Still to Go

Big hills between Unalakleet and Shaktoolik...

Norton sound crossing on the ice this year to Koyuk...

An easy run to Elim on the ice or low ground with little terrain...

Lil McKinley - off the ice it is a steep climb and then several  roller coaster type steep hills (The view at night includes Golovin  and even Nome on down the coast, awesome). Then a really fun descent down the back side on to another ice covered bay into sleepy Golovin  and the across more ice/low land into White Mountain.

The hills in the next area towards Nome are big and get harder and  steeper as you head for the Bering Sea. After that an unplowed but  sometimes bare road complete with mileage signs (backwards to denote  how far you are from Nome) and then Safety Road house.

The last 22 miles changes from year to year. this year they are going  over Cape Nome which adds one more climb and about 2-3 miles.

Quite a challenge any year, but even more so with some of the worst weather (warm) in the Iditarod Trail Committee's 33 years.

Wayne Curtis
(Multi-Iditarod Finisher)