IditaProject Forum

Black Spruce Dog Sledding - Jeff & KattiJo Deeter

Katti is into Grayling, and will declare her mandatory 8. And, just to keep us on the edge of our seats, she managed to break her sled, AGAIN! This time, a snapped stanchion on the taildragger (located behind where she stands). I don’t know yet if and how she will fix it, but she will manage.
Next year, it’s a tougher sled with “don’t crash” etched on the handlebar!

Black Spruce Dog Sledding - Jeff & KattiJo Deeter

Day 6 Morning update-

Currently, Katti is on my very favorite run of the entire Southern Route of the Iditarod Trail. As mushers leave Iditarod, they climb a series of hills and follow a half dozen ridge lines, moving from interior Alaska to the upper part of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The journey is breathtaking in more ways than one. In the next hour, Katti will crest the tallest hill on her run, and be able to see for 50 miles, out across the mighty expanse of the Yukon River. And, she is in a race!

After a solid rest in Iditarod, she departed with 13 dogs, and as I write this sentence, has gained almost an hour on Riley and Aaron and about 15-20 minutes on Dan. If she doesn’t pass Riley and Aaron on this run, she will on her next. She is going to continue with solid rest for the next two stops, planning her 8 hour mandatory in Grayling. After that, it’s time for her to really pick up the pace. And, I know she has a plan.

Currently, front runners are hitting the Yukon River checkpoints of Anvik and are enroute to Grayling. Trail speeds seem exceptional, with Pete trucking at almost 10 mph. So, Katti will plan to bank some rest with her next two stops, and then make a couple big moves up the river and over to the coast. I can’t disclose exactly what she has planned (in part because I don’t fully know), but my hope is that she can shave half a day off her schedule in the next 5 runs. That is a big ask, but the trail conditions are good, temps are cold, and 10 of her 13 team members all made it to Nome with us last year. This counts for something, as they are going to remember Kaltag, and know they have only 280 miles left.

A couple notes from Katti-

She is reporting everyone to be in great shape and eating voraciously. Apparently, Kobuk and Dylan are her real surprises for appetite (being generally picky throughout the training season), and are currently in “beast mode.” Way to go boys!
Old Knox is still holding in there with the young guns, and seemed perky and energetic when I caught a glimpse of him on the live feed last night. Katti has run out of his bootie size though, and is drying out his used sets at each checkpoint.
The team continues to be absolute animals when coming into a checkpoint, and scream and bark their heads off as Katti tries to get checked in and parked. Geeze guys!

sarsmile wrote:Listening eagerly, and refreshing regularly for the latest updates. Your posts are always an Iditarod highlight, elsie, even if I don't comment often. Thanks so much for all of the work you put in!

Black Spruce Dog Sledding - Jeff & KattiJo Deeter


Day 7 Morning Update-

Katti mended her sled with help from race judge Warren Palfrey (thanks Warren!) and is heading up the mighty Yukon to Eagle Island, and should be arriving around 1:30. She did leave a team member behind, to be flown home, but we don’t know who that is yet.

Speeds are truly incredible on the trail, when compared to recent years on this route. Most of the front runners, and the Black Spruce Team, are averaging speeds between 8.5 and 9.5 miles per hour. Fun!
Consequently, these conditions are making for quite the competitive race. We have 10 teams enroute to Kaltag, all arriving within a couple hours of each other. That’s really an anomaly in recent Iditarod’s.

Ok, now on to the heartbreak. Our buddy Brent Sass pulled the plug and scratched in Eagle Island. This is a shock for the mushing world. It is pretty rare that a returning champion doesn’t make it to the finish the following year. That being said, some influences are out of our control, and personal health is key when running a race like this. Brent, we wish you back to 100%, and know that you have plenty more mushing this spring.

elsietee wrote:Front group on "conventional schedule":
* Ryan
* Richie
* Pete
* Matt Failor (2:30 hours behind)(times are very rough)
* Eddie (2:45 hours behind)
* Matt Hall (4:30 hours behind)
* Hunter (4:30 hours behind)
* Wade (4:45 hours behind)

Alternate schedule (rested 12 miles further down the trail, so an hour+ ability to leapfrog):
* Jessie
* Nic (1:30 hours behind)

Alternate alternate schedule (still to take their 8):
* Kelly
* Mille