The Next Leg of the Race

Lets break down the last third of this race....its all along the Bering Sea Coast, and there is one section when the musher has to go across the frozen Norton Sound. Even a light 10 or 15 mph wind, can make it feel like 50 below out there...and that is what is forecast for the next few days. The mushers will be exhausted at this point, and many will tell stories of hallucinations as they make their way across the frozen expanse, with only their Team to keep them in touch with reality. If the wind picks up too much, ground blizzards can occur in a heart beat. In 1991, 2 mushers, Atkins and Wittemore, were trapped by a blizzard out on the ice. They spent the whole night out there in gale force winds. There is a great documentary on the 1991 Iditarod called "Expeditions to the Edge". Its a good reminder of how dangerous this portion of trail can be!

Back to the 2012 Race...Dallas shaved near 2 hours off of Aily's lead in this run. His Team may be peaking. It will be interesting to see if he will be the first one out of Unalakleet, and thus capturing the lead of this race...or will he prefer to continue to play the hound, and make the leaders push themselves to a slower and slower pace? This race is still wide open when it comes to the lead pack....but after seeing Dallas shave off 2 hours in this run alone, one has to wonder what else his Team is capable of doing as they run down the coast!