2005 Iditarod - March 12

March 12

Grayling: Jonrowe was the first to arrive at Grayling on March 12 at 0:21 am, and took her mandatory 8-hour break. Sørlie arrived within 15 minutes, and continued to Eagle Island 5 minutes later, followed by Buser an hour and a half later. The top 10 followed within 12 hours, and the top 30 within 24 hours.

King reported that the warm fresh snow was sticking the runners of the sleds. Above freezing temperatures hindered the dogs. On March 15, Robert Greger scratched because the dogs were not performing to his expectations, and so did Sandy McKee.(pdf)

Eagle Island: Sørlie is the first to arrive at the Eagle Island on March 12 at 11:30 am, after a 14-hour run from Grayling. Buser was the second to arrive on March 13 3:25 pm, after losing two hours backtracking to find Quebec, who slipped from the gangline during a snowstorm. Quebec had a habit of eating heavily, and then backing up and stepping to the side before relieving himself. According to Buser's wife Kathy Chapoton, "at this point, that's a huge lead". Brooks, Mitch Seavey, and Jonrowe followed. Sørlie was the first to depart at 7:31 pm, followed by Lance Mackey 17 minutes later, then Brooks, Buser, and Jonrowe. The top 10 are within 7 hours, and the top 30 are within 21 hours. At this stage, all the pacesetters have taken their mandatory 24- and 8-hour layovers.

The temperatures are just above freezing, and a freezing rain advisory has been issued for Kaltag. On March 16, Scdoris scratched after several of her dogs came down with a viral diarrhea, saying "it was not an eye thing. It was a my-dogs-are-sick thing". Another concern was weight loss: her dogs were fed canned dog food, with some kibble, salmon and fat, which did not help maintain their weight as well as the heavy meat diet most dogs are fed. (pdf). Her guide Paul Ellering scratched shortly after, saying "I'm just the kind of guy who leaves with the girl he came to the dance with". (pdf) Scdoris had navigated the most treacherous portions of the race, including Happy Valley, Dazell Gorge, and the Farewell Burn before she withdrew, and plans to return next year. "All the tough spots were tough, but I now know I can do it".