Reliving the 1000mi Iditarod Trail Invitational – Day 9

Christof Teuscher

It continued to snow lightly for most of the day. Temperatures were unusually warm, as a result, the snow was wet and heavy. The trail turned soft and I put on snowshoes. Yet, the snow was so wet that it stuck to the snowshoe bindings and balled up. Well, this was going to be a long and slow day. And it was.

At the Ophir Iditarod checkpoint I ran into French skier Mathieu, who had slept in a musher cabin. We enjoyed a quick breakfast together before moving on. The checkpoint was getting ready to welcome the first mushers. Several bush planes had landed on the nearby airstrip and had brought in people and supplies. In the winter, bush planes and snowmachines are the only way to get around. If I had to be evacuated, my best option would be to charter a bush plane. Flying out from Rohn, for example, would have cost somewhere around $1000. The more remote, the more expensive. Plus you’d need to find a pilot who is able and willing to come and pick you up.

After a few hours of moving my shoes and socks were soaking wet because of the wet snow. Even the waterproof socks were soaked through. I changed into a new pair. It’s very hard to dry anything unless you have access to a cabin or a checkpoint. It takes hours and needs your full attention to dry anything on a fire. What they show you on TV is not how things work. The wet socks were frozen and rock-solid soon.

In the afternoon I took a quick trail nap. I usually set my alarm to 6min. It’s amazing what a power nap can do for you. As darkness fell, I got to the Carlson Crossing safety cabin. The cabin was empty and there was wood. It felt too early to sleep, but I needed to dry my gear and melt snow, so I quickly lit a fire in the stove, melted snow, hang up my gear, and prepared some food. These things always need more time than you think. It takes several hours to obtain one gallon of water by melting snow when you start with a cold stove and cabin. I decided to get some sleep while the snow melted on the stove. I set the alarm to 2am and dozed off in the slowly warming cabin…

Wet and heavy snow made the trail softer and slower by the hour.

I’m still alive.

The snow stuck to the snowshoe binding and balled up.

Bush planes at the Ophir Iditarod checkpoint.

Lots of overflow to deal with on that day.

Nothing dries, everything just freezes rock-solid.

Another (6min) trail nap.

The Carlson Crossing safety cabin was empty and had wood.

I melted snow for 1 gallon of water, made dinner, and slept a few precious hours. It was a good rest.

#iti2022 #iditarodtrailinvitational #ultrarunning #nome #alaska

Reliving the 1000mi Iditarod Trail Invitational – Day 8

Christof Teuscher

In the early morning I loaded my pulk with resupplies and rearranged my chaos. It was time to say goodbye to MP, who was hopping on a flight to Anchorage. Her wrist was heavily swollen. Her surgeon will soon tell her that she had broken her hand by crashing down on the infamous Happy River Steps after Finger Lake. She had nevertheless finished the remaining 200+ race miles.

Adrian topped my thermos off with Fireball and off I went. I was now running in 3rd place among the foot athletes. At the end of town, I ran into Peter Schneiderheinze, legendary former McGrath ITI host and maker of the infamous mancakes. We chatted about getting older and he wished me luck. For the race, but probably also for getting older.

The scenery changed once again. After a few hours, I reached Takotna on the north bank of the Takotna River, a typical rural Alaskan community. Current population: 53, a mix of non-Natives, Athabascans, and Eskimos. A diesel generator produces electricity for the entire town. I chatted with two teenagers, who were on the way to shovel off a roof. They told me it was a long walk to Nome. “Oh really?” I said. We laughed. Then I was alone again.

A lot of hunting in rural Alaska is subsistence hunting. Trapping provides Alaskans with food, fur, clothing, and income. One can see a lot of different traps on the Iditarod. I always stop and try to figure out how their mechanism works and for what animal they are intended. Trappers set up traps along a trap line that they follow to set and check the traps. Marten are the most sought-after furbearer in Alaska. Most traps along the Iditarod are marten traps, but there are traps for larger animals, such as foxes, wolves, or lynx too. A marten is worth $40-70. A high-quality marten pelt is worth over $200. A good marten trap line can yield 200 to 300 marten per year.

At 11pm I set up a bivy and rolled into my cozy nest. I slept like a baby for a few hours. It was snowing when I got up. How far will I make it? What trouble will I get into? And will I finally encounter a wolf? Stay tuned…

A new river, a new scenery. Or something along these lines.

The trail was good. For now…

Some mountains, some clouds.

A typical house in Takotna, a rural community of 53. Not all houses have indoor plumbing. The tank on the side is for the heating oil.

I slowed down.

A marten trap that is not set.

A marten trap with birth feathers used as bait. The trap is not set.

A set marten trap. You can see a few bird feathers on the chain as a bait. The marten will try to get to the bait. When he goes through the trap ring, it snaps and traps it.

A trap for larger animals. A (dead) marten and some other (unknown) items are used as bait.

#iti2022 #iditarodtrailinvitational #ultrarunning #nome #alaska