Frozen

Alaska is an unforgiving place. Not only have they had record amounts of snow on the Iditarod Trail this year, they are also dealing with extremely cold temperatures. Currently, at high noon in AK it is 19 degrees below. Most nights it has been a brutal 40 degrees below freezing.

The massive amounts of snow have led to a slow pace in the race. The dogs are having to struggle through drifts and soft powder. Sinking into that type of snow can get very exhausting. To protect their feet, they are constantly wearing booties. These are the bright foot protectors that you see on most sled dogs. They are just thin pieces of cloth that prevent ice chunks from cutting and getting stuck in their paws. Booties are essential for this years race.

Bill collecting hot water in Takotna

Another important piece of equipment has been the dog jackets. Even with these hearty sled dogs, 40 degrees below can just be too cold. Therefore, they all have down jackets to help hold in their heat. I have never been a big fan of clothing on dogs, but jackets on sled dogs just looks badass. On the Iditarod website, I've seen several pictures of dogs racing in the morning completely covered in frost. This is what they're made for; their fur is thick and contains several layers. Still, those jackets are helpful on the bitterest of nights.

The dogs taking off from Anchorage

My team is still holding strong. They are down to 11 dogs, but that seems consistent with the other mushers. There isn't a single racer that has retained all 16 dogs. The average right now seems to be about a team of 12. They are currently taking a break at Galena checkpoint at mile 517. They've been there since 4:37 AKT and will probably be leaving shortly. From there, it's about 175 miles to the desolate coastline. The frontrunners just reached the coast and are battling in a tight race for first.
A fun fact that my mom found: More people have conquered Mount Everest than have raced the Iditarod. It's definitely not easy...
Go Team Kuka!