Iditarod Update #1

So, it's been 8 days on our journey through the Alaskan wilderness. I'd like to apologize for not keeping you updated, but you must know I'm exhausted beyond all belief and that, surprise, surprise, the internet is a bit shoddy in the backwoods of Alaska. Typically, the fastest racers make the trek in 10 days, but it can take as long as 15. Therefore, depending on our speed, which I believe is pretty slow, we're probably around a bit more than half way done. Thus far, it's been verrry interesting. The first few days were a bit of a bore; mainly the monotony is what did me in. We'd run for 3 hours, stop for a 30 minute break, run for another 3, stop, run, stop, then camp for the night. At sunrise, we'd take off and do the same thing all over again, until one day around mid-afternoon. We hadn't seen any other racers in a few days, and the terrain was as barren as a skeleton. I was afraid that I'd invert and go mad (doggy psychosis), until a gunshot was heard from a hundred yards away. I don't know if human senses react the same way to a gunshot as canines, but the sound is absolutely piercing to our sensitive ears. As soon as we heard the noise, all of the dogs stopped dead in their tracks and started howling. After a few minutes, Jesse noticed that Mollie, a six-year old Alaskan Husky, had blood dripping from her leg. He immediately came to her aid and took out bandages to wrap around her matted fur.

 I looked around for the source of the sound, but couldn't see a thing due to the sun's reflection on the optic white snow. After about a half an hour, it became obvious that Mollie would no longer be able to run, therefore Jesse was forced to put her in the sleigh next to him. This meant that we would be one man, excuse me one dog, short and that we'd have to work extra hard to make up the lost time. Since that fourth day, things have definitely slowed but we're trying our hardest to keep up. Nothing major has happened, and our spirits improve by the day. We've stopped only to refuel, so it's back on the trail for us. I'll try and post again soon.

Loyally,
Lola