Trent Herbst 2017 Iditarod Blog Site

March 18

Trent and the team checked out of White Mountain after their mandatory 8 hour rest there, at 914P AKT last evening (it's just past 1 AM there now).   All 12 dogs that checked in to White Mountain also checked out there, so it looks like 12 will make it to Nome.  It wiill be fun to see who they are later this morning.  

Trent's about 30 miles from White Mountain on the tracker after 4 hours of travel this evening.  At the 7.5 mph he is moving, and 75 miles of total travel White Mountain to Nome, that would put the journey at 10+ hours and him arriving sometime say 730AM+ AKT Friday morning in Nome.  

Try to watch Trent show up at the burled arches on the Iditarod Live webcam at http://iditarod.com/live/

I will also try to get a screen scrape of the video they take at the end and post it.  

March 17

The team left Elim this morning at 645A AKT and just arrived in White Mountain at 100P, in the afternoon, after a 6 hour 12 minute run over the 46 miles.  The team checked out of Elim with 12 dogs, looks like someone hooped off the bus there.  12 dogs checked in to White Mountain.  The team is in 60th  place of 71 mushers still in the race.  

Elim is mile 898 of 975 and the next stop is Nome and the finish line.  White Mountain is a mandatory 8 hour rest.  Right now the weather in White Mountain (see below) is beautiful and sunny.  It should be a glorious, long nap in the sun for the dogs.  They will head back out on the trail at 9PM this evening and should be in Nome 10+ hours later at 7AM+ AKT on Friday (later and easier for folks in the lower 48).   Nome weather looks sunny and clear as well.   The coast to Nome is fickle, and I hate to jinx the team, but it looks like Chamber of Commerce weather and conditions from now to the finish, fingers crossed.  .  Here's hoping to see 12 happy pups and a ice-bearded madman at the burled arches then.  

There is a live camera feed of the finish line at http://iditarod.com/live/  .    I think you can see the feed without a Iditarod Insider subscription.   Point your browser and watch Trent come to the finish Friday morning. 

The team left Elim this morning at 645A AKT and just arrived in White Mountain at 100P, in the afternoon, after a 6 hour 12 minute run over the 46 miles.  The team checked out of Elim with 12 dogs, looks like someone hooped off the bus there.  12 dogs checked in to White Mountain.  The team is in 60th  place of 71 mushers still in the race.  

Elim is mile 898 of 975 and the next stop is Nome and the finish line.  White Mountain is a mandatory 8 hour rest.  Right now the weather in White Mountain (see below) is beautiful and sunny.  It should be a glorious, long nap in the sun for the dogs.  They will head back out on the trail at 9PM this evening and should be in Nome 10+ hours later at 7AM+ AKT on Friday (later and easier for folks in the lower 48).   Nome weather looks sunny and clear as well.   The coast to Nome is fickle, and I hate to jinx the team, but it looks like Chamber of Commerce weather and conditions from now to the finish, fingers crossed.  .  Here's hoping to see 12 happy pups and a ice-bearded madman at the burled arches then.  

There is a live camera feed of the finish line at http://iditarod.com/live/  .    I think you can see the feed without a Iditarod Insider subscription.   Point your browser and watch Trent come to the finish Friday morning. 

March 17

The team left Koyuk yesterday evening at 615P AKT and just arrived in Elim at 1205A, just past midnight, after a 5 hour 50 minute run.  The team checked in with all 13 dogs.   The team is in 61st place of 73 mushers still in the race.  

Elim is mile 852 of 975 so the team is getting down towards the end of the trail.  After a 6 hour or so rest tonight, they'll head out in the morning for another 46 mile, 6 hour run to White Mountain for a mandatory 8 hour rest.  Let's say they get in at noon, and then head back out tomorrow, Thursday night at 8PM.  It will take 10+ hours to get to final 75 miles to Nome.  If all goes well, they should be in Nome on Friday as early a 6AM, perhaps as late as 8AM AKT, projected no guarantees ;-)  For MT folks that's a civilized 8AM to 10 AM window.  

It looks like an ~11 day 18-20 hour or so finish which would be 2nd fastest for Trent in 8 completions, out of 8 tries. 

There is a live camera feed of the finish line at http://iditarod.com/live/  .    I think you can see the feed without a Iditarod Insider subscription.   Point your browser and watch Trent come to the finish Friday morning. 

The team arrived in Koyuk at 12:44P AKT this afternoon after a 6 hour crossing of the Norton Sound.  Always great news to finish that leg.   The team checked in with all 13 dogs.   I would expect they will get 6 hour or so rest and head the 50 miles to the next checkpoint at Elim.  The team is in 61st place of 73 mushers still in the race.  

Koyuk is mile 804 of 975 so the team is getting down towards the end of the trail.  After what is probably a 6 our run to Elim and a 6 hour rest, the team will take another 50 mile, 6 hour run to White Mountain for a mandatory 8 hour rest, then head out the final 75 miles to Nome.  If all goes well, they should be in Nome on Friday.  

Trent and the team pulled in to Shaktoolik just before midnight AKT on 15th after a 5 hour 45 minute, 40 mile run form Unalakleet.  Trent is still in 61st place out of 73 mushers in the race.  Anxious to see if all 13 dogs leave the checkpoint tomorrow.

Expect Trent to get some rest and get a morning start for a daylight crossing of the open water across the Norton Sound.   

Again, the run from Shaktoolik to Koyuk is one of, if not the most iconic leg in the Iditarod.   Made famous by Leonhard Seppala in the great Serum Run of 1925 to deliver diptheria serum to quell an epidemic in Nome.  It is part of the heritage of the Iditarod and the run, and choice to move quicker over open sea is considered the greatest feat in the history of dog sledding.  

The spit town of Shaktoolik is the first picture below, seen from above.  The town is in a battle with global warming.  The map from GPS tracker shows overland path to Koyuk from Shak.  Let's hope for good weather and an easy crossing for the team tomorrow.

The puppy team from last year went back to Ed and Tasha's Nature's Kennel in UPI Michigan after last years Iditarod.  A few of them have gone on to a big year this year.

The finishers from last year were Ayn, Krister, Blast, Mukluk, Thomas, Pig Pen, James, Scott, Thomas and Henry.   Ayn and Blast are on Trent's team again this year.  

This year Laura Neese, who works at Nature's Kennel, ran the Yukon Quest.  Mukluk, Thomas, Henry, Woodstock, and PigPen started the Quest with Laura. Mukluk, Thomas, and Woodstock finished and Henry made it to the last checkpoint. 

This year at the Iditarod Ed Stielstra is currently running in 35th place, and on is team are Gordon, Mukluk, Thomas, and Woodstock.  All of them are still on the team except for Gordon, who he dropped at Finger Lake. 

Thomas, Woodstock, and Mukluk have had an impressive season.  They were all on Trent's finishing team last year, finished the Yukon Quest this year, and look like they are going to finish the Iditarod again this year!   

Here they are from rookie pix last year in that order; Thomas, Woodstock, and Mukluk.... good boys!

Trent and the team pulled out of Unalakleet at 615P AKT.  They took a 6-1/2 hour rest in Unk and left with 13 dogs, dropping 1 dog there.   Trent and the team left Unk in 61st place out 73 teams left in the race, and 85 that started. 

It's about 40 miles to the spit at Shaktoolik, the last 8 run times in to Shak from Unk have been in the 5-1/2 to 6 hour range, so I'd expect Trent to there there around midnight, get some rest and get an early or daybreak start for a daylight crossing of the open water across the Norton Sound.   

The run from Shaktoolik to Koyuk is one of, if not the most iconic leg in the Iditarod.   Made famous by Leonhard Seppala in the great Serum Run of 1925 to deliver diptheria serum to quell an epidemic in Nome.  It is part of the heritage of the Iditarod and the run, and choice to move quicker over open sea is considered the greatest feat in the history of dog sledding.  

Mushers in front of Trent have generally had reasonable conditions for this challenge,  Here is hoping for good conditions for the 24 hours and the rest of the race for that matter.  As mentioned in last post, the weather is supposed to be partly cloudy with winds "only" at 20 mph making temps feel -20F tomorrow.  

March 15

Trent and the team hit the Bearing Sea Coast and pulled in to Unalakleet at 1146A AKT this morning.   He checked in with 14 dogs.   It looked like on the tracker he broke the run in to two ~ 40 mile sections and stopped at the musher favorite shelter cabin Warwoman cabin about half way.  He made the 85 mile portage over from Kaltag in 16 hours including about 6 hours of rest time.  

I think Trent will go the 40 miles to Shaktoolik this evening and rest for the evening for the 50 mile over sea crossing of the Norton Sound tomorrow morning.   Weather in Shaktoolik, below, looks "pleasant'; winds at -20 mph with temperatures that feels -20F.  Plenty good weather for a crossing Wednesday if that holds.

March 14

Eighty-four more trails miles and an 8 hour rest in the Nulato checkpoint since departing Galena, and the team is off the Yukon River and in the village of Kaltag.   They arrived at Kaltag at 223P AKT this afternoon, arriving with 14 dogs.  The next push is off river and along the portage to Unalakleet and reaching the Bering Sea.  It's a good long 85 mile run that is generally broken in 2, there are several traveler cabins along the way.  

Not sure what Trent's rest and run plans will be in the checkpoint and on the way over.   There is a great pizza place called Peace on Earth right next to the Unalakleet checkpoint that many mushers try to include, and that makes a landing in Unalakleet somewhere between 11A and 9P highly desirable.