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Trail Troubles

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It was a relief to finally see the update showing Dallas into Rohn. Moments before heading off to class I received an email pointing out that Dallas had been on the trail to Rohn for about 10 hours and that things were getting really ugly up on top of Rainy Pass. Given the fact that he had skipped through the Rainy Pass checkpoint I had been expecting him to camp, so the long run time was no big surprise. But, I still couldn’t help but think of the rumored 80+ mph winds bringing the wind chill down into the -100˚ F range, Dallas alone with a bunch of young dogs, missing trail markers blown away by the hurricane force winds, abominable snowmen in flowery Hawaiian shirts, you know how the mind wanders. His unknown whereabouts brought to mind stories my grandpa, Dan, tells of being caught up in that very same pass in the first Iditarod race in 1973. In that instance the entire front pack of the race spent a less than pleasant night in -130˚ F wind chill and just barely escaped with their hides. Now I know Dallas is 20 years old, an Iditarod veteran, and tougher than a hot-dipped nail, but nonetheless it was nice to return to my computer and find him reported into Rohn, presumably safe and sound, resting for the next leg of the race. I am a bit concern about my buddy Bill Pinkham. He reportedly left Rainy 24 hours ago and as of yet has not arrived in Rohn. Due to the difficulty of relaying updates out of Rohn it would not surprise me at all if he were in fact there already but until we get that report it is worrisome.

As far as the front part of the race it will be difficult to deduce much until teams start rolling out of Nikolai en masse. I am very curios to see how long Iten, Seavey, and Sorlie rest. I trust that triad’s Iditarod savvy and it appears that they are having a good race, so what ever extra rest they give is not due to compromised quality but instead to what they think the most advantageous for a quick trip to Nome. Keep in mind that they are counting on tough trail to moderate the lead teams’ unrelenting pace as of yet.

Why are the abominable snowmen wearing Hawaiian shirts you wonder? Well, I am not really sure, and to tell you the truth I have never quite had the nerve to ask one. Probably something to do with the effects of long term sleep deprivation and cranial frostbite, but that’s just a guess.

Tyrell Seavey, for UltimateIditarod.com

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