I leave in just a few hours for Nome, but wanted to get one more update out before I take off.  I talked to Paul earlier this evening, when he was taking his 8-hour mandatory at the checkpoint of NULATO.  As expected, the positions jockeyed around some during his break, but his arrival at this tiny village on the banks of the Yukon River afforded him the chance to see the teams that were ahead of him in the standings when he arrived.

He said the trail was NOT good.  The warm temperature and fresh snow were making it slow going for everyone, and the lack of a good base was causing his leader Houston to try and veer over to any snowmachine trail he spotted on the river to try and gain better footing for the team.  Paul elected to layover at NULATO as reports were for more of the same, or worse trail conditions on the next leg leading into the KALTAG checkpoint.  By stopping when he did, Paul would be heading back out on the trail during the "coldest" part of the night - with the hope that the trail may have gained some definition when temperature dropped a little.  He did not have any reports on conditions from KALTAG on, but was looking forward to the change of scenery for the dogs.

He indicated that he was looking at dropping one of the young males, named Crazy.  He was having a tough time in the warm temperatures, but the other dogs were all eating very well. I noted that when he departed at exactly 11pm, he did so with a team rounding out at an even dozen.  Some people become concerned with the fact that a musher may drop dogs from the team. Since the team is only as fast as it's slowest dog, it makes sense to really evaluate the caliber of one dog against the rest of the team.  Additionally, one distinct advantage is the reduction in chores.  Every time he stops, Paul is messing with the dogs' feet. That is 4 feet x 12 dogs right now, and each minute is precious at this stage in the game. There continues to be a tight pack for the front positions, so Paul needs to calculate every move.  

He did indicate that he felt that the trail was taking a lot out of the dogs and he would rest again according to what he saw.  He equated the trail conditions on this last run as being identical to the trail going into CRIPPLE earlier.  He said some of the teams had elected to try and break the run up differently and were camping out on the river.  But he said with the winds that are kicking up and the trail conditions, he wanted the team on straw in the checkpoint.

Once he departs KALTAG, Paul will guide the team along the trail heading on the overland route towards the Bering Sea Coastline.  The trail will pass through wooded areas and rolling hills before dropping sea-ward on the open tundra.  This is a 90-mile run that can be done in one shot if the trail conditions are accommodating.  From there, the trail will follow the coastline and cross the ice (weather allowing) of Norton Sound to pass through several more checkpoints, before the teams reach the final mandatory layover spot in the WHITE MOUNTAIN checkpoint.  Right now, Paul is 351 miles from NOME.

I will be waiting for Paul's arrival into NOME, which will be anyone's guess as to when and in what position.  I fully expect to see some shifting occur over the next two days in standings.  I will post updates on the website if I am able to gain access.   Thanks for all of your positive thoughts and prayers.

Until later - Life is a journey, enjoy the ride! Evy