Defending champion Blayne Streeper was disqualified from today's final heat of the Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race following an incident on Cordova Street hill during yesterday's race in which he appeared to have struck and cursed at another musher while their teams were passing.
To see video of the alleged transgression, please click HERE.
A follow-up article in the Alaska Daily News includes a statement by Streeper explaining his version of the incident. You can read that article HERE.
So what do you think? Was Buddy's behavior worthy of disqualification from one of the most important sprint races of the season? Please post your comment, but please keep it family friendly.
Swanny
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
I'm Wiped
We had 18 inches of snow fall over two, and I think the wind blew another 18 inches into my yard and driveway. I spent all stinking day moving snow. A lot of I was able to move with a snow plow blade on my four-wheeler, though I had to spend a lot of time shoveling out a stuck four-wheeler too. Then I had to dig out the doors of the dog's houses, so they don't drag snow onto their bedding.
Had to dig out gates to pens, had to dig out gates to the dog yard, it was just dig, dig, dig all day long. I'm wiped out and ready for a GOOD night of sleep.
Swanny
Had to dig out gates to pens, had to dig out gates to the dog yard, it was just dig, dig, dig all day long. I'm wiped out and ready for a GOOD night of sleep.
Swanny
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Really Fun Run Today
Once upon a time a cheechako asked an old sourdough, "Have you ever been lost up here?"
The sourdough thought on it a bit and said, "Well, I ain't never been lost exactly, but I've been a might confused for a week or two."
I got a might confused for a few minutes today, which resulted in my running a trail I've not been on since I was first learning to drive sled dogs during the 2005 - 06 season. Edie Forrest used to hook up her sled to a snowmachine and run me out to scout the trail before she ran her race team. Her rule was that I couldn't run her dogs until I could get the sled down the Hill of Death without falling.
It seemed like it took FOREVER for me to accomplish that feat, but today, well I ended up running bigger team of bigger dogs down the Hill of Death, and thinking it really wasn't all that big of a deal. It's amazing how our perspective changes over time, eh?
Here's how it happened. I planned to run the team out to a pair of ponds and then take a trail I haven't run before, the Dead Martin trail, off the ponds and back to the Money Trail. It was a good idea at the time, but with a low overcast and snow showers the light was really flat, and I just didn't see the intersection of the Dead Martin trail. Consequently I found myself out on Edie's training trail. Since I knew where I was and knew the trail is wide enough to turn the team around up there, I headed up. Once beyond the peak I stopped the team, hooked 'em down, and pulled the leaders around to the opposite direction.
On the first attempt to bring the team around Grace and Just ducked under the gangline right behind Capella and Cassie (in swing), which caused an ugly tangle that required me to unhook some tug lines to undo. In the process I inadvertently unhooked both Cassie's tug, and her neckline. I got the dogs lined out and realized there only only 5, when I just KNEW I'd started with six. I looked back behind the now-reversed sled, and there stood Cassie, waiting patiently. I called her and she just trotted over into place so I could hook her in again.
Going back down the Hill of Death was easy. I mean seriously easy compared to most of the hills we run. As we dropping back down into the bottoms I was reminiscing about all the mishaps I'd had when I looked down the trail, and here came Edie with her team running right up. We had a PERFECT pass. When I talked to Edie on the phone later she said it was the first time her new leader in training had every had a problem free pass with another team.
We had a nice run down our backtrail, and as we were working our way down to the Swamp Trail we encountered my handler, Ted Kirby with his team of Siberian huskies. We had a nice, smooth pass with Ted as well. Here is a video of that encounter (it's only about 1 1/2 minutes long):
The rest of the run was just an uneventful dash through the swamp and back to the house. Here is a GPS topographical map showing the country we covered today.
The sourdough thought on it a bit and said, "Well, I ain't never been lost exactly, but I've been a might confused for a week or two."
I got a might confused for a few minutes today, which resulted in my running a trail I've not been on since I was first learning to drive sled dogs during the 2005 - 06 season. Edie Forrest used to hook up her sled to a snowmachine and run me out to scout the trail before she ran her race team. Her rule was that I couldn't run her dogs until I could get the sled down the Hill of Death without falling.
It seemed like it took FOREVER for me to accomplish that feat, but today, well I ended up running bigger team of bigger dogs down the Hill of Death, and thinking it really wasn't all that big of a deal. It's amazing how our perspective changes over time, eh?
Here's how it happened. I planned to run the team out to a pair of ponds and then take a trail I haven't run before, the Dead Martin trail, off the ponds and back to the Money Trail. It was a good idea at the time, but with a low overcast and snow showers the light was really flat, and I just didn't see the intersection of the Dead Martin trail. Consequently I found myself out on Edie's training trail. Since I knew where I was and knew the trail is wide enough to turn the team around up there, I headed up. Once beyond the peak I stopped the team, hooked 'em down, and pulled the leaders around to the opposite direction.
On the first attempt to bring the team around Grace and Just ducked under the gangline right behind Capella and Cassie (in swing), which caused an ugly tangle that required me to unhook some tug lines to undo. In the process I inadvertently unhooked both Cassie's tug, and her neckline. I got the dogs lined out and realized there only only 5, when I just KNEW I'd started with six. I looked back behind the now-reversed sled, and there stood Cassie, waiting patiently. I called her and she just trotted over into place so I could hook her in again.
Going back down the Hill of Death was easy. I mean seriously easy compared to most of the hills we run. As we dropping back down into the bottoms I was reminiscing about all the mishaps I'd had when I looked down the trail, and here came Edie with her team running right up. We had a PERFECT pass. When I talked to Edie on the phone later she said it was the first time her new leader in training had every had a problem free pass with another team.
We had a nice run down our backtrail, and as we were working our way down to the Swamp Trail we encountered my handler, Ted Kirby with his team of Siberian huskies. We had a nice, smooth pass with Ted as well. Here is a video of that encounter (it's only about 1 1/2 minutes long):
The rest of the run was just an uneventful dash through the swamp and back to the house. Here is a GPS topographical map showing the country we covered today.
Yukon Quest Finish Banquet
I've been to several finish banquets for sled dog races over the past few years. They are always fun, but they aren't always particularly memorable. They tend to follow a fairly predictable pattern. There is generally a social hour in which mushers, race officials, vets and volunteers all hob-nob, catching up on all the news that is fit to share. That's generally followed by the rush to the buffet line for a plate of chow that ranges from edible to wow, and then each musher is called on stage in turn to accept his or her prize, tell a story or two, express appreciation for their supports and individual sponsors, and then make way for the next.
Usually by the end of it I'm thinking "that was fun, now let's go out and run some dogs." This year's Yukon Quest finish banquet was similar, it followed the traditional pattern, but at the end I was left with that feeling of "holy smokes." If I had to choose one word to describe the experience, that word would be "emotional."
Hugh Neff and Brent Sass are both deeply affected by the deaths of Geronimo and Taco and both were choking back tears as they spoke of their lost companions. I think Brent went from one emotional extreme to the other when Quest officials announced the establishment of a new special award, the Silver Legacy Award. This new award is a non-annual award, to be given to acknowledge a truly outstanding dog.
It's named after it's first recipient, Sass' brilliant old leader Silver. As you'll recall, Silver was instrumental in leading Hans Gatt's team over American Summit during total whiteout conditions. A short video clip posted on the Quest's YouTube page demonstrates just how nasty it was up there.
This wasn't Silver's first heroic experience. Back in 2006 Silver performed a similar feat, leading Randy Chapel's team over Eagle Summit in similar conditions. The Silver Legacy Award will be given to honor future canines for their incredible deeds and feats of bravery and honor.
The most coveted of the special awards is the Veterinarian's Choice Award, presented to the musher who best demonstrates outstanding dog care while remaining competitive in the race. This year head veterinarian Allan Hallman presented the award to Mike Ellis, and his wife Sue. It was another emotional moment as Mike and Sue accepted the award. Mike drives a team of purebred Siberian Huskies, and considered this the highest award that a team of Siberians can earn in long distance racing.
The Sportsmanship Award is presented to the musher who demonstrates sportsmanship along the trail as selected by their fellow mushers. This year, there was a three-way tie in the musher voting which race officials chose not to break. Instead, they issued the Award to all three mushers: Mike Ellis, Allen Moore and Brent Sass. The three mushers each conveyed the same message – that this year, the award could have gone to each and every musher, because everyone was out there helping each other.
A humbled Kelley Griffin took home the Challenge of the North award that is presented to the musher who most exemplified the Spirit of the Yukon Quest as selected by the race officials.
2011 Champion Dallas Seavey won the Rookie of the Year award, in addition to the big pay-check. The youngest musher to ever win the Yukon Quest, Dallas accepted his accolades with the all of the poise and humbleness one would expect of an older man. This is the first major win of Mr. Seavey's career, but I'm confident it won't be his last.
To top it all off, after the conclusion of the banquet, Hank DeBruin, the last musher remaining on the trail, arrived at the finish line in Fairbanks to collect his Red Lantern award, signaling that all the mushers and their teams are safely off the trail.
The 2011 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race had more twists and turns than the trail over Birch Creek. "For sure" winners were forced to scratch or withdraw, some of the best dog mushers and highly skilled outdoorsmen (and women) were humbled by the ferocity of boreal winter conditions. Truly it was a demonstration of how quickly things can go wrong in the harshest climate in North America. It was also a demonstration of the strength and power of the emotional and spiritual bond of humans and dogs can overcome, persevere and prevail.
The Quest is finished for this year, and now I have my own dogs to run and my own trails to explore. It's a beautiful morning with a temperature at an almost balmy -8 degrees (F). There is just a touch of light showing over the southeastern horizon. It's time for me to feed the tend to the dogs so we can go out and enjoy our own little bit of the trail. Who knows, maybe we'll have some video clips of our own to share later on.
Swanny
Usually by the end of it I'm thinking "that was fun, now let's go out and run some dogs." This year's Yukon Quest finish banquet was similar, it followed the traditional pattern, but at the end I was left with that feeling of "holy smokes." If I had to choose one word to describe the experience, that word would be "emotional."
Hugh Neff and Brent Sass are both deeply affected by the deaths of Geronimo and Taco and both were choking back tears as they spoke of their lost companions. I think Brent went from one emotional extreme to the other when Quest officials announced the establishment of a new special award, the Silver Legacy Award. This new award is a non-annual award, to be given to acknowledge a truly outstanding dog.
It's named after it's first recipient, Sass' brilliant old leader Silver. As you'll recall, Silver was instrumental in leading Hans Gatt's team over American Summit during total whiteout conditions. A short video clip posted on the Quest's YouTube page demonstrates just how nasty it was up there.
This wasn't Silver's first heroic experience. Back in 2006 Silver performed a similar feat, leading Randy Chapel's team over Eagle Summit in similar conditions. The Silver Legacy Award will be given to honor future canines for their incredible deeds and feats of bravery and honor.
The most coveted of the special awards is the Veterinarian's Choice Award, presented to the musher who best demonstrates outstanding dog care while remaining competitive in the race. This year head veterinarian Allan Hallman presented the award to Mike Ellis, and his wife Sue. It was another emotional moment as Mike and Sue accepted the award. Mike drives a team of purebred Siberian Huskies, and considered this the highest award that a team of Siberians can earn in long distance racing.
The Sportsmanship Award is presented to the musher who demonstrates sportsmanship along the trail as selected by their fellow mushers. This year, there was a three-way tie in the musher voting which race officials chose not to break. Instead, they issued the Award to all three mushers: Mike Ellis, Allen Moore and Brent Sass. The three mushers each conveyed the same message – that this year, the award could have gone to each and every musher, because everyone was out there helping each other.
A humbled Kelley Griffin took home the Challenge of the North award that is presented to the musher who most exemplified the Spirit of the Yukon Quest as selected by the race officials.
2011 Champion Dallas Seavey won the Rookie of the Year award, in addition to the big pay-check. The youngest musher to ever win the Yukon Quest, Dallas accepted his accolades with the all of the poise and humbleness one would expect of an older man. This is the first major win of Mr. Seavey's career, but I'm confident it won't be his last.
To top it all off, after the conclusion of the banquet, Hank DeBruin, the last musher remaining on the trail, arrived at the finish line in Fairbanks to collect his Red Lantern award, signaling that all the mushers and their teams are safely off the trail.
The 2011 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race had more twists and turns than the trail over Birch Creek. "For sure" winners were forced to scratch or withdraw, some of the best dog mushers and highly skilled outdoorsmen (and women) were humbled by the ferocity of boreal winter conditions. Truly it was a demonstration of how quickly things can go wrong in the harshest climate in North America. It was also a demonstration of the strength and power of the emotional and spiritual bond of humans and dogs can overcome, persevere and prevail.
The Quest is finished for this year, and now I have my own dogs to run and my own trails to explore. It's a beautiful morning with a temperature at an almost balmy -8 degrees (F). There is just a touch of light showing over the southeastern horizon. It's time for me to feed the tend to the dogs so we can go out and enjoy our own little bit of the trail. Who knows, maybe we'll have some video clips of our own to share later on.
Swanny
Friday, February 18, 2011
Not Enough Hours...
There just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do today. I have my ticket to the Yukon Quest finish banquet waiting at the door, but it is starting early this evening, 5:00. I've asked my handler, Ted, to feed the team tonight and he's agreed.
I still need to do the daily dog chores beforehand, plus a bit extra. I need to dig out the gate of one of my pens and refresh straw bedding in the houses within. I still need to charge the battery on my four-wheeler as it's looking like I'll need to plow snow off the driveways. I still need to make a run to the post office this afternoon, and it doesn't open until 2:00 pm.
I still need to do lots of little things, all of which combined means I probably won't be able to steal away enough time to take a team of dogs out onto the trail today, and that just sucks.
Yesterday evening Mike Ellis and Dave Dalton crossed the Yukon Quest finish line, at 9:11 and 9:19 pm respectively. Tamara Rose, Kyla Durham and Jerry Joinson all left the Two Rivers checkpoint between 1:50 and 2:30 this morning. Hank DeBruin is currently at Two Rivers, and is eligible to leave at 8:52. He may be a bit late, but can reach town in time to make an appearance at the finish banquet.
I'm really looking forward to the banquet. It has been a grueling race this year, and I want to hear the stories and see the people (and hopefully some of the dogs) who all played such significant roles in it.
Meanwhile, there are already too few hours in my day - so I'd best get to it....
I still need to do the daily dog chores beforehand, plus a bit extra. I need to dig out the gate of one of my pens and refresh straw bedding in the houses within. I still need to charge the battery on my four-wheeler as it's looking like I'll need to plow snow off the driveways. I still need to make a run to the post office this afternoon, and it doesn't open until 2:00 pm.
I still need to do lots of little things, all of which combined means I probably won't be able to steal away enough time to take a team of dogs out onto the trail today, and that just sucks.
Yesterday evening Mike Ellis and Dave Dalton crossed the Yukon Quest finish line, at 9:11 and 9:19 pm respectively. Tamara Rose, Kyla Durham and Jerry Joinson all left the Two Rivers checkpoint between 1:50 and 2:30 this morning. Hank DeBruin is currently at Two Rivers, and is eligible to leave at 8:52. He may be a bit late, but can reach town in time to make an appearance at the finish banquet.
I'm really looking forward to the banquet. It has been a grueling race this year, and I want to hear the stories and see the people (and hopefully some of the dogs) who all played such significant roles in it.
Meanwhile, there are already too few hours in my day - so I'd best get to it....
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thursday on the Trails
I had a fun day today, though I was awake WAY to early - up at 04:00, just as though I were still at work. SHEESH!!!
I fed and tended the dogs early, and waited for a customer to stop by to purchase some black powder. While I was waiting I caught up on the race news, which was pretty easy as there wasn't much news to share. Today the final group of mushers are gaining ground toward the finish line. Jodi Bailey finished the race in 7th place at 6:03 this evening. Mike Ellis and Dave Dalton are en route from the Two Rivers checkpoint, and are expected to finish later tonight. Tamara Rose and Kyla Durham are both at the Two Rivers checkpoint and should cross the finish line before noon, tomorrow. Jerry Joinson and Hank DeBruin are both en route to Two Rivers from the Mile 101 checkpoint.
After my customer left I headed out to run my own dogs. I recently purchased a new digital video recorder to replace the little spy-cam that was producing such jerky looking clips, and I'm quite pleased with it. It has some fancy bells and whistles that I still haven't figured out how to use, but I did figure out how to get some nice footage of my team as we ran through the swamp trail. Followers of this blog know that the "Swamp Trail" section is one of my favorites, and I hope the video clip will give you some ideas of why.
Here is today's entry in our training journal:
I fed and tended the dogs early, and waited for a customer to stop by to purchase some black powder. While I was waiting I caught up on the race news, which was pretty easy as there wasn't much news to share. Today the final group of mushers are gaining ground toward the finish line. Jodi Bailey finished the race in 7th place at 6:03 this evening. Mike Ellis and Dave Dalton are en route from the Two Rivers checkpoint, and are expected to finish later tonight. Tamara Rose and Kyla Durham are both at the Two Rivers checkpoint and should cross the finish line before noon, tomorrow. Jerry Joinson and Hank DeBruin are both en route to Two Rivers from the Mile 101 checkpoint.
After my customer left I headed out to run my own dogs. I recently purchased a new digital video recorder to replace the little spy-cam that was producing such jerky looking clips, and I'm quite pleased with it. It has some fancy bells and whistles that I still haven't figured out how to use, but I did figure out how to get some nice footage of my team as we ran through the swamp trail. Followers of this blog know that the "Swamp Trail" section is one of my favorites, and I hope the video clip will give you some ideas of why.
Here is today's entry in our training journal:
Thursday, 2/17/11
Two Teams Today.
Team #1:
Rose and Just (L)
Nels & Orion (S/T)
Beau & Grace
8.5 miles. Home to powerline ROW to Two Rivers Rd. Trail to Wood Cutting Rd., to Little Chena Extension to Swamp Trail and return home.
Some powder on hard-pack, some icy hardpack, some packed powder.
+5 degrees (F) at start. +12 (F) at finish.
Grace was grabbing lines during hook up, which was a real pain in the butt as I had hooked her up first. Beau was his good ol' easy-going self. Orion was jumping and banging his harness, but not really a problem about it. Nels tried to turn back toward the sled but I corrected him a couple of times and then he did pretty good. Rose was easy, but Just twisted in his harness as I tried to clip him in, resulting in a tangle that took some time to correct.
The sled was dragging quite a bit at launch, which helped keep the speed under control until they could warm their muscles a bit. I let them have their heads on the Two Rivers Rd. trail, and they picked the pace up to about 13 mph or so and they didn't slow significantly until we got onto relatively unbroken snow beyond the Swamp Trail intersection.
My leaders tried to take a left onto the swamp trail, but correctly easily and then trotted steadily up the hill toward the wood cutting road. A fair amount of overhanging branches had me ducking out of the way from time to time on that stretch.
I gave them a 15 second 'blow' at the based of the steep embankment onto the wood cutting road, and they then pulled me steadily right up it. Nels got under the gangline during the climb and was crowding Orion until I stopped on the Little Chena Extension to fix it. The wood cutting road was improved over the last time I ran it, but not by a whole lot.
The leaders hesitated to take the "haw" onto the extension trail, but did so in reasonably short order. I ran them up the trail just a bit and then gave them another 15 second 'blow' before hitting the hard climb up the ridge. I was a bit worried that Orion was looking tired, but he was the first one to want to go during the little break.
Over the top and down the ridge about a mile or so Nels and Orion got tangled up together when Nels tried to reach past the younger dog to dip some snow. That resulted in Nels getting tangled with the gangline, so I stopped and corrected that. From that point on it was a very nice, very easy run down to the swamp trail and home. I really couldn't ask for better.
Team #2
Torus and Grace (L)
Capella (single S/T)
Seamus & Cassie (W)
1.5 miles. Home to trailhead and return. Temperature +13F
Max speed 12.4.
Avg speed 9.4
This was just a little fun-run to help Capella and Cassie get their head back into the game, and for Seamus to stretch his legs a bit. I ran Grace in lead in this team beside Torus. I had initially planned to leave Torus behind but he bolted the gate when I opened it for Grace and I figured since we were going very short if he wanted to run that badly I'd accommodate him.
All of the dogs behaved pretty well on hook-up and Grace was surprisingly good about not snarfing at Torus. Perhaps because she had gotten it out of her system?? In any event, this turned into a very smooth, very easy, very fast little run.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday Evening
My easiest prediction regarding the Yukon Quest thus far was that from this morning, when I predicted that Brent Sass would cross the finish line in fourth place. Of course it was pretty easy to predict, as he was the only one on the trail from the Two Rivers checkpoint at the time. Sure enough, "Wild and Free" Brent Sass crossed the line in the snow at 6:14, about an hour after I posted.
Kelley Griffen cam into the finish at 2:14 this afternoon.
My friend Allen Moore has just crossed the finish line and his official time is posted at 6:44 pm. A sixth place finish during one's rookie year is no small feat, and he finished with 10 dogs on the gangline. A Facebook post says that Allen's dogs saw their truck and tried to bolt for it, but Aliy was there to lead them the last little bit to the official finish.
Jodi Bailey left the Mile 101 Checkpoint, headed for Two Rivers at 5:30 this evening. Mike Ellis and Dave Dalton are still resting their teams there. The Quest posted some excellent video of Dalton climbing up Eagle Summit and coming into the checkpoint. As the video shows, the weather up there is GREATLY improved over the brutal conditions faced by the front runners.
In the back of the pack, Johannes Rygh was withdrawn by race officials, though I've seen no official statement as to why. The remaining back of the pack mushers are all out of Circle City and en route to the Central checkpoint.
Quest officials have released the results of the necropsy conducted on Geronimo, Hugh Neff's dog who died during the ordeal on Eagle Summit. “The necropsy revealed no trauma or abuse. The results show that Geronimo had an aspiration of stomach contents go into his lungs, the official terminology being Aspiration Asphyxia." Aspiration asphyxia has been the cause of other dog deaths in years past and though it isn't particularly common, it is certainly no unheard of.
Kelley Griffen cam into the finish at 2:14 this afternoon.
My friend Allen Moore has just crossed the finish line and his official time is posted at 6:44 pm. A sixth place finish during one's rookie year is no small feat, and he finished with 10 dogs on the gangline. A Facebook post says that Allen's dogs saw their truck and tried to bolt for it, but Aliy was there to lead them the last little bit to the official finish.
Jodi Bailey left the Mile 101 Checkpoint, headed for Two Rivers at 5:30 this evening. Mike Ellis and Dave Dalton are still resting their teams there. The Quest posted some excellent video of Dalton climbing up Eagle Summit and coming into the checkpoint. As the video shows, the weather up there is GREATLY improved over the brutal conditions faced by the front runners.
In the back of the pack, Johannes Rygh was withdrawn by race officials, though I've seen no official statement as to why. The remaining back of the pack mushers are all out of Circle City and en route to the Central checkpoint.
Quest officials have released the results of the necropsy conducted on Geronimo, Hugh Neff's dog who died during the ordeal on Eagle Summit. “The necropsy revealed no trauma or abuse. The results show that Geronimo had an aspiration of stomach contents go into his lungs, the official terminology being Aspiration Asphyxia." Aspiration asphyxia has been the cause of other dog deaths in years past and though it isn't particularly common, it is certainly no unheard of.
Quest officials have just posted a YouTube video of Mike Ellis' team of Siberian Huskies coming into the Mile 101 checkpoint. They look just as fresh as when they left the finish line. It's awesome to watch.
My Day
My day wasn't so exciting as that of the Quest mushers. After I posted this morning's report I fed, scooped after and loved-up on my dogs before dashing into town for grocery shopping. Back home, I cooked up a bunch of chicken breasts so I can make quick meals later in the week (I'm still on a very strict weight loss diet). It was still bitterly cold, but I put on all that stuff and let some of the dogs free run while I did some mid-day clean-up out in the kennel. All of the dogs got some nice one-on-one time, performing their favorite behaviors for tasty Yummy Chummy treats. Heck, I even got a nice little mid-day nap today.
The weather forecast is for warming conditions, and I'm ready for warmer. I plan to celebrate by running dogs tomorrow. Since the video recorder I've been using hasn't been working so well lately I purchased a replacement for it that has some nice bells and whistles. If I can figure out how to make everything work I may have some fun Stardancer video to share tomorrow evening.
Rookie Rocks the Race Trail
Dallas Seavey won the 2011 Yukon Quest "Rookie of the Year" award the hard way, the same way that Lance Mackey did so in 2005. Crossing the finish line at 11:05 pm, the rookie of the year won the Yukon Quest, holding off veteran and former champion Sebastian Schnuelle by only 33 minutes.
Schnuelle, who left the Two Rivers Checkpoint 46 minutes behind the young man, gained ground through the entire run, but ultimately he just ran out of trail before he could catch him. Ken Anderson, who left Two Rivers shortly after Seavy, crossed the finish line in 3rd place at 1:36 this morning.
Brent Sass is currently on the Chena River and heading into town, and will most likely finish in fourth place, followed by Kelley Griffen who left the checkpoint at 3:41. Allen Moore is the only musher currently at the checkpoint, and is scheduled to leave within the next few minutes. Jodi Bailey, Dave Dalton and Mike Ellis are all currently in Central, and the remaining 5 "back of the pack" teams are at the Circle City checkpoint.
After a meeting with Quest official's, Dan Kaduce's status has been changed from "withdrawn" to scratched. Scratching indicates that the musher voluntarily resigned from the race, while a withdrawal indicates the musher was removed by race officials. Hugh Neff's official status remains the same.
Schnuelle, who left the Two Rivers Checkpoint 46 minutes behind the young man, gained ground through the entire run, but ultimately he just ran out of trail before he could catch him. Ken Anderson, who left Two Rivers shortly after Seavy, crossed the finish line in 3rd place at 1:36 this morning.
Brent Sass is currently on the Chena River and heading into town, and will most likely finish in fourth place, followed by Kelley Griffen who left the checkpoint at 3:41. Allen Moore is the only musher currently at the checkpoint, and is scheduled to leave within the next few minutes. Jodi Bailey, Dave Dalton and Mike Ellis are all currently in Central, and the remaining 5 "back of the pack" teams are at the Circle City checkpoint.
After a meeting with Quest official's, Dan Kaduce's status has been changed from "withdrawn" to scratched. Scratching indicates that the musher voluntarily resigned from the race, while a withdrawal indicates the musher was removed by race officials. Hugh Neff's official status remains the same.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Dash for the Cash
An Honest to doG Sled Dog Race
I got off work right on time, and made a mad dash home, hoping to be able to reach the Two Rivers checkpoint in time to check out the leading teams. I was too late to catch Dallas Seavey and Ken Anderson, but I was able to watch Sebastian Schnuelle as he prepared his dogs and launched his team. The dogs look great, but poor Sab looks like he was shot at and missed, the crapped at and hit. He's taken a beating in this race, and readily proclaims it the most grueling Yukon Quest he's ever run.
 | |||
| Sebastian Schnuelle Preparing to Hit the Trail |
Grueling or not, he obviously came here to race. Dallas Seavey left the checkpoint at 12:40, Ken Anderson at 12:53, and Sab launched right on time at 1:26. By the time I got home shortly after 4:00 Live Tracking showed that Sebastian had caught up to Anderson. After feeding my dogs and scooping the yard (and giving everyone extra hugs and pets), Sab had left Anderson behind.
I headed up to Two Rivers Lodge for my supper, and now I see that Sebastian has been consistently gaining ground on the much younger racer, and is less than 2 miles behind him. They are about 2 miles from where the trail drops down onto the Chena River. Meanwhile Ken Anderson is 6 or more miles behind, at the base of Jenny M Creek hill.
Brent Sass was just starting to prepare his team when I left the checkpoint, and he launched as scheduled at 4:00. He's running about 20 miles behind Ken, and I doubt the trail is long enough to permit him to catch up. At the speed the two front running teams are going, I'd guesstimate that a winner will cross the finish line shortly after midnight. I gave thought to driving down to watch, but I'm just too tired to muster the energy to do so.
Kelley Griffin arrived at the Two Rivers checkpoint at 7:27 this evening and will eligible to leave at 3:27 in the morning. She'll probably get to see one last sunrise on the trail before arriving in town. Allen Moore is on his way, and is currently about an hour and 1/2 out. Dave Dalton, Jodi Bailey and Mike Ellis all left the Circle City checkpoint about mid-morning. All three are past the bad overflow on Birch Creek and approaching the checkpoint at Central. Thus far, no one has scratched or been withdrawn today.
There are still no details being released regarding the death of Hugh Neff's dog, Geronimo, and surprisingly little speculation among the mushers I encountered today.
It's another clear, cold night. The temperature in Fairbanks is currently minus-22, and here at the house in Two Rivers it is minus-24. I've had a pretty busy day, and I'm fading fast. Barely able to keep my eyes open, so I'm going to let Torus and Grace in for the night, and hit the rack.
See you in the mornin'.
Swanny
Tuesday Morning Twists and Turns
 |
| Hugh Neff's Geronimo - Run free in the Spirit land. |
Eagle Summit Kicks Butts
Back in Hudson Stuck's day Eagle Summit was a real arse-kicker, and it remains so more than a century later. Most years it knocks a few teams out of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, but this year it has also claimed a life - that of Hugh Neff's lead dog Geronimo. Very little in the way of details have been released, but here is what I've been able to learn thus far.
Hugh left Central early yesterday morning, a bit more than an hour before the second place team even arrived. He had a relatively easy run to the base of Eagle Summit when things took a turn toward bad. As he attempted to climb the summit in the teeth of a roaring gale his team balked and bolted back down to the more sheltered area at the base of the climb. Hugh was hunkered down there for quite some time before making another attempt. At one point Ken Anderson let both his own team and Hugh's to the top of the slope, but Hugh's dogs bolted again, and Ken continued on.
Last night Dan Kaduce came up to about the same place in the trail, and then mushed his team to the Steese Highway and sent for help. At this point we don't know if the assistance was requested for Hugh and/or his dog or for an issue Dan was facing. In either event, one of Hugh's lead dogs, Geronimo, died before the two teams could be transported to the Mile 101 checkpoint. Hugh and Dan have both scratched.
Sebastian Schnuella's team climbed the face like old professionals, allowing him to arrive first into the checkpoint. A photo taken by Fairbanks Daily News-Miner photographer John Wagner captures a good view of the climb.
While Sab was resting his team, Ken Anderson drove his 8 dogs straight through. Unfortunately, he forgot to sign out as he left the checkpoint, and has drawn a 30 minute time penalty for his lapse. Dallas Seavey also blew through the checkpoint, leaving roughly an hour before Sebastian.
This morning the leader-board shows Ken Anderson into the Two Rivers checkpoint at 4:23 this morning, Dallas in at 4:40 and Sebastian arriving at 5:26. Live Tracking shows Brent Sass approaching the Two Rivers Checkpoint so he will soon be joining the fray.
With Ken's 30 minute penalty tacked onto his mandatory 8-hour layover, he will probably be leaving in second place, but only 13 minutes behind Ken Anderson. Sebastian is eligible to leave third, at 1:26 this afternoon.
The Two Rivers checkpoint has been moved to make the final leg of the race a bit longer. The final run into Fairbanks will be about 90 miles, so the mushers will probably need to stop and rest their teams at some point during that journey. I expect we'll finally know have a winner early tomorrow morning, and I'm hoping I can wake up early enough tomorrow to be able to meet and greet.
As I noted, details surrounding the death of Hugh Neff's dog Geronimo and the circumstances in which Dan Kaduce scratched are scarce at the moment. I'll try to provide information as it becomes available to me.
Gwen Holdman wrote a very nice article on the Yukon Quest site about the challenges of topping a wind-blown summit in the Interior of Alaska called "The Mental Factor" that hints of the importance of a strong spritual & emotional connection between mushers and dogs. I think it is one of her best articles thus far in the race, and encourage you to read it.
I'll be getting off duty in just a couple of hours, but have a few errands to run before I can actually head to the house. Although I thought about trying to make a dash out to the checkpoint, I don't think the timing will work for that. I'm not sure I can get there before the front-runners leave. I think that, like you, I'm just going to have to go on about my business and catch up with the race as best I can later on.
Of course, just like the race itself, things can change between now and then. I could be relieved earlier than scheduled, or I could face driving conditions that are just as hazardous as the conditions out on the sled dog trail. For me, just like the four mushers who all suddenly have a shot at the first-place money, it is pretty apparent that the high body mass indexed sophisticated adult female has not yet begun to vocalize.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Something's Up On the Trail
I don't have a lot of information tonight, but something is going on out on the trail, and we may have to wait until morning to get accurate information.
Hans Gatt apparently arrived at the based of Eagle Summit and, according to some posting on Facebook, attempted an ascent, but ended up turning back. He was hunkered down at the base for most of the day.
Apparently Dan Kaduce was the next musher to come by. Dan apparently hiked out to the highway and flagged down a passing motorist in order to return to Central, requesting help from race officials and veterinarians.
Sebastian Schnuelle passed by at some point, perhaps out of sight or sound, as he arrived at the Mile 101 checkpoint first, at 6:29 this evening. At last report he is still there (it's currently 8:45). Reports on Facebook are that Ken Anderson has passed through the checkpoint and is headed toward the checkpoint at Two Rivers. Apparently Ken led both his team and Hugh's up the summit, but Hugh's team turned back. Ken reported that Hugh and his dogs are OK.
Meanwhile Dan Kaduce and his entire team are apparently headed to Central in a vehicle. Quest officials have dispatched a snowmachine crew with supplies to go to Hugh's location.
That's all the information I have at the moment, but it certainly represents a HUGE (or "Hugh") change in the race. At this point Ken Anderson, with only 8 dogs, is leading. Sebastian is resting his team at Mile 101 and is therefore 2nd. Hugh is somewhere back down the trail, and no one knows for sure what is happening with him. Dallas Seavey is apparently somewhere near or even with Neff.
I'll be coming on duty about 6:00 tomorrow morning and will try to update the blog with more reliable information. I'll be getting off for just 1 week of R&R about 10:00 a.m., and it's possible I may be able to be at the finish line when a winning team, whoever it may be, comes across.
Hans Gatt apparently arrived at the based of Eagle Summit and, according to some posting on Facebook, attempted an ascent, but ended up turning back. He was hunkered down at the base for most of the day.
Apparently Dan Kaduce was the next musher to come by. Dan apparently hiked out to the highway and flagged down a passing motorist in order to return to Central, requesting help from race officials and veterinarians.
Sebastian Schnuelle passed by at some point, perhaps out of sight or sound, as he arrived at the Mile 101 checkpoint first, at 6:29 this evening. At last report he is still there (it's currently 8:45). Reports on Facebook are that Ken Anderson has passed through the checkpoint and is headed toward the checkpoint at Two Rivers. Apparently Ken led both his team and Hugh's up the summit, but Hugh's team turned back. Ken reported that Hugh and his dogs are OK.
Meanwhile Dan Kaduce and his entire team are apparently headed to Central in a vehicle. Quest officials have dispatched a snowmachine crew with supplies to go to Hugh's location.
That's all the information I have at the moment, but it certainly represents a HUGE (or "Hugh") change in the race. At this point Ken Anderson, with only 8 dogs, is leading. Sebastian is resting his team at Mile 101 and is therefore 2nd. Hugh is somewhere back down the trail, and no one knows for sure what is happening with him. Dallas Seavey is apparently somewhere near or even with Neff.
I'll be coming on duty about 6:00 tomorrow morning and will try to update the blog with more reliable information. I'll be getting off for just 1 week of R&R about 10:00 a.m., and it's possible I may be able to be at the finish line when a winning team, whoever it may be, comes across.
Mid-day Monday.
Hans Gatt has Scratched
As hard as it may be to belive, four-time Yukon Quest champion Hans Gatt has scratched from the race at the Central check-point following his horrendous encounter with overflow last night. An article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner quotes Hans as saying "I had no choice; my fingers have level two frostbite. If not for Sebastian, it could have been much worse and all my dogs are OK." In a comment on the Quests official Facebook page, Gatt wrote, "Twice this race, I was in situations that were out of my control; both times, other mushers helped me. I'm not used to that."
Currently Hugh Neff is somewhere approaching Eagle Summit. Dan Kaduce in second place has just left the checkpoint at Central. Sebastian Schnuelle, Dallas Seavey, Ken Anderson and probably Brent Sass are all at the checkpoint. Allen Moore is approaching Medicine Lake and Kelly Griffin appear to be near the overflow area just before the trail leaves Birch Creek.
Josh Cadzow has also scratched from the race at Circle City, citing too many ill dogs in his team as the reason. None of the other remaining mushers in the race are anywhere close - either at Slaven's Roadhouse dog drop or somewhere between Eagle and Slaven's.
The temperature out on the trail is well below zero, and tonight is expected to be every bit as bitter as was last night. There has been no change in the weather forecast today.
Josh Cadzow has also scratched from the race at Circle City, citing too many ill dogs in his team as the reason. None of the other remaining mushers in the race are anywhere close - either at Slaven's Roadhouse dog drop or somewhere between Eagle and Slaven's.
The temperature out on the trail is well below zero, and tonight is expected to be every bit as bitter as was last night. There has been no change in the weather forecast today.
Mid-morning Monday Update - Hudson Stuck Revisited
While following what news is flowing from the Yukon Quest, I am reminded of Hudson Stuck's book 10,000 Miles With a Dog Sled, in which he describes his 1906 trip from Fairbanks to Circle City and beyond. Like the musher's racing the Quest, it was quite cold while Stuck was mushing his way toward Central, though he was traveling the opposite direction.
Stuck wrote "The old-timers in Alaska have a saying that "travelling at 50-degrees below zero is all right as long as it's all right." If there be a good trail, if there be convenient stopping-places, if nothing go wrong, one may travel without special risk and with no extraordinary discomfort at 50-degrees below zero."
Stuck described falling into deep overflow at extremely cold temperature, writing "...I had not gone six steps from the trail when the ice gave way under my feet and I found myself in water to my hips. Under Providence I owe it to the mukluks I wore, tied tight round my knees, that I did not lose my life, or at least my feet. The thermometer at Circle City stood at 60-degrees below zero at dark that day, and down on the ice it is always about 5-degrees colder than on the bank...
My moose-hide breeches froze solid the moment I scrambled out, but not a drop of water got to my feet. If the water had reached my feet they would have frozen almost as quickly as the moose hide in that fearful cold."
Hans Gatt and Sebastian Schnuelle can probably relate to Mr. Stuck's circumstance very well. According to an article on the Yukon Quest web-site Gatt found hmself standing chest deep in overflow last night. "This year, Schnuelle says, “going through Birch Creek was like taking swimming lessons in the middle of the night.” He was running behind Gatt but he knew something was wrong when Gatt shone his light directly towards him, waved it back and forth and yelled to him for help.
When Sebastian pulled up, Hans’s sled was stuck in overflow. He had separated his dogs from the sled and was pulling them back to ground. Hans was covered in ice to his chest. About halfway across what he thought was ice the whole team fell through a thin film of ice into chest-high overflow. Sebastian helped Hans pull the dogs to Sebastian’s sled. They recovered Hans’ sled. from the overflow and drove to a spot where they could stop to care for the dogs and Hans.
Sebastian made a fire, took off Hans' soaked boots and jerry-rigged new boots for him out of dog blankets with burlap bags over top, tied down by neck lines and tug lines. The dogs dried by rolling in the snow. After about an hour beside the fire, they continued into Central.
Now in Central, Hans is apparently reconsidering his options. Sebastian said he intends to finish the race, but believes his chance of a second place finish are gone.
According to the Quest's Live Tracking feature, Neff is the only musher beyond Central. His unit hasn't recorded data in over 2 1/2 hours, but I'm guessing he is probably approaching the base of Eagle Summit. Stuck also wrote about that bit of geography.
"We were able to hire a man and two dogs to help us over the Eagle summit, so that the necessity of relaying was avoided. One man ahead continually calling to the dogs, eight dogs steadily pulling, and two men behind steadily pushing, foot by foot, with many stoppages as one bench after another was surmounted, we got the load to the top at last, a rise of one thousand four hundred feet in less than three miles. A driving snowstorm cut off all view and would have left us at a loss which way to proceed but for the stakes that indicated it.
The descent was as anxious and hazardous as the ascent had been laborious. The dogs were loosed and sent racing down the slope. With a rope rough-lock around the sled runners, one man took the gee pole and another the handle-bars and each spread-eagled himself through the loose deep snow to check the momentum of the sled, until sled and men turned aside and came to a stop in a drift to avoid a steep, smooth pitch. The sled extricated, it was poised on the edge of the pitch and turned loose on the hardened snow, hurtling down three or four hundred feet until it buried itself in another drift.... and from bench to bench the process was repeated until the slope grew gentle enough to permit the regulation of downward progress by the foot-brake."
As you think about Hugh and the other Yukon Quest mushers approaching Eagle summit, keep in mind that in 1906 Hudson Stuck was traveling the opposite, much easier, direction.
Swanny
Stuck wrote "The old-timers in Alaska have a saying that "travelling at 50-degrees below zero is all right as long as it's all right." If there be a good trail, if there be convenient stopping-places, if nothing go wrong, one may travel without special risk and with no extraordinary discomfort at 50-degrees below zero."
Stuck described falling into deep overflow at extremely cold temperature, writing "...I had not gone six steps from the trail when the ice gave way under my feet and I found myself in water to my hips. Under Providence I owe it to the mukluks I wore, tied tight round my knees, that I did not lose my life, or at least my feet. The thermometer at Circle City stood at 60-degrees below zero at dark that day, and down on the ice it is always about 5-degrees colder than on the bank...
My moose-hide breeches froze solid the moment I scrambled out, but not a drop of water got to my feet. If the water had reached my feet they would have frozen almost as quickly as the moose hide in that fearful cold."
Hans Gatt and Sebastian Schnuelle can probably relate to Mr. Stuck's circumstance very well. According to an article on the Yukon Quest web-site Gatt found hmself standing chest deep in overflow last night. "This year, Schnuelle says, “going through Birch Creek was like taking swimming lessons in the middle of the night.” He was running behind Gatt but he knew something was wrong when Gatt shone his light directly towards him, waved it back and forth and yelled to him for help.
When Sebastian pulled up, Hans’s sled was stuck in overflow. He had separated his dogs from the sled and was pulling them back to ground. Hans was covered in ice to his chest. About halfway across what he thought was ice the whole team fell through a thin film of ice into chest-high overflow. Sebastian helped Hans pull the dogs to Sebastian’s sled. They recovered Hans’ sled. from the overflow and drove to a spot where they could stop to care for the dogs and Hans.
Sebastian made a fire, took off Hans' soaked boots and jerry-rigged new boots for him out of dog blankets with burlap bags over top, tied down by neck lines and tug lines. The dogs dried by rolling in the snow. After about an hour beside the fire, they continued into Central.
Now in Central, Hans is apparently reconsidering his options. Sebastian said he intends to finish the race, but believes his chance of a second place finish are gone.
According to the Quest's Live Tracking feature, Neff is the only musher beyond Central. His unit hasn't recorded data in over 2 1/2 hours, but I'm guessing he is probably approaching the base of Eagle Summit. Stuck also wrote about that bit of geography.
"We were able to hire a man and two dogs to help us over the Eagle summit, so that the necessity of relaying was avoided. One man ahead continually calling to the dogs, eight dogs steadily pulling, and two men behind steadily pushing, foot by foot, with many stoppages as one bench after another was surmounted, we got the load to the top at last, a rise of one thousand four hundred feet in less than three miles. A driving snowstorm cut off all view and would have left us at a loss which way to proceed but for the stakes that indicated it.
The descent was as anxious and hazardous as the ascent had been laborious. The dogs were loosed and sent racing down the slope. With a rope rough-lock around the sled runners, one man took the gee pole and another the handle-bars and each spread-eagled himself through the loose deep snow to check the momentum of the sled, until sled and men turned aside and came to a stop in a drift to avoid a steep, smooth pitch. The sled extricated, it was poised on the edge of the pitch and turned loose on the hardened snow, hurtling down three or four hundred feet until it buried itself in another drift.... and from bench to bench the process was repeated until the slope grew gentle enough to permit the regulation of downward progress by the foot-brake."
As you think about Hugh and the other Yukon Quest mushers approaching Eagle summit, keep in mind that in 1906 Hudson Stuck was traveling the opposite, much easier, direction.
Swanny
Monday Morning Report
I hope you are enjoying this crisp, clear Monday morning. Here at work the temperature is about 25-below F (-31 C), and there is some light snow falling. It looks like the current temperatre at Central is about the same, -24. That's a bit warmer than yesterday and I'm sure the racers in the Yukon Quest will appreciate that.
Cold temperatures have forced the mushers to race slowly. When temperatures fall below about -25 F, the snow becomes very crystalline. This is even more pronounced on even lightly packed trails. The sharp edges of the snow crystals give the trail a texture similar to that of very fine sandpaper. These are conditions in which even my hearty village dogs require booties to protect their feet, and it creates a considerable amount of friction under the sled runners. That makes for some slow dog mushing, and is reflected in the progress of your Quest racing mushers.
Hugh Neff arrived at the Central checkpoint last night at 9:45 pm. Although the leader board doesn't yet reflect it, Live Tracking indicates that Hugh is back on the trail and is currently about 20 miles out of town. According to Live Tracking Dan Kaduce and Sebastian Schnuelle have arrived in Central. Dan's arrival signals a huge change in position and was rather unexpected. He wasn't even running within the Top-10 until he left Circle City. One has to wonder if he hasn't been sand-bagging just a little bit.
Live Tracking shows that Ken Anderson is probably in fourth position. He is past Medicine Lake, and is about 10 to 15 miles from the checkpoint. It has been quite a while since either Dallas Seavey's or Hans Gatt's SPOT units have transmitted data. Most likely Hans is running in the 5th position and Dallas in 6th, but it's impossible to say with certainty. I'm pretty confident they are both off of Birch Creek and headed toward Medicine Lake.
Brent Sass is currently in 7th position, just a few miles behind the last reported position for Dallas and Hans. Allen Moore, who has stayed in the Top-10 throughout the race thus far, is currnetly in 8th place, and is a good 10 miles or so behind Brent. Kelly Griffin is also on the trail, following Allen by just a couple of miles.
According to an update on the Yukon Quest website, Hugh Neff ran into severe overflow outside of Central, and had to lead the dogs through the water, stake them and head back to drag the sled. Overflow is tricky stuff and changes rapidly, especially during cold weather. One team can flounder through flowing water and a team following only an hour or less behind may enjoy an easy crossing over frozen ice. Frankly, I HATE the stuff, and I don't know of any dog musher who can honestly say he or she likes it.
Outside of Central, Hugh Neff is currently running through an area of muskegs, firebreaks and old mining claims and he's just starting to make his way up a long, narrow canyon that leads to the base of Eagle Summit. Many a Quest mushers race has ended in this stretch of trail, when their dogs decided they'd had enough and just quit. We should know within a few hours how Hugh's dogs hold up to the challenge.
The image below, from the Canadian Geographic web-site, is a pretty good representation of the climb these teams face as they head toward the Mile 101 checkpoint.
Cold temperatures have forced the mushers to race slowly. When temperatures fall below about -25 F, the snow becomes very crystalline. This is even more pronounced on even lightly packed trails. The sharp edges of the snow crystals give the trail a texture similar to that of very fine sandpaper. These are conditions in which even my hearty village dogs require booties to protect their feet, and it creates a considerable amount of friction under the sled runners. That makes for some slow dog mushing, and is reflected in the progress of your Quest racing mushers.
Hugh Neff arrived at the Central checkpoint last night at 9:45 pm. Although the leader board doesn't yet reflect it, Live Tracking indicates that Hugh is back on the trail and is currently about 20 miles out of town. According to Live Tracking Dan Kaduce and Sebastian Schnuelle have arrived in Central. Dan's arrival signals a huge change in position and was rather unexpected. He wasn't even running within the Top-10 until he left Circle City. One has to wonder if he hasn't been sand-bagging just a little bit.
Live Tracking shows that Ken Anderson is probably in fourth position. He is past Medicine Lake, and is about 10 to 15 miles from the checkpoint. It has been quite a while since either Dallas Seavey's or Hans Gatt's SPOT units have transmitted data. Most likely Hans is running in the 5th position and Dallas in 6th, but it's impossible to say with certainty. I'm pretty confident they are both off of Birch Creek and headed toward Medicine Lake.
Brent Sass is currently in 7th position, just a few miles behind the last reported position for Dallas and Hans. Allen Moore, who has stayed in the Top-10 throughout the race thus far, is currnetly in 8th place, and is a good 10 miles or so behind Brent. Kelly Griffin is also on the trail, following Allen by just a couple of miles.
According to an update on the Yukon Quest website, Hugh Neff ran into severe overflow outside of Central, and had to lead the dogs through the water, stake them and head back to drag the sled. Overflow is tricky stuff and changes rapidly, especially during cold weather. One team can flounder through flowing water and a team following only an hour or less behind may enjoy an easy crossing over frozen ice. Frankly, I HATE the stuff, and I don't know of any dog musher who can honestly say he or she likes it.
Outside of Central, Hugh Neff is currently running through an area of muskegs, firebreaks and old mining claims and he's just starting to make his way up a long, narrow canyon that leads to the base of Eagle Summit. Many a Quest mushers race has ended in this stretch of trail, when their dogs decided they'd had enough and just quit. We should know within a few hours how Hugh's dogs hold up to the challenge.
The image below, from the Canadian Geographic web-site, is a pretty good representation of the climb these teams face as they head toward the Mile 101 checkpoint.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sunday Evening YQ Report
Tonight's blog entry is dedicated to Taco. Taco was a 6 year old wheel dog on the team of Brent Sass who died on the trail.
It's starting to look like a sled dog race out there. Hugh Neff left Circle City at 6:52 this morning, and has apparently been moseying along Birch Creek Wild and Scenic River, taking his time and sparing his dogs.
Hans Gatt, Sebastian Schnuelle and Dallas Seavey all left the checkpoint between 12:35 and 1:39 this afternoon, and have been racing hard. When I checked Live Tracking about 10 minutes ago Hans and Sab were running back to back, and no more than 20 miles behind Hugh.
Of course Hugh has rested his team during the day, and both Hans and Sab have been running steadily since noon. They will probably need to make a camp for a few hours while Hugh moves along. Even with that in mind, it looks like Hans and Sab are gaining ground, and depending upon what happens up on Eagle Summit they may be able to make a move toward first. It's a long shot, but it's one worth watching.
I'm sorry, but with the abysmally slow dial up connection in my living quarters I'm not sure I can live long enough to actually download the Live Tracking function right now, and I know the Quest hasn't been keeping their leader board up-to-date. As I recall, Dan Kaduce, Dallas Seavey and Ken Anderson are all out on the trail trying to improve their positions though at this point they aren't threatening Hans or Sab. A few minutes ago Allen Moore and Brent Sass, who has vowed to finish the race in spite of the death of Taco, were still resting in Circle City.
I'll try to update the blog as early as I can tomorrow. I'm sorry I can't offer more tonight, but the world's slowest dial up connection just won't let me be as thorough as I would prefer.
Saturday Morning Report
There is sad news to report from the Yukon Quest trail. According to Yukon Quest officials, a dog on Brent Sass' team has died. There are no details about the death at this point, and probably won't be until Brent can arrive at the Circle City checkpoint and turn the dog's body over to Quest veterinary officals. Yukon Quest rules require that a necropsy be performed by a veterinary pathologist or veterinarian. I believe one of the race vets is a veterinary pathologist.
Quest officials may allow Brent to continue to race, but if they have any suspicions or concerns about the cause of the dog's death they have the option of disqualifying him. If there is even a hint that the musher's actions or neglect caused the death he can be prohibited from entering future races. Most race giving organizations (RGOs) honor sanctions imposed by other races so a ban by one race usually equates to a ban from sled dog racing altogether. I'll try to stay as informed as I can about the situation and share any news I learn as quickly as I can.
The Yukon Quest leader board shows that Hugh Neff arrived at Circle City at 10:20 last night, and hasn't budged since. That's almost 8 1/2 hours, giving some of the approaching teams an opportunity to cut his lead. Live Tracking shows second place musher Hans Gatt and third place runner Sebastian Schnuelle are only a couple of miles out from the checkpoint. They should be arriving withing the next 20 minutes or so. Dallas Seavey is currently in third, and is about two hours up the trail, followed by Allen More, Ken Anderson and Brent Sass. Kelley Griffin and Dan Kaduce are apparently at Slaven's Roadhouse dog drop, with Josh Cadzow just a few miles out and approaching the dog drop at a nice rate of speed.
Current weather at Central is a temperature of -45 (F), calm under a clear sky. The weather forecast for the Interior is for cold, calm conditions for the next couple of days, followed by quiet significant warming Monday night into Tuesday.
As front-runners approach Circle City, I imagine Hugh is preparing for the run to the next checkpoint at Central, about 75 miles by trail. Most of this segment follows Birch Creek, a National Wild and Scenic River that meanders about like a second-avenue drunkard. It is almost always ten to 15 degrees colder on the river than in Circle, so the mushers and their teams will be facing some bitter conditions.
Trail breakers on snowmachines were dispatched from Circle City yesterday, and with this cold weather the tracks they laid down will provide solid footing for the dogs and sleds. We could see some pretty impressive times over this run, which will be the last "easy going" the teams will see until they reach the Two Rivers checkpoint at Twin Bears Campground, not far from my home.
I suspect most of the mushers will break this segment up into two runs, camping during the middle of the day to feed and rest their dogs. As I mentioned last night, I think the comaraderie of trail breaking and mutual assistance and society of the trail will give way to serious racing through this stretch of trail. This is the last chance these guys will have to truly improve their positions on the leaderboards before EVERYONE is forced to slog their way up Eagle Summit.
Quest officials may allow Brent to continue to race, but if they have any suspicions or concerns about the cause of the dog's death they have the option of disqualifying him. If there is even a hint that the musher's actions or neglect caused the death he can be prohibited from entering future races. Most race giving organizations (RGOs) honor sanctions imposed by other races so a ban by one race usually equates to a ban from sled dog racing altogether. I'll try to stay as informed as I can about the situation and share any news I learn as quickly as I can.
The Yukon Quest leader board shows that Hugh Neff arrived at Circle City at 10:20 last night, and hasn't budged since. That's almost 8 1/2 hours, giving some of the approaching teams an opportunity to cut his lead. Live Tracking shows second place musher Hans Gatt and third place runner Sebastian Schnuelle are only a couple of miles out from the checkpoint. They should be arriving withing the next 20 minutes or so. Dallas Seavey is currently in third, and is about two hours up the trail, followed by Allen More, Ken Anderson and Brent Sass. Kelley Griffin and Dan Kaduce are apparently at Slaven's Roadhouse dog drop, with Josh Cadzow just a few miles out and approaching the dog drop at a nice rate of speed.
Current weather at Central is a temperature of -45 (F), calm under a clear sky. The weather forecast for the Interior is for cold, calm conditions for the next couple of days, followed by quiet significant warming Monday night into Tuesday.
As front-runners approach Circle City, I imagine Hugh is preparing for the run to the next checkpoint at Central, about 75 miles by trail. Most of this segment follows Birch Creek, a National Wild and Scenic River that meanders about like a second-avenue drunkard. It is almost always ten to 15 degrees colder on the river than in Circle, so the mushers and their teams will be facing some bitter conditions.
Trail breakers on snowmachines were dispatched from Circle City yesterday, and with this cold weather the tracks they laid down will provide solid footing for the dogs and sleds. We could see some pretty impressive times over this run, which will be the last "easy going" the teams will see until they reach the Two Rivers checkpoint at Twin Bears Campground, not far from my home.
I suspect most of the mushers will break this segment up into two runs, camping during the middle of the day to feed and rest their dogs. As I mentioned last night, I think the comaraderie of trail breaking and mutual assistance and society of the trail will give way to serious racing through this stretch of trail. This is the last chance these guys will have to truly improve their positions on the leaderboards before EVERYONE is forced to slog their way up Eagle Summit.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Saturday Night on the Quest Trail
I'd love to have all sorts of exciting stories from the Quest trail to share with you, but with the teams making their way across the longest unsupported stretch of the race, not much news is flowing into Quest headquarters, and even less if flowing my direction.
Currently Hugh Neff is maintaining about a 40 to 45 mile lead over the nearest teams. He is within a few miles of the Circle City Checkpoint. He hasn't been traveling fast today, but he has been traveling smart. He's been maintaining a conservative run and rest schedule. His speed has been consistently between about 4 1/2 and 4 1/2 miles per hour. I'm guessing this is because he does not have a well broken trail on which to run.
Meanwhile, roughly 7 or 8 hours behind Hugh, we have a pretty solid pack of top-notch mushers who are just now pulling into the Slaven's Road House dog drop. These guys are basically running together, taking turns at breaking trail. By sharing the hard work they are able to run faster than is Hugh, but I doubt it will be fast enough to catch him. It is just a matter of distance - there isn't enough trail ahead for them to make up the time.
Currently at Slaven's we have Hans Gatt, Sebastian Schnuelle, Ken Anderson, and Allen Moore are all at Slavens, feeding and resting their teams. Brent Sass and Dallas Seavey are no more than an hour behind.
Like Hugh, these teams have broken up the long stretch between Eagle and Circle City into three different runs. They've stopped and camped together at Trout Creek, and now will camp for a few hours here at Slaven's before setting off for Circle City. I would imagine that Hugh will try to be in Central before these other teams arrive at Circle City. At this point staying one checkpoint ahead of his closest competitors strikes me as a pretty good strategy. It will allow him to keep tabs of their location, yet hold them far enough at bay to present no threat at all to his lead.
The hardest part of the trail, the big climb up Eagle Summit followed by Rosebud Summit immediately after the Mile 101 checkpoint, still lies ahead. Hugh doesn't need to push his team hard, so he will tackle the climb with fresh, well-rested dogs.
Meanwhile, I'm guessing that snowmachine traffic between Central and Circle City will result in a trail that is reasonably well broken, and I think our hearty crew of front-runners will become less cohesive as these driven competitors shift gears back into "race mode". Each position at the finish line is worth more money than the one below, and all of these guys have kennel expenses to pay. For this crew, I think the camping trip will end and the race will once again begin as they leave the Circle City checkpoint and make the dash for Central and the big hill climb beyond.
No one else has scratched or withdrawn from the race today. The leaderboard shows the 'back of the pack' mushers, including Tamara Rose, Jerry Joinson, Didier Moggia, Kyla Durham and Hank DeBruin are all at the Fortymile hospitality stop, and have been there for quite a long while. DeBruin arrived there at 9:42 this morning.
About an hour ago an update on the Yukon Quest website noted that trail breakers are heading out of Circle City to make sure the trail to Central is in good condition. That confirms my guess that the trail out of the checkpoint should be in reasonable condition, making it possible for the front-running teams to perform to their very best abilities.
It's time for me to get some rack time. I only have two more full days of work, and will be getting off duty at mid-morning on Tuesday. I imagine most of the Top-10 mushers in this year's Yukon Quest will beat me to Fairbanks by at least a full day.
Currently Hugh Neff is maintaining about a 40 to 45 mile lead over the nearest teams. He is within a few miles of the Circle City Checkpoint. He hasn't been traveling fast today, but he has been traveling smart. He's been maintaining a conservative run and rest schedule. His speed has been consistently between about 4 1/2 and 4 1/2 miles per hour. I'm guessing this is because he does not have a well broken trail on which to run.
Meanwhile, roughly 7 or 8 hours behind Hugh, we have a pretty solid pack of top-notch mushers who are just now pulling into the Slaven's Road House dog drop. These guys are basically running together, taking turns at breaking trail. By sharing the hard work they are able to run faster than is Hugh, but I doubt it will be fast enough to catch him. It is just a matter of distance - there isn't enough trail ahead for them to make up the time.
Currently at Slaven's we have Hans Gatt, Sebastian Schnuelle, Ken Anderson, and Allen Moore are all at Slavens, feeding and resting their teams. Brent Sass and Dallas Seavey are no more than an hour behind.
Like Hugh, these teams have broken up the long stretch between Eagle and Circle City into three different runs. They've stopped and camped together at Trout Creek, and now will camp for a few hours here at Slaven's before setting off for Circle City. I would imagine that Hugh will try to be in Central before these other teams arrive at Circle City. At this point staying one checkpoint ahead of his closest competitors strikes me as a pretty good strategy. It will allow him to keep tabs of their location, yet hold them far enough at bay to present no threat at all to his lead.
The hardest part of the trail, the big climb up Eagle Summit followed by Rosebud Summit immediately after the Mile 101 checkpoint, still lies ahead. Hugh doesn't need to push his team hard, so he will tackle the climb with fresh, well-rested dogs.
Meanwhile, I'm guessing that snowmachine traffic between Central and Circle City will result in a trail that is reasonably well broken, and I think our hearty crew of front-runners will become less cohesive as these driven competitors shift gears back into "race mode". Each position at the finish line is worth more money than the one below, and all of these guys have kennel expenses to pay. For this crew, I think the camping trip will end and the race will once again begin as they leave the Circle City checkpoint and make the dash for Central and the big hill climb beyond.
No one else has scratched or withdrawn from the race today. The leaderboard shows the 'back of the pack' mushers, including Tamara Rose, Jerry Joinson, Didier Moggia, Kyla Durham and Hank DeBruin are all at the Fortymile hospitality stop, and have been there for quite a long while. DeBruin arrived there at 9:42 this morning.
About an hour ago an update on the Yukon Quest website noted that trail breakers are heading out of Circle City to make sure the trail to Central is in good condition. That confirms my guess that the trail out of the checkpoint should be in reasonable condition, making it possible for the front-running teams to perform to their very best abilities.
It's time for me to get some rack time. I only have two more full days of work, and will be getting off duty at mid-morning on Tuesday. I imagine most of the Top-10 mushers in this year's Yukon Quest will beat me to Fairbanks by at least a full day.
YQ Morning - The Long March Down River
Good morning. I trust you slept well and are enjoying a delightful Saturday morning. Here in the White Mountains the temperature has dropped significantly. It's currently minus-14 here at my workplace, minus-16 near home in Two Rivers, and minus-11 at Eagle. It looks like the wind has diminished considerably along the Yukon River, which I'm sure the front-runners in the Yukon Quest greatly appreciate. The regional forecast for today is calling for temperatures to continue dropping, snow to face away and for winds to pick up later in the day and tonight. The longer range forecast is calling for a series of storm fronts to come through. Forecasters are referring to it as "an active system", that is likely to produce waves of snow, wind and all that other wintertime stuff.
Out on the Quest trail, it looks like Hugh Neff has been camping about 25 miles shy of Slaven's Cabin for the past four hours or so. He's followed by a big group of mushers including Brent Sass, Hans Gatt, Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle and Allen Moore some 40 miles back. They also appear to be resting their teams at the moment. Dan Kaduce is approaching that group, and is currently about 10 miles upriver from them, moving at about 6 1/2 miles per hour.
Kelly Griffin and Josh Cadzow are both in the Eagle Checkpoint. Clint Warnke, who had returned to Eagle after a sort of false start yesterday, decided to scratch from the race, making a total of 5 scratches and 1 withdrawal and leaving 19 teams in the running.
An article in this morning's Fairbanks Daily News-Miner describes the ordeal that Hans Gatt and the other front-runners endured while trying to cross American Summit during the storm. Hans had to abort his first attempt at the crossing and wait for other mushers to come along. It sounds like things were not far astray from how I'd imagined them yesterday evening. Brent Sass said "I’ve never been in a storm that bad, with the wind blowing that hard, ever. The wind was blowing so hard in our faces and you had to rely totally on your lead dog.” By the way, the article includes a great photo of Brent's team arriving in Eagle, with his famous leader Silver right up front, wearing a big doggy grin.
Out on the Quest trail, it looks like Hugh Neff has been camping about 25 miles shy of Slaven's Cabin for the past four hours or so. He's followed by a big group of mushers including Brent Sass, Hans Gatt, Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle and Allen Moore some 40 miles back. They also appear to be resting their teams at the moment. Dan Kaduce is approaching that group, and is currently about 10 miles upriver from them, moving at about 6 1/2 miles per hour.
Kelly Griffin and Josh Cadzow are both in the Eagle Checkpoint. Clint Warnke, who had returned to Eagle after a sort of false start yesterday, decided to scratch from the race, making a total of 5 scratches and 1 withdrawal and leaving 19 teams in the running.
An article in this morning's Fairbanks Daily News-Miner describes the ordeal that Hans Gatt and the other front-runners endured while trying to cross American Summit during the storm. Hans had to abort his first attempt at the crossing and wait for other mushers to come along. It sounds like things were not far astray from how I'd imagined them yesterday evening. Brent Sass said "I’ve never been in a storm that bad, with the wind blowing that hard, ever. The wind was blowing so hard in our faces and you had to rely totally on your lead dog.” By the way, the article includes a great photo of Brent's team arriving in Eagle, with his famous leader Silver right up front, wearing a big doggy grin.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Friday Night in the Quest
It was a pretty quiet afternoon here at work, so I took advantage of the relative lull to catch up on some on-line training courses. I got most of my requirements finished today, so I can claim it was pretty productive.
Hans Gatt finished his required 4 hour layover in Eagle at 4:21 this afternoon, but gave his dogs an additional hour of rest and left town at 5:30. I'm thinking his team was probably pretty tired after slogging over American Summit in poor weather. Brent Sass actually arrived in Eagle before Hans, but the current standings show he is still there. Though the leaderboard doesn't show it yet, Live Tracking indicates that Brent Sass is also on the trail, moving at about the same pace as Hans.
Gwen Holdman writes that Brent is one of those guys who actually loves the challenges of bad weather in the far north. I'm not surprised, given his "wild and free" approach to live and general, and dog mushing in particular. I can see him now, standing tall in the teeth of the gale, shouting a hearty "Hi-ho Silver, away!" Oh, Silver really is his favorite leader's name, and Sass and Silver have faced many a hard winter blow head-on together.
Ken Anderson and Sebastian Schnuelle have also rested longer than their mandatory time. I suspect they may be planning on leaving together in a group. Allen Moore and Dallas Seavey are both eligible to leave as I write, so it's possible this 'gang of four" could leave as a group and perhaps swap out trail breaking duty as they make their way to Slaven's Cabin dog drop.
The temperatures hasn't quite dropped out of the bottom of the thermometer yet, though it is forecast to do so overnight. When I checked about 5 minutes ago the temperature at Eagle was minus-6 degrees F. It's forecast to drop as low as minus-21 tonight, and be down into the minus-30 range tomorrow night.
I doubt anyone is even thinking about trying to catch Hugh Neff, who has a huge lead over these teams. Live Tracking showed that Hugh was stopped about 43 miles down river from Eagle for quite a long while today, but he's currently moving at about 6 1/2 miles per hour. This gives him a lead of about 7 or 8 hours of running time. Still, it is a dog race and strange things happen out on those trails this time of year.
It's close to rack time for me. I'll be up before 4 a.m. to start another day here in the White Mountains, checking up on the race as I can. Since I'll be getting off duty Tuesday morning, I can boast that I'm almost short, though I won't proclaim myself a true short-timer until Sunday night. I'm looking forward to going home to spend some time with my dogs before heading to Los Anchorage for my annual paramedic refresher training.
Hans Gatt finished his required 4 hour layover in Eagle at 4:21 this afternoon, but gave his dogs an additional hour of rest and left town at 5:30. I'm thinking his team was probably pretty tired after slogging over American Summit in poor weather. Brent Sass actually arrived in Eagle before Hans, but the current standings show he is still there. Though the leaderboard doesn't show it yet, Live Tracking indicates that Brent Sass is also on the trail, moving at about the same pace as Hans.
Gwen Holdman writes that Brent is one of those guys who actually loves the challenges of bad weather in the far north. I'm not surprised, given his "wild and free" approach to live and general, and dog mushing in particular. I can see him now, standing tall in the teeth of the gale, shouting a hearty "Hi-ho Silver, away!" Oh, Silver really is his favorite leader's name, and Sass and Silver have faced many a hard winter blow head-on together.
Ken Anderson and Sebastian Schnuelle have also rested longer than their mandatory time. I suspect they may be planning on leaving together in a group. Allen Moore and Dallas Seavey are both eligible to leave as I write, so it's possible this 'gang of four" could leave as a group and perhaps swap out trail breaking duty as they make their way to Slaven's Cabin dog drop.
The temperatures hasn't quite dropped out of the bottom of the thermometer yet, though it is forecast to do so overnight. When I checked about 5 minutes ago the temperature at Eagle was minus-6 degrees F. It's forecast to drop as low as minus-21 tonight, and be down into the minus-30 range tomorrow night.
I doubt anyone is even thinking about trying to catch Hugh Neff, who has a huge lead over these teams. Live Tracking showed that Hugh was stopped about 43 miles down river from Eagle for quite a long while today, but he's currently moving at about 6 1/2 miles per hour. This gives him a lead of about 7 or 8 hours of running time. Still, it is a dog race and strange things happen out on those trails this time of year.
It's close to rack time for me. I'll be up before 4 a.m. to start another day here in the White Mountains, checking up on the race as I can. Since I'll be getting off duty Tuesday morning, I can boast that I'm almost short, though I won't proclaim myself a true short-timer until Sunday night. I'm looking forward to going home to spend some time with my dogs before heading to Los Anchorage for my annual paramedic refresher training.
YQ - Afternoon Arrival in Eagle.
I wonder if Hugh Neff is starting to feel a bit lonely as his team trots along some 40 miles out of Eagle? Maybe so, as his closest company, Brent Sass and Hans Gatt, finally straggled into Eagle at 12:15 and 12:21 respectively. With a four-hour mandatory layover Brent will be elegible to leave at 4:15 this afternoon, some 8 1/2 hours after Neff. Ken Anderson arrived at 1:05 pm and Sebastian Schnuelle appears to be close behind. Allen Moore's SPOT GPS messenger hasn't transmitted a signal in over 3 hours, so we can't be real certain where he may be. He was running with Brent, Ken and Sab earlier, so I imagine he's somewhere in that mix.
The weather forecast hasn't really improved much. The forecast for Eagle is calling for an overnight low of -31 (F) and a high tomorrow of only -21. The forecast for Circle City and Central are very similar. The local forecast for Fairbanks is for bitter cold through Wednesday night, with a possible high on Thursday of a nice, balmy 10-above. This year's Quest looks to be living up to it's reputation for being brutally cold as least part of the way.
Word on Facebook is that Christine Roalofs and her team were picked up by their handling crew once they reached a passable roadway, and are now safe in Dawson City. There is also a rumor floating about the Clint Warnke returned to Dawson City after leaving earlier today, but it is unknown if he plans to scratch from the race, or make another attempt later on.
The weather forecast hasn't really improved much. The forecast for Eagle is calling for an overnight low of -31 (F) and a high tomorrow of only -21. The forecast for Circle City and Central are very similar. The local forecast for Fairbanks is for bitter cold through Wednesday night, with a possible high on Thursday of a nice, balmy 10-above. This year's Quest looks to be living up to it's reputation for being brutally cold as least part of the way.
Word on Facebook is that Christine Roalofs and her team were picked up by their handling crew once they reached a passable roadway, and are now safe in Dawson City. There is also a rumor floating about the Clint Warnke returned to Dawson City after leaving earlier today, but it is unknown if he plans to scratch from the race, or make another attempt later on.
YQ Morning Report - MOM Delivers a SLAP
As if the trail itself is not challenging enough, the weather-gods have decided to join the race. They apparently looked upon Hugh Neff with favor, and supported his effort by slapping the living crap out of everyone else. Hugh arrived in Eagle at 12:08 this morning and gave his team nearly 8 hours of rest before leaving at 7:45 this morning.
If it's nasty at Eagle, it's MUCH worse up on American Summit, and it appears it has been bad enough to stall our other front runners. Currently Hans Gatt appears to be camped just below tree-line on the approach to American Summit and he's been there for quite some time. According to the live tracker Hans will soon be joined by Brent Sass, Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle and Allen Moore (in that order). Writing on the official Yukon Quest web-site, race veteran Gwen Holden speculates that the group will form a convoy to attempt crossing the summit.
Once over the summit and into Eagle, the teams will have a mandatory 4 hour layover. Meanwhile, Hugh gave his team nearly eight hours of rest before setting off Slaven's Cabin and the checkpoint at Circle City. Even if the other leading teams were to leave Han's camp right now, he will easily have a 12 hour or more lead on the second place musher. At this point it is Hugh's race to loose, but let's remember that the weather on Eagle and Rosebud Summits is even more capricious that that of American summit. The gods may smile on him today, and then give him a spanking tomorrow.
There are reports that musher Wade Marrs has turned around at the Fortymile Hospitality Stop and is returning to Dawson City. At this point no one knows the reason for the reversal, but Wade left with only 9 dogs in his team. I'll be anxiously awaiting news of what led to his decision to go back to the half-way point.
Meanwhile, red-lantern contender Christine Roalofs disqualified herself by pressing the "Help" button on her SPOT satellite messenger unit. According to the Quest website, "Christine pressed the help button on her SPOT unit. She is still approximately 38 miles outside of Dawson City. Thursday afternoon, a crew went out with extra supplies to check in on the team. The dogs were good, Christine was in good spirits, but was low on food. She accepted the supplies and was disqualified for accepting outside assistance. Her plan was to feed and rest the team and head out at 3:00 a.m. Friday morning and she is making slow progress towards Dawson."
If it's nasty at Eagle, it's MUCH worse up on American Summit, and it appears it has been bad enough to stall our other front runners. Currently Hans Gatt appears to be camped just below tree-line on the approach to American Summit and he's been there for quite some time. According to the live tracker Hans will soon be joined by Brent Sass, Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle and Allen Moore (in that order). Writing on the official Yukon Quest web-site, race veteran Gwen Holden speculates that the group will form a convoy to attempt crossing the summit.
Once over the summit and into Eagle, the teams will have a mandatory 4 hour layover. Meanwhile, Hugh gave his team nearly eight hours of rest before setting off Slaven's Cabin and the checkpoint at Circle City. Even if the other leading teams were to leave Han's camp right now, he will easily have a 12 hour or more lead on the second place musher. At this point it is Hugh's race to loose, but let's remember that the weather on Eagle and Rosebud Summits is even more capricious that that of American summit. The gods may smile on him today, and then give him a spanking tomorrow.
There are reports that musher Wade Marrs has turned around at the Fortymile Hospitality Stop and is returning to Dawson City. At this point no one knows the reason for the reversal, but Wade left with only 9 dogs in his team. I'll be anxiously awaiting news of what led to his decision to go back to the half-way point.
Meanwhile, red-lantern contender Christine Roalofs disqualified herself by pressing the "Help" button on her SPOT satellite messenger unit. According to the Quest website, "Christine pressed the help button on her SPOT unit. She is still approximately 38 miles outside of Dawson City. Thursday afternoon, a crew went out with extra supplies to check in on the team. The dogs were good, Christine was in good spirits, but was low on food. She accepted the supplies and was disqualified for accepting outside assistance. Her plan was to feed and rest the team and head out at 3:00 a.m. Friday morning and she is making slow progress towards Dawson."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Evening on the Trail - Fortymile River Country
Watching the Yukon Quest Live Tracking is a lot of fun this evening. With strong satellite connections we are able to get a reasonably accurate, near real time view of what's going on out there, and some of it is really pretty cool.
Hugh Neff is maintaining a strong lead over Hans Gatt. Hugh appears to be on the Taylor highway. It looked he stopped just long enough to feed his dogs and give them enough time to digest their meal, and then got right back up on the runners. Meanwhile Hans was stopped right at the international border to give his team a meal. He hung out about the same amount of time, but of course he has no idea that Hugh is extending his lead, apparently by a considerable margin. Right now it looks like Hugh has a nearly 40 mile lead on his closest competitor. That's going to be hard to overcome, though it certainly was overcome in the 2009 race.
I imagine Hans also doesn't have a clue about what's happened behind him. Brent Sass and Allen Moore are on the move, and are doing so in a real serious fashion. Both have passed Ken Anderson and as of a few seconds ago were running less than a quarter mile apart. Sebastian has also passed Ken, and is about 6 miles behind Allen. He may be even closer, as his last GPS signal was transmitted nearly half an hour ago, compared to Allen's signal that is only two minutes old. Dallas Seavey appears to be resting his team at the Fortymile hospitality stop.
That's what's happening at the moment, but the teams seem to be mixing things up pretty good out there. Meanwhile, my laundry is probably dry by now, so it's time for me to prep my uniforms, put away my small-clothes, and grab a few hours of sleep. I can hardly wait to see what will happen overnight.
Hugh Neff is maintaining a strong lead over Hans Gatt. Hugh appears to be on the Taylor highway. It looked he stopped just long enough to feed his dogs and give them enough time to digest their meal, and then got right back up on the runners. Meanwhile Hans was stopped right at the international border to give his team a meal. He hung out about the same amount of time, but of course he has no idea that Hugh is extending his lead, apparently by a considerable margin. Right now it looks like Hugh has a nearly 40 mile lead on his closest competitor. That's going to be hard to overcome, though it certainly was overcome in the 2009 race.
I imagine Hans also doesn't have a clue about what's happened behind him. Brent Sass and Allen Moore are on the move, and are doing so in a real serious fashion. Both have passed Ken Anderson and as of a few seconds ago were running less than a quarter mile apart. Sebastian has also passed Ken, and is about 6 miles behind Allen. He may be even closer, as his last GPS signal was transmitted nearly half an hour ago, compared to Allen's signal that is only two minutes old. Dallas Seavey appears to be resting his team at the Fortymile hospitality stop.
That's what's happening at the moment, but the teams seem to be mixing things up pretty good out there. Meanwhile, my laundry is probably dry by now, so it's time for me to prep my uniforms, put away my small-clothes, and grab a few hours of sleep. I can hardly wait to see what will happen overnight.
YQ - Mid Day
The 8 leading teams are not out of the Dawson City checkpoint. As I noted in the last update, Ken Anderson left Dawson City with only 10 dogs on the gang-line at 8:33 (Yukon time) this morning. Brent Sass, with 11 dogs left at 10:06. Sebastian Schnuelle launched his team of 12 dogs at 10:49. Allen Moore apparently dropped a dog at Dawson City and departed at 11:06. Wade Marrs and his short-handed team of only 9 dogs left the checkpoint at 11:33. Dallas Seavey still has his full team of 14 dogs, and left Dawson city at 12:07.
Based on the Live Tracker, it looks like Hugh Neff has left Canada behind, and is now a few miles beyond the Alaskan border. Hans is still a few miles away from the imaginary line in the snow, moving at almost 7 mph, compared to Neff's speed of 6.1. Ken Anderson's team is gaining some ground, trotting along at 7.1 mph as he approaches the mouth of the Fortymile River.
There has been a bit of a change in the weather forecast that is worth noting. According to the National Weather Service we can expect some colder temperatures over the weekend, with night-time lows down to around -40 (F & C). The forecast for snow along the Taylor Highway remains in place.
Generally the region through which the racers are now traveling is considerably colder than Fairbanks or my work-site in the White Mountains. For example, right now at work the temperaturein Fairbanks is about 10 above (F), Eagle is reporting 16 above (F), but expects an overnight low of 15 below tonight, a high of only 8 below tomorrow and a low of 26-below tomorrow night. Teams running further back in the pack may see temperatures of 40-below and colder Saturday and Sunday.
Based on the Live Tracker, it looks like Hugh Neff has left Canada behind, and is now a few miles beyond the Alaskan border. Hans is still a few miles away from the imaginary line in the snow, moving at almost 7 mph, compared to Neff's speed of 6.1. Ken Anderson's team is gaining some ground, trotting along at 7.1 mph as he approaches the mouth of the Fortymile River.
There has been a bit of a change in the weather forecast that is worth noting. According to the National Weather Service we can expect some colder temperatures over the weekend, with night-time lows down to around -40 (F & C). The forecast for snow along the Taylor Highway remains in place.
Generally the region through which the racers are now traveling is considerably colder than Fairbanks or my work-site in the White Mountains. For example, right now at work the temperaturein Fairbanks is about 10 above (F), Eagle is reporting 16 above (F), but expects an overnight low of 15 below tonight, a high of only 8 below tomorrow and a low of 26-below tomorrow night. Teams running further back in the pack may see temperatures of 40-below and colder Saturday and Sunday.
Anderson is On The Trail
According to the Yukon Quest Leader Board, Ken Anderson left the checkpoint at Dawson at 08:33 Yukon time, about 3 minutes after his scheduled release time. He only has 10 dogs on his gangline, so apparently had to drop both of the dogs he had carried in the basic between Scroggie Creek and Dawson. Of the teams ahead of him on the trail, both Hans Gatt and Hugh Neff have 13. Allen Moore is the only one of the front runners to come into Dawson with the full compliment of 14 dogs.
YQ Morning Report - REAL racing begins.
Good Morning! As our front runners were enjoying their mandatory 36-hour layover in Dawson, I also elected to take a bit of a lay-over. There wasn't much happening in the race on which to comment and I had to prepare for an important meeting with my medical operations supervisor. I had an issue I wished to address, and I'm quite pleased to note that it was handled very professionally and very effectively by my supervisor. Like any worker, I have my gripes with the company, but when it comes to important employee affairs issues, Doyon Universal Services does their level best to take good care of the hired help.
As I write, Hugh Neff and Hans Gatt are both out on the trail, heading down the Yukon River toward the Fortymile River. Ken Anderson is scheduled to leave Dawson at 8:30 (Yukon time), Brent Sass at 10:05, Sab Schnuelle at 10:49 and Allen Moore at 11:16. I'm anxious to see how many dogs Ken will have on the gang-line. As I mentioned yesterday I believe his prospects are very much reliant on the amount of dog-power he can muster.
An article in today's issue of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner notes that "Veteran Quest musher Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon, dropped from the race in Dawson. Phillips, who is also running the Iditarod this year, arrived in Dawson with only eight of the 14 dogs with which she started the race."
The next checkpoint in the trail is the village of Eagle, Alaska. As the teams cross the border and into the Last Great Frontier, they will be entering the Alaska Standard Time Zone, so reported times will be AST, rather than Yukon time. The distance between Dawson and Eagle is roughly 150 miles. The first 50 miles are on the Yukon River. Usually the first 20 miles or so, the stretch that Hugh has nearly finished and Hans in the midst of, is pretty easy running. The Fortymile Hospitality Stop is usually located pretty close to the mouth of the Fortymile River, which the teams will follow as they make their way to the intersection with the Taylor Highway. They'll turn north on the highway (which is merely a trail during winter), cross over American Summit and then follow the road into Eagle.
I doubt we'll see any major big moves among the frontrunners on this stretch of trail. All have very fresh, well rested teams so any dramatic tactical move can be easily countered. If Neff continues his strategy of long runs and short rest, we may see some of the other frontrunners attempt to overtake and pass him by doing a very long run between Eagle and Central, quickly blowing through the checkpoint at Circle City. That would probably offer the best trail and terrain opportunity to attempt such a move. It's a bold tactic fraught with risks, especially the risk of overtiring a team prior to the hard climbs of Eagle and Rosebud Summits.
Update: I just checked the weather forecast for the Fortymile and Eagle area. "Low moving into the northern Gulf will bring return flow to the southeast corner of the interior. Convergent zone over the area will produce snowfall primarily east of the Richardson Highway and south of Eagle...with moderate potential for significant snowfall."
I'm not sure how the National Weather Service defines "significant" snowfall, but a few inches of fresh snow on the trail will almost certaily slow all of the frontrunning teams. Breaking out a fresh trail is hard work, especially for a team that is already running on short rest. Depending upon what the weather actually does, it has the potential to be a "game changer" for the leading team, giving the advantage of a freshly broken trail to those who follow.
I'll be keeping an eye on the leader board and Live Tracking, and will probably post an update after Ken Anderson leaves and we know how many dogs he's able to retain on his team.
As I write, Hugh Neff and Hans Gatt are both out on the trail, heading down the Yukon River toward the Fortymile River. Ken Anderson is scheduled to leave Dawson at 8:30 (Yukon time), Brent Sass at 10:05, Sab Schnuelle at 10:49 and Allen Moore at 11:16. I'm anxious to see how many dogs Ken will have on the gang-line. As I mentioned yesterday I believe his prospects are very much reliant on the amount of dog-power he can muster.
An article in today's issue of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner notes that "Veteran Quest musher Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon, dropped from the race in Dawson. Phillips, who is also running the Iditarod this year, arrived in Dawson with only eight of the 14 dogs with which she started the race."
The next checkpoint in the trail is the village of Eagle, Alaska. As the teams cross the border and into the Last Great Frontier, they will be entering the Alaska Standard Time Zone, so reported times will be AST, rather than Yukon time. The distance between Dawson and Eagle is roughly 150 miles. The first 50 miles are on the Yukon River. Usually the first 20 miles or so, the stretch that Hugh has nearly finished and Hans in the midst of, is pretty easy running. The Fortymile Hospitality Stop is usually located pretty close to the mouth of the Fortymile River, which the teams will follow as they make their way to the intersection with the Taylor Highway. They'll turn north on the highway (which is merely a trail during winter), cross over American Summit and then follow the road into Eagle.
I doubt we'll see any major big moves among the frontrunners on this stretch of trail. All have very fresh, well rested teams so any dramatic tactical move can be easily countered. If Neff continues his strategy of long runs and short rest, we may see some of the other frontrunners attempt to overtake and pass him by doing a very long run between Eagle and Central, quickly blowing through the checkpoint at Circle City. That would probably offer the best trail and terrain opportunity to attempt such a move. It's a bold tactic fraught with risks, especially the risk of overtiring a team prior to the hard climbs of Eagle and Rosebud Summits.
Update: I just checked the weather forecast for the Fortymile and Eagle area. "Low moving into the northern Gulf will bring return flow to the southeast corner of the interior. Convergent zone over the area will produce snowfall primarily east of the Richardson Highway and south of Eagle...with moderate potential for significant snowfall."
I'm not sure how the National Weather Service defines "significant" snowfall, but a few inches of fresh snow on the trail will almost certaily slow all of the frontrunning teams. Breaking out a fresh trail is hard work, especially for a team that is already running on short rest. Depending upon what the weather actually does, it has the potential to be a "game changer" for the leading team, giving the advantage of a freshly broken trail to those who follow.
I'll be keeping an eye on the leader board and Live Tracking, and will probably post an update after Ken Anderson leaves and we know how many dogs he's able to retain on his team.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
YQ Morning Report
Thing are starting to settle down a bit here at work, so the pace should be a little less frantic. The same is probably true out on the Yukon Quest trail. Our front-running teams have arrived in Dawson and are settled in for a nice 36-hour break. During the midway layover mushers are permitted to turn dog care chores over to their handlers while they get some much needed rest, some hot food, showers and so forth. Some will have to make repairs to their sleds and other equipment and some will just wait, and waiting can sometimes be the most frustrating part.
As of 6:30 this morning, the following mushers are enjoying their break at Dawson.
Hugh Neff, who enjoys a nearly 2 and 1/2 hour lead over -
Hans Gatt, a wiley veteran who has proved his ability to win the race.
Ken Anderson followed Hans by about 2 1/4 hours, but had 2 of his 12 dogs in the sled.
Brent Sass came in about an hour and a half after Ken.
Sebastian Schnuelle follwed Brent by about 3/4 of an hour.
Allen Moore came in less than half an hour behind Sab, and still has all 14 dogs on the gangline.
Wade Marrs was only 8 minutes behind Allen, but is down to only 9 of his original 14 dogs.
Dallas Seavey arrived in Dawson shortly after mid-night.
Dan Kaduce came into Dawson at about 3 o'clock this morning.
Back when I first started following long-distance sled dog racing it was generally believed that any team that arrived in Dawson within 12 hours of the leader had a fair chance of winning the race. Today the sport is even more competitive that it was then, and I believe that to have an honest chance one must arrive in Dawson within 8 hours of the leading team. With Wade Marrs down to only 9 dogs, and likely to drop one or two more before everything is said and done, I think we can safely remove him from the short list of potential winners. He'll have to be very careful with his remaining dogs just to finish.
That leaves us with six potential winners.
Allen Moore is currently the strongest running Yukon Quest rookie in the race. He still has a full team of 14 dogs that are performing remarkably well. Allen's Team is made up of racing dogs all in the prime of life and currently in prime physical and mental condition. Although a rookie to the Quest, he has finished several Iditarods, usually running teams that are in training while his wife, Aliy Zirkle runs the "A" team. Allen is widely considered to be a "guru" of middle-distance racing and is a multiple champion of the gruelling Copper Basin 300. Allen is also in excellent physical condition, and is a very physical musher who spends much more time peddling or ski-poling to help has team than do most mushers.
As the race progresses into more challenging terrain, including an almost immediate climb up American Summit, the power of a full team coupled with Allen's conditioning may give him an advantage over smaller teams with less physical drivers. Allen is a clear choice for Rookie of the Year and will almost certainly place well in the race, but lack of experience in this particular race makes it unlikely that he will be first to Fairbanks. If he is I sure hope I'm there to join the PARTY!!!
As I've noted before, Sebastian Schnuelle is highly regarded among dog mushers as being a brilliant trainer and there is no question that he can bring a team first across the finish line. He did that in 2009. He has an exceptionally close relationship with his dogs. He tends to run a conservative race, which pays off highly in poor trail or extreme weather conditions. This year the trail is apparently in great shape, and we couldn't ask for nicer dog mushing weather, so though Sab is going to do well, I'd be hard pressed to pick him as the winner unless a couple of those ahead of him make some serious mistakes.
Brent Sass is a very dedicated young musher who has done very well thus far in his career, and seems to be constantly improving. He bases his training efforts from a place in Eureka where he has carved more than 100 miles of trails just for training his teams. This year he has been running conservatively through the first part of the trail, but I'm betting he'll be pouring on the coals once he's topped American Summit. He needs to make up some time, but he is definitely a contender in this year's race.
Ken Anderson is also very dedicated, relatively young and in good physical condition, but he's not a small man. He's tall and his weight is proportional to his height. With only 11 dogs on the gang-line and 2 in the basket coming into Dawson he may be a bit underpowered compared to the other front runners. If he has to drop one or both of those dogs it will hurt him on the three big summits that lie ahead. I believe he'll continue to do well in the race, but like Sab, his chances of winning require other front runners to make mistakes that they are unlikely to do.
This brings us to Hans Gatt and Hugh Neff, either of which has the potential to take home the first place paycheck. Hans has a strong track record and a strong team. Last year his team walked away from Lance Mackey by using Mackey's favorite tactic of an exceptionally long run. As I compared the speed of the two teams last year it was evident that Gatt's team was 1/2 mile an hour faster than Lance's, and Hans took full advantage of that speed.
Hans has been running his own race thus far, giving his dogs plenty of rest as well has good runs. I believe that will give him the advantage over Hugh Neff and at this point I see no good reason to not pick him as a winner.
That doesn't mean that I think Hugh will make it easy or that he can't win. Clearly he has the potential, and proved it in 2009. Had he not drawn a penalty he'd have won the 2009 race quite handily.
Hugh Neff has been setting a blindingly fast pace thus far and has been able to hold his team together well. The question is whether or not he can maintain that kind of pace in the second half of the race. No one (other than Hugh) knows whether he will attempt to maintain that sort of speed during the second half of the race, but I believe that he can't. He has three major summits to cross, all of which require power rather than speed.
Hugh has a reputation for driving his dogs hard. That sometimes pays off for a musher who knows his teams limits and can approach the edge of the envelope without dropping over. Hugh's performance, and that of his teams, has improved greatly over the past few years and he's clearly a contender, but I don't think he is yet able to judge his team with that highest degree of precision. I'd love to be proved wrong, though.
If Hugh drives his team beyond that fine edge of performance, it is likely that he will not only loose the winning position, but will loose many positions on the leaderboard and perhaps be forced to scratch. It's a pretty huge risk for a musher who is trying to live down the nickname "Huge Wreck". I do wish him the very best of luck, though luck has a limited impact in most cases.
There are some mushers in the middle of the pack that I think can pick up some positions, and earn a higher payday in this race. The current middle-of-the-pack group is made up of some very strong long distance racers. Dan Kaduce, Kelley Griffin, Josh Cadzow, Michelle Phillps, Jodi Bailey, Dave Dalton and Mike Ellis all have solid teams and all except Bailey have experience on this trail. Dalton is running a very young team this year and viewing it primarily as a training year with plans to smoke 'em next year. Mike Ellis' "Team Tsuga" holds the record for the fastest Yukon Quest finish with a pure-bred Siberian Husky team, and he could easily better that record time this year.
Anyhow, that's how I perceive the race at this point but I've been wrong before, more often than I've been right. ANYTHING can happen out there, and it wouldn't be a dog race if it didn't.
As of 6:30 this morning, the following mushers are enjoying their break at Dawson.
Hugh Neff, who enjoys a nearly 2 and 1/2 hour lead over -
Hans Gatt, a wiley veteran who has proved his ability to win the race.
Ken Anderson followed Hans by about 2 1/4 hours, but had 2 of his 12 dogs in the sled.
Brent Sass came in about an hour and a half after Ken.
Sebastian Schnuelle follwed Brent by about 3/4 of an hour.
Allen Moore came in less than half an hour behind Sab, and still has all 14 dogs on the gangline.
Wade Marrs was only 8 minutes behind Allen, but is down to only 9 of his original 14 dogs.
Dallas Seavey arrived in Dawson shortly after mid-night.
Dan Kaduce came into Dawson at about 3 o'clock this morning.
Back when I first started following long-distance sled dog racing it was generally believed that any team that arrived in Dawson within 12 hours of the leader had a fair chance of winning the race. Today the sport is even more competitive that it was then, and I believe that to have an honest chance one must arrive in Dawson within 8 hours of the leading team. With Wade Marrs down to only 9 dogs, and likely to drop one or two more before everything is said and done, I think we can safely remove him from the short list of potential winners. He'll have to be very careful with his remaining dogs just to finish.
That leaves us with six potential winners.
Allen Moore is currently the strongest running Yukon Quest rookie in the race. He still has a full team of 14 dogs that are performing remarkably well. Allen's Team is made up of racing dogs all in the prime of life and currently in prime physical and mental condition. Although a rookie to the Quest, he has finished several Iditarods, usually running teams that are in training while his wife, Aliy Zirkle runs the "A" team. Allen is widely considered to be a "guru" of middle-distance racing and is a multiple champion of the gruelling Copper Basin 300. Allen is also in excellent physical condition, and is a very physical musher who spends much more time peddling or ski-poling to help has team than do most mushers.
As the race progresses into more challenging terrain, including an almost immediate climb up American Summit, the power of a full team coupled with Allen's conditioning may give him an advantage over smaller teams with less physical drivers. Allen is a clear choice for Rookie of the Year and will almost certainly place well in the race, but lack of experience in this particular race makes it unlikely that he will be first to Fairbanks. If he is I sure hope I'm there to join the PARTY!!!
As I've noted before, Sebastian Schnuelle is highly regarded among dog mushers as being a brilliant trainer and there is no question that he can bring a team first across the finish line. He did that in 2009. He has an exceptionally close relationship with his dogs. He tends to run a conservative race, which pays off highly in poor trail or extreme weather conditions. This year the trail is apparently in great shape, and we couldn't ask for nicer dog mushing weather, so though Sab is going to do well, I'd be hard pressed to pick him as the winner unless a couple of those ahead of him make some serious mistakes.
Brent Sass is a very dedicated young musher who has done very well thus far in his career, and seems to be constantly improving. He bases his training efforts from a place in Eureka where he has carved more than 100 miles of trails just for training his teams. This year he has been running conservatively through the first part of the trail, but I'm betting he'll be pouring on the coals once he's topped American Summit. He needs to make up some time, but he is definitely a contender in this year's race.
Ken Anderson is also very dedicated, relatively young and in good physical condition, but he's not a small man. He's tall and his weight is proportional to his height. With only 11 dogs on the gang-line and 2 in the basket coming into Dawson he may be a bit underpowered compared to the other front runners. If he has to drop one or both of those dogs it will hurt him on the three big summits that lie ahead. I believe he'll continue to do well in the race, but like Sab, his chances of winning require other front runners to make mistakes that they are unlikely to do.
This brings us to Hans Gatt and Hugh Neff, either of which has the potential to take home the first place paycheck. Hans has a strong track record and a strong team. Last year his team walked away from Lance Mackey by using Mackey's favorite tactic of an exceptionally long run. As I compared the speed of the two teams last year it was evident that Gatt's team was 1/2 mile an hour faster than Lance's, and Hans took full advantage of that speed.
Hans has been running his own race thus far, giving his dogs plenty of rest as well has good runs. I believe that will give him the advantage over Hugh Neff and at this point I see no good reason to not pick him as a winner.
That doesn't mean that I think Hugh will make it easy or that he can't win. Clearly he has the potential, and proved it in 2009. Had he not drawn a penalty he'd have won the 2009 race quite handily.
Hugh Neff has been setting a blindingly fast pace thus far and has been able to hold his team together well. The question is whether or not he can maintain that kind of pace in the second half of the race. No one (other than Hugh) knows whether he will attempt to maintain that sort of speed during the second half of the race, but I believe that he can't. He has three major summits to cross, all of which require power rather than speed.
Hugh has a reputation for driving his dogs hard. That sometimes pays off for a musher who knows his teams limits and can approach the edge of the envelope without dropping over. Hugh's performance, and that of his teams, has improved greatly over the past few years and he's clearly a contender, but I don't think he is yet able to judge his team with that highest degree of precision. I'd love to be proved wrong, though.
If Hugh drives his team beyond that fine edge of performance, it is likely that he will not only loose the winning position, but will loose many positions on the leaderboard and perhaps be forced to scratch. It's a pretty huge risk for a musher who is trying to live down the nickname "Huge Wreck". I do wish him the very best of luck, though luck has a limited impact in most cases.
There are some mushers in the middle of the pack that I think can pick up some positions, and earn a higher payday in this race. The current middle-of-the-pack group is made up of some very strong long distance racers. Dan Kaduce, Kelley Griffin, Josh Cadzow, Michelle Phillps, Jodi Bailey, Dave Dalton and Mike Ellis all have solid teams and all except Bailey have experience on this trail. Dalton is running a very young team this year and viewing it primarily as a training year with plans to smoke 'em next year. Mike Ellis' "Team Tsuga" holds the record for the fastest Yukon Quest finish with a pure-bred Siberian Husky team, and he could easily better that record time this year.
Anyhow, that's how I perceive the race at this point but I've been wrong before, more often than I've been right. ANYTHING can happen out there, and it wouldn't be a dog race if it didn't.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
YQ Evening Report
The only thing more vexing than waiting for a web page to download with the world's slowest dial-up Internet connection (the best I can get in my sleeping room) is waiting to see who is going to emerge from the communications black hole of the Yukon Quest.
The first to arrive was the long-elusive Hugh Neff, who won four ounces of gold (assuming he finishes the race) as his half-way award. At today's gold prices, that works out to - well, I'm not going to spend the next 20 minutes trying to open up the gold standard prices on-line tonight, but it's enough to support 7 or 8 sled dogs for a full year. Hugh arrived in Dawson at 3:35 pm (Yukon time, of course), and then sat around snacking his dogs, removing booties, feeding his dogs, massaging aching shoulders, settling his dogs and all that sort of dog-musher stuff for a good three hours before his nearest arrival, Hans Gatt pulled into town at 6:36.
Although it isn't showing on the leaderboard yet, word on Facebook is that Ken Anderson just arrived a few minutes ago, with 2 dogs in the basket. According to that report Ken said it was a tough run with 150 extra pounds in the sled. I imagine he's pretty relieved to have reached the half-way point and will be more than pleased to let has handlers manage some dog-care chores for a while.
Locals posting on the Facebook page seem to be expecting Brent Sass to be the next musher in, and they report that Allen Moore, Sebastian Schnuelle and Wade Marrs are running in a group about 20 miles out.
I need to hit the rack, but I'm hopeful that by morning Quest officials can have some of the issues with their web-site worked out and we can get a better feel for the starting order of the second half of the race.
The first to arrive was the long-elusive Hugh Neff, who won four ounces of gold (assuming he finishes the race) as his half-way award. At today's gold prices, that works out to - well, I'm not going to spend the next 20 minutes trying to open up the gold standard prices on-line tonight, but it's enough to support 7 or 8 sled dogs for a full year. Hugh arrived in Dawson at 3:35 pm (Yukon time, of course), and then sat around snacking his dogs, removing booties, feeding his dogs, massaging aching shoulders, settling his dogs and all that sort of dog-musher stuff for a good three hours before his nearest arrival, Hans Gatt pulled into town at 6:36.
Although it isn't showing on the leaderboard yet, word on Facebook is that Ken Anderson just arrived a few minutes ago, with 2 dogs in the basket. According to that report Ken said it was a tough run with 150 extra pounds in the sled. I imagine he's pretty relieved to have reached the half-way point and will be more than pleased to let has handlers manage some dog-care chores for a while.
Locals posting on the Facebook page seem to be expecting Brent Sass to be the next musher in, and they report that Allen Moore, Sebastian Schnuelle and Wade Marrs are running in a group about 20 miles out.
I need to hit the rack, but I'm hopeful that by morning Quest officials can have some of the issues with their web-site worked out and we can get a better feel for the starting order of the second half of the race.
Where's Hugh? - DAWSON
Hugh Neff, who was apparently 'missing' somewhere in the so-called 'communications black hole' between Stepping Stone hospitality stop and Dawson was rediscovered, as his team trotted into the checkpoint at Dawson at 3:35 this afternoon (Yukon time).
If the Live Tracking data can be believed, Hans Gatt should be the next musher to arrive, sometime within the next hour or so. Starting the climb up King Solomon's Dome is the trio of Sebastian Schnuelle, Allen Moore and Dallas Seavy.
If the Live Tracking data can be believed, Hans Gatt should be the next musher to arrive, sometime within the next hour or so. Starting the climb up King Solomon's Dome is the trio of Sebastian Schnuelle, Allen Moore and Dallas Seavy.
Afternoon Commentary
There is so little reliable information coming to us from the Yukon Quest trail that I can't even refer to this post as a 'report'. It is more like a commentary, based on more on wild guesswork than on usable data.
2nd Ed Hopkins
3rd Mathias Beck
4th Aliy Zirkle (YAY Aliy!)
5th Susie Rogan (Congratulations Susie - it was a race well run.)
6th Paige Drobny
7th Misha Pederson
8th Nathan McNee
9th Brian Wilmshurst
10th Jessie Royer
11th Rolf Meili (Give Denali a big hug and extra Yummy Chummies from me)
12th Yuka Honda
13th Oyvind Jakobsen
I believe there are 10 more teams still out on the YQ-300 trail.
Yukon Quest 300
Thus far, 13 teams have finished the Yukon Quest 300. In finish order, they are:
1st Gerry Willomitzer
2nd Ed Hopkins
3rd Mathias Beck
4th Aliy Zirkle (YAY Aliy!)
5th Susie Rogan (Congratulations Susie - it was a race well run.)
6th Paige Drobny
7th Misha Pederson
8th Nathan McNee
9th Brian Wilmshurst
10th Jessie Royer
11th Rolf Meili (Give Denali a big hug and extra Yummy Chummies from me)
12th Yuka Honda
13th Oyvind Jakobsen
I believe there are 10 more teams still out on the YQ-300 trail.
The Yukon Quest
The question of the day is "Where the heck is Hugh Neff?" It's pretty obvious that Neff's GPS satellite messenger isn't working. There is NO WAY he would stay at the Scroggie Creek dog drop for so long. I'm guessing he's out there somewhere on the trail mixing it up with the other front-runners. That means he could be anywhere between first and 8th place at the moment. Apparently Quest officials are unable to communicate with the Scroggie Creek dog drop, either. So far the leaderboard doesn't reflect any activity through the dog drop at all.
Live Tracking would seem to indicate that Dallas Seavey is currently in lead, followed by Sebastian Schnuelle, Allen Moore, and Hans Gatt, but Gatt's device was last detected about 5 hours ago, so he's either giving his team a rest or he's actually further along that the device indicates. Well behind these front-runners, Dan Kaduce, Ken Anderson and Kelley Griffin appear to be approaching the Black Hills.
I'm afraid all of this information could be a bit misleading. I suspect that some of the tracking devices aren't working as they should be, and of course the absence of reports from the Scroggie Creek dog drop don't help us deduce who is really where. We may have to wait until teams pull into Dawson to know what's happening with any degree of confidence.
Morning Report
Good morning. I've just come on duty for the day, and am enjoying that wonderful first cup of coffee while I catch up on the news, especially news from the Yukon Quest race trails. Today is "hump day" for me. I've completed my first of two weeks of duty, so I'm over the hump, and I'm half-way toward my next R&R.
Meanwhile, the mushers in the Yukon Quest 300 are nearing completion of their race. Gerry Willowmitzer crossed the finish line in first place last night at 9:23 pm, Yukon time. Ed Hopkins came in second at 11:18, not quite two hours later, with a dog in the sled bag. Mathias Beck took third place, arriving pack in Pelly Crossing at 5:10 this morning. I'll try to keep abreast of things as the remaining Quest-300 mushers come in.
Frontrunners in the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest are well into a portion of the trail known as a big communications black hole. They are in a forested and mountainous region where GPS satellite contact is spotty at best, and where other methods of communication just don't exist. So, this morning we get a caveat with our coffee - the caveat being that I am writing based on the best available information, but my impressions may not be entirely accurate.
The big question for the morning is "Where the heck is Hugh?" Live Tracking data from Hugh Neff's SPOT satellite messenger stopped more than 7 hours ago. At that time it indicated he was at the Scroggie Creek dog drop. Given the incredibly fast pace that he's been maintaining thus far in the race I would suggest he probably stopped to give his dogs a well-deserved break, but for how long, and where he might be at the moment, is subject to pure conjecture. The leaderboard doesn't provide any additional information. It appears that even though some mushers have passed the Scroggie Creek dog drop, the leaderboard hasn't been updated to show either their arrival or their departure times.
Live Tracking currently shows Hans Gatt in first place, which is possibly accurate. Last night Hans was running an hour to maybe an hour and 1/2 behind Hugh. If Hugh stopped to rest Hans would have easily overtaken and passed him. At the moment it appears that Hans in heading into the Black Hills, with a six or 7 mile lead over the next racer. Live Tracking indicates that Ken Anderson, Brent Sass and Sebastian Schnuelle are running close together in pursuit of Hans. It appears there is a pretty large group of mushers, too closely spaced to determine indiviual names, all parked at Scroggie Creek. I'm betting that our missing Mr. Neff is among them, along with Allen Moore, Michelle Phillips Wade Marrs, Dallas Seavey and perhaps Dan Kaduce. It appears that Josh Cadzow is abreast Grizzly Dome approaching the dog drop.
I'll try to keep an eye on the race this morning and keep up the blog as things progress.
Meanwhile, the mushers in the Yukon Quest 300 are nearing completion of their race. Gerry Willowmitzer crossed the finish line in first place last night at 9:23 pm, Yukon time. Ed Hopkins came in second at 11:18, not quite two hours later, with a dog in the sled bag. Mathias Beck took third place, arriving pack in Pelly Crossing at 5:10 this morning. I'll try to keep abreast of things as the remaining Quest-300 mushers come in.
Frontrunners in the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest are well into a portion of the trail known as a big communications black hole. They are in a forested and mountainous region where GPS satellite contact is spotty at best, and where other methods of communication just don't exist. So, this morning we get a caveat with our coffee - the caveat being that I am writing based on the best available information, but my impressions may not be entirely accurate.
The big question for the morning is "Where the heck is Hugh?" Live Tracking data from Hugh Neff's SPOT satellite messenger stopped more than 7 hours ago. At that time it indicated he was at the Scroggie Creek dog drop. Given the incredibly fast pace that he's been maintaining thus far in the race I would suggest he probably stopped to give his dogs a well-deserved break, but for how long, and where he might be at the moment, is subject to pure conjecture. The leaderboard doesn't provide any additional information. It appears that even though some mushers have passed the Scroggie Creek dog drop, the leaderboard hasn't been updated to show either their arrival or their departure times.
Live Tracking currently shows Hans Gatt in first place, which is possibly accurate. Last night Hans was running an hour to maybe an hour and 1/2 behind Hugh. If Hugh stopped to rest Hans would have easily overtaken and passed him. At the moment it appears that Hans in heading into the Black Hills, with a six or 7 mile lead over the next racer. Live Tracking indicates that Ken Anderson, Brent Sass and Sebastian Schnuelle are running close together in pursuit of Hans. It appears there is a pretty large group of mushers, too closely spaced to determine indiviual names, all parked at Scroggie Creek. I'm betting that our missing Mr. Neff is among them, along with Allen Moore, Michelle Phillips Wade Marrs, Dallas Seavey and perhaps Dan Kaduce. It appears that Josh Cadzow is abreast Grizzly Dome approaching the dog drop.
I'll try to keep an eye on the race this morning and keep up the blog as things progress.
Monday, February 7, 2011
YQ - Evening Report
Hi. I'm back. Didja miss me?
Supper tonight was much better than was lunch. I enjoyed a bit of baked chicken, some very lightly fried okra and a dab of cole slaw. Very small portions, but it was darned tasty and about as 'southern' as can be done by a cook who grew up in Alaska.
Let's take a look at a couple of dog races. First, the...
Supper tonight was much better than was lunch. I enjoyed a bit of baked chicken, some very lightly fried okra and a dab of cole slaw. Very small portions, but it was darned tasty and about as 'southern' as can be done by a cook who grew up in Alaska.
Let's take a look at a couple of dog races. First, the...
Yukon Quest 300
I suspect we'll see a winner in the 300 mile race by tomorrow morning. You may have to flip a coin to decide whether it will be Gerry Willowmitzer or Ed Hopkins. These are the only two mushers to have left Pelly Crossing for the big, 62 mile loop back to the finish. Meanwhile, hanging out back in Pelly Crossing and waiting out their mandatory lay-over we have Mathias Beck, Aliy Zirkle, Brian Wilmshurst, Susie Rogan, Misha Pedersen, Paige Drobny, Jessie Royer and Nathan McNee. Eric Porteau arrived in Pelly, but scratched from the race. No one else appears to be in Pelly Crossing yet.
The 9th place team arrived less than 2 hours after the 3rd, so there could be a lot of back and forth passing during that sixty-something mile loop back to the finish line. I have no doubt that Willowmitzer and Hopkins have teams that can do the loop in a single run, and I'm equally confident that Aliy, Susie Rogan and Jessie Royer can do the same. I don't know the other front runners, so can't speak to their teams abilities, but they must be pretty darned good, 'cause after all, they ARE running in the top-10.
The Quest
The Yukon Quest front runners are out of Pelly Crossing and are well on their way on the 200 (sometimes more) mile stretch to Dawson, and the mandatory 36 hour lay-over. Gwen Holdman, writing on the Yukon Quest website, discusses the two basic strategies used by mushers over this long haul. There isn't much I can add to what she wrote.
Hugh Neff appears to be headed straight toward the Scroggie Creek dog drop, where he's likely to give his team a well deserved rest. He has LOTS of miles over his closest competitor. According to the statistics reported for each musher through the Live Tracking feature, Hugh Neff has been averaging 6.2 mph thus far in the race. This is a full 1/2 mile per hour faster than Hans Gatt, 4/5 of a mph faster than Sebastian Schnuelle and slightly more than 1 mph faster than Allen Moore.
There is now way I can imagine that Neff's dogs are that much faster than those of his competitors. He is maintaining that smoking pace by running on short rest. If his team is strong enough to maintain the pace he could easily earn the gold awarded to the first musher into Dawson, but the cost could be considerable. If Hugh drives his team to the point where his dogs loose their trust in his judgement they'll just sort of slog along further in the race, leaving him vulnerable to the more conservative drivers that are currently well behind.
Hans Gatt was in second place going out of Pelly Crossing and was only 33 minutes behind Neff when he blew through the Stepping Stone hospitality stop. Based on the map scale, the Live Tracking view looks like he's about 12 miles or so behind the leader at the moment. Like Lance Mackey, Hans is the kind of musher who can pull off a long, fast run if he needs to, but it's a tactic he'll keep in reserve until much later in the race. It could be a decisive race-winning move if Neff's dogs crap out on any of the 3 major summits that still lie ahead, as many of us are predicting. Currently in third place according to the Live Tracking, Sebastian Schnuelle seems to have passed Ken Anderson and Brent Sass since this afternoon. He's probably 14 or 15 miles behind Hans. Brent Sass and Ken Anderson appear to be running together close enough to converse, and are followed by Wade Marrs and Dallas Seavey. Josh Cadzow, Allen Moore and Michelle Phillips all appear to be out of Stepping Stone as well.
By the way, Allen Moore gave his team a full 6 hours of rest at Stepping Stone, and is the only front-runner to still have all 14 dogs pulling on the gang-line. One dog may not seem like much of advantage, but when they hit King Solomon Dome that one dog, coupled with Allen's excellent physical condition and his 'sprint musher' drive could result in him gaining quite a bit of ground.
It is very early in the race, but it is already shaping up to be a very interesting contrast in mushing style and strategy.
Time for me to hit the rack. I'm looking forward to checking in in the morning.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)