Allen still has 14 Black Team members with him as their hit the trail from White Mountain. They left right on time at 6am this morning.
Quito, Lester, Nacho, Amber, Champ, Chena, Driver, Iron, Junior, Lydia, Sissy, Spark, Tinder and Violet are on their way to Nome with Chica and Nomex cheering them on from Knik.
Today between visits to the dog yard and making preparations for their arrival, we’ll be watching the tracker and willing them here as fast as they can go. We expect them between 3pm and 4pm this afternoon.
Woohoo! Allen has 14 team mates into White Mountain!!
They pulled in at exactly 10pm this evening and will get to leave for Nome at 6am. All going according to plan we might see them at between 3pm and 4pm tomorrow afternoon. We are beyond excited to see them.
Even though we haven’t posted much about them today we have definitely been keeping a close eye on the Tracker and Standings to see how they are progressing. We are very excited that Allen and the team might be home a day earlier than normal!
Allen is still running a string of 14 dogs which is amazing. He has 56 feet to booty, 14 dinners to prepare and 28 ears to scratch so he has been working hard to get the team along the trail. Okay, so the ear scratching isn’t really “work” as such.
Allen’s daughter Bridgett has taken a snow machine and some friends along the trail to White Mountain to see them. I put the video camera in her pocket before she left so we might get some footage if it is not too dark to capture anything.
RETURNED DOG UPDATE
Felix arrived into Anchorage this evening and is enjoying some time with Linda. Aliy told us that Felix was a conservative drop – he was starting to develop a runny belly and was not eating so well. The trail up the coast can be challenging especially if a dog isn’t feeling 100% so she left him in Unalakleet.
We still do not have Clyde home and understand he is still in Unalakleet waiting for a flight to Anchorage.
After leaving the house early this morning Chris, Karolyn and I set up the dog lot for our buddies. We set out the kennels, stuffed them full of straw and laid out warm blankets and fleece throws. We had some beef and salmon snacks thawed and soaked kibble with meat chunks standing by.
The rest of the crew drove out at the road crossing where the teams come off the Nome-Council Road onto the Baring Sea ice about five miles out of town to silently cheer them on. Barbara got these amazing shots of the team in the sunrise.
Hearing the siren was such a relief and it summonsed everyone outside to watch the team come up Front Street. A State Trooper sits at the bottom of the street and sets the flashing lights going on his vehicle as the teams come up onto the road from the sea so we get a few minutes to enjoy watching them come towards us.
The cheers started as the crowd acknowledged and appreciated what Aliy and the dogs has just achieved. The well known “Aliy! Aliy! Aliy!” chant broke out as they crossed under the arch.
Aliy had Mismo and Scout in lead, Scruggs and Dutch in swing, Willie and Chemo, Izzy and Chipper, Kodiak and Waylon, Schmoe, then Sandy and Commando. They were very animated as they came up the chute, looking around at all the supporters and looking pretty proud of themselves.
The very first thing Aliy did was go down the line of her mates to thank and praise each of them and she sought out her Mom and Dad then each of us for a hug. She had her mandatory gear checked and officially signed into the checkpoint when a scrum of reporters gathered around her to get their pictures, videos and words. I caught some of what she said:
“It was really hard this year, really hard. Physically and emotionally but I guess that’s life itself. People have been really supportive. When people go through stuff in their life, which everyone does, I can count on myself and my dogs, so that’s kinda what I did.
Then Alaska talked back, and every checkpoint I went through everyone was so supportive. I couldn’t just be with myself, turned out I was with everyone!
I moved them [the dogs] around; everyone was a slacker once in a while, every dog was a great dog once in a while, every dog got a little chiding from me once in a while, and a “good dog”. I was the same way, I was a slacker too. It just got to show you that a team… I kept thinking about my team, there were no “All Stars”, no-one I really pressed, but they all came through at different times and I guess that what I really wanted… and we did it!”
Race Marshall Mark Nordman congratulates Aliy; Formally checking in to the checkpoint
Scout and Mismo care more about the beef than the lens
Aliy spent a little time thanking her supporters and shaking some hands before Mickey, Doug, Kaz, Sam and Barbara whisked her home for some eggs, coffee, a shower then bed. We won’t hear form her for a few hours!
Meanwhile, the vet team was waiting for us once we got the dogs to the dog lot and we stripped them (the dogs) of their harnesses and jackets for their thorough exam. With so many vets involved it was a really quick process and we were able to get them dressed in fresh jackets, fed their dinner and into bed within about 20 minutes. Every dog got their feet massaged as they settled in for a snooze in the sun and just as we left we covered them all in their blankets to make them extra cozy.
Thank you to the lovely ladies that gave us the roses! I am so sorry I didn’t get your names but they are absolutely gorgeous and Aliy will present them to her team when she next goes down to see them. They deserve winners’ roses even if they didn’t cross the line first.
There are a bunch of great photos from Jeff Schultz and the Insider video on the Iditarod website, pictures and videos we have been tagged in on Facebook, and several news agencies have covered Aliy’s arrival.
Check out KTUU, ADN, KNOM and, I’m sure, many others.
She even got a news banner on the Today Show (right)! Thanks Tiffany for capturing the moment.
Before we left the dog lot we snapped a few pictures. They are not moving much today.
Scout relaxes in the sun
Schmoe enjoys breakfast in bed while Dutch dozes off
Mismo is gone; Chemo is still awake for some loving words
Chipper decided to forego the kennel and sleep outside; Scruggs looks peaceful
Willie and Izzy curl up in identical poses
That’s Waylon under there; Commando tried to stay awake but… just… couldn’t… do it
Kodiak couldn’t decide between more kisses or more sleep; Sandy was the last dog still up
The team will be very safe, secure and looked over 24 hours a day until they fly home. The Dog Lot is manned by wonderful officials and volunteers and we know they will keep a keen eye on them. We will visit several times a day to feed them, massage them and just to chat with them.
Bummer about the live video stream being down for the Red Team finish, but they’ve posted the replay and show the team looking great as a large crowd cheers them in!
No matter what, Aliy always has a smile and wave for her fans, especially the young woman in the front row wearing a bright red SPK beanie!
Aliy gave the media their due, with some heartfelt and introspective comments. She said every dog had its ups and downs during the race, but they all came together as a team. After a pause she added, “So did I.”
Just before leaving the burled arch finish line area, Aliy posed with Scout and Mismo, her main lead dogs for this fantastic race.
Now, as promised, all the dogs are in their beds, ready for nice longs sleeps and tender loving care… Good dawgs!!!
That’s all I’ve got to share for now. Moira will post at length once things have settled down. We’re also anxious to see Allen and the Black Team take their turn crossing the finish line… Go SPK!
“Superman wears Aliy Zirkle pyjamas.” Someone wrote that on Facebook a few days ago and I think it is fitting.
I believe, if she could, Aliy would wear Scout, Chemo, Chipper, Clyde, Commando, Dutch, Felix, Izzy, Kodiak, Mac, Mismo, Sandy, Schmoe, Scruggs, Waylon and Willie pyjamas!
I can’t begin to tell you how proud we are right now.
Now that the team is nearing Safety we will soon head down to the dog yard to set up the kennels with straw and blankets, thaw out some salmon and prepare dinner for the dogs. Then we wait, we circle, we pace and we wait some more at finish line to greet our heroes under the burled arch. We expect the reception will be HUGE and somewhat overwhelming for her after days and days of being out there with just her team to focus on.
We will take some time to get her and the team situated and I will get something to you as soon as possible. In the meantime I will leave you in the very capable hands of Macgellan to see them over the line. There is sure to be a Iditarod Live feed and some pictures on the Iditarod website so keep an eye on that also.
The normal series of events once they cross the line is we take the team down to the dog lot, just a couple hundred yards away, where they get a thorough veterinary examination then we give them a tasty meal, a rub down and warm coats and blankets to sleep in straw stuffed kennels. We take a change of clothes and some food for Aliy and get her home as quickly as possible to sleep.
Thanks for coming on this ride with us! More soon…
Aliy, with all 13 team mates, has left White Mountain on the final run to Nome. They are currently in third position.
Run, run, run like the wind, we can’t wait to see you!
We might expect them to cover the 75 miles to Nome in around 9-10 hours so we could be looking at a daybreak finish for the team – but this all depends on the trail, the weather, the dogs and that random “anything can happen” factor.
Who’s sleeping tonight?
The Trail Notes say: “The trail leaves White Mountain on the Fish River for about three miles, and then leaves the river to cut overland to the southwest, crossing low, rolling tundra and several streams before reaching the Klokerblok River. It runs up the river and across some low ridges, and then crosses into the drainage of the Topkok River.
The trail then turns west and climbs over a series of barren ridges to a 400-foot saddle just northwest of Topkok Head, overlooking the coast. It then descends sharply to the beach, reaching the Nome Kennel Club shelter cabin at the foot of the hill, 30 miles from White Mountain.
For the next 12 miles the trail runs along or just behind the dune line and the “driftwood line” on the shore. This stretch is wide open and is subject to winds of more than 80 miles an hour from the north, as well as blinding whiteouts. The trail will join the Nome-to-Council road (not plowed in the winter) at the Bonanza Ferry bridge and then follow it for the last 12 miles to Safety.
The trail usually follows the Nome-to-Council road from Safety to just past Cape Nome, then cuts down to the beach and generally parallels the road (crossing it a couple of times enroute). The trail finally climbs up the seawall at the east end of Front Street for the last ten blocks to the burled arch.
Trail conditions on this leg can range from excellent to abysmal, and usually include glare ice, overflow, drifted snow, bare tundra, sand, and exposed gravel on the road.”
Mushing into the sunset. This photo was take less than 20 miles from the Finish Line in (I think) 2013. The frozen ocean is on the left. The bluff on the right is Cape Nome – which is the final climb before the finish. Aliy said at the time “This is often a very emotional time on the race… especially with a sunset like this one!”. This year she will have the sunrise behind her and the emotions will, no doubt, be very mixed.
BLACK TEAM
Allen still has 14 team mates and they just pulled into Koyuk after the 50 mile run from Shaktoolik and will likely stay a few hours. Although a six hour rest is about what he’s been giving the team at each stop, don’t be too surprised if he stays 9-10 hours here. We’re getting pretty excited to see them soon.
Thanks to Kim for pointing out this fantastic video from KTUU about Quito! Check it out – it’s a really nice story and made us all tear up a little.
Waylon, Waylon, Waylon… What to say about Waylon? He’s a superstar and fairly well known for not looking like a superstar sled dog. He is small, lean and has a short coat and antenna ears but thinks he is the King of the World. Quite rightly so, he is confident in himself, a little cocky and has a swagger about him. Right now he is in White Mountain, resting before his final push towards Nome with Aliy and his other team mates on his 5th Iditarod.
As Allen has just left Shaktoolik, John is the winner of the Shak Drop Bag signed by Allen, plus a few other kennel goodies.
NOTE: We have had a bunch of new Dog Fan Club members in the last couple days and I haven’t quite managed to get all your names up on the Fan Club Cards but you are all in the draw! Thank you so much for your support for our best friends.
Click the button below for instructions on how to join:
Click this button below to take you directly to the Dog Fan Page.
