CB300: Into Point Lodge

Aliy and team arrived into The Point Lodge checkpoint at 6:57pm local time. Their run time was 8 hours 33 mins. Big ups to the handler crew for being ready to roll as soon as they arrived, given that the didn’t know where they were on the GPS tracker.

The theme for this leg was: “Old School”. Karolyn, Ryan and Lisa had to go old school hander as Aliy’s tracker did not start working at all during the first leg so they had no idea where they were or when they would arrive. The crew just had to keep an eye out for them and be ready whenever they got there. Luckily, The Point Lodge has a good view out over the lake and they could see mushers coming so didn’t have to wait outside the entire time. There were a few other teams in the same boat but the officials will get the trackers working, or replace them so we can follow along for the remainder of the race. A reminder that, as with most things, the trackers don’t particularly like extreme cold so you might see some anomalies now and again.

Once the team arrived, Karolyn found them a great parking spot further away from Lodge and therefore away from the hustle and bustle that inevitably comes at the first checkpoint. The priority will be letting the dogs get a good rest and Aliy won’t mind walking a little extra distance to get water and get herself inside.

Aliy’s checkpoint routine is pretty well honed after so many years of racing. First priority was to get straw down for the dogs to start digging in for a rest, get booties off and get some quick calories into them by way of poultry skin and other fatty meat snacks. Aliy then took time to check feet and joints and tucked the dogs in under fleece blankets, then left them for a few hours to sleep. While they are sleeping, Aliy has started preparing a big meal for them to eat upon waking. She mixes high fat, high protein kibble with meat and skins and hot water. It is really really important to keep the athletes, canine and human, well hydrated as even though it is cold it is VERY DRY. The dogs will get their hydration from the water Aliy adds to the meal. She is also repacking her sled and changing runner plastics before coming inside herself to get something to eat, warm up and maybe try to catch some rest herself. Aliy will then head back out to the dogs 1-1.5 hours before leaving to feed the dogs, redress them and go!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Here are some pics of the Lodge earlier in the day and you’ll see the great views it affords of the Lake.

More soon!