Iditarod 2010: Monday Morning Recap

I'm still a little groggy, but I'll try to give you a decent recap...

First, there are some really great shots of Aliy over on ADN.com including this one of the Red Team approaching Unalakleet:



When Bridgett saw her in Unk, Aliy and the dogs looked strong and focused. They are all eating and resting well, when they get the chance. Aliy told Bridgett that a couple of the younger dogs were showing small signs of mental fatigue, "They've given me a few looks like 'Does this ever end?' So, I'm keeping my strategy very flexible and basing it on how the team looks from checkpoint to checkpoint."

Aliy was upbeat leaving Unk. The dogs got right up when she asked them to and she was headed toward her favorite part of the Iditarod Trail, very happy to be doing it at sunset when it would be especially nice. Aliy is now out of Shaktoolik and on her way across the frozen sound to Koyuk.

She dropped a fifth (unknown) dog in Shak who will either be flown back to Anchorage or on up here to Nome, depending on which way a plane with available space is going. Please note that none of the dogs I talked about here in Nome are dropped dogs from Iditarod. They are all "spares" brought up from the Kennel for the Natural Extremes mushing trips over the next month.

Meanwhile, Allen's Black Team is cruising, out of Kaltag and on their way to Unk. Bridgett had hoped to see him there, but she has had to leave and will miss him. Don't be surprised if he stops along the way to rest. It's a long run and there are some nice cabins and camping spots along the way.

That's all I've got for now… I'm going to have some coffee and see if it does any good… Stay tuned!

Labels: