Jessie Holmes reached Unalakleet checkpoint on the Bering Sea at 09:27 with 13 dogs in harness. He is the recipient of the Ryan Air Gold Coast Award. The Awards consists of $2,500 worth of gold nuggets from the Bering Sea region, a carved loon by artic Mark Tetpon and a gold pan plaque commemorating this accomplishment.
If there’s been a consistent theme for Iditarod 54, it’s been cold, Cold and COLD! Mushers say they can’t remember a race when it’s been this cold. It hasn’t been just a little below zero but it’s been significantly below the zero mark. Surprisingly, there is an upside to the cold. When it drops to frigid at night, daytime temperatures stay well below the freezing point. The cold has really helped the dogs in that they haven’t had to deal with “Heat of the Day” issues of 40 degrees but instead they’ve enjoyed daytime temperatures at zero or not much above that have been ideal for distance dogs.
There’s been a major milestone achieved in Iditarod 54. With all teams through the Galena checkpoint, there has been only one scratch. Perhaps the cold has contributed to this milestone. Back in Rainy Pass Jaye Foucher scratched citing personal reasons. She had experienced poor trail out of Skwentna, high winds near Finger Lake and a crash on the Happy River Steps that damaged her sled and caused her to lose a piece of mandatory gear. With that in her rearview mirror and the infamous Dalzell Gorge just ahead, Jaye thought it wise to call Rainy Pass her finish line…