The above quote from Friedrich Nietzsche comes to mind when viewing the above photo of Cim Smyth arriving at Kaltag checkpoint earlier today. These guys are the closest thing to Nietzsche's Superman we'll ever see.
The update for today began on the previous post, which showed the Top 5 mushers. Lance Mackey is now at Unalakleet, 700 miles from the start, with only six checkpoints left. Some background on Unalakleet from the Iditarod GPS Tracker:
Unalakleet
Course Distance 701 Mi
Latitude N 63°52.691'
Longitude W 160°47.424'
Population 882 -- Situated on the coast of Norton Sound, just north of the Unalakleet River, this village is the largest community on the Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Nome. Two well stocked stores, as well as two restaurants can be found here along with limited lodging by advance booking. The trail is now entering the gateway to the Bering Sea and from here on the mushers can expect sudden storms and an ample supply of wind. The checkpoint is in front of the AC store.
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The second five of the Top 10 at the moment are:
6. Aaron Burmeister (six consecutive Top 25 finishes)
7. John Baker (finished 3rd in 2002)
8. Hans Gatt (finished sixth last year)
9. Paul Gephardt (quit drinking 19 months ago)*
10. Dallas Seavey (21 year old son of Mitch and husband of Jen, who is 180 miles behind him)
*I've been having fun with Paul Gebhardt because of one of his quotes in the paper, just prior to the start, about his new bout with sobriety, but he is a hell of a musher and at age 52 appears to be headed for a strong finish. He was second in 2000 and 2007.
Tomorrow I'll do a special post on the Iditarod Lady Mushers. Don't miss it.
