Into Chistochina!

News from the trail is that Meier’s Lake didn’t prove as warm as hoped, about -25 to -30 , but windy. Ryne did state the run from Sourdough to Meier’s had been challenging but she was in good spirits as were the dogs. Jana was dropped off in Meier’s Lake due to a sore triceps. Though Ryne is very competitive, we know she is very conservative when it comes to her team, and with these temperatures, she will want to make sure each pup is in top form to head back out on the trail.

As you read this, Ryne and pups have pulled into Chistochina, where they will have to stay a minimum of 3 hours to complete their 18 hours of checkpoint rest time. And though Ryne “looks” to be in 3rd place, don’t forget the warning from an earlier post: ‘First into a checkpoint’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘first in the race’ because that team might have not have taken as much rest yet as those that arrive later. “ Nick Petit and Brent Sass (who both have 4 hours left of mandatory rest) were first into the checkpoint this morning, and Aliy Zirkle (who only has 3 hours of mandatory rest time left) is not far behind. This is an exciting race! 50+ miles to the finish!!

I would like to give a shout-out to the photographers of the wonderful photos we are seeing from the trail — thanks to our own handlers, Saeward and Bryan, but also Whitney McLaren Photography (WMPHOTOAK.com) and Last Fronteer Photography. Enjoy!

KALYN!!

Meier’s Lake