The black hole
After the mushers leave Dawson, the handlers have a break of two or three days while the mushers travel through “the black hole.” This is the 200 miles of trail between Dawson and Pelly Crossing without any resupply points or road access. The trail runs through a thickly wooded area called the Black Hills. It includes some pretty steep terrain.
Communications are poor, and with only a dog drop at Stepping Stone and a “hospitality stop” at Stewart River, it’s difficult to judge just where the mushers are on the trail. This year, the black hole will be doubly long, since the mushers will emerge from the trail in Pelly Crossing, only to turn back around and drop out of sight again en route to the new finish line in Dawson.
As I write this, Lance Mackey is leading, with Hans Gatt and William Kleedehn dogging his trail, according to the Quest Web site. Mackey may truly be in the lead, or Gatt and Kleedehn may be camping just outside the checkpoints to keep their running schedule a mystery. This is when speculation runs rampant among race watchers.
One person asked me what had happened to Gatt’s team between Eagle and Dawson. He had a couple hours of lead time out of Eagle, but lagged behind Mackey and others going into Dawson. I overheard Kleedehn saying Gatt’s team had burned out. But Kleedehn knew people — and the media — were probably listening in. He may have been telling the truth, or he may have been blowing smoke. I’m not making any bets. In the meantime, speculation is running wild.