It's the Little Things
Day 5 of the Iditarod Trail Invitational
One of the best things about the ITI is that there is enough suffering to go around and no one is immune from it. For some, it may be simple exhaustion, for others blistered feet, and even others a gastrointestinal system that is in such distress you can’t imagine eating anything despite a 70+ mile slog before you. (Always bring Tums in your first aid kit!) And for nearly everybody on this year’s trail, the 20+ miles of “fu$%ing tussocks” was the great equalizer of suffering. Some who would’ve pushed the pace to pass an athlete who was seemingly within reach gave up after the demoralizing tussocks. Those on foot or skis (who were honestly just foot people at this point) may have had to suffer longer than their counterparts on bikes, but still…there was that fantastic and humbling experience of pain and misery. And why is it that pain, suffering, and misery is such a gift? It’s because, for example, when you get to a place like McGrath and someone offers you your first cup of French pressed coffee in three, four, or even ten days, it is the best thing you have ever tasted. There is a renewed appreciation for the little things.
With that in mind, let’s celebrate some of our Wild Winter Women sufferers. Yesterday, we anticipated Carol Seppilu’s win in the ITI 150 and it in fact happened. Carol became the Women’s Foot Champion for the ITI 150 at approximately 10:27pm on February 26th. Carla Gabrielson joined her in second place at the finish line (though honestly Carol was probably asleep) at approximately 4:43am on February 27th. I hope the cute fox who I’ve heard is serving on the welcoming committee at Puntilla/Rainy Pass Lodge was there to cheer both these strong, Wild Winter Women over the finish line. Congratulations, ladies!
The track leaders map is this wonderfully, colorful Conga line of athletes from Puntilla to somewhere past Ophir. (Go Troy and Peter!) The tail of our Conga line (let’s call them our party people, as in business in the front, party in the back…subtle, I know) consists of some of the best of the best. Jan and Petra Francke are still fully enjoying their anniversary tour of the trail. (They don’t get to avoid suffering just because it’s their anniversary. They are on skis after all. And there’s the “fu$%ing tussocks” in their future.) Sarah Hurkett, Melanie Vriesman, and Stacy Fisk (our last three Alaskan women foot athletes on the trail) are taking a little break as well, enjoying the amenities of Rainy Pass Lodge (an outhouse and electricity…it’s the little things). Sean Brown is also in the party people house. He’s on his way to Nome along with two guys who really bring the capital “P” party to the foot division, Klaus Schweinberger and Donald Kane. I’ve spent many miles on the trail with these two gentlemen and two finer individuals you will not find. They are good for a beer, gummy bears, and, in a quick pinch, fixing your broken trekking pole with the metal wind protector from your camp stove (hypothetically speaking, of course). Our party people are doing just fine with time. They have until Friday, February 28, at 2pm to depart from Rainy Pass and must leave Rohn by 2pm on Saturday, March 1. That will be the sixth day of our sufferfest and you have a total of ten painful days in which to enjoy the trail to McGrath.
Now back to the heart of our Conga line, and focusing on our Wild Winter Women (I wish I could talk about everybody. I’m sorry! Suffering isn’t limited to the trail), stretching between Puntilla and Nikolai. Alexandria Manley, our final female 350 biker, is descending through Dalzell Gorge as I write and on her way to delicious brats (both veggie and meat…just two, no more…pile on that suffering) and hot tang ( the little things…nothing tastes quite as good as hot tang in Rohn). About four miles ahead of Alexandria and only four miles outside of Rohn, is our own WWW Kari Gibbons. We’ve heard from Jessie Gladish that skiing over the pass was great. I hope the foot division has a similar perspective. Kari will soon join Magda Paschke, female 1000-mile foot division, who has been resting for the last 40 minutes. Currently, there are five athletes in Rohn, snuggling up in their sleeping bags on the spruce bows…and that’s just about capacity for that wall tent. As folks start trickling in from the pass, those who are trying to get just a little shut-eye before the tussock hellscape will be gently (and then not-so-gently) prodded to move along and make some space. It’s time for the suffering to begin.
And, we’ve heard, that it doesn’t take long once you leave that lovely wall tent to start experiencing your first moments of fear and anxiety…suffering even. You may have noticed, for example, Beth Freymiller on bike leaving Rohn, her dot seemingly wandering around, staying way too long on the Kuskokwim River, most likely then trying to bushwhack over to get on the right trail, and in the end just circling back to Rohn for a “take 2.” That’s because there is no real trail right now. Imagine a sheet of bare ice, possibly a scratch mark here or there, but nothing solid to point you in the right direction. And the only real guidance you get is “get off the Tatina as fast as you can.” (I mean there’s always GPS but GPS doesn’t tell you where the open water is and the best path forward.) So, before you hit the “fu$%ing tussocks” you get the ice and water and indecision. I’d like to say that makes the tussocks a little less painful but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
One good thing about the tussocks (aside from a greater appreciation for all things), is that they are serving to give our dedicated volunteers in Nikolai some breathing room. They seem to be spreading that Conga line out, nice and even, so that Amber can continue to make burgers but also sneak in a shower every other day or two. Colleen Kersgard on bike has a little while before she gets to experience cleanliness and a meal cooked on a stove again. She’s about 43 miles out. Tracie Currie, on skis, is about a mile and a half in front of her, moving very slowly (1.4mph…maybe she’s eating, perhaps sleep walking, but most likely it’s the tussocks) for a woman who just the day before was able to ski up and over the pass. Beth Freymiller, Amanda Harvey, and Lynn Hall, all on bikes, are taking a well-deserved break on the side of the trail about 37 miles outside of Nikolai. Never fear that Amber Crawford has nothing to do at the Nikolai checkpoint, Nina Stupples is about seven miles out and should arrive in the next hours. And while Amber awaits her arrival, she has a full house of Wild Winter Women (Julie Perilla Garcia, Janice Tower, Kendall Park, Gillian Smith, and I’m guessing Henriette Geel…because she’s only .9 miles from Nikolai and she’s been there for 5 hours) and men. PSA: trackers are fallible devices. For instance, Scott Hoberg is not where his tracker says he is. We have reports that he’s on the trail and moving. We are guessing that he will stop before Nikolai because that’s a long stretch between where he stopped for a bit last night and the checkpoint (more suffering for family, friends, and casual dot watchers alike).
Let’s get to the business end of this Conga line of suffering. Erin Mingrone left Nikolai around 8:15 am this morning for the final push along the river into McGrath. She was tired and slept a full night (the little things!) and left in great spirits. She, we believe, is the first finisher from the 2024 ITI Winter Training Camp, rolling into McGrath at 4:35pm this afternoon. Congratulations, Erin!! A note about the river route, it follows the Iron Dog route the entire way and is longer than the overland route. It’s about 58 miles. And while it might be longer, racers are reporting that the trail is in great condition. What a relief after (can you guess?) the “fu$%ing tussocks”! We expect the foot racers to take the overland route (it’s shorter…don’t add the miles at the end…at some point you get diminishing returns for all that suffering), but we have no information yet about conditions.
One last shout out and congratulations to our wonderful, Brazilian, Wild Winter Woman, Mayella Krause, who finished her second ITI 350 (first was last year!) at approximately 12:49pm this afternoon. Because of her posts, I am now transitioning to calling the “fu$%ing tussocks,” “Chewbacca heads” and smiling every time. It is indeed the little things. Enjoy your finish and your rest, Mayella! Plus, I heard a rumor that there will be mancakes in the morning!! That’s not actually a little thing but definitely something to celebrate. Party on!