Ready for the Iditarod Start and Snow Keeps Falling on the Yukon River
Winds roared on the Yukon River last night with the arrival of yet another blizzard here and looks like it’ll keep snowing, at least for a little while longer. This year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational (the longest winter ultra race across frozen Alaska) is taking place right now and is worth keeping an eye on as trail breakers try to make it over Rainy Pass today. With “huge amounts of snow and no base or trail” trail breaking, skiing, biking and mushing over the Pass and then on toward Nome will be a challenge this year especially if our weekly blizzards continue. Couple of links to check out for conditions: Iditarod Trail Invitational updates, http://www.alaskaultrasport.com/latest_news.html and Iditarod Trail missing under deep snow, http://www.adn.com/iditarod/2009/story/711395.html. To track the Iditarod from the comfort of your own home and support the Last Great Race listen to APRN’s “Iditarod: Special Coverage” (including Galena’s own Tim Bodony reporting), http://iditarod.aprn.org/, and become an “Iditarod Insider” , http://www.iditarod.com/insider/index.html
Searching for what was the Iron Dog Trail (put in around Feb 13th) and negotiating deep snow, and ever increasing drifts, on the river has been a way of life Yukon River residents this February and March. Last week, Serum Run mushers and snow machiners decided to call off their trip to Nome after snow machines couldn’t negotiate the Yukon River from Tanana to Ruby (due to deep snow conditions) to meet up with mushers and teams who had flown to Ruby and mushed on to Galena (http://www.serumrun.org). Yukon River residents looking to travel that section of the river this March are preparing to bring extra gas and supplies with them and making sure they have left their travel plans with friends or have a satellite phone or “spot” tracker (www.findmespot.com) in case help is needed along the way. We’re all hunkering down to wait out this storm as we shovel our way out of drifted, ever building snow around our houses, snow machines and vehicles. Wondering the whole time if this is the end of snow fall for the season or if not, when the next blizzard will arrive…
Thursday, March 5, 2009: 12 degrees above zero. Sunrise 8:17 am, Sunset 6:49pm
Bloggin’ on the Yukon
Cool snow drift builds in front of lodge, view from the living room - March 5th
