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