Moose!
March 13th, 2009
Well, she took her 24 hour layover in McGrath Checkpoint just as she did last year. I left my phone ringers on high volume and slept with them just in case she would call to give an update. She told me if she called anyone this year it would be me in order to give me first hand information to write about. So I was surprised when I received a call from Dad saying Laura had called him with the update. It shouldn’t shock me though, my sister only has Dad’s number memorized and even when she is in Montana training only calls me on speed dial or has to call Mom and Dad for my number. When she gets home I am going to pay to have my phone number tattooed on her arm. When people ask if it’s a prison number she can say no but she may end up there if she ever forgets that number again! Oh well, I guess spending 24 hours with the loudest phone ringer EVER practically taped to my ear wasn’t the worst thing that Laura’s put me through so I’ll survive and so will our relationship.
So, even though it’s not firsthand, here’s the scoop straight from the trail. Laura is physically well and is getting plenty of rest. Emotionally she was struggling with the race a bit. Because of trail conditions Laura has chosen to run with another team, #27 Tom Thurston. They run the same speed on the trail but Tom is on a longer rest schedule than Laura. I think it was hard for her to accept that she wasn’t going to be “flying” down the trail like she wanted to this year. She knows that this is the best strategy for her team in these conditions and I think that is what finally overcame the mental struggle she was having. She knows that by doing this she will increase her odds of making it to Nome with healthy, happy dogs which is always her first goal. I understand her struggle though, I know that under her calm, smiling outside she has a very competitive streak. I think she is doing what is right for her dogs, and that, in the end, will be another victory for her.
Moose. I suppose you are wondering about the post’s title. This will give you an idea as to how much snow there is on the trail. Laura described one part of the trail as running in a trench. The walls of snow on either side of her were shoulder high. The only thing that had packed down the snow she traveled on was previous “traffic”. As she ran along in the trench she looked up to see a giant moose standing on the top of the embankment watching her get closer. At this point there is nowhere to turn a team around to get them out of danger and it would be even more dangerous to stop the team because the moose might decide to charge the team in the trench. She kept them moving forward and muttered under her breath,” Just stay there, stay there. Please just stay there.” I think I would have closed my eyes, I’m not one for scary movies and this could have been bad. I guess that’s why I am typing this post and she is living it on the trail. All said and done, the moose stayed up top and just watched her pass under it and away. Thank goodness.
Laura also wants to give everyone a heads up that she will probably be dropping quite a few dogs over the next few checkpoints and not to be alarmed. She has a few that are starting to look sore and she doesn’t want any injuries. The checkpoints also get farther apart as the race moves toward the coast. That means if a dog did get sore it would mean a long ride in the sled bag for that dog and the dogs don’t like that very much. They would much rather be in team even if it could cause more damage. So, if Laura lets them stay in team she has to play the Bad Guy and make them ride in the sled until they are not sore or they reach the next checkpoint. Not fun for Laura or the dogs. If she thinks for even a moment that she’ll end up carrying them then she’ll leave them with the vets to be flown to her handler in Anchorage.
Besides the trail she is doing fine and enjoying every minute. Of course! I’ll be posting more as I hear more news. She is already in Ophir and resting. She’ll be running any minute now but I want to post this quickly so I won’t wait for her to move to post this.