Iditarod 2009 – Paul Gebhardt Update # 11 as of 6am Thursday, March 19 ©Evy Gebhardt
Bib #15  Paul and team are currently running in 17th  position

Out of the checkpoint of WHITE MOUNTAIN as of 5:12am this morning.

With frigid winds hurrying the loose snow across the trail, and another windchill advisory issued for this coastal area of Alaska, Paul pulled the snowhook and is now on his way into the final Iditarod checkpoint of SAFETY.  Already it has been a busy morning here in NOME, as a tight group of mushers made their way in to cross beneath the burled arch on Front Street and to claim their finishing status in the Last Great Race.  The process of hearing the town’s air sirens sounding the approach of a musher, the flashing beacon of the police car that escorts the teams right down Front Street and the ceremony of checking the official gear of each musher and having them sign is a pattern that will be repeated over and over throughout the next few days.

Like myself, there are many spouses and significant others awaiting “their” musher into NOME.  I look back to a week and a half ago when so many dreams of Iditarod victory were brimming with potential. Then, as the wreckage of broken sleds, warm weather, falling snow and ferocious winds carried by frigid cold pummeled the mushers, we saw dreams unravel and races transform. By now I am certain that you are aware that Lance Mackey claimed his third straight victory in the Last Great Race, a feat that was followed by some new faces entering the realm of the Top Ten. Several enjoyed a personal best in this year’s race, while others, like Paul, are finding themselves in a very different position than they would normally expect coming in at the end of this 1000+ journey. There were some very close finishes, including one that saw the two teams within a matter of yards of one another coming into the finish chute.

I could very well see a repeat performance of this adrenaline pumping kind of finish several times again before the Iditarod is over this year. The fact that we had not one, but two scenarios that caused a traffic jam of the teams along the trail, (Once back in the McGRATH through TAKOTNA sections of trail due to warm weather and no trail, and the other the ground blizzard that paralyzed the race out on the coast) cannot be emphasized enough as a catalyst for changing the outcome of this year’s race.  Early race strategies and the best intentions with planning out runs evolved into a series of races within the race, and adapting on the fly to what Mother Nature threw at the teams.

As the final miles of trail unfold for Paul and his close traveling companions, former Yukon Quest winner Aliy Zirkle, and four time Iditarod champion, Martin Buser, they still have plenty to challenge them as they make the run towards NOME. The trail will take them away from the forested areas around WHITE MOUNTAIN, over Topcock Mountain and towards the edge of the Norton Sound. Reportedly the winds are pretty brutal railing over Topcock, and the region will no doubt remind the mushers why the area has earned the title “the blow hole”.

The topography that the trail covers between WHITE MOUNTAIN and SAFETY is an interesting study in my opinion. Topcock Mountain is very round in nature, almost like it was worn down by the elements, and really void of sharp peaks and distinct valleys. The exception to this however, is the mass of geometric shaped rocks that are tumbled across the tops of the mountains. Flying over it by small aircraft, I had the vision of the great hands of God taking these hard edged square and rectangle shaped rocks (some that are easily 100 feet long) and tossing them like one would throw an armful of colorful fall leaves.  The trees are another interesting study. From the dense stands of spruce that are home to large moose near the initial part of the musher’s run from WHITE MOUNTAIN, it is almost like the trail crosses this imaginary line and all of the sudden, there is nothing but a few hardy little trees and eventually only sporadic pockets of short willow brush. Once in a while, you will find one lone spruce that stands gnarled by the elements, no doubt the aftermath of a pinecone carried by the winds that found its self anchored by a rock or tussock. There are quite a few fox in this area, as well as herds of reindeer and musk ox.

One year, Paul was traveling through a ground blizzard between WHITE MOUNTAIN and SAFETY. It was a very surreal experience for him, because he could see the blue sky overhead and the sun was shining. But intense surface level winds literally whipped the loose snow on the ground into a frothy cloud that obliterated the trail.  Paul could not see past his wheel dogs (directly in front of the sled) at times. The blowing snow was almost prismatic with the backlight of golden sun.  He said it was challenging the young leaders he had at the time, and he was concerned about them finding their way from one of the wooden trail markers to the next. Suddenly, like a phantom, a lone caribou suddenly appeared in a pocket of clarity within the storm directly in front of the team on the trail. His leaders perked right up and kind of shook their heads as though questioning the authenticity of the vision in front of them as well.  But it was enough to spark their enthusiasm and they gave chase as the caribou traveled ahead of the team. It was only visible briefly as the blowing snow folded back on top of the team and the trail again, but it was enough to compel the team on through the storm.

My sincere hope is that we are past the drama with this year’s race and his final run will be a smooth one. I am certainly anxious for Paul to make his arrival into NOME. At this time, I expect this to happen mid afternoon. In the meantime, I have some prep work to do for the team. We will now have access to the supplies that Paul shipped out to this final checkpoint. All of the kennels for the dogs will be bedded with fresh straw for them to rest on, and we will get some snacks for the dogs ready as well. After they arrive, the team will be assessed by a team of veterinarians followed by a tech team that will do drug testing on them as well. (via urinalysis) Once the dogs are fed and bedded down, Paul will catch a much needed shower, a bite to eat and then will sleep in the comfort of a warm bed for the first time in nearly two weeks. It is a time of relief for me, of rest for the dogs, and healing for Paul’s body.  We will spend time discussing the race, and I will follow up with details to fill in the gaps where I have only been able to offer speculation in these updates. So stay tuned!

Until later, Life is a Journey, Enjoy the Ride  - Evy