Karin is now crossing the Norton Bay and 22 miles out of Koyuk traveling at 7+mph. (Yes, that part of Alaska has remained cold enough that the ice has not broken up.) She remains in 36th position but could move up a spot or two. Last year she came in 36th.
Meanwhile Mitch Seavey and Aliy Zirkle have left White Mountain having finished the mandatory 8 hours - and not a minute more. It is 77 miles to Nome and usually takes a musher about 10 hours. The mushers now have their bibs again. There is an ever so brief stop in Safety and then about 20 miles to Nome. (One year a team quit on a musher about 7 miles out of Nome.) The excitement builds. Will Aliy finally win this year? She lost by so little last year.
The dark horse is Dallas Seavey, last year's winner, who is nearly 3 hours behind them and anxiously awaiting his release from White Mountain. He has a light sled that he can run behind and he is in his mid 20's and....well, we will know about 11 tonight.
Gwen and I should actually be in Nome to see the finish for first. If we have the same room as last year we have only to step out of our room to the window in the hallway to look down on the finish line AND to be able to see Main Street for several yards. What a finish it could be. When I last checked the tracker Aliy was only 2 miles behind Mitch. Go Aliy! Go dogs go...but don't wear yourselves out before the finish!
I will keep watching for your catch-up! I'm sure that you are either working very hard, having too much fun, or the internet is horrible...maybe all of the above! At any rate, you will have a lot of catching up to do when you have get back to the world of wi-fi! Karin will (if all continues to go well) will be in Nome by tonight! What a race this has been and I can hardly wait to hear Karin's tales from the trail! I can't believe that we are going to be at a Dolphin Rally in Pahrump during her time in SoCal...bummed!
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