Morning Tsuga Fans,
I arrived to Carmacks after sleeping in the truck for a couple of hours in Braeburn.  Mike as usual woke before his alarm and is a few minutes ahead of his schedule right now.  Braeburn was extremely crowded with dog teams and dog trucks.  Both the 1000 miler and the 300 miler use the checkpoint and at one point there were over 30 teams all lined up in a row.  I really wish I could have gotten a picture (it was dark) since it is hard to imagine.  The team is very  responsive to every more Mike makes.  Mike has been efficient with his checkpoint routines and can wake up and have the team ready to leave in about an hour. His suffered a bit of frostbite under his eyes and I'm sure he will be feeling that soon.  He also isn't feeling great and I hope he doesn't get sick like last year.  The dogs were barking and howling when it was time to hit the trail. Curly is a great cheerleader and really helped energize the team. While in Braeburn there is mandatory vet check and after looking through the team, there were no issues.  Mike has been very good with preventative measures.  Today is clear and sunny with temps in the -20 to -15 range for now.  Mike is planning on running for a few hours, resting on the trail and potentially running right through the Carmacks checkpoint.  I'll let you know when I do.  Hope for a few more hours of sleep before he arrives.
Sue