The Storm and the Murder

• beg. battle across interior Alaska - starts after McGrath - 700 miles - varied/hard terrain.
• check in - Ophir - check feet - go.
• ran weird - saw - running on three foot wide spread - dog poop - dogs poop after feed.
• run across interior, endless barren tundra, love running as much as dogs, harsh beauty.
• 180 miles after Ophir - old ghost town - Iditard, then 100 miles to Shageluk - to river ice.
• 180 miles after Ophir - need extra food/clothing in case - storm.
• dogs after 10 miles/hour for 4-5 hours, climb/deep snow - 2/3 mile/ hour.
• frozen poo on sled runners - slow - 30%
• good weather when start - windstorm by noon - blow sideways - dogs run off track.
• duck down - wait storm - when woke - 11 other teams there - follow their track.
• windstorm so big - gunshots - inaudible.
• mushers cook coffee/feed dogs tog. - one musher share donuts.
• Paulsen & donut musher - last two teams - go - musher suggest go to Don's Cabin (1/2 way before Iditard checkpoint) - agree.
• bond between driver + dogs - strong - rely on each other - very close.
• dogs don't cooperate when driver lose respect/don't listen to dogs' instinct/sick/in heat.
• donut musher's dogs - badly treated - refuse - get up - musher kick dogs - killed on - kick at liver - Paulsen shocked - report to official - disqualification of musher (212)
• Iditarod - dogs treated 1st class - vet checks/special food/rules.
• by Yukon River - Shageluk village close to caribou herd.
• child come out - hand Paulsen moose chili - ate 6 bowls - 1st hot food since McGrath.
• Child's father think Iditarod people - crazy, child want to be crazy. (222 - 3).