Time: 9.15pm Race mile: 167
Returned Dog Update
We have just received word from Linda – our returned dog coordinator in Anchorage, that she has picked up Bruno from the vet crew at Race HQ. Aliy unfortunately had to leave him in Rainy Pass. From what I can gather, he got a bit dehydrated during the leg from Finger Lake to Rainy. He was given some fluids from the vet crew at the checkpoint as a precaution, and now he’s home, had a good meal and a little rest, he is ready to rejoin the team. Unfortunately, that’s not allowed Bruno – sorry buddy. Linda and Midnight will take good care of him and may even teach him to use the TV remote to distract him from the fact he’s not still out on the trail. Aliy must have had the vet team at Rainy Pass take him right away so he could catch a flight back this afternoon rather than wait till tomorrow. He has been rock solid all season and Aliy will really be disappointed to have benched him so early.
Linda just sent through a few pics – he does not look that happy about the situation! He’ll get to chill outdoors for a while and will head into his house at bedtime.
When I last wrote, Aliy and the team were 23 miles from Finger Lake checkpoint. They checked into there at 12.26pm and rested for almost 3.5 hours before hitting the trail towards Rainy Pass. Speaking with Allen he said normally the Happy River Steps area is one of the most technical parts of the trail but with this much snow it can make the going a lot easier. Reports in from Rainy Pass from the mushers say it was a fantastic trail from Skwentna, once they got through the deep snow section. Lance Mackey evidently said it was so good through the Steps you could almost go down them without holding on. Well, I guess if you are Lance Mackey that might be possible but for mere mortals: don’t try that at home.
Unfortunately we just missed watching Aliy and her 13-strong team leave Rainy Pass on the Insider Live Stream – but check out these pics from the feed showing the spectacular location with the alpen glow over the Alaska Range as the sun went down. The Lodge on Puntilla Lake is set within the Range with mountains around 270 degrees – just gorgeous!
The wind started to pick up in the area and the Pass acts as a wind tunnel between the north and south sides of the Alaska Range. They will be running into a headwind as they climb up then down through the technical Dalzell Gorge.
Describing the trail ahead of Aliy, Allen said it was a gorgeous time of day to travel it while it was still a little bit light. The views are spectacular as they are above the tree line and teams run up and down some rolling hills before they get to the Pass proper. Tonight the mushers will have the ‘Super Moon’ to help guide their way.
If you zoom into the tracker map on ‘Outdoor’ view you’ll see the contour lines of the peaks either side of them.
Today we shipped the spare sled out to Unalakleet. Rule 15 in the race rules allows mushers to use three sleds during the course of the race without penalty so Aliy has one shipped to the hub at ‘Unk’ in case something unforseen occurs and she needs parts off the spare, or to swap it out completely. Thanks to race sponsor Northern Air Cargo for shipping it for us.
I’m more than a little bummed Bruno got dehydrated.
I hope everyone else is doing better, especially Aliy.
It’s good to see Bruno is feeling good enough to not appreciate the rest,
and nice to see Aliy has an extra sled if she needs.
Thank you Linda and Northern Air Cargo.
Looks like Aliy got Nic moving.
About 15 miles left to Rohn.
Ohhhh Bruno! That’s just sad. I hope they spoil you at home. Go Aliy! So glad the steppes were good.
Bruno does not look happy at all! Sorry to hear he had to leave the team but glad he is being taken care of on the “bench”. Maybe he will discover it’s not so bad getting all the extra attention! Love the pictures of Rainy Pass….simply gorgeous!
I’m so sorry Bruno!! I know both he and Aliy are disappointed he had to stay behind.
The view Rainy Pass is so beautiful!! I wish I could have seen Aliy there through the live stream-unfortunately, I must have missed them.
Go Aliy!! I’m glad the trail has been good so far!
Bruno has definitely been rock solid this season! Good job Bruno! Sorry you don’t get to finish, but the bright side is you get to be pampered now. The Beautiful Rainy Pass pics. I need to watch that video before I head to work. Go Aliy and team!
I was lucky enough to see Aliy leave Rainey Pass check point on the Insider live. It was so cool with the sun going down and the mountains lit up. I can spot that team anywhere! So sorry about Bruno, but we know Aliy is always thinking dog first. Go Red Team!
Sorry to hear Bruno had hydration crisis just at the wrong time – he’s a gorgeous guy, and he’s now on the bench with so many other big boys…GO RED TEAM YOU CAN DO IT – WOOF WOOF WOOF
By the way, noting what others may have already done, other teams have had to drop dogs, too.
Nice to hear that the snow made Happy River Steps a walk in the park (if you are Lance Mackey).
Just noting that the field is divided in four right now – 1)the lead pack, 2)then the teams racing to catch them and close behind 3)a much larger pack including Red Team, not out of touch yet, and 4)the fourth group who have not kept the pace (the largest bunch).
I know that Aliy is just waiting to make her move, or should I say, she is strategically waiting until the right moment, as the Red Team is just chomping on the bit, just waiting for their boss to let them run!!!!
Sorry you had to leave Bruno … dogs first!!💕