Dash for Cash
We just came back from the Sawbill checkpoint. It is a wonderful place! The teams are camped out in the pine forest. All the dogs are snoozing on a warm bed of straw. There are no buildings and no handlers – just peace and quiet. On the unbound leg, each team is required to take a 4 hour break plus their start differential, so they get a decent break.
Even the humans have fun in Sawbill. They were trying to light the big BBQ grill. There was talk of all sorts of barbecued meats, but we had to leave before all that talk came to fruition.
The most interesting story of the marathon race this afternoon is Jamie Nelson. She didn’t run the Beargrease for many years, but Jamie knows this trail up and down the northshore. She has won the race multiple times and is as tough as they come. She is clearly trying to claim the $2000 for the first musher into Trail Center.
But can she win the whole thing? Jamie is running more and resting less than the other teams. At the same time, her team is running about 1 mph slower than the fastest teams. Those that know Jamie say she is probably riding the brake and trying to slow her dogs down, which is her style. I know it doesn’t seem to make sense, but it works. Her dog team can go faster. As things stand, her team will get more rest than the other teams in the second half of the race. I am told by her fellow mushers that “she knows how to put depth into her dogs.” We will see if she can reclaim her title as Beargrease champion in 2011.
Our blogging team is going to be saying good bye to Dave Hruska. He has to go back to work. Jobs really get in the way of good blogging. It has been great to have Dave on the trail, and we will miss his input.
GBJ
