After we feasted on breakfast (including moose "bacon" mmm...) we geared up and hit the trail heading to Rainy Pass Lodge. This morning would begin the crashing phase of the trip.
After being on the trail for maybe a half hour I decided to liven it up a bit with a crash time. Now... let me be very clear... I did not HIT the tree...the tree merely stopped my machine in its tracks (hah get it?).
Let me paint you a picture... we were riding down the trail which was cut through the woods. The snow this year was pretty heavy so there was a snow bank on either side of the trail about 2 feet high. I'm directly behind our guide, my dad behind me and the two other guides behind him.... got it? We're chugging along about 20 mph and my front right ski catches the right bank. This causes me to over correct my machine launching my machine and I over the left snow bank when I casually slide off the left side of the snow mobile into the fresh powder and Priscilla ( my snow machine) to continue a few feet in its trajectory until it ever so gently tapped (crashed into, smashed, impaled...) a tree. Its physics. Newton wins this round. But what a kind tree for help keep my machine so close to me. Now, my dad was far enough behind me to not see the smash 'n crash happen, he just pulled up ( along with the 2 guides behind him) to see me standing up shaking the oh so cold powder out of my helmet. At this point I back away from the machine and let the guides do their thing to relieve Priscilla from her snowy parking spot. They dug and pulled and lifted and did all sorts of great Alaskan manly things of which I have no business in partaking. At least not until I start body building. Next year I say.... gotta have goals ! Meanwhile Andy, the guide who was in front and had long since disappeared, returned and jumped right in to the manly work.
What was I doing the whole time you ask?
Documenting of course. You're welcome.
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| "oops" |
Riding was beautiful and smooth most of the day. We stopped at the check point before we got to Rainy Pass called Finger Lakes. We pulled up to see a bright red helicopter that was flying people into the lodge to watch the race. We just stopped for a few seconds to rest and breath. The mushers were set to arrive there the next day so the volunteers were busy setting up the hay, feed bags, check in etc. While we were posted up the head trail judge for the checkpoint came up to ask us how the trail was... conditions, markers and such. So we filled him in since he had flown in and we, the adventurous souls we are, forged the wilderness and came in on the Iditarod trail. This is the equivalent of the head referee asking you how the grass is at the Super Bowl. Ain't no thing.
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| Volunteers setting up the checkpoint. The blue bags are hay for the mushers to let their dogs rest on. |
We also met this guy who came up to us in the full Russian Wolf coat. He was all "Mannnn you guys are so coool! This is so legittttt. I'm from south PA and this. is. the. way. to. do . ittttt. I flew in here on the helicopter...but this. is. legit!!!!! You guys need a sat phone? i got one! Gotta share the technology! " He was pretty great. And I think his alter ego was a surfer from California in the 90's. Oh and a "sat" phone is a "satellite" phone in case you're not up on the "out of cell tower range lingo"... I wasn't.
We continued down the trail until I decided there hadn't been enough adventure and decided to mix it up a bit. We were going to an icy area and "no fear" Andy is just cruising along at an uncatchable pace! I was trying as best I could to stay behind him and on Priscilla AND on the trail but something had to give ! This time my left ski caught a tree stump that was about 3 inches in diameter and 3 feet high. This caused my machine to completely turn sideways across the trail since my ski just kind of hooked the stump. Again with the physics. I did however stay on the machine this time. I would totally rock a mechanical bull.
I didn't video it this time because I felt bad. I mostly just sat in the snow and tried to disappear from their sight. The guides had to take shovels out and dig and then repack the snow and all sorts of stuff. We were only about 8 miles from Rainy Pass Lodge where we were headed. Bennett was set to fly in on a small plane since he was arriving late. While we were on the trail a small silver and red plane flew over us and I said "ITS BENNETT!! WAVE!!" so we did. Turns out it actually was Bennett, but he didn't see us because he was sleeping. Classic.
Once again the magic was worked and we were off!! The trail started getting rough and steeper and eventually the trail was cut into a cliff and would go up hill then you would have to trust that there was trail on the other side because you couldn't see the trail in front of you. Oh and if you fell sideways you would tumble down a cliff to your snowy grave. NO PRESSURE.
Let's just say the Iditarod trail heard lots of Hail Marys ! When we reached the bottom of the hill cliff death trail we rested and took off our helmets. Andy told us that area was the "Steps." Great. The Steps are probably the most infamous area of the trail where mushers crash, lose dogs, get pulled behind the sleds... awesome. I was thankful he hadn't told me before hand because I'm better just going without knowing the impeding danger... I was also thankful that it was supposed to be the hardest part and was OVER !
The rest of the ride to Rainy Pass Lodge was smooth. It was a site for exhausted eyes to see the cabins and the smoke coming from the chimneys! And then Bennett appeared !!
