ID: Manley Hot Springs Retrospective (with Video)

Manly is about 170 miles by road from Fairbanks so our drive from Nenana was around 210 miles compared to about 90 miles for the dog teams. We did manage to beat Aliy in so were there to greet the team. It was cold! The gauge on the truck read -33F for much of the night and the mushers looked frosted as they pulled in. Hear Emily Schwing’s report to hear Aliy and Martin Buser talking about the cold out on the river.

As the Red Team pulled into the checkpoint they were pretty keen to continue down the trail, they were barking and yelling, letting everyone know they had arrived. Scooter, Outlaw and Schmoe are the loudest trio out there and Mac has a pretty good voice also. They settled down quickly, however, once the straw was down and, as not too many teams were there yet, got a good rest.

Aliy starts her arrival routine in Manley while a veterinarian checks over the team

The vet team was quickly onto task and very thoroughly checked ever dog. I watched for a while and saw them checking hydration levels, mobility of joints, feet, general overall condition and, I’m sure many other things not discernible to a layman watching from afar. They also make sure to check in with the musher if they have any concerns and give advice as necessary.

Aliy said everyone was doing great! They camped well and the trail was hard and fast. She will stick to her race plan regardless of what others around her are doing. It’s a plan that suits SPK dogs and could be quite different to what other teams are doing.

After completing her routine which includes snacking the dogs with poultry skins and meat, removing booties, making a dog meal, covering everyone with fleece jackets/throws and piling straw on top of them, Aliy trekked to the school hall to get a nap and warm up herself. She said she felt much more refreshed after a quick nap. We got a nap also and when we woke the sun was just coming up. It was a gorgeous sight!

The sun rises over Manley as Aliy feeds her team mates

The sounds of Manley checkpoint were interesting also. Small bush planes taking off from the runway not far from the checkpoint, Martin Buser whistling a merry tune, dog teams arriving and leaving… it slowly came more alive as the sun got higher.

Once it was daylight we could get a better look around the checkpoint. The parking spots for the teams were spacious and well laid out with ready access to the exit trail for all teams. Warm water from the Manley Hot Springs was available to the mushers for dog food water. It was clear a lot of work had gone into setting it up and it was noticed and much appreciated.

The Black Team

The Black Team resting in Manley

Allen arrived as Aliy was completing her exit routine so he was able to see her off. This time the yahoos settled into their straw very quickly so will have their routine down soon. That is one of the big lessons for youngsters is to learn how important it is to rest and to take the opportunity seriously. They had a snack, got their booties removed and settled into a sleep in the warmth of the day – it had warmed up considerably since the overnight lows. They looked so blissful stretched out on their straw beds in the sun.

Boondocks and Beemer cuddle in for a nap, Lester and Viper cozy sleeping

Allen said that on the hard and fast trail he had to keep is foot on the drag mat and/or brake for much of the run to keep the speed down. On a cold night that makes it difficult for a musher to stay warm as they are not ski-poling, “pedalling” (kicking, like you would on a scooter) or running, which keeps the blood pumping.

Allen stopped into the checkpoint at the Manley Hot Springs Hall for three bowls of chunky chicken soup before heading to the school hall for a couple hour nap. When he returned he fed the team their big meal, packed his sled and dressed and bootied his team. He said goodbye to Olivia then and jumped on the runners to head for Tanana. He was carrying straw and I saw from the tracker that they stopped about half-way for a couple hours break.

Commando: “Hey Driver, dude, check out that team over there… What? We weren’t doing anything…

I asked Allen about his overall race plan was in terms of rest for the team and he said they will rest frequently in the early stages with the idea of being able to test them a little further into the race. He has a wonderful way with young teams and knows how far to push before backing off and making it too hard on them.

Once the Black Team left Manley we then high-tailed back to the kennel and will now follow the teams by tracker, Insider videos and media reports. It will be hard for us to not see them in person (in dog?) for a while.