From Unalakleet:

1 – Report from Unalakleet [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/UNK_Report.mp3[/audio]

2 – Report on the Bering Straight School District [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/BSSD_Iditarod.mp3[/audio]

3 – Report from Unalakleet on Lance Mackey & Hugh Neff [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/UNK_Report_Mackey.mp3[/audio]

4 – OLN version of the live Unalakleet [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/OLN_UNK.mp3[/audio]

5 – OLN version of a White Mountian Report [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/OLN_WMO.mp3[/audio]

Robert Sorlie’s 2005 Iditarod Win:

1 – Neil Live from Topkok Cabin 1 [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/topkok%201.mp3[/audio]

2 – Neil Live from Topkock Cabin 2 [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/topkok%202.mp3[/audio]

3 – Neil Live from Safety

[audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/safety.mp3[/audio]

4 – **All Live Audio from Wednesday Morning [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/Sorlie_Arriving.mp3[/audio]

5 – **Audio from Wednesday Afternoon [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/Wed_Afternoon2.mp3[/audio]

6 – OLN version of the finish [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/OLN_Finish.mp3[/audio]
Other:

Teacher on the Trail – 03/13 [audio]http://www.northslope.net/iditarod05/TOTT_0313.mp3[/audio]

Lydia’s parents are in town, they arrived yesterday morning, and her sister comes tomorrow (Saturday). Its been fun showing them around town again, they were here in October but we had a huge storm so they didn’t get to see to much. Last night we went to a reindeer stew fundraiser for the Christian pilots association here in town, then we went to a Eskimo dance concert. It was pretty cool to see these people do dances that have been passed down for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. It really shows the deep routed culture and history these people have. Kids 10 and 12 were doing their dances, and older people were doing the grandpa dance.

Today Jerry & I followed the Iditarod trail up for a few miles and got to see some more mushers come into town. It was really cool to see them in their element, not on a city street. It was also really fun to go snow machining when it wasn’t so cold or windy. We went and watched Lydia play basketball, and tonight we are going to a halibut fry.

Tomorrow Jerry, & I, along with Lon and Irene (from KICY) are competing in the Nome Kennel Club’s businessman’s race. It should be fun, after spending my early childhood in Alaska its been a dream of mine for quite a while to get behind some sled dogs, and I’m excited to do it tomorrow.

• I’ve posted some pictures I took of the Iditarod Finish (click here)

Robert Sorlie came in first, Ed Iten in second, Mitch Seavey third, Bjornar Andersen fourth, Ramy Brooks in fifth, John Baker arrived sixth, Lance Mackey seventh, Jessie Royer eighth, Paul Gebhardt ninth, and DeeDee Jonrowe came in 10th.

Here is a link a audio report that talks about Robert Sorlie winning the race (click here). If you’re interested, I still have to put up other audio from the past week.

I should have pictures of the finish up tomorrow!

Sorlie Wins!!!!! He came in at 08:39 this morning. Ed Iten is in at 9:13

I’ll have pictures, stories and audio later in the day. But Now I have to head back down to the finish line.

As of Late Tuesday Evening

As of this update, Robert Sorlie has left White Mountain at 8:59, after his eight hour layover and I’m sure is pushing his team hard all the way to Nome. Behind Sorlie, set to leave at 10:50 is Ed Iten, at 10:56 is Mitch Seavey. Ramey Brooks will leave at 11:23, John Baker at 11:36, and Bjornar Anderson at 11:49.

As you can see the times in the top 6 are pretty close, especially within the top 3. The piece of information worth noting is that Sorlie only has 8 dogs, and it took him 8 hours and 45 minutes to get to White Mountain from his last checkpoint. On the other hand, Ed Iten has 11 dogs and it took him 7 hours to get there, Mitch Seavey has 11 dogs, and it took him 7 hours 30 minutes to get from Elim to White Mountian. Robert is slowing down, and the others are speeding up. You could see three very close finishes tomorrow morning, and Sorlie won’t necessarily be on the winning side.

I’ll be downtown Nome all morning at the race finish brining Nome the finish.

Check me out, I’ll be on the KICY scaffolding, and you can view it on the (webcam).

I’ve got some great Iditarod memorabilia I’ll send out to you for the first few people who can email me good shots off the webcam of me broadcasting the finish.

As of 10:30 am

Sorlie out of Elim at 4:17am

John Baker out of Elim at 7:08am

Mitch Seavey out of Elim at 7:26

Ramey Brooks out of Elim at 7:34

Ed Iten out of Elim at 7:50

Buser still in Elim

DougSwingly in Elim

I’ve got lots of audio & photos for you when I get back to nome!

Well, my last post was correct, I did get marooned only it was here in Unalakleet instead of Koyuk. So I’m spending one more night here, and one less night out on the trail somewhere else. This has given me the chance to speak with a few more mushers that I wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance to catch up with. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can catch the first flight out of here back to Nome. I’ll have to get White Mountian perhaps after the finisher comes into Nome.

Some pretty funky stuff went on today with the race standings, I’ll try and break it down for you.

Robert Sorlie is still in first place, however he got lost on the trail out of Unalakleet on the way to Shaktoolik, he left Koyuk around 6:00 this evening. Mitch Seavey came from a number 9 or 10 position into number 2 and is resting in Koyuk right now. Word is that he has a very fast team that he has been holding back for most of the race. He might try and make a pass at Sorlie, but there is some time in between them. Ramey Brooks came into Koyuk about an hour after Seavey did, and Martin Buser came in 20 minutes after that. Another huge move was made by Lance Mackey who is in the number 5 spot right now, earlier he was down in the teens, but after a 7 hour rest here in Unalakleet was able to climb up the ring. I spoke with him this morning around 9, and he was talking about taking it easy, enjoying the race, not taking things to seriously and BAM, he is a contender again.

Its on its way back to Nome, only 171 more miles. Hopefully I can beat them all there! I’ve also got to write some updates this evening that I can call in tomorrow morning for the Breakfast club.

As of 10:14 am, Monday March 14th

I’m heading out from Unalakleet this afternoon to Koyuk, where there is a good chance that I’ll get stranded for the evening. We’ll see.

Rober Sorlie came into Unksville last night at 8:45, we were out there for almost 3 hours waiting for him to get in. Martin Buser came in a few hours later. As soon as Buser came in, Sorlie started collecting his things and got ready to go. It was 10 after midnight when he left. Ramy Brooks apperantly camped outside of town for a few hours, he came in around 2:30 and took right off, Martin Buser left about 15 minutes later. All the top mushers cruised through here last night, most leaving early this morning before I had a chance to catch them. I did have an interesting conversation with Lance Mackey who won the Yukon Quest a few weeks ago, and Hugh Neff who came in 3rd. They both are in the top twenty and have a whole different outlook on the race. I wrote up a nice story on it and will post the audio for you when I get back to Nome.

Sorlie and Brooks have checked into Shaktoolick and are on their way to Koyuk. We’ll see what I get there on the next leg of my iditarod adventure.

Secrest out.

Update as of 4:33pm, Sunday March 13th

Right now all the top ten teams have left Kaltag and are on their way to Unalakleet. Robert Sorlie is in first, and Ramy Brooks is an hour behind him. Martin Buser is an hour behind Ramy in third place, John Baker from Kotzabue in 4th, Jeff King in 5th with defending champion Mitch Seavey about 20 minutes behind. Ed Iten in 7th, Bjonar Anderson in 8th and DeeDee Jonrowe in 9th. The last person to leave Kaltag was Doug Swingley in 10th position. Its about 90 miles from Kaltag to Unakaleet, and the first musher is expected in around 6:00 tonight.

I’m here in Unalakleet waiting for mushers to get in. I’ll head up to Koyuk tomorrow before going home tomorrow evening. Here is a blog entry that I wrote last night about my experences in Unksville

(written at 11:00pm, Saturday March 12th)

Well, what a day this has been. Every time I think about the amazing opportunities that We’ve had since moving to Alaska, I’m just in awe. It shows you that if you give God something precious to you, like a year of service away from your friends and family, he will talk that gift and bless it. I really feel blessed with the great opportunities that we have been given. I can’t speak for Lydia, she is Miss travels around to villages on a regular basis, but this is only my second time out to one. I’m just blown away at how different it is than life at home in Seattle, its even different that Nome!

I’ve had a great time here so far, and have lots of time left. I flew in around 4:30, and after getting off the place started talking to another passenger, come to find out it was a reporter for the Nome Nugget Newspaper. We both had no idea what to do, so we start making the walk into town, when we are offered a ride to the checkpoint. Once there, we met an iditarod volunteer from Norway, and the three of us went to Dinner at Unalakleet’s pizza place. It was very cool, about halfway through dinner the owner and a friend started playing guitars and singing. It was such a surreal experience to be having pizza in a remote Alaskan village with two strangers I didn’t know 2 hours earlier, one from Norway, the other a former attorney from Ohio turned Journalist…all while being sung original compositions by some dude at his restraunt.

We headed back to the checkpoint and I decided that I should go check out the place I was going to stay, while my nugget friend went looking for one. I found my way to the Covenant Church an met Joel & Olga. After getting the rundown and having some coffee with the family, I headed back to the checkpoint. There wasn’t to much going on so I started walking around town. I ran into another Iditarod volunteer, this guy was around my age and from New Hampshire. He was on his way to the UNK basketball game with a few others, and I asked if I could join. Again, an hour later I found myself in a small high school gym, watching basketball with three more complete strangers, a dog handler from Minnesota, a dude from New Hampshire, and a native from Unksville. Around 10 I thought I should get going back to the house I was staying at. I visited with Olga and her daughter Evia who is a few years older than I. We played the covenant “do you know?” game for a while, then I went to bed. Sunday some teams should arrive.

Update as of Saturday, 1:oopm AKST

Will anyone be able to catch up with Sorlie? Robert was the first one to arrive in Eagle Island earlier this afternoon, the checkpoint that for some reason is absent from the maps I’ve been using off the Cabela’s Iditarod website. Its halfway from Grayling to Kaltag, with about 300 miles left until the finish line. With his mandatory layovers out of way, all Robert has to do now is stay in the lead and victory will be his. Historically the first musher to reach unalakleet often will win the race, Sorlie lived up to that standard in 2003, coming in first to Unksville (as I like to call it), and then into Nome. The nine fingered Martin Buser is only 2 hours behind however, and Ramey Brooks 2 more behind Buser. Paul Gebhardt who was the first into Anvik, but hadn’t taken his 24 hour layover is still in the top ten, but he is the only one in the top 10 to not have taken his additional required 8 hour layover, so he probably won’t be holding that position for to long, atleast he got the free meal though!

I’m heading out to Unalakeet in a few hours and will hopefully catch some of the race leaders before I have to leave Sunday afternoon. Right now the mushers are coming in a bit later than I had originally expected. But I’m excited to hit the trail and experience this thing from beginning, middle and the end.

Here is some extra audio to make up for the absence yesterday:

1. Report on Paul Gebhardt making it into Anvik first (click here)
2. Report and Interview with Charlie Boulding (click here)
3. Report and Interview with Jeff King (click here)
4. Report and Interview with DoDo Perri, Musher from Italy (click here)
5. Report and Interview with the first Musher off the starting line, Jessie Royer (click here)

I’ve been meaning to give you all some website to check out if you are interested in following the race more than the updates I’ve been able to provide each day.

I use Cabela’s Iditarod website the most: http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/

The Main Iditarod website is pretty good: http://www.iditarod.com

Robert Sorlie & Team norway are writting constant articles: http://hurdal.com/

Martin Buser’s website is also being updated on a regular basis: http://www.buserdog.com/buserdog/