6
BIB
#44
Brent
Sass MILES
787 TO FINISH
188
REST
24 8 SPEED
5.0 mph STATUS
Running 13
Updated: 5m ago

7
BIB
#37
Ryan
Redington MILES
780 TO FINISH
195
REST
24 8 SPEED
6.0 mph STATUS
Running 10
Updated: 1m ago

8
BIB
#58
Paige
Drobny MILES
773 TO FINISH
202
REST
24 8 SPEED
2.9 mph STATUS
Running 11
Updated: 4m ago

9
BIB
#35
Joar Leifseth
Ulsom MILES
772 TO FINISH
203
REST
24 8 SPEED
5.5 mph STATUS
Running 10
Updated: 2m ago

10
BIB
#20
Travis
Beals MILES
772 TO FINISH
203
REST
24 8 SPEED
5.4 mph STATUS
Running 10
Updated: 2m ago

11
BIB
#33
Michelle
Phillips MILES
765 TO FINISH
210
REST
24 8 SPEED
6.4 mph STATUS
Running 11
Updated: 4m ago

12
BIB
#34
Jessie
Holmes MILES
759 TO FINISH
216
REST
24 8 SPEED
6.1 mph STATUS
Running 10
Updated: 4m ago

IN SHAKTOOLIK
13
BIB
#36
Aaron
Peck MILES
754 TO FINISH
221
REST
24 8 SPEED
- STATUS
Resting 10
Updated: 5h 27m ago

IN SHAKTOOLIK
14
BIB
#5
Ramey
Smyth MILES
754 TO FINISH
221
REST
24 8 SPEED
- STATUS
Resting 9
Updated: 3h 0m ago

IN SHAKTOOLIK
15
BIB
#12
Lance
Mackey MILES
754 TO FINISH
221
REST
24 8 SPEED
- STATUS
Resting 11
Updated: 2h 59m ago

IN SHAKTOOLIK
16
BIB
#21
Nicolas
Petit MILES
754 TO FINISH
221
REST
24 8 SPEED
- STATUS
Resting 12

[elsietee]

Footage of Thomas in Koyuk:

Bruce: pretty flat lighting out there - could you see more than 2 markers ahead?

Thomas: No, not really. How's teh trail from here? Are there many snowmachines?

B: pretty much the same.

He says there were two snowmachine trails on Norton Sound, so he went back and forth between them. He likes that he can rest more, while the others have to cut rest. It's good for his dogs, to keep them mentally good. Asked if he rested longer at Shak because he could, he says he wanted to leave there before the others arrive.

Better to rest if the snow it deep. So he's glad he pushed from Kaltag to Unk in one go - it was a gamble, but it means he can now rest more. Says he's used to going slow which is good, because it's not so mentally stressful for him.

He says he needs to sleep more - his brain is shutting down and he's feeling really stupid.

[elsietee]

Interview with Jessie in Shak:

Says the dogs are feeling a bit better now that it's cooled off. She was happy with the run. Says it's pretty cool to be in second place, but there are teams charging behind.

Says it was really "pleasant" in Unk and in the Blueberry Hills. There's a little breeze in Shak, but nothing bad. This is the first time she's ever had a *tailwind* coming into Shak - it's usually a side-wind.

Dogs are still eating really good. Dogs picked up on their own.

She worked her butt off in the hills and got sweaty.

* * *

She's on camera now, just arriving in Koyuk - with Aaron a little ways behind, but in sight. Dogs look pretty much like they did in Cripple.. and are either nibbling on booties (still standing) or looking around, wondering when they're going to go again (Jessie's being interviewed)

And right on cue, Thomas left Koyuk just minutes before she arrived (edited to correct - 4:05 of rest - I really got my times mixed up).

Edited to correct - she ran exactly the same time as Thomas (I had my time difference messed up).

[tanglefoot]

jessie in on the live camera

[tanglefoot]

aaron on his way in in the back ground too

[mira]

A small heads-up from the chat.

Koyuk mileage appears to be 798 on the trackers, not 804 as listed. Probably because of the route over the nice. So Jessie were shown one minute to be at 797 and then suddenly in 804 when she arrived.

She arrived few moments after Thomas departed. Aaron is one mile out

[braider]

And at 804 then when Thomas departed his mileage went backward at first ...down to 797, now 799. I'm pretty sure this is an old glitch that we've had before.

[Frozen Chosen]

And at 804 then when Thomas departed his mileage went backward at first ...down to 797, now 799. I'm pretty sure this is an old glitch that we've had before.

Braider, they say there's a "time warp" somewhere along the eastern Norton Sound area...dog mushers long long ago would "disappear" for a few mins, then suddenly show up a mile down the trail (near the cliff head just west of Koyuk, i forgot the Inupiat name for it). the musher would say he was gone for several years, had to start another family, etc, then suddenly reappear at the "present"...

Froze

[elsietee]

From Bruce's description of the camping spots in the Blueberry Hills, I had visions of Brent nestled in a nice little sheltered hollow behind some trees. But no - this is a pic of where he rested after Unk yesterday evening:


Brent in the Blueberry Hills after Unk:

Said the dogs have been eating amazing - he's stoked about that because it means he can race. He likes that him going through Unk made the other mushers have to guess - and maybe cut their rest slightly, which can only help him.

Thomas is trying to be the ghost [witness leaving Unk before the others arrive, then leaves Shak and Koyuk before the Jessie], and not letting anyone see him. Brent says he'd do the same in his shoes.

Have to see if that 12 hour run from Kaltag to Unk catches up with Thomas' team.

There are still 10 teams behind him, it's anybody's race right now - familiar faces up front running together, but faster teams coming up from behind. Going to be fun.

Resting past the checkpoint gives him a little more control - seeing what time people go by, which teams to watch out for... at this point in the race you can tell if a team is doing good, if they're going to be able to push on.

Still focusing on his team, and has a plan and hopes to be able to execute the plan. Feels great - feels like he's exactly where he wanted to be - in the top 5-8 - which is where he's sitting. It puts him in a position to maybe have a shot at winning it, but hopefully be in the top spots. Top 5 was his goal for the race, and he thinks that's within reach. But there's still a lot of work to do, no guarantees - still a lot of race left. But he's put himself in a position at this point to be able to make that happen.

He's watching out for Paige - fastest and strongest team out of everyone. Also Mitch always has a good team at this point in the race. Aaron and Jessie travelling the same speed as Brent. Feels like if he sticks with his plan, he can battle them out, and work harder and maybe pass them. But Paige is really well rested and fast. She did a great job managing her team. Everyone's really in the hunt still. Exciting for the race - usually by now it's narrowed down to just 2-3 teams.