The team checked in to Cripple at 826P AKT. It was about a 14 hour run from Ophir covering the 73 miles with a good rest in the warm, middle of the day. It looked like Trent and Lance Mackey traveled together the first half of the trip until Trent camped and Lance when straight on a long Lance run to to Cripple.
Trent still has some running hours "before 10" and may choose to go a few miles towards Ruby to camp with the team. The next checkpoint Ruby, is where the Northern Route first hits the Yukon River and marks another big milestone/change in the trail.
Cripple is really an imaginary place that almost doesn't exist except for the fact that gold mining once took place in the location back in the early part of the 20th century. The Iditarod volunteers that man Cripple each even year build a nice village that is the halfway point in the race.
Picture of Trent checking in to Cripple in the 2012 race, and the 3 forms of heat and locomotion required for travel in the Alaskan interior.
