Gatt, Schnuelle lead Quest out of Slaven’s
CIRCLE—William Kleedehn was clear about his priorities early Tuesday morning as the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race moved into its fourth day.
“There’s always somebody eager, some leader that wants to break trail,” Kleedehn said after a nap in the Circle firehouse checkpoint. “It’s my job to take care of my dogs.”
Nine teams, including Kleedehn’s, had left the dog drop at Slaven’s cabin on the Yukon River by 11 p.m. Tuesday night with 100 miles till the next checkpoint in Eagle.
Kleedehn said he was in no hurry to keep up with leaders Hans Gatt and Sebastian Schnuelle, who left Slaven’s at 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. He woke up slowly from a nap, warmed up his gear and fueled up before the trip to Eagle.
“This will be a long river stretch,” he said. “If we’re only able to go 6 miles per hour, like today, there could be trouble.”
Temperatures are warm all the way from Circle to Eagle, and the snow on the Yukon River will be soft and slow.
Defending champion Lance Mackey was third out of Slaven’s at 1:03 p.m. with Hugh Neff trailing him out 1 minute later. Kleedehn left Slaven’s at 2:32 p.m.
Thirteen mushers remain on the trail to Whitehorse, Yukon. Four of the 22 teams that started the race have scratched and five others were withdrawn after being rescued from Eagle Summit by a helicopter Monday.
Regina Wycoff, a rookie from Healy, was the only musher still on the 60-mile trail to Slaven’s on Tuesday night. She left Circle at 4:43 p.m.