Iditarod 2012

     Iditarod to me is a rich tapestry woven with the tales of each and every person involved.  Not only the mushers and dogs, their families, friends and handlers, but also all of the volunteers, the villagers, veterinarians, pilots, and even the fans.  Imagine that story if it could only be told.  The lure of the Northland, once dominated by mountain men and gold seekers, has been kept alive by this truly Alaskan event.  It's spell is apparently all to easy to catch, and almost impossible to cure.  In the land of the midnight sun there still lives the very basic American ideal that the toil itself is its own reward.

     Since I've returned home I've received a ton of emails, instant messages, and phone calls  congratulating me on completing the 2012 Iditarod.  Much appreciated, but I can assure you that I had a really small role in the eventual outcome of our race.  Yup, I was the lucky guy on the runners behind an incredible group of dogs, and yeah, I had to make decisions along the way that needed to be made, but I never could have done it with out a ton of help.  Much thanks needs to go to my crew for the hard work they've done all season in preparing the dogs for the race, and to the folks who have worked for me over the last several years.  Also I would like to thank my good friend Clint Warnke who was instrumental in setting me up with an awesome run / rest schedule which suited my team's strengths.  My Knik mom, Maureen Reagan, who for the past two years has cooked and packaged all of my meals.  And my neighbor Susan Carlson who washed and dried all of my socks so I could have a fresh pair at all of the checkpoints, talk about an unsung hero.

     To all of those who have supported us financially over the years a big thank you for saying yes when it would've been easier to say no.  Scott Lee at the Inlet Towers, Rick McMahan of Denali Fly Fishing Guides, Jim and Joy Wheeler of Wheeler EMS K9 Unit, Claude Bondy at Alpine Creek Lodge, Chuck Sterni, aka, Mr Bootie,  Jeni Mason of Denali PEAK program, Ahtna Inc. and the Native Village of Cantwell, Jayne Heampstead at Cantwell Veterinary Clinic, and all of the wonderful ladies of Paw Partners.

Showing off my Shaktoolik suntan

     I know you all want to know what it was like out there on the trail, but please be patient, I'm working on it I promise.

     Until the next time I hope you are all having as much fun with you dog or dogs as I am with mine.
          Mike
 

Tales from the 2012 Iditarod

"The Arctic trails have their secret tales"

                                              Robert Service

     In today's world there are very few secrets, Thanks Iditarod GPS Tracker.  However there are certain things which have to be experienced in order to be fully appreciated.  For example, I can now honestly say that I've, felt, a sunrise.  It was bitterly cold on the kaltag portage, as we made our way over to Unalakleet from Old Woman Cabin in the dark.  The sun crept up over the hills behind my left shoulder, and in my sleep deprived state, I hardly noticed.  Soon though the warmth of the sun couldn't be denied.  I swear that I could smell it before I actually felt it, or perhaps at least, the reflection of the sun off of the snow thawed the ice in my nostrils enough that I now could at least smell again.  I turned standing backwards on the runners staring up into the sun.  For almost two hours, we proceeded in this manner, occasionally righting myself on the sled to check on our progress.  However I, much like a lizard perhaps, was unable to resist the urge to turn again and face the warmth of the sun.

     Until the next time I hope you are having as much fun with your dog or dogs as I am with mine.
          Mike

Under the Arch

We have all made it to Nome.  I flew up in Wednesday to await Mike's arrival.  The internet connection here has been limited so I apologize for the lack of updates.  Mike and the dogs arrived at 5:20 am on Friday.  I had the opportunity to watch them run in for the last couple of miles.  There is a road that parallels the trail along the beach.  Mike and Melissa Owens took me out to spot the team.   The dogs were moving like a well oiled machine.  It was a really special experience to get to see Mike running the team.  I could even hear him talking top the dogs. 

I was really glad to see Mike and the dogs.  They all looked great and had an amazing trip.  Hook and Gibson were barking at the finish line. One of the first things Mike said was, "I have the best dogs."  As we drove them to the Nome dog lot, Mike left an impressive brake mark in the snow. 

Mike has received many compliments on his dogs and performance.  Bringing 15 happy, healthy dogs to Nome is a great accomplishment.  Mike said that as he was preparing to leave White Mountain, the second to last checkpoint, the race checker said to him, "There haven't been all that many people who have had the opportunity to leave here with 15 dogs."  Throughout the race Mike posted impressive run times.  However, he told me that the runs that did not go as smoothly were the more memorable parts of the race.  I know that he has many stories from the trail, but I will leave that to him.  

Heading into the Light

It has been a long day for the GPS tracker.  Mike got into Shaktoolik last night and I expected that when I got up this morning he would be on his way towards Koyuk.  I was surprised to see that not only had he not left, nor had anyone else, some of whom had come in to Shaktoolik many hours before him.  Mike had completed the run up the coast in great time, so I was not really worried that there was a problem with the team.  The fact that so many teams were still there made me think of the weather.  As I mentioned Shaktoolik is known to be quite windy.  Joe Runyan stated that the teams were "Stacked in Shak."  He said, "Blowing snow, stiff winds, temperatures temper musher exits.  Our records show that no mushers in Shak have left since 4:00 p.m. yesterday.   Our sources in Shak assert that visibility is ABOUT a quarter mile and no one is sure of the severity of the ground storm on the ice to Koyuk. " 

I kept checking in on Mike over the morning with no change.  Finally, at lunch time I saw some teams start to head out of Shaktoolik.  However, Mike was staying put.  I was concerned until I realized that as a long time Rick Swenson fan, perhaps he was just waiting to make the run with him.  Mike and Rick left Shaktoolik together and made steady progress towards Koyuk.  It was clear that the run was really hard.  The teams would start and stop and travel at much slower speeds than usual.  Don Bowers Jr. explained, "The trail can range from a groomed speedway to rough ice to drifted snow to glare ice. The wind is usually blowing, and almost always right in your face. Days with less than 20 or 30 mph breezes are uncommon. The wind can blow at hurricane velocity out here and ground blizzards can reduce visibility to zero in minutes." 

Things seemed to be going well and I was looking forward to Mike making it into Koyuk when he started moving away from the other teams and the trail.  Following on the GPS tracker I could see him realize something wasn't right and start to look for the trail.  This is the point when my power went out and my internet connection went dead.  The GPS trackers are a blessing and a curse.  They give information, but sometimes too much information.  And like an addict, I did not want to go cold turkey right during a crisis.  The power eventually went back on, but showed that Mike was sitting still on the ice.  He stayed there an agonizingly long time, until all of a sudden he began to make steady and straight progress right towards Koyuk.  I believe that he waited until he could see the lights if Koyuk and is now driving his dogs right towards them.  He is about 2 miles out, and let's be honest, I won't go to bed until I see him make it there.

Earlier today, when they were fighting their way through the wind, I was thinking about how this challenging run would actually seperate me from Mike.  I will never be able to be part of that experience he and the dogs have had of working so hard together to make it through something truly challenging.  They will have a bond that I will not share.  I am sure that this is true of their experience during the entire race, but I felt it today. This extra challenge of being lost on the sea ice compounds this fact. 

I hope that tomorrow brings a smooth run to Elim.  May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.

Storming up the Coast

Mike has made it too Shatoolik.  It was a pleasure to watch him move up the coast tonight.  He made the 40 mile run in 5 hours and 9 minutes.  Pretty incredible for a team who has come 713 miles in the last 8 days. 

The coast has been known to challenge teams.  It can be brutally windy, cold, and barren.  There are no trees to break up the landscape and the runs can seem monotonous.  Distances are hard to judge and at times the mushers are running on the frozen sea ice.  Luckily, I think the weather is pretty good and I am glad that so far the team seems unfazed by the landscape. 

When Mike went through Shaktoolik on the way to the All Alaska Sweepstakes, he reported that the town, in addition to being one of the windiest places he had ever been, was home to a large number of very small, short coated dogs.  I do not know why people in Shaktoolik would choose this type of dog as a pet, or even how the dogs were comfortable enough to be running around outside, but it made a striking impression. 

As Mike continues up the coast, he may rely on some of our more bullheaded dogs as leaders.  Of the 16 dogs he started with, almost all are leaders.  However there are many different kinds of leaders.  Some are really good at listening to commands, some are competitive and like to chase down other teams, some can find the trail in deep snow, and some are determined to go forward no matter how much wind, water or snow they face.  Nestor is one of the most bullheaded dogs we own.  As I try to picture the team running across the ice, I wonder if Mike will use Nestor's determination to speed the team along. 

Caitlin and Nestor

The Portage to Unalakleet

Mike and the dogs are making the overland crossing from the Yukon River to the Bering Sea Coast.  This is a historic portage trail, which connects these major waterways.  The trail leaves Kaltag and climbs up through the trees.  By about half way to Unalakleet, the geography changes and the trail enters the open tundra.  I expect Mike to take a rest, before this change, at Old Woman cabin.  He will use this to break up the 76 mile run. 

I noticed that Mike arrived at Kaltag , mile 697, at 2:45 pm today.  This is almost exactly 7 days after he left the starting line at 2:44 pm last Sunday.  Knowing that he took a 24 hour break during this week, it means that he and the dogs have traveled 100 miles a day since leaving.  I just cannot wrap my head around the athletic talents of these dogs. Their ability and desire to run continues to impress me. 

One of the things that has been really fun for me, while watching the race, has been seeing how many teams are using gear designed by Mike.  Mike and I have worked really hard to create things that are right for the dogs and the mushers.  Mike designed harnesses and dog jackets and many of the teams in the race are wearing the jackets.  I am really proud of all that Mike has done.  It is pretty amazing to watch him run a team of dogs we raised from puppies, wearing gear we designed and created, using a gangline setup Mike developed, driving a sled he built.  I hope he is feeling this same pride and satisfaction as he travels the trail with our dogs. 

River Dance

Mike and the team are trucking down the Yukon River.  Wide, flat, and known for wind, the Yukon River can present challenges to mushers.  However,  our dogs are well prepared for these conditions through living and training in Cantwell. 

There was an awesome video of the team arriving at Galena through the Iditarod Insider. " Mike Santos Into Galena " The dogs and Mike look good, happy, and moving well.  Mike continues to post fast running times and is maintaining a big team.

Overnight, Mike will run to Nulato. Next will come Kaltag the last checkpoint on the Yukon.  From here the trail will cross over to the Bering Sea Coast.  More adventure to come!