[I think original post has too hi-res photos in it]
Friday March 10 830A AKST
The team just came off the Yukon River to the checkpoint at Galena at mile 396 on the trail. Arrival time was 745A AKST. The team took an 8-1/2 hour rest in Ruby before making the 50 mile trip over to Galena in 6 hrs 38 minutes at average speed of 7.5 mph. The team checked in to Galena with 14 dogs and in 46th place. Looks like Mary and Anna were the 2 dogs left back in Tanana to take a first class air trip back to Anchorage. There are 3 teams behind who did their 24 hour in Ruby so Trent is probably closer to 50th on the trail but doing great.
Galena is an old native fishing village on the Yukon. During WWII, a large runway was constructed for military forward operations. The race trail leaves the Yukon at Galena for an 80 mile journey through the Koyukuk Wilderness to the the village of Huslia and will return back to the Yukon at Koyukuk. Huslia is a Athabascan village with less than 300 residents. It is a trapping and trading village with one of the deepest mushing traditions in Alaska. The village is only on the Iditarod route when the race starts in Fairbanks. They really turn on the welcome for the race. Below are couple of 2015 shots of the community center, the feast the locals provide, and the local Huslia March Madness basketball team.
I know he is very excited about spending some time there. In 2015, he did his 24 in Ruby with a dog team that had "the bug" and by the time he got to Huslia he didn't have as much time to enjoy the moose stew and hospitality.
Weather in Huslia is showing as +18F and sunny, which believe it or not is not the best conditions for the dogs to run. Trent will rest the team and head up to Huslia for his 24 hour mandatory rest. He'll probably wait for cooler, later part of the afternoon to head off for the initial 40 miles or so, then a camp/rest until after midnight for a 40 mile nighttime run in to Huslia.
Map below, again, for getting our bearings on geography.
Tim