March 6, 2007

Tuesday evening, the 6th, I went over to the City Building which was the Iditarod Race Check point and helped prepare dinner. I had asked for a ride to the check point, but then someone in the library asked for help with the computer. I was helping that person when I got the urgent signal that we had to go. I grabbed my purse and left, forgetting my beaver hat and snow pants. All I had for my head was a pretty neck scarf that I had received for Christmas and it was 20 below and with a rare wind off the river. There was a lot of waiting for teams to come in. they would estimate time of arrival from the time the teams left Nikolai, but that meant some waits were over 30 minutes. I snapped a lot of pictures in the dark and hoped that the flash would pick somthing up.

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I nearly froze waiting for teams to come in, especially because McGrath had an unusual wind to add to the chill factor. When I finally went home about 2:00AM I had to take a shower to get the chill out of my legs and the next morning my thighs itched like crazy until I rubbed them with lotion and then they burned.






Before any teams arrived in McGrath we were already getting reports about the horrible conditions in Rainy Pass. Doug Swingley had to scratch from the race after being thrown from his sled and breaking several ribs. We also hear that Deedee Janrowe had scratched but I didn't know until later in the week that her sled had careened almost the same place as Swingley and she also had broken ribs.

Martin Buser was the first musher into McGrath and chose to stop for a dinner and a rest. His face was badly wind and cold burned. I got to serve him and he was a really nice person, but I was a little afraid to talk to the mushers that first night. I have heard many stories since then about what a wonderful man he is. Most of the other leading teams went through McGrath and went to Takotna to have steak dinner. When Martin's team arrived, I started to cry because his team was so absolutely beautiful. I saw a lot, a really lot, of dogs during the week, but none as beautiful as his.

Later in the evening while I worked in the kitchen area, a man staggered up to me and asked where he could wash his hands. I pointed out the two restrooms at the top of about five steps and watched as he went in the women's room. I thought, "What is that drunk doing here." To my personal embarassment, it turned out to be a very tired John Baker. He was the only other musher that stopped on that first night.

I didn't get a picture of Martin Buser's team arriving, I was a little late getting outside after going inside to try to thaw out. As he was getting ready to leave, I asked if I could take his picture, and I got a few shots as he worked for an hour changing sleds. He was about the only musher who stopped for several hours that evening. I really wanted to get Martin's team as they left, but my camera froze up, actually froze from the cold, which it did several times during the eveing.



(upper left - Martin Buser having supper)
(upper right - Martin poses for me)
(right - Martin Buser changing sleds,
which took about an hour)


I want to write each day's experience in a separate blog, but since I have to go out of town on Tuesday for a week, I may not get it all reported in a timely manner.