MARCH 14, 2025 DAY # 13 IDITAROD. UNALAKLEET - SHAKTOOLIK - KOYUK - ELIM - WHITE MOUNTAIN -SAFETY - NOME

MARCH 14th DAY #13  UNALAKLEET - SHAKTOOLIK - KOYUK - ELIM - WHITE MOUNTAIN - SAFETY - NOME  

There are "fat tire" bikers, skiers, walkers, runners that also use the IDITAROD trail. They take about 2 weeks to finish and they have a 30 day cut off and many don't make it. Now THATS grueling!!!! Some of the bikers aren't there to compete with other bikers they are there just recreationally. (if thats a word)

FYI: The musher has to have at least 5 dogs in harness at the finish in NOME. With these warm temperatures, the dogs need water. If you give a dog water in a bowl they have the tendency not to drink it so using other means they are given fish. They can get some of the water in that way as the fish contains water.

Little about the "BLOW HOLES". You will find blow holes from WHITE MOUNTAIN - SAFETY. TOPKOK and GOLOVIN are two major ones. They are mini hurricane wind tunnels. TOPKOK is the windiest and GOLOVIN has glare ice but there is a seawall there preventing someone from blowing into the Sea. One year they caused a great deal of turmoil for many mushers to get caught in. I believe it was either JEFF KING or MITCH SEAVEY that had major troubles in those areas.
Hopefully they won't have difficulty this year. 

The only aurora that was seen on the trail this year near UNALAKLEET.                                                  Below: Paige Drobny resting with her dogs. 

It was an intense effort with the top three teams: Jessie Holmes, Matt Hall and Paige Drobny.          They all had to rest in WHITE MOUNTAIN and they all came in at different times, but close together. This is the point when the tide turned. JESSIE was about three hours ahead of MATT and MATT was about three hours ahead of PAIGE. They all handled it calmly and just went on to do their very best and that they did!!!!! JESSIE left WHITE MOUNTAIN at 4:28pm and then had 77 more miles to go. Same for the others but three and six hours behind. It usually takes about 6-7 hours for that trek.