Aliy and team have just left Eagle Island, at 5.41am, after a four hour rest and they’re back on the river on the way to Kaltag! Allen and team blew through Anvik at 3.51am and pulled into Grayling at 6.28am and appears to be resting there for a while.
At various stages of the race they will swap dogs around on the line, not just the leaders but the team and wheel dogs also. I previously asked Aliy about changing leaders and in this video I asked her why they might switch team dogs around:
These are marvelous videos from which I have learned much so far about the 4-legged members of the team!!!
Would a wheel dog ever lead (if there was need for a bulking body and strength against the wind, for example)?
This concept reminds me of Call of the Wild, where the protagonist,
Buck, becomes the lead dog ("leader of the pack")
We were talking about how joyful and beautiful Aliy looks at this point in the race. So thankful for the beautiful mittens. May she wear them long and prosper. True face of the meaning of sportsmanship and Iditarod Champion ~ Team M.
Thanks for this video – great insight into the team dynamic! Loved having a video this morning, considering the lack of Iditarod videos, but I know weather has been a bit iffy out on the coast!
Emily from CO