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Back of the Pack: Still Moving Strong

Teams Travel Together after Rainy Pass Storm

by Andy Moderow

03/12/2006

Arriving in Unalakleet on the shores of Norton Sound, the leaders of Iditarod XXXIV can feel that the end is near, with only 220 miles to go. While 220 miles may sound like a long way to travel, consider what still awaits the back of the pack, which haven’t even reached the halfway checkpoint. When they eventually reach the Yukon River, where the current horrific winds may or may not have died down, at least traveling in brutal conditions will not be new to them: Word from the trail is that the back grouped together in Rainy Pass, caravanning to Rohn, as a response to the deteriorating weather conditions that were so bad that no one in their right mind would travel the trail alone.

In the Unalakleet checkpoint this afternoon, Doug Swingley took a moment to consider what weather conditions have been more brutal this year: The –50 below temperatures near Cripple or the 50 mile-an-hour winds experienced while traveling from Kaltag to Unalakleet. The severity of the conditions facing all the mushers in this race is epitomized by the fact that –50 below zero sounds good to him compared to the weather he is experiencing now. And with the forecast not looking good for the coast of Norton Sound, it is likely that those in the back will experience the same windy conditions he considered against the cold, first hand.

The winner, whoever he or she is, will most likely finish the race the Iditarod Tuesday, roughly two days from now. As the winner sleeps in Nome that night, the back of the pack will still be on the trail, with what is likely to be a whole week still in front of them. And it isn’t that the back is going slower than usual: In 2005, through the Ophir checkpoint, the last musher passed through approximately 10 hours before the last, Ben Valks, did this year. This doesn’t necessarily mean much, as there are never two Iditarods that are completely the same: Weather and trail conditions create infinite variation. In other ways, however, the back is doing better than those who have run in the back during previous Iditarods: Like everyone this year, they are still running large teams, 14 and 15 dogs strong. With that dog power and enough dedication, there is little doubt that they too will claim their Iditarod Finisher Belt Buckle under the burled arch in Nome. Steven, Trent, Glenn, Katrina and Ben, we'll be waiting for you there.