Saturday, March 24, 2012

Iditarod 2012

My immediate Iditarod family
     I've mentioned that I had a lot of help with putting together a run / rest schedule which made sense, and for the most part I stuck to it.  It wasn't always easy to adhere to the schedule, but with some good advice along the way I was able to sit on my hands when I needed to.  Over the years I've compiled a list of memorable Iditarod quotes, and this one is going right to the top of that list simply because it had a direct impact on the outcome of my race.  I had been sitting in Finger Lake for about four hours, I'd previously spent six hours outside of Yentna and now the yellow, "write in the rain," pad which was sort of like my bible, told me that I needed to stay in Finger for a total of six hours.  Ugh.  It's painful to watch team after team leave, and I felt like my schedule had set me up to be in last place right out of the gate.  Along came Iditarod Champ Joe Runyan.  He asked how it was going and I told him that I was a little frustrated with hanging out for so long.  He said, "Mike, no one ever made a mistake while resting."  Simple enough.  As we proceeded through the next few checkpoints, I started to realize that my run times were quite a bit faster than most, and due to the amount of rest I was giving the dogs, they were covering the distances with very little effort.  I began to have a lot more faith in my little yellow bible.

The one that got away was this big
     

     
     Much of my run to the coast was typical Iditarod dog mushing, run six hours rest six hours.  So for interest's sake let's jump forward to the good part.  Just outside of Unalakleet the trail climbs up and over a short series of hills known as the Blueberry Hills.  This was my second time traveling this section of trail, I had done this stretch back in 2008 on a sno-go.  Then as now, the weather was remarkable, pleasantly warm, with skies so clear I too thought I could see Russia.  On the 08 trip, when I got out of the hills and back down to sea level, it was as if I had somehow went through some sort of time / space portal and had arrived on another planet.  Winds gusting thirty plus mph, drifts alternating between rock hard and spindrift soft, visibility practically zero.  It would be no different today.  A dog sled in a cross wind is a rather pathetic piece of equipment, and steering a sled which is at the mercy of the wind is most frustrating.  The dogs, at least mine, seem to think that anything that is remotely different than what we've just experienced, is fun.  A new game.  Something to get excited about.  They love to negotiate obstacles, in this scenario, the obstacles being drifts crossing and/or blocking the trail.  What really seems to turn them on is when I don't have any preference as to which way we go around an obstacle and I just let them collectively decide.  "Hey, what do you all say we go left around this one? Yeah, yeah, yeah, leftWhat do you think fellas, straight through this one? Straight through it is."  I swear they exude a self satisfied smugness simply because they guessed correctly not knowing that there was no wrong answer.  The game of drift dodging / drift diving thankfully got us to Shaktoolik rather quickly.  Too quickly perhaps.

     With the help of the local Shaktoolikians, "the most remarkable people on the planet by the way," I got my team parked behind the armory which serves as the checkpoint.  I quickly went into checkpoint mode, which this far into the race is an unconscious ritual of bedding down the dogs, removing their boots, and firing up the cooker.  Somewhere in the middle of this process a rather familiar, and to Iditarod fans a famous, Swiss accent cut through the sound of the wind, "You're having the run of your life, huh."   What the h***.  I look up and low and behold I'm parked next to Martin Buser.  On the other side of him is Rick Swenson, and coming out of the armory is none other than Lance Mackey.  Now, despite the fact that I could've sworn that days ago, somewhere back along the trail, I heard that Aily Zirkle had already won this darn thing, I was sort of expecting her to come strolling out of the armory at any moment.  "One aspect of the Iditarod that astounds me is how confusing it is to know where in the grand scheme of things you are.  I swear I kept passing teams that were days behind me, and that I kept catching teams that were days ahead of me.  The worst part of the whole thing is that everyone involved, checkers and race officials all seem to have a better grasp of how it's all playing out than you do.  Soon you start to look at these folks like they've got some sort of revolutionary secret to share with you but they don't."      
Iditarod's biggest fan, Willie.
Only because he gets the recliner all to himself 
for two weeks. 
      
     As the sun began to set on Shaktoolik the temperature started to plummet, and the wind only intensified making for fairly dangerous conditions which forced a large portion of the race field to wait out the weather. 
Great!  There I was just having the time of my life playing with my puppies along the Iditarod trail, and all of a sudden I'm stuck smack dab in the middle of a race.  Yikes!  What to do?

       Keep coming back and I'll keep writing.  


     


     Until the next time, I hope you're having as much fun with your dog or dogs as I am with mine.
          Mike

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Iditarod 2012

     Iditarod to me is a rich tapestry woven with the tales of each and every person involved.  Not only the mushers and dogs, their families, friends and handlers, but also all of the volunteers, the villagers, veterinarians, pilots, and even the fans.  Imagine that story if it could only be told.  The lure of the Northland, once dominated by mountain men and gold seekers, has been kept alive by this truly Alaskan event.  It's spell is apparently all to easy to catch, and almost impossible to cure.  In the land of the midnight sun there still lives the very basic American ideal that the toil itself is its own reward.

     Since I've returned home I've received a ton of emails, instant messages, and phone calls  congratulating me on completing the 2012 Iditarod.  Much appreciated, but I can assure you that I had a really small role in the eventual outcome of our race.  Yup, I was the lucky guy on the runners behind an incredible group of dogs, and yeah, I had to make decisions along the way that needed to be made, but I never could have done it with out a ton of help.  Much thanks needs to go to my crew for the hard work they've done all season in preparing the dogs for the race, and to the folks who have worked for me over the last several years.  Also I would like to thank my good friend Clint Warnke who was instrumental in setting me up with an awesome run / rest schedule which suited my team's strengths.  My Knik mom, Maureen Reagan, who for the past two years has cooked and packaged all of my meals.  And my neighbor Susan Carlson who washed and dried all of my socks so I could have a fresh pair at all of the checkpoints, talk about an unsung hero.

     To all of those who have supported us financially over the years a big thank you for saying yes when it would've been easier to say no.  Scott Lee at the Inlet Towers, Rick McMahan of Denali Fly Fishing Guides, Jim and Joy Wheeler of Wheeler EMS K9 Unit, Claude Bondy at Alpine Creek Lodge, Chuck Sterni, aka, Mr Bootie,  Jeni Mason of Denali PEAK program, Ahtna Inc. and the Native Village of Cantwell, Jayne Heampstead at Cantwell Veterinary Clinic, and all of the wonderful ladies of Paw Partners.
Showing off my Shaktoolik suntan
     I know you all want to know what it was like out there on the trail, but please be patient, I'm working on it I promise.

     Until the next time I hope you are all having as much fun with you dog or dogs as I am with mine.
          Mike
 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Tales from the 2012 Iditarod


"The Arctic trails have their secret tales"
                                              Robert Service

     In today's world there are very few secrets, Thanks Iditarod GPS Tracker.  However there are certain things which have to be experienced in order to be fully appreciated.  For example, I can now honestly say that I've, felt, a sunrise.  It was bitterly cold on the kaltag portage, as we made our way over to Unalakleet from Old Woman Cabin in the dark.  The sun crept up over the hills behind my left shoulder, and in my sleep deprived state, I hardly noticed.  Soon though the warmth of the sun couldn't be denied.  I swear that I could smell it before I actually felt it, or perhaps at least, the reflection of the sun off of the snow thawed the ice in my nostrils enough that I now could at least smell again.  I turned standing backwards on the runners staring up into the sun.  For almost two hours, we proceeded in this manner, occasionally righting myself on the sled to check on our progress.  However I, much like a lizard perhaps, was unable to resist the urge to turn again and face the warmth of the sun.

     Until the next time I hope you are having as much fun with your dog or dogs as I am with mine.
          Mike

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Under the Arch

We have all made it to Nome.  I flew up in Wednesday to await Mike's arrival.  The internet connection here has been limited so I apologize for the lack of updates.  Mike and the dogs arrived at 5:20 am on Friday.  I had the opportunity to watch them run in for the last couple of miles.  There is a road that parallels the trail along the beach.  Mike and Melissa Owens took me out to spot the team.   The dogs were moving like a well oiled machine.  It was a really special experience to get to see Mike running the team.  I could even hear him talking top the dogs. 



I was really glad to see Mike and the dogs.  They all looked great and had an amazing trip.  Hook and Gibson were barking at the finish line. One of the first things Mike said was, "I have the best dogs."  As we drove them to the Nome dog lot, Mike left an impressive brake mark in the snow. 



Mike has received many compliments on his dogs and performance.  Bringing 15 happy, healthy dogs to Nome is a great accomplishment.  Mike said that as he was preparing to leave White Mountain, the second to last checkpoint, the race checker said to him, "There haven't been all that many people who have had the opportunity to leave here with 15 dogs."  Throughout the race Mike posted impressive run times.  However, he told me that the runs that did not go as smoothly were the more memorable parts of the race.  I know that he has many stories from the trail, but I will leave that to him.  

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Heading into the Light

It has been a long day for the GPS tracker.  Mike got into Shaktoolik last night and I expected that when I got up this morning he would be on his way towards Koyuk.  I was surprised to see that not only had he not left, nor had anyone else, some of whom had come in to Shaktoolik many hours before him.  Mike had completed the run up the coast in great time, so I was not really worried that there was a problem with the team.  The fact that so many teams were still there made me think of the weather.  As I mentioned Shaktoolik is known to be quite windy.  Joe Runyan stated that the teams were "Stacked in Shak."  He said, "Blowing snow, stiff winds, temperatures temper musher exits.  Our records show that no mushers in Shak have left since 4:00 p.m. yesterday.   Our sources in Shak assert that visibility is ABOUT a quarter mile and no one is sure of the severity of the ground storm on the ice to Koyuk. " 



I kept checking in on Mike over the morning with no change.  Finally, at lunch time I saw some teams start to head out of Shaktoolik.  However, Mike was staying put.  I was concerned until I realized that as a long time Rick Swenson fan, perhaps he was just waiting to make the run with him.  Mike and Rick left Shaktoolik together and made steady progress towards Koyuk.  It was clear that the run was really hard.  The teams would start and stop and travel at much slower speeds than usual.  Don Bowers Jr. explained, "The trail can range from a groomed speedway to rough ice to drifted snow to glare ice. The wind is usually blowing, and almost always right in your face. Days with less than 20 or 30 mph breezes are uncommon. The wind can blow at hurricane velocity out here and ground blizzards can reduce visibility to zero in minutes." 

Things seemed to be going well and I was looking forward to Mike making it into Koyuk when he started moving away from the other teams and the trail.  Following on the GPS tracker I could see him realize something wasn't right and start to look for the trail.  This is the point when my power went out and my internet connection went dead.  The GPS trackers are a blessing and a curse.  They give information, but sometimes too much information.  And like an addict, I did not want to go cold turkey right during a crisis.  The power eventually went back on, but showed that Mike was sitting still on the ice.  He stayed there an agonizingly long time, until all of a sudden he began to make steady and straight progress right towards Koyuk.  I believe that he waited until he could see the lights if Koyuk and is now driving his dogs right towards them.  He is about 2 miles out, and let's be honest, I won't go to bed until I see him make it there.



Earlier today, when they were fighting their way through the wind, I was thinking about how this challenging run would actually seperate me from Mike.  I will never be able to be part of that experience he and the dogs have had of working so hard together to make it through something truly challenging.  They will have a bond that I will not share.  I am sure that this is true of their experience during the entire race, but I felt it today. This extra challenge of being lost on the sea ice compounds this fact. 



I hope that tomorrow brings a smooth run to Elim.  May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Storming up the Coast

Mike has made it too Shatoolik.  It was a pleasure to watch him move up the coast tonight.  He made the 40 mile run in 5 hours and 9 minutes.  Pretty incredible for a team who has come 713 miles in the last 8 days. 



The coast has been known to challenge teams.  It can be brutally windy, cold, and barren.  There are no trees to break up the landscape and the runs can seem monotonous.  Distances are hard to judge and at times the mushers are running on the frozen sea ice.  Luckily, I think the weather is pretty good and I am glad that so far the team seems unfazed by the landscape. 



When Mike went through Shaktoolik on the way to the All Alaska Sweepstakes, he reported that the town, in addition to being one of the windiest places he had ever been, was home to a large number of very small, short coated dogs.  I do not know why people in Shaktoolik would choose this type of dog as a pet, or even how the dogs were comfortable enough to be running around outside, but it made a striking impression. 



As Mike continues up the coast, he may rely on some of our more bullheaded dogs as leaders.  Of the 16 dogs he started with, almost all are leaders.  However there are many different kinds of leaders.  Some are really good at listening to commands, some are competitive and like to chase down other teams, some can find the trail in deep snow, and some are determined to go forward no matter how much wind, water or snow they face.  Nestor is one of the most bullheaded dogs we own.  As I try to picture the team running across the ice, I wonder if Mike will use Nestor's determination to speed the team along. 

Caitlin and Nestor

Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Portage to Unalakleet

Mike and the dogs are making the overland crossing from the Yukon River to the Bering Sea Coast.  This is a historic portage trail, which connects these major waterways.  The trail leaves Kaltag and climbs up through the trees.  By about half way to Unalakleet, the geography changes and the trail enters the open tundra.  I expect Mike to take a rest, before this change, at Old Woman cabin.  He will use this to break up the 76 mile run. 



I noticed that Mike arrived at Kaltag , mile 697, at 2:45 pm today.  This is almost exactly 7 days after he left the starting line at 2:44 pm last Sunday.  Knowing that he took a 24 hour break during this week, it means that he and the dogs have traveled 100 miles a day since leaving.  I just cannot wrap my head around the athletic talents of these dogs. Their ability and desire to run continues to impress me. 


One of the things that has been really fun for me, while watching the race, has been seeing how many teams are using gear designed by Mike.  Mike and I have worked really hard to create things that are right for the dogs and the mushers.  Mike designed harnesses and dog jackets and many of the teams in the race are wearing the jackets.  I am really proud of all that Mike has done.  It is pretty amazing to watch him run a team of dogs we raised from puppies, wearing gear we designed and created, using a gangline setup Mike developed, driving a sled he built.  I hope he is feeling this same pride and satisfaction as he travels the trail with our dogs. 

Saturday, March 10, 2012

River Dance

Mike and the team are trucking down the Yukon River.  Wide, flat, and known for wind, the Yukon River can present challenges to mushers.  However,  our dogs are well prepared for these conditions through living and training in Cantwell. 



There was an awesome video of the team arriving at Galena through the Iditarod Insider. " Mike Santos Into Galena " The dogs and Mike look good, happy, and moving well.  Mike continues to post fast running times and is maintaining a big team.



Overnight, Mike will run to Nulato. Next will come Kaltag the last checkpoint on the Yukon.  From here the trail will cross over to the Bering Sea Coast.  More adventure to come!


Friday, March 9, 2012

On to the Mighty Yukon

Mike is running towards Ruby tonight.  The trail snakes over rolling hills and eventually will drop down to the village of Ruby on the Yukon River. 



Mushers are required to take an 8 hour layover at one of the checkpoints on the Yukon River.  I expect that Mike will do this at Ruby.  This will allow the dogs a good break after the long run up from Cripple.  This 70 mile run has taken most mushers over 10 hours and some have elected to stop and rest to break up the run.  It looks like Mike will go all the way without a break. 



This year the Iditarod is following the Northern route.  This means that when the racers got to Ophir they turned North to Cripple rather than South to the village of Iditarod.  Therefore, since Ophir, the trail has been new to Mike.  He has, however, been to Ruby before.  In 2008, when Mike ran the All Alaska Sweepstakes race out of Nome, he drove our snowmobile from Nenana to Nome, an 800 mile journey.  The route he took joined the Iditarod trail in Ruby.  So once he gets to the river, it will be somewhat familiar for him. 



I am really looking forward to seeing Mike and the dogs and hearing about their amazing adventures.  I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like to be in the bubble, as Mike calls it.  The special union of a musher and his dogs working together, nearly independent of the world around them. 

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Moving Towards Cripple

Mike left Takotna this afternoon after his 24 hour break.  I was really pleased to see that he kept all 16 dogs with him.  I heard via Jeff King that Mike's team look great as they arrived at Takotna on Wednesday.  This is a testament to Mike's ability to care for the dogs and his intuitive understanding of what they need.  His decision to put the needs of the dogs first was noted in the Anchorage Daily News.  



Mike made the 21 mile run from Takotna to Ophir and passed right through.  He is now resting about 30 miles further down the trail on the way to Cripple.  This is a long stretch of trail.  I expect him to camp for several hours and then continue on to the checkpoint.  Mike most likely picked up straw for the dogs in addition to some extra food to feed them during this break. 



Here in the kennel this evening,  I saw some of the most spectacular Northern Lights I have ever seen.  There were beams of green stretching all the way to the peak of the sky, not just low on the horizon.  They lights moved rapidly and showed reds, purples, and whites along the edge of the green.  I hope that Mike is sitting with the dogs watching the same amazing show. 



Tomorrow will bring more long miles.  I cannot imagine having the athletic ability of these dogs.  Their ability and desire to run for hours on end, day after day is unmatched.  The chance to witness their accomplishments is part of the addiction of sled dogs. 

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Taking a Rest

Mike and the dogs have made it to Takotna where they will take their 24 hour break.  I am so impressed with their performance.  If you look at Mike's run times they are nearly as fast as the fastest teams in the race.  I can tell that Mike is running carefully and making sure the dogs get what they need.  This has allowed him to bring all 16 dogs to this point in the race. 



Mike got to Takotna t 1:22 PM on Wednesday, which means he will not leave until nearly 3 PM Thursday.  This will give all of us Iditarod junkies a chance to rest.  For Mike and the dogs, this will also be a chance to rest.  Mike will be feeding the dogs lots of kibble, meats, and fats and stretching and massaging them. 

Photo Sebastian Schnuelle

Photo Sebastian Schnuelle

Mike was asked at our meet and greet whether he gets a chance to bathe during the race.  Sorry Maria, there will be no shower on the agenda in Takotna.  Mike says that 3 days worth of dog stink adds 10 degrees of warmth. 

Photo Sebastian Schnuelle

I look forward to a good night's sleep without temptation to hit refresh on the computer or guilt over thinking about Mike's sleep deprivation.  It begins again tomorrow when Mike will cross to Ophir and turn North towards Cripple.  These will be long runs as he moves towards the Yukon River. 

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Over the Alaska Range, into the Interior

They're off!  Mike and the dogs have hit the Iditarod trail.


As I write, Mike and the dogs are resting in Nikolai.  Mike is running a very smart race.  His travel times are very competitive, yet he is giving the dogs enough time to rest so that the youngsters, including Gunnel and Gibson who are only one year old, can succeed.  I look forward to watching him make steady progress.
















I expect Mike to leave Nikolai after giving the dogs a good long rest.  From here he will push through McGrath and on to Takotna where he will take his 24 hour break.  Actually it will be 25 hours and 30 minutes to accommodate for the start time differential. 



At this point Mike has made it across several of the difficult parts of the trail:  down the Happy River Steps, through the Dalzel Gorge, and across the Farewell Burn.  I was glad to see that the burn had some snow on it.  The Iron Dog snowmobile race crossed this same area a few weeks ago and showed very little snow on the burn. 




There have been a couple of videos on the Iditarod Insider that have great footage of our team.  Look in "Alan Taylor, Iditarod Volunteer"  "Dr. George Stroberg Explains What the Vets See"  and "Mike Santos’ Young Team Headed to Nome"  You need to be an Insider, but again, I highly recommend it. 

Iditarod 2012

Let the games begin!  Iditarod 2012 is underway.  Mike and the team had a wonderful time at the ceremonial start in Anchorage.  From our homebase at the Inlet Tower hotel, we were able to attend several fun events.  The festivities included time to meet with friends and fans at the musher's banquet.  Mike drew bib number 22 from the mukluk.  On Friday, Mike, Mitch Seavey, and Jeff King, put on a jam packed musher meet and greet.  On Saturday, Mike gave a great presentation for the Denali PEAK homeschool families. 



The ceremonial start was a party.  Mike played it up for the cameras and there is a great video of him and our team on the Iditarod Insider.  If you are not an Insider yet, I highly recommend the account.  I especially like the GPS feature which gives you updates of Mike's precise location and speed every 10 minutes.  (Which leaves about 5 minutes for working or sleeping in between updates. :) ) 


In the ceremonial start, the mushers take two extra people with them.  Their Iditarider bids to ride in the sled and someone else rides a tag sled for extra control.  Our Iditarider this year was Fran Lockwood from Indiana.  She had a lot of fun and made us feel like family.  Mike took me along on his tag sled this year.  I was nervous that I would mess up in some way and either hurt Mike's race sled or be photographed upside down, which could get Mike in the paper, but maybe not in the fashion he would choose.  However, it turned out that I was worrying unnecesarily.  (Not me!)  The ride was really fun and easy.  I had never driven Mike's race sled before and it steers really well.  I guess he knew what he was doing when he built it.  (Thanks Jim Wheeler for helping make it happen!)

 

On the ride through the city we went through crowds of fans.  They clapped, rang bells, reached for high fives, and yelled out words of encouragement.  I was impressed by how they would yell, "Go Mike!"  It gave the impression that they knew us.  I realize that Mike's name was in the paper, but personal greeting feel very Alaskan to me.  We are a huge state geographically, but very small in population.  People really do know each other and take pride in the accomplishments of fellow Alaskans. 


The ride took us through the city streets and trails, through two tunnels and over two bridge overpasses.  The dogs had no problem with seeing all of these strange things.  Snow was falling and the trail was soft.  About half way through the run, Mike asked me to pick up my drag mat.  On the sled there are two breaks, a drag pad for slowing down and a metal break with teeth to stop.  Mike often makes fun of me for standing on the mat too much.  This time he asked me to pick it up right before we went over an overpass that led into a sharp turn.  Even without my mat, we made the corner, and the paper.



Sunday was the restart in Willow.  Mike left the starting line with Rachel, our neighbor, riding the sled with him.  I wondered if she would go all the way to Nome with him, but she was in school the next day. 


This whole weekend could not have been possible without the help of many people.  I really feel like we had the dream team this year.  Christian and Ian, our handlers, Ellen, Chris, Rick, Shane, and Jen for doing everything needed, Tom Farbo for caring for all the dogs at home (especially Willie),  Justin Mason for taking amazing pictures, and most importantly Clint Warnke for making sure everything was done right and taking the load off my shoulders.  Thank you all for your help. 

Friday, March 2, 2012

Sweet 16

Iowa

Nestor

Twain

Fang

Gibson

Lugnut

Urchin

Hawkeye

Hook

Gunnel

Bruiser

Zazu

Patton

Fossil

Ozzy

Clifford