SPK Dog Log

It’s midnight Monday night.

RED TEAM UPDATE

At 8.43pm this evening, Aliy and the Red Team pulled in to Koyuk checkpoint in eighth position. They will have a good rest here.

There is a whole series of incredible pictures from Jeff Schultz on the Iditarod website showing the Red Team coming in to Koyuk checkpoint just as the sun was setting this evening. Check them out here!

Spark has been promoted to leader now, he is running with his older brother Dutch. The two blue eyed girls: Junior and Amber in swing, Iron and Mismo, Izzy and Driver, Commando and Felix, and Rodney and Schmoe in wheel. You can see she is really mixing the team around to keep it fresh for them.

I don’t know about you, but the Insider video of Aliy in Shaktoolik sure made us smile, laugh and then cry. She said she wouldn’t trade her team for the world, despite not being where she might have wanted to be in the race. The love that Aliy and Allen feel for their dogs always rises above everything. I know a lot of you have also been touched by that video, it really is special.

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Just a couple hours later, at 11.15pm, Allen and the Black Team pulled in to Unalakleet. They stopped for about four hours hours at Old Woman cabin with a bunch of other teams and it looks like they will rest a wee while here also.

Just as I was lamenting that we never see pictures of the teams further back, Jeff Schultz has published two great pics of the Black Team leaving Kaltag. Check them out here. We have poured over the photos to see who might be missing but we’re not 100% sure so will wait until it is confirmed.

In the meantime, we have been enjoying a few blue sky days in Nome. During Iditarod week there are many and varied events on in town. Today a few of us went to a National Park Service lecture about musk ox – there are two herds that live just outside Nome so later we went out looking for them. We may have spotted them on the hills below the wind turbines, but then again they may have been rocks. We’re not certain.

We visited the craft fair with local artists sharing their work with us. Our first visit was just for reconnisance, we will visit again later on in the week for sure! You can find out what else is on this week here.

Another important event happened today: the assembly of the finishing chute on Front Street.

Here are a few pictures from around the area today.

Searching for musk ox

One of the many gold dredges in the area

I don’t think this picture needs a caption

Nome-Teller Highway

While everyone has been concentrating on the racing season, Quito and Clyde’s pups have been growing up fast! Right now, they are almost 8 months old and ready to take on the world. Here is a quick overview of each.

Gold is just as stout as his dad, with a nice thick golden coat to match. He is going to be pretty big, and already weighs more than some of our smaller adults. With his endless confidence and energy, I can’t wait to see him run on a team.

Prada is a sassy little ball of fuzz. When she isn’t growling at her brother, she is jumping around telling everyone how great she is. Like her half sister Chipper, her attitude is much bigger than her body. It might take some time to teach her about teamwork, but she has no shortage of enthusiasm. She has been a lot of fun to work with!

Bronze is a bit more shy and reserved than her brother and sister, but she has a beautiful long body. She probably has the best build of the three, and has proven herself to be intelligent and aware. It is hard to tell how a pup will act on a team, but Bronze has the potential to be a fast and reliable lead dog.

At this point, we have given each pup a couple walks in harness, and they immediately figured out the basics. Although they haven’t been out on a team yet, they have been watching the adults run for months and get very excited whenever we come near them with a harness. Right now, we are planning to start running them on a team as soon as we get back from Nome. Puppies are a whole lot of fun to train, and these three have an incredible amount of energy. The hard part is keeping that energy pointed in the right direction.

I can’t wait to see what they can do!

– Chris

Gold, Bronze and Prata

It’s 2.30pm Monday afternoon

RETURNED DOG UPDATE

Champ was the team mate that Aliy left in Unalakleet with a sore wrist. He will be making his way back to Anchorage in the next few days and in the meantime will enjoy the care and attention of all the volunteers in the checkpoint.

We are so very proud of Champ for what he has achieved this season and what he has contributed to the team for 700 miles. He really stepped up like a Champ!

We appreciate your patience as we are still waiting to find out who it was Allen left behind in Huslia. With teams outside the top 10-20 we get to see very little by way of photos or video so it is impossible for us to figure out who is missing from the line. We likely won’t know who it was until he or she arrives back in Anchorage. We will let you know as soon as we get that information.

RED TEAM UPDATE

Aliy and her 12 team mates left Shaktoolik towards Koyuk. She and Ray Reddington Jnr have been running near each other for a while and that looks to continue in this leg. An insider video of the team arriving into the checkpoint shows Dutch and Commando in lead, Sparkie and Mismo running together in swing, Junior and Iron, Driver and Izzy, Amber and Felix with Rodney and Schmoe in wheel. We saw Aliy was frosted so obviously the temperatures have dropped a little now they are on the coast.

The trail from Shaktoolik to next checkpoint of Koyuk takes the teams travel over the sea ice. This is where Aliy famously (infamously?) camped during the race last year. If you’ve never seen the video of that it is one of the classics! Check it out here from March 13, 2016.

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Allen and 15 mates are travelling along the portage trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet. There are two cabins along that piece of trail that are often frequented by mushers: Tripod Flats, about 35 miles from Kaltag and Old Woman Cabin, 15 miles later. We are guessing he will stop the team at Old Woman but we’re never really sure what Allen is doing until he has done it so we will wait and see.

Its 7.30am Monday morning.

RED TEAM UPDATE

Aliy and 12 team mates are making their way up the coast towards Shaktoolik checkpoint after spending four hours in Unlakleet. She left one mate in the checkpoint to return to our Anchorage crew. We’ll let you know as soon as we can who it is. Current standings have them in seventh position!

Aliy will be enjoying this section of trail. She loves the Blueberry Hills section – here are a couple of “Aliy Cams” from last year when she and her team ran through the area. They will be climbing up to the 1000 mile summit right at this moment.

Blueberry Hills

South of Shaktoolik

There isn’t a lot else to tell you at this point – they are about 25 miles from SHAK and we will look out for videos once they arrive. Check out Don Bowers description of this section of trail.

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Overnight, the Black Team made their way through Nulato, taking a short break for a couple of hours, and have been stopped in Kaltag for around 2.5 hours at the time of writing. We will expect them to stay at least another couple of hours before hitting the portage trail towards UNK.

Remember to support Aliy’s Lead On! campaign. By donating, you support grassroots, youth-empowered education and projects in local Alaskan communities. To find out more and how to donate go to andvsa.org. All moneys donated during March, April and May will go towards helping children from the villages along the Iditarod Trail attend the Lead On! Conference in November.

Congrats to Erin who is a fan of Spark and Joanne Bechaz and Denali who are fans of Daisy

Spark is currently on his way to Shaktoolik checkpoint with the Red Team. He is a fun dog to have on any team as he works hard but is such a goof. He’s very affectionate to those that he knows and Aliy will be enjoying having him out there with her.

Daisy was meant to go on the Iditarod this year. She made the Black Team for the Yukon Quest as she’d had an excellent season up till then but she hurt her right back leg at Pelly Crossing checkpoint. Unfortunately it didn’t heal in time for her to make the team. She could have gone but it was a soft tissue injury and had it been aggravated again in this race it may have become a more serious and long-term problem. So, she had to sit it out again this year and she’s not that happy about it.

You both win a signed Iditarod poster plus a photo print portrait of your dog along with a few other kennel goodies. We hope you enjoy your packets!

Keep an eye out for the next random draw. Everyone who has joined by the time of the draw and hasn’t already won will be in to win!

Click the button below for more information about how to join:

Click this button to take you directly to the Dog Fan Page.

It’s 10pm Sunday night.

RED TEAM UPDATE

Aliy and the Red Team have about 25 miles to go before hitting the western coast of Alaska at the village of Unlakleet.

Earlier today they camped 15 miles outside Kaltag on the trail and we are expecting them to stay in Unk for a few hours.

The latest “Run Dog Run” video from the Insider has some great shots of the Red Team. I took a few screen shots but it really is fun to see them moving and perking up their ears when they notice the photographer.

There was a news snippet on KTVA showing the team coming through Nulato. The ADN also ran a story and shows a great picture of Aliy receiving a packet of pictures drawn by the children of Nulato (click on the red links to take you to the stories).

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Right now Allen and his 15-strong team are on the trail towards Nulato, having spent six hours in Koyukuk resting during the heat of the day. We expect them to blow through the checkpoint.

We are imagining Allen enjoying himself immensely with this team.

This year he has fewer “yahoos” on his team than usual and has a lot of experience with him. He’ll enjoy being able to coach his inexperienced team mates: Scooby, Hotshot and Five, and get back-up from the likes of Scout, Willie, Waylon, “Big O” and Scooter. Scooter has always been a team cheerleader and the closing stages of the race will benefit from her enthusiasm. Chipper and Lydia will be exhibiting their feisty personalties at every chance! Nomex, Chena and Tinder are an interesting trio for him, all three were close to making the Red Team so this run will only strengthen their abilities ready for next season. Chemo, Outlaw and Clyde were also close to getting on the Red Team so are very strong, talented and experienced members of his team. The run/rest schedule he is following allows him to get more sleep when he camps than in the Quest, and he’ll be delighted with the speeds his team has been able to keep to so far.

NOTE: we still don’t know who he left behind in Huslia, we are hoping whoever it is will get back to Anchorage tomorrow or the next day. We’ll keep you posted.

We found this great pic of the Black Team resting in Galena with Outlaw keeping watch in this article by Zachariah Hughes with KNOM radio in Nome.

Check out our post-Yukon Quest/pre-Iditarod edition of the Howler! Yes, a little late but I guess better late than never.

In it we review the Yukon Quest and YQ300 where our teams finished 3rd and 2nd respectively.

We preview the upcoming Iditarod and tell you a little about the route the teams will be taking from Fairbanks to Nome.

Click on the picture on the right to take you to a PDF version of the Howler.

Hope you enjoy it!

It’s 9.45 Sunday morning.

RED TEAM UPDATE

The Red Team pulled through Kaltag at around 9am this morning. They made the run from Koyukuk in six hours, 48 minutes hours stopping in Nulato only long enough for Aliy to grab her “to go” bag of supplies and get back on the trail.

Aliy then spent 20 minutes in Kaltag packing her sled ready for a camping trip along the portage trail. The standings show the Red Team as being in sixth place as they left but they will be stopping soon and teams behind them will pass. We will be seeing lots of leap frogging now as the run/rest schedules of the teams are so different and out of synch.

Now that the trail is back on a “normal” route we can follow along with Don Bowers Jnr’s trail notes to give you an idea about what to look out for on the trail. the quick overview of the trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet says “This leg follows the ancient Kaltag portage, a relatively straight valley angling southwest through the coastal mountains; the route has been used for millennia by Natives. It is normally a well-used snowmachine highway. It marks the major transition from the inland river environment to the Bering Sea coast. Conditions can be vastly different at opposite ends of the portage, and wind is a constant threat on the western half.“

Here’s a video Aliy took last year when the team camped between Kaltag and Unalakleet. This will give you an idea of the views they will enjoy as they mush through the area later today. Last year the conditions at this point were also pretty warm as you will see the dogs were perfectly content to lay in the snow with their coats on.

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Allen has broken the run from Huslia to Koyukuk into roughly half and camped on the trail for about six hours. They only just hit the trail again and shot out from their camp spot at 9.6 miles per hour. They will be enjoying the sunrise on the run into the next checkpoint.

It’s 11.30pm Saturday night.

RED TEAM UPDATE

Aliy and the Red Team are currently resting in Koyukuk. They arrived just after 8pm and we expect 4-6 hours rest here.

She pulled into the checkpoint with Mismo and Junior in lead, Spark and Dutch in swing, Commando and Iron, Izzy and Driver, Amber, Schmoe and Rodney, Champ and Felix. We have concluded that it was Kodiak that she left in Huslia but we don’t know why at this point.

Mismo and Junior lead the team into Koyukuk

You can see just how warm it is in the video with several of the dogs running without their jackets and Aliy with only her red beanie and one neck gator.

Formally signing into Koyukuk

We also see that Aliy has attached one of the Head-lites glowing collars to her sled. She will be lit up like a Christmas tree tonight.

Remember when I mentioned that at some points through the race we watch inch-by-inch and minute-by-minute of the tracker. The next leg is one of those times. Thanks to everyone that is doing that right alongside us.

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Allen and 15 team mates left Huslia almost exactly as the Red Team pulled into Koyukuk, after resting nearly seven hours. He has left one team mate behind to be returned to our Anchorage team of Linda and Margie. As you are sick of me saying by now, at this stage we don’t know who he has left so will have to wait and see until he or she arrives back to Headquarters. This info can take a few days and there’s not much we can do to hurry it along.

They are currently 25 miles outside of Huslia and we expect them to camp along the trail at some point. Allen may break it into half with two 45-odd miles runs like he did the Galena-Huslia stretch or go a little further, blow through Koyukuk and head straight for Nulato. Or he may choose another option – I really don’t know.

The stretch they are currently on has been slow for everyone and with the temperatures rising we are presuming the trail is getting soft and slow. Jessie Royer described that part of the trail as having a thin crust on top like an eggshell and once it’s broken through it doesn’t have much of a base. It’s possible it may “set up” overnight in the cooler temperatures and make it easier going.

RETURNED DOG UPDATE

Woody and Violet are now with Margie at her kennel in Knik. It is a beautiful spot there and they get to have their own space. They’re doing well – they seem happy and having had a couple days rest their soreness is mostly gone. They ate a nice meal and are settling in for a sleep.

No, Linda, you can’t keep her! Walking the neighbourhood

Good boy Woody; with Margie (yes, they are holding hands)

NOTE

Alaska moves into Daylight Savings time tonight so for those of you watching from outside the US and you are wondering why things look about an hour out, that’s why.

Good morning! It’s 10am Saturday

RED TEAM UPDATE

Aliy and 13 team mates went through Huslia around four this morning. They are currently placed 9th on the leaderboard but there are still teams to complete their eight hour mandatory stops and only once all teams have both green ticks next to their name will we really know what’s what.

Aliy spent just 16 minutes in the checkpoint where she has left one more team mate with the vet and volunteer team. At this stage we don’t know who that is and, as ever, we appreciate your patience as we find out.

The team is camped 30 miles outside of Huslia, about 55 miles since their last camp. This then gives Aliy a few options of where to stop next. The most likely stop, if she continues this current run/rest schedule, is the village of Koyukuk – another approx 55 miles away. Nulato checkpoint is another 22 miles from there.

I don’t need to tell you that this next stretch of river will be emotional for Aliy, as it is for us watching her. She will be determined to continue to focus on the dogs and the job to be done, and we are focussed on sending positive energy to her.

BLACK TEAM UPDATE

Allen stopped his 16-strong team almost exactly half-way to Huslia for around three hours, which leads us to believe he is perhaps planning to stop in the checkpoint. They are back on the trail now.

The Black Team’s schedule is very different to that of the Red Team as Allen has different goals for the team. He’s not alone in his goal of wanting to get as many healthy and happy dogs to the finish line as possible but he and his older dogs are also teaching the youngsters how to be 1000 mile racers. That is a different kettle of fish than for those racing seasoned, experienced dogs.

By the end of the race the rookies and the other younger dogs will hopefully have the checkpoint routine down pat – settle in to sleep quickly and eat all that is in front of them. Allen’s three rookies: Five, Scooby and Hotshot, have already run further than they ever have in a race and Nomex has also just passed that milestone. He developed a sore shoulder in Cripple last year and had to go home early. Chena and Tinder, his other less experienced team mates, will be consolidating their knowledge from last year.

Chipper posed an interesting selection decision for Aliy and Allen. Although she is talented, fit and healthy and could have made the Red Team she would have been a “team dog” on that team. By running with the Black Team she is a big fish, will get to lead and boss others about, and is one of the more experienced crew. He will have fun with her on his squad.

RETURNED DOG UPDATE

Linda has Woody and Violet with her in Anchorage. Woody was dropped as he had a sore shoulder and Violet a sore wrist. They are both eating and enjoying cuddles and love from Linda. Linda did say that she might not ever return Violet and that she might have to stay at her house forever!