ID: Aliy into Unalakleet

6 pm Alaska Time

Aliy and the Red Team have arrived on the coast of Alaska. They arrived at 4:39 pm Alaska Time and claimed the Gold Coast Award. This award is presented by Wells Fargo and is a gold cup filled with $2,500 in gold nuggets. Aliy's father, Doug, is in Unalakleet and Meghan and Moira should have arrived in time to see Aliy come in as well! 

The team has just crossed from Kaltag on the Yukon River to Unalakleet on the coast.  This is one of Aliy's favorite parts of the trail. The Kaltag Portage has been travelled for thousands of years, connecting the Athabaskan Indians of Interior Alaska and the Inupiat People of Coastal Alaska.  Aliy says that you can feel the history. This can also be one of the coldest and windiest parts of the trail, but reports are of warm temperatures and very little snow. Pictures that Sebastian has posted of the trail are mostly brown grass and ice. Not an easy trail!

Aliy has been running her own race, often on a completely different run / rest schedule than any of the other mushers around her. She rested the team in Nulato so she could go through Kaltag and begin the trek across to Unalakleet. She then stopped at Tripod Flats, about 30 miles out of Kaltag. It is a quiet cabin, out of the hustle and bustle of the Kaltag checkpoint. Aliy made the final run into Unalakleet at a nice, steady pace.  Martin Buser and Sonny Lindner are now approaching the checkpoint. Sonny has had a very good run. 

Allen and the Black Team have left Galena. All 12 dogs are with him heading towards Nulato. It's a good time to be running, out of the heat of the day. 

I hope we will get photos from the crew in Unalakleet this evening. 

Here are a list of articles and photos to check out:
http://iditarod.com/musher/aliy-into-unalakleet-1st/
http://iditarod.com/musher/pictures-of-the-players-on-the-portage-to-kaltag/

For Iditarod Insiders, there is a nice video of Allen talking about his young team. 
http://iditarod.com/race/?vid=56533