RED TEAM
Since leaving Willow Lake Aliy rested her team for a quick regroup after about four hours then continued on to Skwentna checkpoint where they rested for 3.5 hours. The quick stop was on her schedule and she took straw with her for that purpose. After the excitement of the day this was intended to let the dogs just calm down a little, have a few snacks and rest.
At Skwentna they came off the Yentna River, hop onto the Skwentna River for a time then took a mostly uphill trail, over a few other lakes to Finger Lake. Finger Lake isn’t a resupply checkpoint so Aliy would have taken all her supplies for the trip from Skwentna checkpoint.
Once through Skwentna the team climbed up a ridge and ravine then drop down via the Happy River Steps, before climbing back up to the Rainy Pass checkpoint. The Iditarod website has some very detailed trail notes from Don Bowers Jnr for each section of the trail. This is what he says about the Happy River Steps:
About nine miles from Finger Lake, it’s time to slow down and get things under control. The trail will start dropping down the benches toward the Happy River gorge. Watch for some abrupt downhills with sharp turns in this descending section. The trail will be narrow and very twisting through some big timber. You may see a couple of the Iditarod’s now-famous yellow diamond highway warning signs that say either “Dangerous Trail Conditions Ahead” or “Watch your Ass!” When you see one of these signs, your first move should be to stomp on the brake and see what you’re about to get into, and then move forward very cautiously.
After a mile or so of dropping down toward the valley and zigzagging through the forest, you’ll plunge down a short but very steep hill; directly in front of you will be one of the warning signs and the trail will vanish over the edge of what looks like a cliff. It is a cliff. This is the entrance to the Happy River Steps. Stop the dogs at the top, say your prayers, revise your will, and then see how gently you can get the dogs to creep down the hill. Of course, you will be standing on your brake for all you’re worth.
You can check out more of these trail notes from the trail map – click on the leg in blue for more details.
Right now they have completed The Steps and are starting their climb up to Rainy Pass.
It is always a relief to see the team get to the Happy River!
Here is a video from 2011 Aliy took as they rode through the Steps:
BLACK TEAM
Allen and the Black Team are on a quite different schedule from the Red Team, as you would expect. They stopped for one hour at Yentna, after about four hours of running. They then ran to Skwentna and rested four hours at the checkpoint. They have been resting in Finger Lake since around 8am this morning.
With an inexperienced team you will see Allen resting more frequently and for longer periods, especially in the early part of the race, to get the crazy kids into a routine. The first few stops we expect some of the youngsters wouldn’t have rested well but it won’t take them long to figure out what they are supposed to do!
Woohoo! Red team survived the steps and are still moving!
🙂
Glad to see Aliy was with the first Teams to encounter the Steps before trail conditions deteriorate due to all the sled breaking! Hope Allen and the mature dogs on the Black Team can ease them down the Steps when it comes their turn!
Go SPK Red and Black!
I love the rerun 2011 steps video. Here’s Aliy, camera in hand coaching her team down the treacherous steps, right past the II crew waiting at the bottom to film the crashes. Sorry to disappoint you guys! LOL
Woohoo indeed – not sure this was the year, but I can recall being so frightened just watching the descent along the switchbacks I could almost feel the birch tree limbs going “whack” on my own face…
Thanks for the memories!!!
GO RED TEAM!!! GO BLACK TEAM!!!
WOOF WOOF WOOF
Is that Tugboat in wheel? Missing that sweetheart.
That was always one of my favorite Aliy Cam videos. It must be fun to be a wheel dog going down the Steps – I would want to go faster to escape the sled barreling down on my rear end! Go Tatfish!
Thanks a bunch with this great video of the steps! Much Appreciated. Go
Red & Black!
Thank you for the video of the Happy River Steps!! Go Red and Black Teams!
I remember a second video, a later year, where she had it attached to the sled, I think. This one conveys the incredible steep descent, but that one conveyed how truly amazing she handles that section of the trail. Then I remember around that same time, the Insider team was taking videos of mushers coming down the steepest section and they got her – absolutely beautiful as she and the team went by.
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I am just so thrilled to see so many youngsters on the Black team this year. I have said it before, I know, but I find it exciting that these babies are going on such a great adventure.