Last note from Nome

Saturday March 18 743A AKDT

Talked with Trent briefly yesterday after the team was fed and bedded down in the dog yard after the race.  He said the trail was fantastic and they all had a great race and great camping trip.  He thought trail surfaces were pretty hard early in the race and he had a lot of wrist and shoulder challenges on the team.   He had to leave two of the best leaders Scott and Caribou at Checkpoint #3 in Tanana and four others very close to the end.  The sizes of the teams at the finishing line were definitely smaller this year.  Trent crossed the finish line with 8 dogs; Ayn, Blast, Percy, Hornet, Mary, Ruby, Boole, and Gordon.  

It was Trent's 10th 1000 mile finish; his 9th Iditarod and he he completed the Yukon Quest in 2012 in his only try there.  Ten for ten.  

Picture of Trent and Ayn at the Burled Arch.  Ayn made it!  It was her seventh Iditarod finish and the fifth she made with Trent.  She's off to a retirement as the Herbst house pet.

Picture of Trent the dog yard after getting the team fed and down for a good nap.  Note they are all strawed in, in the bottom half of travel kennels!  

8 responses
Congratulations, Trent! We knew you could do it. :)
CONGRATULATIONS Trent - on another super run!
Such a joy to follow your progress along the trail this year. Congratulations on your finish!! Who knew that I would get so interested in the Iditarod after watching you pass me on a training run two winters ago at Redfish Lake while I was snowshoeing! Good thing I had two computer screens at work so I could work on one and keep the GPS tracker and live feed up on the other! Best wishes to you, your family and the dogs!
Congrats, Trent, on another inspirational journey. We loved following your story and look forward to welcoming you back to the Wood River Valley after spring break. Do we have to do our homework over the break? Best, Bags and family
Congratulations to all of you, and especially to faithful Ayn as she takes up her new role as a dog of leisure. Have some well-deserved rest, then get back to your class. I'm sure they miss you!
All great news! Congratulations, Ayn and Trent! So proud of you.
Congratulations on another great year!!! It so so much fun to follow your adventure!!
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