Reliving the 1000mi Iditarod Trail Invitational – Day 21

Christof Teuscher

Koyuk, less than 100mi below the arctic circle, is the most northern point on the Iditarod trail. I was now less than 200mi from Nome. There was more sea ice, some hills, the Kwik River safety cabin, more ice, and then some more of all of it. The wind was still going strong, but that was a minor detail. At least the weather was still good.

Over the past 800mi, I had literally zero blisters and no feet issues at all. I blame the fabulous Inov-8 shoes that felt really comfortable. It sounds like a minor problem, but the terrible skin cracks on my fingers were really painful. My office fingers are just not used to these rough conditions, so after a few days in the cold, the fingertips crack open. The cracks don’t heal because of the continuing (ab)use and exposure. The best solution I found is to seal the cracks with SuperGlue.

In the late afternoon I reached the “old Elim,” a bunch of houses and cabins that are now used as a fishing camp. A local couple drove up to me across the ice on their snowmachines to check on me. They had just come back from an ice fishing trip on the river. He had a huge auger on his sled to drill through the ice and showed it off very proudly. Sadly, they had not caught anything. They recommended I take the sea ice route to Elim instead of going over the hills. I was skeptical about that option because the route would not be marked and might not be safe. I might encounter open water and lose hours if I had to turn around. So into the hills I went. The climb to the high point was long and tough. However, the long downgrade right into Elim provided the best sledding of the entire trip. I went so fast that I was worried the pulk would break in half.

In town I had once again trouble finding the school until a local emerged (in a cloud of weed smoke) from a house, shook my hand, and directed me to the right building. It was now past midnight. The school principle, who had stayed up to welcome me, told me that my resupply drop box had not arrived. Oh dear, now what?! Was that the end of my journey?

See you!

All schools I’ve seen in these remote communities were rather amazing.

We’ve seen this before…

Finally, a hill! The Norton Bay with the sea ice is in the background.

The Kwik River safety cabin.

Cabin without a view.

I rarely left my pulk alone.

Still no end in sight. Wait, it’s less than 200mi to Nome!

SuperGlue works great for sealing skin cracks.

Breakfast? Dinner? Or both. Nobody really cares.

#iti2022 #iditarodtrailinvitational #ultrarunning #nome #alaska

Reliving the 1000mi Iditarod Trail Invitational – Day 20

Christof Teuscher

It can be surprisingly difficult to find the right trail out of towns. Markers are often missing, and there can be countless snowmachine tracks that lead in any direction. I was excited, but also worried about the ~50mi sea ice crossing on the Norton Bay to Koyuk. Once again, wind is supposed to be the most challenging element on that stretch. Any wind below 30mi/h is rare. Ground blizzards with zero visibility are frequent, and it’s very easy to lose the trail and get disoriented. The crossing is flat, exposed, and dangerous. I loved the wide-open space. The wind was brutal all day, but manageable. I think I got relatively lucky.

From miles away you can see a small peninsula in the Norton Bay, where the Little Mountain cabin is located. I was excited to take a break there. For several hours, the cabin didn’t seem to get any closer. When I was perhaps half a mile away, I saw two skiers emerge. First I wasn’t sure if this was some sort of hallucination. But they turned out to be real. I learned that Timm and Luc were skiing from Koyuk to Unalakleet and that they brought ice skates for the icy sections. Smart! Read about their trip and check out the cool video at https://thingstolucat.com/2022/03/30/koyuk-to-unalakleet

I had a quick warm lunch in the cabin and readied myself for the remaining 35mi long ice crossing, where stopping and eating and drinking may be hard. No matter what face mask you are wearing, it will ice up sooner or later. It then becomes difficult to adjust and can be hard to remove, especially if it freezes to your facial hair or clothing. Another challenge is avoiding ice in your goggles. Taking them off, breathing accidentally into them, or steam from your hot drink can lead to an instant ice layer that is very hard to remove. Without functioning goggles, you cannot move in strong winds and bad conditions. Rookies: do not skimp on goggles, it’s a critical piece of gear.

It was midnight when I reached Koyuk. I saw the lights for hours, and kept thinking I’d be there in 15min. I was not. Until I finally was.

No end in sight.

That little black spot at the horizon is the small peninsula with the Little Mountain cabin. And if you think you’ll be there pretty soon, think again.

The Little Mountain cabin. One of the best cabin spots I have ever seen. There is zero wood in and around the cabin, so you can’t make a fire.

Luc took this pic of me and sent it to me after the race. Thanks! Read more about his and Timm’s adventure at https://thingstolucat.com/2022/03/30/koyuk-to-unalakleet

Cabin with a view.

Mucus stalactites.

No face mask will stay ice-free.

Ice will build up on the inside and outside. The mask will gradually become a like an icy cast. I carried three face masks so that I could get through a day or more.

Sometimes there are huge rifts in the sea ice.

Yet another sunset. The wind and the cold makes it less romantic in reality than it looks in the photo.

#iti2022 #iditarodtrailinvitational #ultrarunning #nome #alaska