Aliy and Ryne have just left the start of the Sheep Mountain 150! With 48 mushers in the race, Aliy and the Red Team were one of the first on the trail leaving in 5th position. Ryne and the R&B team were not far behind leaving in 10th. To start the race Quito and Scout led the charge for the Red team while just 10 minutes later Skittles and Beemer led the chase for the R&B Team.
The Weather is perfect, sunny and around 10 degrees with the suggestion of light snow later this evening. Wes and I are about to head to the first checkpoint in Eureka where Aliy and Ryne are expected shortly. This checkpoint is 50 miles by dog trail but only 13 miles by road.
Here are some observations from Allen Moore:
- The area has had a lot of snow and the trail at the start of Sheep Mountain Lodge
is very soft and deteriorating quickly - Due to trail conditions, mushers will want to be at the front of the pack rather
than the back - If dogs step off the groomed trail, they can quickly sink up to their shoulders in snow; this means that snow can get into their booties and cause feet problems
- Its much more fun to run a race than to have to watch from the sidelines
More photos soon. Wendy
Thanks for the update Wendy. It's hard sitting here and waiting for info. We're feeling Alan's pain.
LR & Stella
Wendy and Wes .. Thanks for the update and the the relaying Allen's wit along to us as well!
Iditarod Facebook page has pics of sheep mountain race, too. 3rd picture is Big Red and all the dogs tied out. Could run a contest to name all the dogs in that picture. Go teams! Deb in Ketchikan