Day 17: Sounds of Silence
All of our racers yesterday heard a sound that they have been waiting on for many days, the drone of a snowmachine (snowmobile for the non-Alaskans). The Iditarod trailbreakers have passed the six remaining ITI 1,000-mile racers, creating and marking a trail that will guide them the remaining 600ish miles to Nome. Gavan enjoyed a long rest at Carlson Crossing (CC) shelter cabin and was joined by the Iditarod Sled Dog Race trail breakers around 5:30 pm. Biker Ryan joined the crew at CC cabin after 9:30 pm, making for a cozy night in the small cabin. Both Gavan and Ryan departed the cabin in the afternoon and are currently making their way northward to the North Fork Innoko shelter cabin and their drop bag at the Cripple checkpoint.
The remaining 4 racers spent the night together at Ophir. Mayella and Kendall got a comparatively early start today, leaving just after 5 am. Erick and Troy left a few hours later, keeping a steady pace. Tonight, Maya, Kendall, and Troy are resting in the CC cabin. Erick is assumed to be with them as well, but his tracker appears as though he might be taking a bivy rest along the trail. With the trailbreakers taking their Starlink internet connection with them, we likely won't get substantial updates from the racers until they reach Ruby, which is days away. All we can do now is imagine what their days are like on the trail.
On calm days our runner and riders will mainly be listening to the sound of their footsteps and tire treads. Those familiar with the cold will know that the sound of snow changes with the temperature. Squeaky snow indicates cold temperatures, a softer sound underfoot means that temps are milder. The winds tonight are 5-10 mph, which shouldn’t be stiff enough to whistle through their gear, although lows of -2° F will provide plenty of squeak to the snow.
There isn’t a lot of ambient sound on the trail, so what you do hear becomes very interesting. The aforementioned drone of a snowmachine could signal incoming Fireball from an ITI volunteer, or an indicator that you need to move as far to the side of a narrow trail as possible for a passing machine. Sometimes the snowmachine will stop and a racer will get to chat with the driver, and they might turn out to be a friend with a hug and a spare slice of frozen Moose’s Tooth Pizza. Sometimes the snowmachiner will want to know what the heck you’re doing out there. Other times a passing thumbs up to signal all is OK is all that is communicated.
The other droning sound is the bush planes that are the lifeblood of the interior villages during the winter. On clear days watching the planes make their way across the sky is about as exciting an entertainment as possible. Though on rare, special occasions, the plane is flying near and low, to drop extra trail snacks for the racers.
Video credit: Sunny Stoeer
When the wind isn’t roaring through the Ptarmigan Valley before Rainy Pass, the ptarmigans make a delightful wah-wah sound that’s worth a stop to listen. The trail can sometimes be so quiet that the only noise is the soft chomping sound of a moose munching on willow branches.
As the racers work their way down the trail, they spend their time thinking of family and friends, and about everyone who made it possible for them to take on this feat. In that spirit, below are notes of appreciation from the 1,000-mile racers who started the race but are no longer on the trail.
Chester Fehrmann: My partner, Meg, for all her support over the last 20 years. My friends I ride with, many ITI veterans, who I get to ski along with on winter trips and who provided me advice on bad gear choices 😜 and Speedway Cycles for keeping me on the trails when skiing isn’t an option!
Herman Watson: Big Marc “the Marc” Klimek, my wife, who is watching our 15mo and dog while I’m out and who famously said “don’t be a pussy” when I considered deferring my entry to ITI 2023 after suffering significant knee pain during Fat Pursuit a few weeks prior. And, I guess, my office for having my back while I’m gone.
Jason Davis: My awesome wife
Jay Petervary: Tracey's patience with my drive and intensity 😎 but also so much encouragement.
Written by Amanda Harvey
Thanks to Wild Winter Women - Allison Carolan, Jan Redmond Walker, Faye Norby, Kari Gibbons, Leah Gruhn, Laura Wiesmann Hrubes, Lynn Hall, Madeline Harms, Rashelle Hintz, Rebecca McVay-Brodersen, Jessica Roschlan, and Sarah Bergstrom.