Posts - Page 61 of 287 - Christof Teuscher

The missing drop package was no big deal. I carried reserves for several days and had already skipped a few resupply packages because I didn’t need them. A lot of redundancy was built into my resupply plan because the mail is unreliable at best in remote Alaska. I had just short of 50mi to go to White Mountain, with Golovin on the way. I knew both of my next resupply packages had arrived.

The first stretch of today’s journey led along the shore on the sea ice to the Walla Walla cabin. I didn’t stop there and continued straight into the Kwiktalik Mountains. There were some good climbs up to 1,000ft of elevation. After the flat sea ice sections, I quite enjoyed some climbing. On the way down to the Golovnin Lagoon (the spelling is different from Golovin), a local on a snowmachine stopped. He was on his way to fix up a house for his daughter in Golovin. He showed me the weather and wind forecast on his phone and said I’d be good for the next few days, but that I shouldn’t dally. Did I give that impression?! Then he suddenly said he had to go because his wife was tracking him and would question him why he stopped for so long.

There was mostly blank ice on the lagoon to Golovin, where I stopped quickly to receive my drop package and some amazing (strong and sweet) tea from volunteers. I was eager to get to White Mountain, some ~17mi away from Golovin. There are no roads to White Mountain. Depending on the season, one can reach the town by snowmachine, boat, ATV, or plane.

Once again it was late and dark when I finally reached my destination on the Fish River. What I found was a little paradise: an entire house to myself, with a real bed, a shower, and the most delicious moose soup. A big thanks to longtime ITI supporter and trail angel Joanne and her family! I got some quality rest, dried all my gear, and refueled myself before tackling the remaining 77mi to Nome.

There was open water in that crack. I did not know how deep it was.

Leaving Elim behind…

Wearing traction devices or have studded shoes is essential on the ice. If that wasn’t obvious.

Another crack. And you can often hear the ice make noises as it “works” and does its things.

The Walla Walla cabin.

A cabin with a view. Again.

Leaving the sea ice behind. There were some good climbs on that section.

No words needed.

Thanks Joanne and family! This really was paradise.

I devoured the delicious moose soup, the bread, and the mandarine like there was no tomorrow. Thanks!

#iti2022 #iditarodtrailinvitational #ultrarunning #nome #alaska

Koyuk, less than 100mi below the arctic circle, is the most northern point on the Iditarod trail. I was now less than 200mi from Nome. There was more sea ice, some hills, the Kwik River safety cabin, more ice, and then some more of all of it. The wind was still going strong, but that was a minor detail. At least the weather was still good.

Over the past 800mi, I had literally zero blisters and no feet issues at all. I blame the fabulous Inov-8 shoes that felt really comfortable. It sounds like a minor problem, but the terrible skin cracks on my fingers were really painful. My office fingers are just not used to these rough conditions, so after a few days in the cold, the fingertips crack open. The cracks don’t heal because of the continuing (ab)use and exposure. The best solution I found is to seal the cracks with SuperGlue.

In the late afternoon I reached the “old Elim,” a bunch of houses and cabins that are now used as a fishing camp. A local couple drove up to me across the ice on their snowmachines to check on me. They had just come back from an ice fishing trip on the river. He had a huge auger on his sled to drill through the ice and showed it off very proudly. Sadly, they had not caught anything. They recommended I take the sea ice route to Elim instead of going over the hills. I was skeptical about that option because the route would not be marked and might not be safe. I might encounter open water and lose hours if I had to turn around. So into the hills I went. The climb to the high point was long and tough. However, the long downgrade right into Elim provided the best sledding of the entire trip. I went so fast that I was worried the pulk would break in half.

In town I had once again trouble finding the school until a local emerged (in a cloud of weed smoke) from a house, shook my hand, and directed me to the right building. It was now past midnight. The school principle, who had stayed up to welcome me, told me that my resupply drop box had not arrived. Oh dear, now what?! Was that the end of my journey?