Just before we called it a night last night, Jeff and the team had arrived in Anvik at 21:40. Not knowing for sure where he would take his 8 hour mandatory along the Yukon River, we see that he completed his 8 hour rest there, and departed at 6:35 this morning. He dropped one dog in Anvik, and we’re waiting to see who that was.
From Anvik it’s an 18 mile run up to Grayling, and Jeff just blew through there, in and out, and is now on his way to Eagle Island. Eagle Island is a tent checkpoint, and is a 62 mile run from Anvik. Teams that have already arrived there have been posting run times averaging about 7 hours.
The weather is still warm… today’s forecast for Eagle Island is a high of 35°F with snow. Trail reports via the Insider are saying that while the weather has been warm, and wet – with some mushers wearing garbage bags due hold off the rain, the trail has remained in good condition – so far. Weather, as always, can play a big factor in this race, and those warm temperatures can also make for heavy, wet snow which can slow things down with teams slogging along.
We’ll keep an eye on reports from the trail today, and continue to update you!