CB300: Chistochina

Allen and the team arrived into the Chistochina checkpoint at the Red Eagle Lodge at 13:06 for a run-time of 2 hours 46 minutes. They were the first team to arrive.

As the first team, they had their pick of parking spots. It is quite a science and art in getting the best parking spot – away from other teams so the dogs rest easier, close to the amenities of the checkpoint for water to make the dog meal, close to the exit trail for easy embarkment on the next leg but not too far away from the check-out spot the mushers have to sign-out at before they leave. You can see from this screen shot of the zoomed in tracker that team #11 were in their “usual” spot away from the hustle-bustle of the other teams.

Allen said the trail was fast with one spot of ice/glaciation that could have caused some difficulty but the dogs negotiated it well. With low snow cover it was quite rough in parts but the dogs didn’t mind that one bit!

Allen’s checkpoint routine is well-honed after many years of racing. Once the team is parked he’ll start with a snack for the dogs of frozen meat or fish then get the straw down for the dogs to sleep asap. He’ll then remove booties and give them sleeping jackets/blankets if they need it – they are already wearing their cold-weather insulated coats so the might be quite comfortable in those especially as it is “the heat of the day” right now. He’ll also see to feet and muscles that need massaging so they can settle into a restful sleep as quickly as possible. Allen will then boil water in his fuel powered cooker to soak kibble and meat snacks ready for the dogs’ big meal, fed about 1-1.5 hours before they leave the checkpoint. He leaves the kibble soaking in a cooler while he repacks his sled with supplies ready for the next leg. Only after all that will he fix himself a meal – likely a freeze-dried meal or frozen seam-sealed “proper” meal and catch some rest.

Remember in this race, right up until the last checkpoint, it is the cumulative run times that will indicate the leader, not necessarily the first into a checkpoint. Once I get more data about other teams’ run times I can share a ‘leaderboard’ with you.