Food Drop and Registration
- Friday, January 13, 2006
We
arrived in Glennallen shortly after 12:30am, dropped the dogs and then checked
into the hotel for a few hours of sleep. After a road trip like that the dogs
tend to be a little queasy and not too hungry, so even though they hadn't eaten
since 3 or so the afternoon before, we didn't try to feed them when we first arrived.
Instead, we got up around 6am, dropped the dogs and this time fed them as much
as they'd eat. Keeping their weight up is a high priority going into the race
and has been somewhat of a challenge with these dogs in the past. They ate pretty
well, and we put them back into the truck and then enjoyed our first of many breakfasts
at the Caribou Restaurant.
With our stomachs full of good greasy food, we stumbled back to the hotel and
got a few more hours of sleep before getting up to drop the dogs once more and
then make our way down the highway a mile or so to the lumber yard which also
doubled as the "food drop." This was the location for mushers to deliver
their drop bags of supplies which would then be distributed to each of the race
checkpoints and be waiting for us when we arrived. We had a little bit of final
packing to do since we had picked up some supplies on our way out of Fairbanks
and they needed to go into a few of the drop bags. I had set up two drop bags
for each of the major checkpoints: Chistochina, Paxson, Sourdough, and Wolverine.
I also had one drop bag with just a few odds and ends for Tolsana, the last checkpoint
of the race. For each of the major checkpoints we also had a bale of straw and
a smaller bag of fuel for the cooker.
The two main drop bags which would be waiting at each checkpoint when I arrived
had all the supplies I needed for that checkpoint plus the next leg of the race.
So for example, the Chistochina bags were some of the fullest with all the supplies
for a 5-6 hour layover at that checkpoint plus all the food and supplies I needed
for the 71 mile run to Paxson. This is a sample of what I had packed in the drop
bags: 12# of race diet meat, 12# of plain beef, 12# of kibble, 12# of turkey skins,
12# of white fish, 2# of lamb sausage, 6# of chicken thighs and legs, dehydrated
meals for me, 8 water bottles, 8 juice bottles, clif bars, granola bars, krispy
bars, hot cocoa mix, 8-12 chemical handwarmer packs, 8 D cell batteries, wet wipes,
extra liner socks, extra wool socks, 2 pairs of extra gloves, extra long underwear
(2), extra long underwear tops (2), extra boot liners, extra harnesses, extra
main line, extra runner plastic, extra foot care ointments for the dogs…
The list is extensive.
We finally got everything sorted out and added the final items to each drop bag,
zip tied them shut, and then sewed nylon cords through the top to make handles
so I could drag them easier. We dropped off all the bags to their designated spots
in this big parking lot, signed off with the organizing volunteers, and then took
the permission slip to race central to officially register.
Registration went smoothly, and all the vaccine paperwork for the dogs was in
order. After signing about 50 posters which would be given to sponsors and the
winning mushers and getting my photo taken for the website, we made our way back
to the hotel so I could get a little more sleep in anticipation of the lack of
sleep ahead.
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