It’s 8.30pm. Feeling: Impatient to see the team arrive into Iditarod.
Aliy has taken a gamble! And, like any gamble in life it might work or it might not and we won’t find out until much later down the trail. A 24 hour stop in Iditarod was Aliy’s Plan A – the plan she would follow if the dogs looked great, if she felt good and if she’d set the team up with appropriate rests earlier in the race to put them in the best position to succeed. Whatever the outcome I doubt Aliy will regret making this decision as it takes away those “what ifs” when she sits and reflects after the race.
Ophir to Iditarod is a notoriously slow piece of trail with a number of hills. The Trail Notes say “This is one of the emptiest legs on the entire race, a full 90 miles of lonely country and endless trail. The trail crosses a mix of terrain and vegetation, ranging from taiga (black spruce) to barren upland tundra to thick river-bottom forests to brushy ravines and hillsides to swamps and lakes. This leg has no major problems, although are always patches of minor overflow, plenty of hills, and some potentially rough trail across the uplands. Its biggest feature is, as somebody once said of driving through Texas, miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.”
Aliy will be gambling that it is just as slow or, hopefully, slower for those behind her. Weather, trail, snow machine traffic… all will have an impact and whether it is in Aliy’s favour or not, I guess we will find out in the next 24 hours.
Takotna has been the favoured venue for her 24 for many years. As she wrote at the beginning of the season, things were going to be different this year so why not mix it up and stay somewhere else? In an Insider interview in Nikolai she signed off with “It’s a new Aliy, it a new race, with the blue jacket”. The make-up of her team (only eight of the Quest finishers), running only one team, the pre-race build up (fewer events), and her race plan have all been new this season. And, yes, she is wearing a new blue Matson coat down the trail (left).
Earlier today
At 8:09am the team of 15 left Ophir after a two hour mini-break. Aliy will have used that time to pack her sled for the 80 miles ahead and any contingency the weather might demand. She might have caught a micro-nap between her checkpoint chores. From there they all slogged through fresh sugary snow for about six hours to Don’s Cabin where they rested three(ish) hours. I asked Allen about Don’s Cabin – its about 12’x12′ and was done up in the last couple of years. There is a wood stove, two bunks and as Aliy was the only human there, plenty of space to hang gear to dry and to stretch out for a cozy nap. Allen said last year when he stopped there were at least 12 other mushers in there so it wasn’t quite so spacious. There are not a lot of trees in the area and the cabin is right on the trail.
Aliy would have enjoyed the solitude today’s run has given her. She loves nothing more than running her dogs and never feels ‘alone’ even when she’s miles from anyone else, as long as she is with her team. They are her heart and the challenge of pulling this off will be fuelling her.
As for us, it is excruciating watching, especially during that 45 minutes when her tracker wasn’t updating. We won’t sleep until she is in Iditarod.
checking in on you before I head to bed. I wish you and your beautiful team all the best Aliy … God’s speed and stay safe!
For many years I have hoped for Aliy to make a move like this and take her 24 further down the trail. And I know today’s long empty run with no cameras or tourists was just about perfect for her and the team. We are all wishing and willing you down the trail, Aliy!
Melissa – me too, although now that I write this, I can’t think of why. As Moira observed earlier, if the dogs are not too tired when they take their 24, then they have a chance to be fresh when they hit the river and Aliy has always done well on the river. Anyway, it makes it fun to see her try something new.
We are all sitting here, following things closely and wishing you the absolute best and admiring your strength, Aliy.
Thank you to the crew for keeping us updated!
LOL, yes hard on us watching by computer. Thank goodness we are nowhere near Aliy to bug her with our thoughts!!!
I imagine there might be a few times along the trek between Ophir and Iditarod where she questions the move, but I’m certain she could have taken an earlier 24 and questioned the move even more in this section.
And again I remind my self of what Aliy said about breaking trail and being in the lead. LOL I hope she’s really enjoying it!
I estimate five mushers were ahead of her when Aliy pulled into McGrath, with another three close behind. If all of them passed her at her 24 in Iditarod, it still wouldn’t be a bad trade. Hopefully her team will feel refreshed and ready to head to Nome. No matter how this shakes out, I am really proud of Aliy and her team for making this exciting move. <3
😉
We can catch up on sleep TOMORROW!
😉
Ive been cheering for you for many years. You will ALWAYS be my favorite musher. Love the raport you share with your dogs! Go Aliy!!!!
Thank you SPK Crew. Aliy you are doing an outstanding race with your dogs. Stay safe we are all so very happy for you.
She is 19 miles out of Iditarod at this check. The big “If” seems to be if the trail hardens over night enough for following teams to make better time. So far, Martin Buser seems to be at about the same speed she was in those sections. I looked at the forecast and nothing but snow after 9 a.m. for several days, mixed with rain in Shageluk. From that perspective, she may be relieved to be beyond that long stretch of trail when it begins to snow and rain again.
It is excruciating watching her slog through this. Winds are at 5 MPH, which does not seem like much, but with powder, it can drift some.
It’s been especially grueling and nerve-wrenching to follow her tracker between Ophir and Iditarod, and even more so with Buser trailing her now, but I totally love, support and respect her for the GUTSY move and all that went into staging for that move. Remain tough and determined Aliy, Mismo, Five, Dutch, Nomex, Commando, Amber, Spark, Rodney, Driver, QT, Jefe, Bruno, Decaf and Violet!!! And know that SO MANY fans and supporters are WITH you- Godspeed!!!!!!
Aliy, following you by computer from here in South Dakota. When I wake in the night I think of you and the team moving forward, always forward. Wishing you well as you make different moves this year! You have such a beautiful team. You know I love Five and have even seen him in the lead. God’s speed Aliy!
I have been poring over the Satellite images of where the trail must be between Iditarod and Shageluk. Taking the GPS tracker down to the point where I contour lines became visible allowed me to correlate the two. so I could pinpoint exactly where it crosses over the stream and heads west by north west to Shageluk.
I could become obsessive about this and feel I need to track each hillock, each stream crossing, each run along treeless areas after her 24.
Dang
She is expected in at any moment…5:35 am here in the Adirondacks…I got my cup of coffee as I watch the live feed….this ones for you Aliy!
What a day!!!
Aliy, Amber, Bruno, Commando, Dutch, Decaf, Five, Driver, Jefe, Mismo, Nomex, Rodney, QT, Spark and Violet have arrived in Iditarod!!!!
I’m so proud of them.
🙂
It appears that Aliy had one teammate riding, so I’m praying that everyone is happy and healthy.
Now it’s time for bed, maybe even sleep. But I might check the tracker in a couple hours just to make sure Aliy isn’t headed to Shaktoolik! LOL!
Sweat dreams SPK pups and Aliy. I know you have chores to to, but you also deserve a dose of rest and recovery.
Enjoy every moment of your 24!!!
so .. I can go to sleep now. Thinking good thoughts for a deep and rejuvenating rest for the SPK team, human and canine.
Change can be good and a critical key. Very best to you & team mates.
I seem to remember one other lady that made some surprising moves, many years ago.
She set out in a storm while the rest huddled down to wait it out. It seemed to be a good move as she won the Iditarod and was the first woman to do so. Another tough, smart, pretty woman. Maby Aliy will be the first to win both races.
BTW Sp Crew you do a wonderful job with the background stuff that keeps the spectators informed. Appreciate it. Sight looks really good and is easy to use. Thanks
Aliy is way ahead of everyone else! Way to go!
I hope the 24 hour rest goes well for the team.
I will always be cheering for you Aliy, you are my all time favorite musher!