White Mountain-Safety-Nome

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Moderators: fladogfan, libby the lab, mira, mamamia, sc-race-fan

Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby mira » Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:08 pm

Kailyn passed, next one is not too far away. I got a bad feeling when Riley went alone, I would have expected them to travel together.
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby libby the lab » Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:00 pm

I wondered when they didn't follow Riley. It is official they have scratched. :(
Cindy, Anna Banana and Link-de
RIP Libby and Hank

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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby flowerpower » Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:07 pm

Riley said something about them getting outside help and realizing what that meant. It took along time to update them as scratched. Anyway, looks like the Deeters are mushing on in, so that's good.
"No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby JLJ » Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:09 pm

In light of some troubling rules-calls in previous years I've wondered about that assistance that caused three in the cabin to scratch -- seems I saw earlier that at least one of them -- Borges I think, but not sure -- had talked to family or some personal contact and reported being at the cabin and fine and dogs fine and just waiting until wind lessened to go on in -- and I know the Deeters had told contacts that they were aware that the shelter they'd dug into a hillside -- hillside snowdrift I'd assume -- wasn't far from the shelter cabin -- and saying that they and dogs had plenty of food and were fine and planned to go on to the cabin whenever the wind lessened a little -- all of which caused me to wonder whether it was something like perhaps their being accompanied but not touched or physically helped by the unsolicited search team was not seen as 'accepting assistance' by them, but was by race marshal. It's always possible that they did eventually ask for help, but in light of past . . . one wonders.

I do remember in one of Brent's accounts his mentioning some help that had come by and that he'd immediately told them not to touch him, that he and dogs were fine and he just had to get them back on the trail. From his later account he wasn't at all sure he could do that, but obviously was doing his best to see that unsolicited 'help' didn't disqualify him as a recipient of assistance.

I did chuckle about the report by one cabin occupant that with all those people and dogs the cabin was certainly full but. . . "it wasn't cold". :)
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby mira » Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:13 am

I agree JLJ, I wondered the same. Also, I mean.. that they aren't official scratched until some magic point is one thing, but they could have mentioned it in one of the updates (they are waiting in the cabin until we can get them). I looked at Deeters FB yesterday and it wasn't mentioned anything else than waiting for the weather.

Oh well, I got to see the last three mushers arrive. Joar were there to greet his dogs (Reitan had some of his on the team). Nice crowd for Honda and Reitan.

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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby fladogfan » Sun Mar 20, 2022 2:58 am

I've been wondering also, so went looking in the rules.


Rule 21 -- Motorized Vehicles: A musher may not be accompanied by or accept assistance from
any motorized vehicle that gives help to the musher, including aircraft and snow machines, except when recovering a loose dog or driverless team

Rule 23 -- Good Samaritan Rule: A musher will not be penalized for aiding another musher in an
emergency. Incidents must be explained to race officials at the next checkpoint.

Rule 31 -- Outside Assistance: No planned help is allowed throughout the Race. All care and
feeding of dogs will be done only by that team’s musher. All dog maintenance and care of dog
teams and gear in checkpoints will be done in the designated localized holding area. A musher
relinquishing the care of his/her team to leave the checkpoint and or village without approval of
the Race Marshal must withdraw from the Race. Common resources available to all mushers will
not be considered outside assistance.
Snow machine use to assist a specific musher by breaking trail or impeding the progress of a competitor by damaging the existing trail is strictly prohibited

Rule 35 – Electronic Devices: A musher may carry and use any two-way communication device(s),
including, but not necessarily limited to, a cell and/or satellite telephone. Use of such devices may not be used for any media purposes during the course of the race unless expressly approved in advance by ITC.
A musher may also carry an emergency locator transmitter (ELT), a Spot™, or other similar satellite tracking device. However, activation of any help or emergency signal, including accidental activation, may make a musher ineligible to continue and may result in an automatic withdrawal from the race. Use of a GPS is also permitted

From Rule 37--Dog Care: • Dogs may not be brought into shelters except for race veterinarians' medical examination or treatment. Dogs must be returned outside as soon as such examination or treatment is completed unless the dog is returned from the race.

Was this the deciding rule to scratch the Deeters and Seb Borges?
I would have brought them in just to protect them and help warm cabin.
All my children have four feet and fur.
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby JLJ » Sun Mar 20, 2022 4:39 am

I wouldn't think it could be the dogs inside, at least not properly, as there was at least one musher at the cabin who was not penalized, and reports sounded as if all dogs were brought into a structure that was not a checkpoint shelter and were brought in because of life threatening conditions.

It could have been the accompaniment, which might have involved planned or unplanned trailbreaking, if the mushers asked for, or at least consented to it, explicitly -- or maybe even implicitly -- though it would not seem that should have been disqualifying otherwise.

Or they could have received other help, we really don't know -- but no one mentioning it and remarks about sheltering until the wind diminished and then finishing does suggest that one or more of them may not have realized that whatever happened was a disqualification issue. I believe I remember the race marshal saying something -- in that video he made about storm-distressed mushers -- to the effect that they were seeing to it that everyone was safe and that he would make decisions about disqualification or not later . . . which might have contributed to confusion, even among checkers/potential rescuers about exactly what was or was not an issue.

It does point out how prudent Brent was to say to whoever it was that showed up -- when he'd been blown off the trail and was struggling to get back -- that they should not touch him and that he and the dogs were all fine and did not require assistance.
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby fladogfan » Sun Mar 20, 2022 5:05 am

Yes, thank goodness for his quick thinking.
All my children have four feet and fur.
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby flowerpower » Sun Mar 20, 2022 10:10 am

From the Deeters FB page:
Yesterday, several hours after Jeff and KattiJo left White Mountain they were caught in a ground blizzard with Sebastien De Santos Borges just 4 miles short of the Nome Kennel Club shelter cabin. With wind gusting at 60-70+ mph, they were stuck in place. They were able to dig into a hillside and seek some level of shelter for them and their dogs. After being stuck in place for hours, White Mountain Search and Rescue located the group to do a welfare check. All three mushers opted to accept outside assistance for the safety of themselves and their teams. The search and rescue crew was able to assist the three mushers to the Nome Kennel Club shelter cabin, where Riley Dyche had been hunkered down for nearly 12 hours. They arrived at the shelter cabin around 5:30pm, where they would be able to huddle around the wood stove, dry their gear and warm up. Reports from the trail say Riley, Sebastien, Jeff and KattiJo all brought all their dogs (30 ish dogs) in the little 12’x12’ cabin for the night and had a dog party.
"No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin
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Re: White Mountain-Safety-Nome

Postby Breeze » Sun Mar 20, 2022 12:41 pm

AS IF mushers are going to leave their dogs outdoors in 60-to 70 mile wind gusts, with wind chill completely capable of freezing dog ears and dog nutz, if the mushers have a choice ? Might be " race rules" but THANK dOG we have mushers who think differently.

Some race rules get changed or revised because the musher representatives on the ITC Board of Directors run it up the flagpole and ask for the change. The closer ITC gets to wanting to make more money, the closer they'll have to listen to their fan base.

We don't want mutilated or dead dogs, just as we don't want mutilated or dead mushers. How hard is that to understand ?

Is meeting those simple desires going to so vastly change the race that ITC will throw up their hands and refuse to run the race ?

End of race always kicks my butt.
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