The Iditarod (FB)
Rookie Iditarod musher, Bryce Mumford (bib #6), of Preston, Idaho, left the Kaltag checkpoint en route to Unalakleet at 6:56 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12. Iditarod snowmachiners were dispatched on the trail to make welfare checks after sufficient progress on the trail was not made.
After discussions with the Iditarod snowmachiners, Mumford decided he could make it to Unalakleet, where he then scratched at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, in the best interest of his team.
Mumford had 12 dogs in harness when he arrived in Unalakleet, all in good health.
To be fair, he was moving very, very slowly. I'm all about supporting mushers at the back of the pack - provided they are moving steadily along, but Bryce's team had slowed to a walk.
I'm sure he collected many memories along the trail and had a blast, but it's simply not feasible to keep checkpoints open and manned for a sole musher for days after the last previous musher has gone through.
But - wow - he made it 715 miles!!