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We continued on up the river and across over to Unalakleet where we first saw the coast. The checkpoint is set up in a cove out on the ice. As we arrived we passed a row of large fishing boats frozen into the sea ice. We rested for six hours and headed to Shaktoolik and Norton Sound. The run over was awesome. My dogs looked as good as they did at the beginning of the race, charged up and having fun. They were barking to go. It is unusual for a dog team to be this amped up at this point in the race. We traveled overland to Shaktoolik and about eight miles outside the checkpoint we exited the trees and the beautiful calm clear night became a strong frigid side wind. I was not prepared for the wind. I tried to get my wind suit on but the wind was ripping it out of my hands. By the time I reached the checkpoint I was frozen solid. They parked us behind a building out of the wind and I bedded the dogs down. Before I could do anything else the checkers brought me inside and gave me several cups of hot Tang. It was exactly what I needed. Much relieved I went back out to finish chores. I took a six hour rest and moved on to Koyuk.
This is where we cross the infamous Norton Sound, a 55 mile run across the ocean. The wind shapes the snow covered sea ice into something that looks like the surface of the moon. The runners of the sled make a squeaking noise that sounds like Styrofoam rubbing against itself. Way off in the distance you can see land on the horizon. The land however never seems to get any closer. Judging speed is almost impossible. The wind was driving into us from the side, which makes keeping the sled straight a challenge. However this was nothing compared to the run from Grayling to Eagle Island. I would look ahead to find a unique snow formation and time how long it took to get there. It seemed as though we were moving around four mph. At that rate it could take 10 plus hours. This is a lonely stretch of trail. There was nothing in front and nothing behind. No trail makers and my best guess as to where on the horizon the village could be. The last time a dog team had been on this section of trail was two days prior. My dogs were what I call putting down scent but had no scent to follow. It is amazing the difference when you have a fresh scent to follow.
Eventually I saw a rectangle shape ahead. It was barely recognizable but it looked man made. We had been running for about four hours and I had no idea how far shore was. The rectangle slowly got bigger
and I could see it was red. It must be a big barn and that must be the village of Koyuk. This confirmed that I was heading in the right direction. As we got closer to Koyuk the wind settled and we started to see trail markers again. This was the first time my dogs or I had ever traveled across sea ice. They just stayed after it with their heads down. Within two hours I could see the ramp up onto shore. We had made it in just over six hours. Not bad the checkers told me. Most teams were taking 6 ½ to 7 hours. We settled in and all the checkers and locals were happy to see a dog team again. They all helped me by carrying over my things and making sure I did not need anything else. When I finished up I headed into the community center. I was pleased to find that they had cooked a salmon dinner with veggies and a salad. Even better they had a plate for me. It was delicious. My plan was to stay six hours and move on. However, since I had gotten off the Yukon I was on a goofy schedule that had me running through the night. I decided to stay an extra few hours and get back onto a normal schedule.