Tidbits from the trail
Hurrah for the race supporters. In the midst of his concern about the mushers stranded in the storm Monday, Rod told me about some of the highlights of the first 150 miles of the race. People were lined up along the river for miles along the course. Many of them handed out food and drinks to the mushers. Rod said he got cookies, a hot dog, a couple of sloppy joe sandwiches and a bottle of water. Other mushers said people offered them a beer and everyone was smiling and waving the racers on.
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Rod also found out that one of our leaders, Slug, is happiest when running in single lead. She pulled the team up Rosebud Summit, a nearly vertical portion of the trail outside Angel Creek.
Another dog, Barney, developed some respiratory problems and a fever on the way into Mile 101. The vets diagnosed him quickly, we put him on antibiotics and kept him in the truck cab overnight. Today, his fever’s gone and he’s running doughnuts around his house, giddy as ever.
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In my previous post, I mentioned the ham radio operators working out of Mile 101. The group, the Arctic Amateur Radio Club, has worked with the Quest and other local races for years. The radio operators are an invaluable part of the communications over some very remote parts of the trail. They say the race helps them keep their skills honed in case of an emergency. Kudos to them for doing a terrific job in some tough situations, especially this year.