We are now technically into Day 2 of this years’ Last Great Race!
Teams at the Rainy Pass checkpoint. (Photo: Albert Marquez)
Rainy Pass is often where the start of the race ends, and teams begin to settle down into a race schedule. Jeff rested in Rainy Pass for almost 5.5 hours and from here, Jeff and the team will begin climbing up to the top of Rainy Pass and climb over the Alaska Range. The highest point on the trail here is 3,160 feet above sea level. From that top point, teams make their way down through the Dalzell Gorge. Trail conditions are reportedly pretty good this year, with good snow cover and ice on the creek, but back in 2014 it was a different story – check out the video that he took with his Go Pro that year:
That was a wild ride, indeed!! Did you catch some of that fancy footwork?
The run over the pass and into Rohn is just 35 miles, so we’ll stay tuned to see what Jeff does once he arrives there. It’s a 75 mile trek from Rohn over to Nikolai, and Iditarod updates say there is fresh snow on the trail about 20 miles outside of Rohn. That fresh snow is going to make for some soft trail that will result in slower traveling speeds to to Nikolai. Three teams have now departed Rohn and are headed that direction. As they and others make their way in, we’ll undoubtedly hear some more about the trail, and see some run times. Ryan Redington is currently leading those three teams.
Who was dropped?
We can now confirm that Zig was dropped in Finger Lake, and she’s already back in Anchorage with Ellen! She was dropped due to a sore wrist, but it doesn’t seem to be anything serious. She’ll take it easy in Anchorage this week under Ellen’s care and return to the Homestead this weekend.
Real Men Wear Pink
Race fans may have heard that this is Dee Dee Jonrowe’s last Iditarod. Jeff and Dee Dee have known each other for many years, and there is even a chapter about her in Cold Hands, Warm Heart titled “Iditakiss”. Jeff was one bib behind Dee Dee so their teams were parked close to each other at both the Ceremonial start and the Re-Start. Albert Marquez caught Jeff when he donned a pink boa gifted to him by our tag sled driver, Julie:
Stay tuned! We’re only 160 miles into this adventure!