by elsietee » Tue Mar 07, 2023 1:32 am
Rainy Pass:
Jessie Holmes packing straw onto his sled with bare hands... in fact, everyone has bare hands.
Ryan said Brent passed him and made 18 mins on him in a very short time - Brent pedalling like mad. Dogs got in a bit of a tangle at one point, but he worked it out.
Brent, and Richie ran straight through RP at the same time - both visibly rushing to get in and out asap - fun to see them *racing* so early in the game (are they chasing Jessie, I'm thinking? who'd come through 25 mins earlier. Kelly came through a few mins later.
Dan Kaduce - too warm this afternoon, so resting at RP. Had one dog step in a trough and although she pulled all the way, he can tell she's a little sore, so he may drop her. Was eyeing the nice new hut RP has for the mushers, to go and take a nap.
Ryan's dog - Wildfire - the one that broke his leg was a little sore so got dropped in Skwenta. Says the dog has a lot of heart and was happy and eager - and is really special. Bummed to leave him behind.
KattiJo broke her sled - after the Happy Steps. She was going around a corner and her snow hook fell off the sled and hooked onto a tree and snapped her dead. She had to cut the tree down to get the snow hook out - it was in there about half an inch. Knocked the wind out of her. Sled is broken in two places - splinting it to get it fixed. Very hot today, so not unhappy about having to stop. Says her dogs won't stop "briefly" at a checkpoint - they insist that they have to bed down. She's a little frustrated that he schedule is messed up. She'll either have to rethink it, or just be happy to get to the finish line. Very cheerful, upbeat lady.
Wade eating tatertot casserole. Says he's going to stay at RP so he can run through the night... but as of midnight is currently stopped before the pass, just 23 miles past RP. Sophie said he'd do lots of short runs/short rests though. He says he fell off the bottom Happy Step and went down it backwards, but no harm done.
Jessie R says she's going to drop one of her wheel dogs - one of the best eaters on the team, but he's not very graceful and has pretty much fallen into every hole there was and is getting a little sore. She's bummed since he's a nice dog and she was hoping to get him to the finish. Says being further back in the pack, the trail is getting trenched by other's brakes. Says the trail is very windy, so she runs some of her dogs in singles so they don't get dragged into trenches by their partner. When running single, they can jump out the way better. Says she dreads the Dalzell Gorge a little bit - if there's snow, it's fun, but not knowing how it's going to be, she's always a little nervous until she gets past Tin Creek [just before Farewell Lake, where Ryan, Richie, Kelly, and Eddie are currently camped]. She laughs and says even though she's nervous, she still tries to film it.
Riley Dyche - enjoying the heat. Says he and a few mushers around him are used to training in the cold. Just have to be careful not to overdo it or you can zap their energy for the rest of the race.
Eddie - says trail, weather, and dogs is what dictates his schedule - stopped in RP because it's warm. You can't get frustrated or grumpy as the dogs pick it up. And you pay a lot of money to be here. Feels good about his dogs.
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elsietee AT ponyhill DOT org
Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, CA
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