On the trail - Angle Creek to Central
Angel
Creek
Nevertheless
this times on held on my plan and left the checkpoint after 6 hours
and so I left the checkpoint at around 6.26 in the morning, with
only 13 dogs. The sled was quite to heavy, particularly with a whole
Cooler full of fish soup, which I wanted to give to the dogs before
the Rosebutt Summit. But the attempt was again unsuccessful. The
Rosebutt Summit was steeply and long, however without large problems
on the top it has no snow and it was quite stony. On the half way
to 101 I tried again to give my fish soup to the dogs, again unsuccessfully.
I was so frustrated that I dumped it out, pulled everything over
the Summit for nothing. Thus could not continue linke this with
the food. Now there was only one variant, drive the dogs hard and
make them hopefully hungry. We continued without stop until Mile
101 where we arrived at 12.23 and I consciously didn't fed them
directly, they shall become hungry, the monsters. The Trail after
101 was extremely bad, only one ice plate for the last 2 miles,
only few Trailmarker, but how can you get them in the ice. I took
all the booties off, so that they have at least some grip.
Mile 101
Although I wanted to reste 6 hours in Mile 101, but then I decided
to drive the Eagle Summit in the daylight and after a only 4,30
hours break I left briefly before 17 o'clock from Mile 101 again,
just after an aqueous feeding (and look there, everyone took it).
In Mile 101 I experienced that William, the running favorite, was
already out of the race because of a broken thigh, on a ice plate.
Also Jack Berry I meet again, to scratch. I left Mile 101 again
without booties, because the ice plate seemed to go further, but
it was not so bad. 
The
rise to the Summit was better than expected, it is not so steep
from this side. Then 2 photographers welcomed me above, seemed to
me rather unreal. The downhill is simply the hammer, unbelievably
steep, but at least with very good hard snow for braking. I run
nearly out of force, until it became finally flatter and the trail
turns diagonally to the right, no longer so steep, then a short
piece more or less evenly, before it goes again steeply downhill,
more badly however on this piece still with sidehill. I had to watch,
how Frank Turner overturned several times and then lost his sled,
which ran leaderless into the depth, Frank followed as fast as he
could. Downhill there were 2 teams, Franks team drove into the last
sled with full force, however they stopped, but it went still downhill.
I have tried to stop far above again and again, but it didn'n really
work, the dogs wanted further and each small jerk and they went
immediately downhill, I let me partially sharpen on the side, in
order to become slower. Franks and 2nd team, which belonged to Michelle
Hopkins, were still tangled when I arrived, and it was not possible
for me to stop, so my dogs ran into Michelles. Poor Michelle. So
fast it I could I cutted through all neck- and tuglines involved
in the tangle then past both teams and druve into the flatter, to
sort them later on. Frank and Michelle come also soon, and it looked
like they didn't had large damage, luck. Unfortunately I did not
have booties on the dogs and had to put them on for all 13 dogs
and on that few km without booties Libby got a heavy tear into the
left front paw, which should give me problems for the whole race.
Otto had swollen paws, also like Herring. Unfortunately the two
largest dogs and I had only medium size booties, into which the
paws did not fit any longer. Everything rubbed in with Algyval.
Frank and Michelle got impatient and passed me and two other teams
passed me too, aghhh. Suddenly it became very cold, my thermometer
went to 35� minus, and the red line was not be seen any longer.
So I had to put on covers and bellywarmers to all the dogs, spending
ever more time on the Trail, over a half an hour. But then they
run like the devil to Central, I passed Marcel and Michelle. In
order to keep them hungry, I didn't give them a snack. The way on
a river seemed to me eternally, but around 20.55 I arrived at Central,
there a got a good parking lot beside Hans Gatt.
Marmot
had a easily swallen ankle in the left front paw, also Libby`s left
front paw looked not so good, those from Otto and Herring was also
still swollen, all other dogs was fit. Gisela and Dieter had also
arrived at Central and waited for me, they are not allowed to help.
I had prepared 2 Cooler in the sled, to one with aqueous dryfooder
the other one with aqueous horse meat and look at that my taktik
had worked, for the first time both Coolers became empty.
From down my dogs lay on straw, and from above I had covered them
with Fleece covers, so that they don't lose too much warmth. Only
Wondar refused being covered, and which should remain the whole
race, only if I have sneaked up to him, while he slept deeply, I
could put the cover over him. In Central we mushers got a steak
dinner, that was exactely what I needed now. Also we had a super
house for sleeping where I layed with Thomas, Michelle and John
Schandelmeier in a room, the bell turn on for 3 o'clock. Before
the departure I massed all the dogs, puttedn them booties on, Otto
and Herrings paws fit so straight into the medium, I absolutely
need some large.
