Racereport Copper Basin 300 (Andy)
Glenallen - Chistochina
We had around -20°C for the start of the race, but it should get colder - the middle temperature was around -30°C fortunately higher than the forecast with -40°C.
My team was:
Tang - Kritter
Ibex - Onyx
Alligator - Polar
Jack - Franky
Emerie - Eagle
Kiana - Susie
Even with the less snow the trail was quite good to drive, much better then the start of the Knik200. The trail often leads along the telegraphline or in the ditch and was bumpy and sometimes with a lot of willows.
I just arrived before the night at the Checkpoint and Laird, our handler, helped me to park my team beside Sabs in the trees. After I had feeded the dogs and covered them with fleece blankets I toke a two hours nap on the floor of a heated cabin. Meanwhile Laird sitted at the dogs and garded them.
Normaly the handler don't get more sleep than we have, as they have to wait in the Checkpoint on the arrival of the musher, then they are staying with the team while the musher takes a nap - so they can secure them (e.g. dogfight) - when we are on the trail, they clean the straw, put the rest of the fooddrops in the truck and drive to the next checkpoint. There they have the only chance to take a nap in their truck, but sometimes they need nearly as long as the mushers, as they have to drive around while the mushers take the direct way.
Chistochna - Paxson
Now a nightrun is waiting for us, as we are leaving Chistochina at about 22 h and should be in Paxson before daylight - I don't like these runs too much, I prefer if there is some daylight in between. In daylight it's also easier to fight against the sleep. And today it was really dark, I could see the stars but the moon seems to have a night off.
After we left Chistochina I took Ibex and Onyx in Lead, so that Tang didn't have to do everything.
Excelsior Creek is at about half way and always open - the water normaly isn't deep and the creek isn't width eighter, but sometimes the dogs just don't want to pass. As I was prepared I run to my leaddogs and guided them over the creek as Onyx decided not to make the jump on his own. After we managed this I could also appreciate the nortern light which showed up in the sky.
At Fish Creek, short before Summit Lake, a little bit deeper but only one meter width I didn't expect any problems and in the next moment I had some. Onyx was looking for another way and in shortest time I had a tangle and it took me some time to get them all untangled.
On Summit Lake we lost the trail - in the wrong moment I didn't watch the trail so my leader Onyx and suddenly I didn't see any tracks in front of us. I changed Tang back in lead in hoping to find the right trail with her aide, but we needed some turns and I started to lose my orientation. I knew that the steep hill going off the lake is on the left border but I couldn't estimate the distance. I was already thinking that I have to wait until daylight to find my way than suddenly we hit the trail and could follow.
Short before the checkpoint is the entry to our kennel and here it didn't go as straight as on the GinGin200, as Tang just jumped over the straw barrier. I was in alert and immediately stopped the team and could convince Tang to drive to the checkpoint.
Paxson - Sourdough
We started in the last daylight but otherwise we'll have again one of these nighttrips.
We just drove some minutes and a team was coming out of the forest - fortunately we noticed each other early enough and could pass - without any problems.
Shortly after we were running on Paxson Lake - new lake, same problem. Sometimes the snow was completly blown away and we could see the glare ice and so of course we didn't see the trail. The trail should start on the left border, then switch over to the right side and coming back to the left at the end of the lake, but the race official told me to stay the whole time on the left side as there would be open water on the right shore. As we then got passed by two skidoos the dogs immediately followed this new track - I knew that this was not the right trail, but I also knew that staying on the left side would lead us to the right trail at the end. Unfortunately the two Skidoos passed just before John Schandelmeiers Kennel and so I got some problems passing the kennel. John gave me a hand and so we found the right trail shortly after.
At Meier's we were leaving Paxson Lake and, in my opinion, the hardest and most difficult 2 hours of the whole race waited for us. To start we had to climp some steep hills, followed by big downhills. Also we mostly had a narrow trail through the woods so in some sections I couldn't see my leaders as they were already around the next corner while I was driving around the tree.
Arrived at Sourdough Laird helped me parking the team but as I had all dogs on straw a race official arrived on telling me that we are blocking the outgoing trail and we had to change our parking position. Cause Sab was just on leaving the checkpoint we parked my team on Sabs parking area. Getting the food ready for the dogs took longer as the propan cooker in the checkpoint didn't work anymore and so I had to melt snow.
Sourdough - Wolverine
Leaving Sourdough I wanted to decharge Tang a little bit and toke her out of lead, but I had problems to find a good combination of leaders and had to stop and change several times - finally I ended with Tang and Onyx in lead, but so we needed nearly double the time than normal.
The trail after Crosswind is straight with a never ending up and down through the woods. Every time I thought now I would see Lake Louise I just saw another ups and downs. But everything ends and after a long time we finally had Lake Louise in front of us and now I knew there will be another half an hour on the lake until the checkpoint.
Wolverine - Tolsona
As the dogs did the section between Crosswind and Wolverine in the normal speed I deciced to go through the checkpoint.
In the last races I never got on the right trail into Tolsona, one time I arrvied from the side and last time even from the wrong direction. So I wanted to be sure to take the right trail and was concentrated not to miss a marker. And then I nearly missed the important marker, but there shouldn't be a problem here on the lake - stop, check the situation and switch to the right trail - so much the theory. As I stopped I saw my leaders running in the dark, the gangline was torn and so I decided to follow the leaders instead of the right trail. Fortunately it wasn't far to the checkpoint and I found my leaders there again. I just repaired the gangline and we could follow the trail again.
Tolsona - Glenallen
The trail to the finish seems to never end und sometimes I had to fight against the sleep but finally we reached the highway and followed the last miles in the ditch to the finishing line which we reached at about 1h.
Laird was waiting with the truck, we feeded the dogs, packed the stuff in the truck and drove home to Paxson - I tried to stay awake but on the last kilometers I fell asleep and had some problems on getting the dogs out to their houses while trying to keep my eyes open.
They following day we got snow at warm -10°C.
Andreas
