Tolsona to Glennallen
Finish (20 miles)
It
was around 11:40pm when I came into the Tolsona checkpoint and saw JJ and
Wayne and the checkers and vets waiting for me. This was the second
checkpoint where I literally wanted to just sign in and out at the same time
and not give the dogs a chance to even think that we might be stopping to
rest. At Tolsona this was especially important as they were starting to get
a little tired from the race and it was also fairly cold.
I had chatted with JJ about how she could help get the team going in order
to clear the checkpoint and get some momentum again to get down the last 20
or so miles of trail. Essentially she would run with the leaders in order
to get them going again and then once we were moving just make sure to get
out of the way as we came by. The team was sluggish as we started to leave
this last checkpoint and JJ did her best to get the leaders running again.
We got about 50 or so yards down the trail and JJ had dropped back and the
team stopped. I motioned to JJ to wait and not run up to the team and instead
set the hook and went up to the front of the team myself.
By this point in the race my voice was getting a little scratchy and while
part of it may have had to do with the dry air and being somewhat dehydrated,
I think the majority of it was from the amount of talking I was doing to the
team. I seemed to be constantly talking to them, encouraging them, calling
them up and giving them directions. Now, as I was in the front of the team
at Tolsona, I just continued my encouragement, letting them know that we were
almost home and they were doing great and I could only imagine that it was
all down hill from here. My cheerleading worked as when I got back to the
sled and pulled the hook and gave it a little shove they set into their harnesses
and we were up to our typical cruising speed in no time.
We had just one little hill as we left Tolsona Lake and then dropped down
onto a trail which paralleled the Glen highway all the way into Glennallen.
This last stretch of trail was fairly uneventful and probably the most mundane
and boring of the whole race. Of course part of that may have been due to
the fact that I was running it in the wee hours of the morning and no one
but a "back of the pack" handler was driving along the road.
The trail got a little more challenging as we approached town as we had quite
a few driveways and side roads to cross. This was somewhat difficult as the
ditch which the trail was running in was quite deep so the banks on the side
of the driveways and roads were quite steep. I had to jump off the sled and
help push it up each crossing and then when we were on top, jump onto the
runners and be ready to brake as the team dropped off the other side so that
the sled wouldn't overrun the wheel dogs.
Finally we were on the edge of town and were crossing in front of a business
with a large parking area adjacent to the road. All that marked the trail
crossing this large, plowed, icy parking lot were two stakes on the far snowbank
as the trail dropped down into the ditch once again. As the team made their
way across the parking lot, Dale and Steele decided that the building looked
inviting and started to turn left towards it. I stopped them and tried to
call them Gee, but they were having nothing of that.
So I set the snowhook as best I could in the middle of the parking lot adjacent
to the Glenn Highway and decided that I needed my best Gee Haw leader in the
front in order to bring us on home. Gertie got the nod and I had had such
success with Dale as solo lead that I decided that instead of having Gertie
struggle with another dog in order to find the trail, I'd run her in solo
lead too. I set Dale and Steele further back in the team and gave them lots
of praise since up to that point they had done well. Then I settled back on
the runners and pulled the hook and with a few Gees and a Haw Gertie led us
through the stakes and down into the ditch on the far side of the parking
lot. Good Ole' Gertie came through again.
It was maybe a mile or two past that point where I saw the portable highway
lights and then the banner for the Finish line. I couldn't quite believe that
was it, but on the other hand was quite glad to be done with this last leg
which had been a bit challenging, just like all the others, but in its own
way.
The welcoming committee at the finish line was Al the race marshal, a vet,
JJ and Wayne. I had made it just as my headlamp batteries were dying and as
the temperatures seemed to be dropping once again. It was just after 2am and
I was glad to be at the finish. Once I showed the marshal all the required
gear, I signed in and had officially completed the Copper Basin 300, my first
dog sled race ever. JJ gave me a big hug and I called the team up once more
but didn't need to give them any directions as they had seen the truck and
knew what that meant - they were going home.
