MARCH 10,2021 CONT'D

 MARCH 10th CONT'D

Another sad story. BRENDA MACKEY scratched in NIKOLAI. Not sure what happened. I was so excited for her first IDITAROD. She was so ready. She's young, guess there is always next year.

I saw the video after ALIY ZIRKLE was being helped to the helicopter for transport to ANCHORAGE. She really looked beaten up and hurting. Not the ALIY we know. She said she had a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. No further reports yet. 

MCGRATH is where many mushers are taking their 24 hour layover. They also have to have a COVID test there and the dogs are being tested by the vets. There is a very large hanger where they can dry their clothes, get something to eat and rest inside. That hanger is a luxury they won't find at many of the checkpoints so they are taking advantage of it. 

SEAN UNDERWOOD is in MCGRATH taking his 24 hour. He said he was very tired. When he was coming thru the GORGE he saw a headlamp on the ground and thought how strange.( It was ALIY'S). I think maybe she fell there?? and thats where the accident happened?? SEAN said he fell in that very same place. Before that he heard a helicopter overhead and couldn't imagine what that was doing as that really is only used in emergencies. Later he heard that was the helicopter for ALIY. He said there were many bridges to cross and there were some that were VERY narrow. Coming upon those at night you didn't see them until you were on top of them and prayed you got over them. One had about a 5' drop. He wasn't sure those areas were designed for the return trip so he wasn't looking forward to coming back to that area in the other direction. He found the BURN area with less snow. He was moving on rocks and dirt but that, to him, was better than moving on the ice. On the ice you didn't have any control. You would just slip your way across. They took the booties off the dogs so they would have a better grip. SEAN said he was "working his butt off" and he thought going fast and was in 30th position. It amazed him how people like DALLAS SEAVEY could be in the front of the pack. He mentioned DALLAS' experience, good training, strategies that seemed to work and he knew what his dogs needed. He admired his abilities and his team.

BRENT SASS has been the leader thru most of the race. He lives in a remote wilderness of Alaska and when there is a big snow he packs it down with his snowmobile and then takes his dogs out. He is used to this cold and these conditions. He has good outdoor skills. 

**The trail has been altered. The trail went from IDITAROD to the FLAT and that was the turn around. The trailbreaker crew had a challenging time breaking the trail open due to the sheer volume of accumulated snow. They were unable to dig out a safe and well marked trail so the teams will go from IDITAROD and turn around back to OPHIR. That will take off about 20 miles in length so the new total distance is 832 miles.  

Sorry there really aren't any new pictures so I'll wait till tomorrow and hope for some from IDITAROD in particular. That is a ghost town--once a gold mining area. There is no technology there and it is DESOLATE so its amazing how the INSIDER has been able to set up video coverage of the area where that was NEVER available before.