Ultimate Iditarod Behind-the-Scenes Race Coverage

Atta Boy 300 Race Update--Day 6-9

The Final Three Stages of The Race--A great way to finish a great race

As the race progressed, I became too busy with dog care and racing to continue to write daily updates.  However, I brought my camera with me wherever I went, and now that the race is over and we have returned to Seeley Lake, MT, I am finishing my report of the race.  Enjoy!  And check out our Atta Boy 300 photo archive for a complete selection of pictures from the race.  --Jim Gallea, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs

January 10, 2002--The Fourth of Seven Stages

Jim Gallea's team approaching the top of Pisgah Lookout near Prineville, Oregon, during the fourth stage of the race.

Following a magnificent and challenging run on the third stage of the race, the fourth stage was the longest of the race at 47.3 miles.  However, this stage was did not climb and drop as much as the previous day's stage, and the trail was much less technical.  The mountains east of the community of Prineville served as the setting for this stage.  The weather was partly cloudy and cool, and the trails were well-groomed.  Dave and Alice Armstrong of Prineville hosted us the night before, and we were served a huge breakfast of biscuits and gravy and fruit prior to heading to the race start.  

The race went very well.  I experimented with a few new combinations of lead dogs, and the results were very promising.  I also was very pleased with the consistent performance of the dog team.  After four days of racing, the dogs were still performing as if it was the very beginning of the race, and when climbing hills, they were doing even better.  This was exciting to me because I really am hoping to have a very consistent team during the Iditarod, and one where I am able to notice changes in the dogs' attitudes and performance and understand what is happening and what I need to do in response to those things.

From Pisgah Lookout, we could see for miles.  In the far distance near the center is Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters, and Broken Top.

The most scenic portion of the trail was on top of a mountain known as Pisgah Lookout.  From the top of this lookout, we could see to the south and the west for miles.  The Three Sisters, Mt. Bachelor, and Broken Top were visible in the distant west.  We had run past the Sisters and Broken Top on our way to Mt. Bachelor the day before, and the view from afar put this previous stage into perspective.  

After the race, we took care of the dogs and loaded everything into the truck as quickly as possible and set out on the 90-minute drive to LaPine, Oregon.  We arrived in LaPine just in time for the banquet at the local high school.  This banquet was the most amazing of the race.  The residents of this small community all brought food to this pot-luck-style dinner.  Tables running the length of a large cafeteria held all of the food--everything from soups and stews to salads and pies.  What a feast!  During the whole banquet, we were entertained by a talent show put on by several area groups.  The excitement of the people of LaPine was incredible.  Thanks very much to everyone!

January 11, 2002--The Fifth of Seven Stages

After the people of LaPine gave us such a warm welcome, the weather decided it needed to follow suit.  The temperatures shot up to the fifties, making them the warmest we experienced in the race.  Luckily the clouds didn't drop any rain, and the spectators enjoyed very friendly weather as they watched the teams go by.

For we mushers and dogs, the warm weather meant that we had to go more slowly and be very careful not to overheat while running the 35-mile course.  Like many mushers, I took many rest stops along the trail to allow the dogs to eat mouthfuls of snow and cool off.  By taking these precautions, we were able to still make good time on the trail and have a great run.

One of two lakes inside the Newberry Crater is visible through the trees just right of center.

The trail was incredible.  We left the trailhead and started climbing almost immediately.  After just a mile or so, we entered Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument, and kept climbing toward the rim of Newberry Crater itself.  The crater was formed by the collapse of an old volcano, and the caldera left behind is now the home to two lakes and some amazing landscapes.

We gradually climbed for about 23 miles before breaking out on a windy point at the rim of the crater.  The scene was breathtaking, but I didn't have time to get my camera out because I was trying to hold my hat on my head in the wind, hang onto the sled, and keep the team under control as we quickly descended from the overlook back into the forest.  Luckily the trees were sparse enough in places that I was able to get a shot of the crater later on.

No banquet was held this night, and we took advantage of the extra time in the evening to prepare our gear and food for the overnight campout the race rules required between the sixth and seventh stages.

Jim Gallea's team running through strong winds and blowing snow during the sixth stage.

January 12, 2002--The Sixth of Seven Stages

Due to the warm conditions earlier in the week, the start of this stage had to be moved to the Nordic Center at Mt. Bachelor where the first stage began on Monday.  But despite this change in the race course, Central Oregon proved to us that the weather can change with amazing speed.  Just as the day before was quite warm, this day was cold, windy, and very snowy.  As we prepared start the race, winds as strong as 40 miles per hour whipped passed us and drove snow into every exposed opening in our clothes.  

The race rules required that the night between the sixth and seventh stages be a campout night where the mushers were not allowed any assistance and had to care for their dogs on their own and spend the night in the snow with them.  This essentially meant that one night was going to be sort of like the Iditarod.  Additionally, we were not allowed to get any re-supply from our trucks once the sixth stage began, so we had to carry all of the dog food, stove fuel, personal food, and personal gear needed for both the sixth and seventh stages of the race as well as the campout.  Needless to say, our sleds were much heavier when we left the starting line on this day than they had been in any of the previous five stages.

The course for the sixth stage was 43 miles long, and made a circle around Mt. Bachelor similar to the one we did during the first stage, but covering different trails for about half of the course length.  In my opinion, the most fun trail of the entire race was part of this stage.  The ten miles between mile 26 and 36 ran through old lava flows that had since overgrown with trees.  The topography was very broken and the trail had many tight corners as it ran up, down, and across the old flows.  All the twisting, turning, ups, and downs, kept the dogs excited to always see what was around the next corner, and the team seemed to fly over the trail, despite the fact we were gaining elevation at a fairly rapid rate through this stretch.  I was extremely happy with how the dogs performed.  We caught up to many of the slower teams that started ahead of us, and only Doug Swingley (who won the race) passed me before the finish line.

Melanie Shirilla and team during the third stage.

But as I was in sight of the finish line, Melanie Shirilla from Lincoln, MT, caught up to me.  I really didn't care if she passed me before the finish, but because we were within the 1/2 mile of trail before the finish known as "No Man's Land," I didn't have to yield the trail to her.  As we climbed up a low ski hill on Mt. Bachelor, Melanie's team began to creep past mine.  Soon our sleds were side-by-side.  I looked back at her, and Melanie said, "Do you want to race?"  

We both looked at each other, then simultaneously let out a "Arrrghhh!" and jumped off our sleds and began running as fast as we could, calling to the dogs to "Hike Up!" and go "Straight Ahead!" to the finish line.   The crowd began to cheer us on, and we ran harder.  I looked at my team, and all I could see was a single mass of dogs that made up both my team and Melanie's, the dogs so close together that it was hard to tell which dogs were mine and which were hers.  In the final feet of the race, Melanie's sled inched past mine, but my gangline was a fourteen-dog line (with only 12 dogs hooked to it) and Melanie's was a 12-dog line.  This meant my gangline was about 8 feet longer, and my leaders were 8 feet in front of hers.  Race finishes are marked by the noses of the lead dogs, and my leaders crossed first even though my sled was behind Melanie's.  Technically, I finished before Melanie did, but because she started about a half hour behind me at the starting line, Melanie beat me in terms of time needed to complete the course.

Teams rested on straw provided by the race during the campout.

After we stopped our teams, we hugged and laughed and both said that we were glad we did it because a photo finish in a dogsled race is a rare thing indeed.

With the race over, we parked our teams in a stand of trees next to the ski slopes on Mt. Bachelor, and secured the teams to the trees.  The campout had begun...

January 13, 2002--The Seventh and Final Stage of the Race

After camping with the dog, we awoke early inside our sleeping bags to feed the dogs their morning meal about 4 hours before the race start.  We then worked to pack up our equipment and ready everything for the start of the last stage.

At 7AM, the cooks at Mt. Bachelor's Sunrise Lodge served us a great breakfast, and then we headed back to the teams to put booties on the dogs' feet, and hit the trail.  

Amazing scenery and trails were present throughout the 300-miles of the Atta Boy 300.

The weather was cold and clear--a perfect day to finish a great race.  The starting line was on the ski slopes, and we took off fast down the hills to the sounds of skiers and spectators cheering us on by yelling, "Atta Boy!"  We did a 30-mile 'Figure-8' to the east and north of Mt. Bachelor, and made one last climb into high country before dropping down to the flats by the Nordic Center for the finish.  

Race finishes are always bittersweet.  It's nice to know that you've made it to the end of a race, and nice to know you can get a good night's sleep, but it's also nice to spend time with the dogs while traveling through wonderful scenery and interacting with fellow mushers.  A great deal of camaraderie exists between mushers (even though we are also competitors), and the finish line of a race means that we must again part ways until the next race.

We had a great time at the Atta Boy 300, and my dad and I both would like to once again thank everyone who worked so hard to put on the race, groom and mark the trails, host us in their homes, and make us feel so welcome in central Oregon for the inaugural running of the Atta Boy 300.  We look forward to coming back again.  Thanks, everyone!

Reporting exclusively for Ultimate Iditarod,
Jim Gallea--Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seeley Lake, MT

© 2002 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
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