I get tired just looking at the mile count grow. Laura is in Galena, 667 miles from the start. She only has 445 left until Nome. There further she goes the more excited and more anxious I get. She is close enough now that I’m sure she can taste the finish line. I also know that usually 20% of all who enter will end up dropping out before the end. About half of those have already scratched this year. So as I start to anticipate a finish for Laura I still feel like I am holding my breath. Laura once told me that for Iditarod mushers who race it repeatedly it’s not if the will ever scratch, it’s when they will scratch. There are just too many factors involved for even an experienced musher to take for granted that their race is in the bag. I think I will probably keep my ever growing excitement in check until she reaches White Mountain (77 miles from the finish). Okay, I have to stop thinking about that now. If I can just look ahead one checkpoint at a time I’ll be in control of the hyperventilating. The next checkpoint will be Nulato, 52 miles down the trail. Again this trail follows and is on the Yukon River. She will still need to be cautious of open water. She will also need to rely on the trail markers for this leg. The wind in this area tends to blow the snow over the trail, covering the marks of previous mushers. This trail is heavily traveled by snow machines so it may keep it easier to see. This leg usually takes between 4-6hrs to run. The temps are still warmer than ideal but a least it is staying below freezing.
     There are a few things I forgot to cover in past updates. The first being a third dropped dog in Cripple. I have not found out why the dog was dropped but will let you know when I find out. The second bit of missing info is the 8hr mandatory rest Laura took at the Ruby checkpoint. With that out of the way there are no more mandatory rests for her. She can now decide how long she wants to rest at each checkpoint or if she wants to stop to rest in checkpoints at all.

     I’ll check in later tonight and if there’s news to update I will. Keep your eyes peeled for a story about my first experience with a sled dog. After reading it you will have a better idea of how much I love my sister. Until then, smooth sailing to all.