Sean has left the Yukon River and is headed toward Unalakleet, the first checkpoint along the coast. Will he stop at the haunted Old Woman cabin along the way? Only time will tell!
This section of trail is most well-known for it’s high winds and storms that sometimes blow in with little or no warning. The current forecast is for mostly sunny weather, no precipitation, and light winds, but anything can happen at any time! Mushers are still battling deeper snow that has fallen over the past couple of days. Traveling speeds along this section of trail have been anywhere between 5-8 mph, which is slow compared to the average of 8-10 mph on a hard-packed trail.
With a population of 686 (2017), Unalakleet is the largest community the team will pass through since leaving Willow. It’s large enough to have two restaurants, one of which is a pizza parlor called Peace on Earth. We’ve heard that a fresh, hot pizza might be waiting for Sean when he arrives. Supreme with lots of veggies! ????
Hundreds of happy, healthy dogs traveling across the state of Alaska doing something they love with a person they love is truly one of the most beautiful things. We’ve been doing this for years now, and working with these dogs never fails to leave us awe-struck and amazed. They are incredible!
This video by the Iditarod Trail Committee shows some truly breathtaking and awe-inspiring footage from Iditarod 2019.