ITI 2024 Day 24, Part II: Topkok (905) to Nome (948)

By now you may have heard...we've got a three-peat!  For the third year in a row, Ryan's successfully completed the adventure known as the ITI 1000.  Once on foot, twice on bike...I haven't confirmed with him yet (we'll let him nap before doing a deep-dive on his experience), but I'd have to imagine this might be the toughest one yet!

Ryan left Topkok at 5:15pm, just two hours after arriving (for what he did, check out the previous post).  The trail and weather were no bueno...but also were no choice. Check out the video to see how one chooses to focus instead on how the trail always provides.

He marched that damn bike like the "walker" that he started as!  Around 10pm he messaged to tell me the snow had picked up, and coupled with the wind, he felt like he was in a snow globe...and not in a happy, nostalgic way.

He carried on, bypassing stops at Tommy Johnson's shelter cabin and Safety.  I assumed he was horse to the barn, but in reality it was the RAIN. Yes, rain.  In Alaska. In March.  I guess we are officially in Spring now...  Word from Gavan was that the rain was just awful, so bad he was wearing a "bin bag" (oh, how cute the Irish accent is!) to help stay dry and warm. Ryan reported there was no stopping because there was no drying of clothes or warming up...other than moving.  So move they did.

The two caught up with each other about 4 miles out, had entirely too much fun messing around and visiting with locals who were just downright perpelexed. I was on the phone with him when two different locals approached to ask if he needed anything, conveyed they thought he was nuts, and cheered him on as hard as they could. Not going to lie, I cried.  I cry now just thinking about how great his accomplishment is and how great it is that others can recognize this. Thank you now and again for all of you who have followed along.

Ryan finished at 8:10am AKST. He covered 948(ish) miles in 24 days.  He averaged 38.3 miles a day, with a moving speed of 3.6mph. He encountered moose, bison, and fox. He only used one bike ;-) He may have used only one shirt!

To say we are in awe and proud and pumped is an understatement. Relish in this adventure. Rest and recover. And then, haha, enjoy the reentry into the real world (I can safely say our political scene hasn't really changed since you left). Theo says he could go for a romp whenever ;-)

ITI 2024 Day 24, Part I: Poop Tree Cabin (896) to Topkok (905)...with Pictures

Spoiler alert: Ryan FINISHED!! It's like he knew March Madness started today or something...

Before getting to the last leg of his adventure, I wanted to rewind for just a second to share with you what the last of the shelter cabins looked like.  You can tell he was either a) giddy horse to the barn, or b) finally warm enough to crawl out of the -60 degree bag and snap some pictures because RyWan certainly provided these last 67 miles.

First, we have the new Poop Tree Cabin.  This looks like quite a nice cabin, with a solid structure, what looks to be a crock pot (for all those 4-8hr. meals you've planned for the trail), a new cot (fancy!) and the cadillac of shelter stoves. Perfect for making a nice cup of Ruby coffee and getting out of the 4-6in. of wet, heavy snow. 8/10

Look! Poop trees!!

He even snagged a picture of the original Suprize Creek/Surprise Creek A-frame shelter cabin!

Upon departing, you can see a) the depth of new snow, and b) Asbjoern the Flash's ski tracks from the day before.

8.5ish miles down the trail is the Topkok Musher's Cabin.  This shelter has saved many a life (some crazy story about 100mph winds that provided needed shelter to a gaggle of people for multiple days), and so when it was damaged by a storm the local mushers club sponsored the rebuild and maintain the cabin.  

Ryan noted it was low on wood (maybe only a problem two weeks out of the year when the dog sled and ITI comes through?), but high on character....with the best drying rack and worst stove (I guess that combination evens out?) Here's a tour of the cabin:

At this final stop, Ryan reorganized, sipped the last of his Ruby coffee (can't quit that black liquid gold!), mowed down on some oatmeal and pb, and took a few "good luck" or "good for ya" nippers (probably one in the same at this point!) 

 Looks like maybe some positive affirmations left for racers soon to be through the cabin (I count 8 left   to spend some QT in Topkok). At the end of the day 7/10 (extra point for being so.close.to.the.finish)

After Topkok there is one more shelter cabin (Tommy Johnson's) and then the ghost town of Safety, which exists of exactly one drinking establishment during the dog sled race.  So, for almost all of the racer this means Safety is a spot to get out of the wind to make water and shuffle around some stuff before making the final 20 mile push to Nome.

ITI 2024 Day 23: White Mountain (879) to Topkok Musher's Cabin (905)

 

Ryan's getting so close to the finish he can almost taste it...except that when I asked him how he liked those Babybel cheeses he swiped from someone's unused drop box, he mentioned he had no tastebuds left.  I pointed out I'm pretty sure they'd appreciate the FINISH LINE whiskey!  At the time of this writing, he's 42 miles to Nome!

Ryan left the wonderful Joanne's home in White Mountain (879), after resupplying and downing some musk ox (obviously). The weather wasn't good, but it wasn't going to get any better, so off he went.  Throughout the night, Theo and I got to hear all about how "special" the trail was (it wasn't special). 

Luckily, reporting of this race (ah, thank you Wild Winter Women!!) has been top notch and I remembered a comment about Kinsey (1st Place Female Bike!!) and Mark's journey that referenced a tip from a snowmobiler about a warm cabin past White Mountain, but before Topkok (905).  I did a little research, contacted my own personal ITI resource (Jill Homer), and compared all of that to some notes we had on trail marker distances to decide that racers could count on a shelter cabin at mile 896.7(ish).  My notes called in Suprize Creek Cabin, google found this image/report from 13 years ago calling it Surprise Creek Cabin, but some of us have decided to refer to it only as Poop Tree Cabin (ask Kari if you need an explanation, but I love it and will only refer to it as such).  

Word is that they built a new cabin after the A-frame became defunct.  Upon arriving at 1:30am, Ryan turned instantly positive last night describing how great the cabin was and how good a fire he was able to build.  Yay Poop Tree!

Ryan left Poop Tree cabin at 10:30am and had the pleasure of walking his bike 8.5 miles to Topkok Musher's cabin (905, back on the coast). Arriving at 3:10pm, he's refueling (oatmeal & pb, coffee and R&R), getting updates on weather and mileage, and plans to boogie soon!  Conditional on the trail speeds (wet snow is no one's friend), Ryan hopes to make the last 42 miles in one push....this bike isn't going to pedal itself to the finish...

There's two spots for "respite," Tommy Johnson's shelter cabin (917) and Safety (925), which is actually a ghost town save the week that the dog race comes through, but it does provide something to lean against and duck out of the wind.  After that, it's a wicked tailwind (35+mph) and 20 miles to Nome!

History appears to be repeating itself...quite freakishly, actually.  Last year's finish (which provided some epic northern lights, pic included) occurred while I was on a flight to DC for work.  

Currently, I'm scheduled for the same 5am flight to DC tomorrow morning, close enough to when he might finish that missing it again is likely.  I'm also currently scheduled to wear the exact same outfit, which is funny and I should probably say sad...but I'm too lazy and I love that shirt and vest. A gigantic THANK YOU to the Bittners for watching the Theo Bear...we owe you! 

Enjoy the ride RyWan, squint hard to see the northern lights through the fog and cloud cover.

ITI 2024 Day 22: Elim (836) to Golovin (864)

Well, that was a productive 24 hours!  From my understanding, impending weather was causing a "do it-to it" mentality across all the racers across the course.  If you had the sea crossing yet, bust a move before Tuesday.....if you were in Koyuk, boogy to White Mountain as fast as you can.  Wind, snow, rain(!), and soft trails have the very real possibility of sea ice flooding and breaking up, snow drifts requiring post holing, and exposed sections along the coast (with the last of the mountains to cross as a cherry on top).

(Thanks for the photos Gavan!)

Gavan, Asbjoern, and Ryan made fantastic time all day and night.  Gavan messaged that the Walla Walla cabin (845) was quite inviting, but that they wanted McKinkley Mountain in their rearview mirror, so another 13 miles to McKinkley shelter they went.  Gavan arrived first, reporting a warm and dry cabin, but with some serious wind winding up.  Ryan's speeds five miles from the cabin indicated walking, not riding...but the wind would have been a tailwind?  At 3am CST, I was left to guess what was going on...should have turned the topo filter on the map on.  Ryan was climbing the last incline and quickly bombed down to the cabin...did I see 9.4mph?  Yes, yes I did :-)

He messaged that the other two gents were going to call it for the night, the wind on the bay section making them hesitate (plus, you know, two really, really long days!)  Ryan took stock and messaged that he thought he'd just do it, make the 5.7 mile bay crossing to Golovin...and his beloved Frank!

Frank has been Ryan's trail angel the last two years. In 2022, Golovin's school was shut down (Covid) and so Frank opened up his home to Ryan, Chris, and Daniel. Fed them moose stirfry and messaged me updates.  In 2023, Ryan was stuck waiting out a storm and hung out with Frank for two days, feeding him three meals a day. Each year, including this year, Frank watches the dots like all of us and is waiting on the edge of town to welcome racers to his town.  

Text that came with this: "He was there to meet me!"

As promised, Ryan was met by Frank and a warm bowl of stew...at 2:20am!!  Frank was back in the kitchen at 7am making moose hash 'n eggs.  Frank, you are my favorite.

From 8am - 3pm there looked to be a window where the wind would die down. Ryan waited to say to hey, hey, hey to friends Asbjoern and Gavan, then leaving Golovin for White Mountain (880) at 10:50am.  Despite a pretty gnarly crosswind, Ryan was able to bike the last of the stupid sea ice and arrived to White Mountain at 3:37pm.  He's rummaging through his drop box and considering a game plan.  We shall see where he lands tonight, but....but....68 miles to go!

 

ITI 2024 Day 21: Koyuk (791) to Elim (836)...Plus Some Pics from Sea Crossing

You may think this face is a result of scoring a frozen pizza AND pizza hot pockets (two days after housing three pepperoni pizzas in Unalakleet) at the Elim grocery store (836)....and you may not be wrong.  But I'd like to think it also had to do with finally having a great bike day.  I think it's been maybe since Day 1 & 2 that Ryan was able to consistently bike without snow drifts, -40 windchills, 40mph headwinds, a busted bike tire, or a winning combination of both.  While it couldn't have gotten much worse, it was great that if finally got better.  Here's hoping the trail doesn't turn soft, either from warming temps or projected snow accumulation.  He told me he had to pedal fast because he doesn't have any rain gear to mess around ha!

Ryan messaged as I was heading to bed that he intended to leave in four hours (midnight AKST), so I set the alarm for 3am CST to just be there (to chat, to get info, etc.).  He was up and we spent entirely too much time discussing his instant oatmeal culinary skills. 

He seemed all set to head out and then his trail fran Beat rolled in from his sea crossing.  It had been a few days since they crossed paths, so I think there was a bit of war story exchange before pedaling off at 3am.  And pedal he did.

(Beat fully kitted out with an enviable ruff)

Every time I looked at the tracker he was at 4+mph...bike speed!  He bypassed the dilapidated Kwik River Cabin, blew past Moses Point Cabin, and hightailed it straight to Elim and its stock of frozen pizza (836) at 2:15pm.  The only time I heard from him was to proclaim "I see the radar!"  This was the initial sighting and then upon approach.  Ask him his story about desperately trying to get into what was clearly a heated building solely existing out there to torture him.

Ryan just got word from Frank, the trail angel of Golovin, that he is ready and waiting for any and all racers (sorry Ryan, you're not that special) to come get a hot meal at the school. So Golovin it is tonight (864)!  Golovin is where Ryan *had* to hole up last year due to a story...and by had to, I mean got fed moose open-faced sandwiches and shoot hoops ;-)

I leave you with pictures Ryan shared of the first part of his sea crossing, from Shaktoolik to Little Mountain.  There were zero pictures after Little Mountain, an indication of just how miserable it was out there.  The pictures are of the approach to Little Mountain and the video was inside the shelter cabin, where the wind was howling so hard it loudly rattled the metal all night.  No bueno.  But also, not a problem...anymore!

 

ITI 2024 Day 20: Little Mountain Cabin (761) to Koyuk (791)

(from 2023's race, back when sea crossings were fun...)

In a sense I'm getting spoiled...limited communication and a few scrounged up pictures make for a short update.  Some of us are heartbroken over the end of Spring Break and spent the day driving before turning to emails and papers.  I will note Theo and I scored a gorgeous last run in Sturgis, with more wind than Ryan had to deal with I might add (the significance of the 50 degree temperature difference and ability to hide in the trees is debatable HAR HAR).

Ryan arrived at Little Mountain cabin to a very eager Gavan chomping on the bit to keep pressing north...problem was the wicked wind and temperatures.  Ryan messaged that it was "really cold" and that the "wind was just howling through the cabin."  In my head, I have a picture of Ryan, Gavan, Leah, and eventually Asbjoern (who got a later start but absolutely flew up to the cabin from Shaktoolik), sitting in their sleeping bags, sipping hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps, and swapping war stories and belly laughs.  I'm sure it was a lot less pleasant given how little he was messaging, but Gavan sent some pictures and I wasn't that wrong...in sleeping bags, but with water and Pringles (polishing them off to score a pee bottle??? Hmmm...)  Please note the ability to see Gavan's breath and the steam off of the water.  So, ya, cold.

Ryan, Leah, and Asbjoern left around 10am (wait until the sun's up and it's slightly warmer with less wind), taking the #tangent (Sam!) to get the 30 miles to Koyuk (791) done and done.  As I write (7pm CST, 4pm AKST), the three are still relatively close and about 7 miles from shore (I don't care what you say about the quality of the ice Matt, sea ice is sea ice and he can be done with that whenever haha).

(dot watching along with the rest of you peons) 

Once he gets to Koyuk, I hope he gets on WiFi to a) tell me all about the day, and b) send me some pictures.  I'm hurting over here!   He'll also need to do some strategery (there are several shelter cabin options in between checkpoints during this part of the race), as we're dealing with yet another weather issue.  Gone are the days (for now) of bitter cold and stupid headwinds...now come the Spring storms, including but not limited to: snow, rain, blowing snow, freezing fog, 50 mph. gusts, above freezing temps. Never a dull moment!  

 

ITI Day 19: Shaktoolik (747) to Little Mountain Cabin (761)

Ryan's first text upon arriving at Shaktoolik (747) yesterday afternoon at 4:45pm  ~ "Well, that wind was awful."

We all thought it looked awful from the radar, so I can only imagine what it felt like.  He wasn't super chatty, and quite frankly I don't blame him.  I asked what was for dinner (he was crashing at the school in Shaktoolik)...if I'm not mistaken that's a freeze dried meal swiped from fellow racer Herman Watson's drop bag (you had him at queso...).  

I know he landed at the school because he sent this unexplained picture in the middle of the night and you can never forget the displays in the hallways of that school.  Am I bummed that I only got one to haunt me in my dreams this year??? Am I???

He was up bright and early, we got through the usual information (distances to cabins and checkpoints, where others were, how Theo's day looked) and then had the pleasure of discussing the weather.  The forecast hadn't changed much...still insanely cold and windy.  Cold until Tuesday (-teens & -twenties), windy (20+ mph sustained headwinds) until Sunday.  

He responded with, "Thanks. Could be in for a long day."  When I checked his status on my run and still saw him at Shaktoolik, I threw out a text to see if he was still there, or if there was an issue with his tracker (it stopped short the night before)...he responded he was still there, that he was waiting until the sun came up because it was currently -40 windchill. Simmer dude, no one is judging. No. One. ;-)

He pedaled off (pushed his bike) at 9:25am, arriving to Little Mountain Cabin (761.6) at 4:30pm.  Foot pal Gavan messaged earlier in the afternoon that he was holed up at the cabin because the "wind was wild."  I get their desire to get moving, but I sure hope they consider staying until at least midnight when the winds start to die down.  Maybe he can heat up some of that to-go left over pizza?!?  The next 30 miles to Koyuk is my least favorite section, crossing the sea ice of Norton Bay.  For once, I'm grateful for the super cold temps (let's keep that ice nice and solid!), but it's so open and exposed that I can't imagine it with a wicked, wicked headwind.  The only thing I'm more grateful for is Ryan's solid decision making always, so I know he's not leaving until he knows he can safely make it to Koyuk (which I think is the Cadillac of school stops).

I leave you with my favorite picture from Ryan around Little Mountain, taken while on foot two years ago :-)

 

ITI 2024 Day 18: Unalakleet (706.8) to Shaktoolik (747.6)

Ryan arrived in Unalakleet (706) at 4:45pm. Bret, the proprietor of Peace on Earth Pizza, watches the trackers and times the pizza to come out of the oven just as the racers arrive and get their gear off.  Ryan pulled a fast one on him, swinging by the grocery store before settling in for a night of pizza.  It was still piping hot when Ryan arrived.  ITI 350 FINISHER Matt Webb carried on one of my favorite ITI traditions, buying the racers their pizza.  Matt called two days in advance (Bret is insanely busy during the dog race, and according to Ryan, has a stack of orders called in for the mushers and ITI athletes) and secured Ryan a salad ("eat your vegetables!"  You're not wrong Matt!), a pepperoni pizza, and two "beverages".  They were exactly what Ryan wanted/needed.

We FaceTimed, got caught up on his time at the shelter cabins, and watched videos of him opening other racers' drop boxes. Two thoughts:

1) I think I get why kids like watching other kids open gifts on YouTube. It's oddly satisfying.

2) Not sure how or why he would be reading this, but if you are, Herman, your drop box was the thing drop box dreams are made of. Hat tip, sir.

After a warm, happy belly filled with pizza and Jameson, he curled up on the floor of Peace on Earth (Bret leaves it open 24/7 for the racers to come and go, even allowing them to bring those big honkin' bikes inside!) for a few hours of warm sleep that didn't require stove stoking (thankfully).

The morning was spent packing and repacking the bike, shoveling in too many pancakes and sausage, and hearing about a bummer forecast for the next few days.  Batten down the hatches, there's going to be a gnarly headwind crossing the sea ice this year.

Ryan left at 8:20am, had 23 miles to the first shelter cabin, Foothills (730), and should make it to Shaktoolik tonight (747), and at least Little Mountain shelter cabin tomorrow.  Could be a short day, but with winds looking a tad calmer on Sunday, it might make sense to wait to make the 30 mile push to Koyuk (791.6).

 

ITI 2024 Day 17: Old Woman Cabin (672) to Unalakleet (706ish)

PEDAL TOWARDS PIZZA

In my head, this has been the mantra Ryan's been reciting for the last, well, all of today.  He had 34.5 miles before reaching his personal heaven, Peace on Earth Pizza in Unalakleet, AK (706).  This absolute favorite stop of Ryan will receive it's own blog post tomorrow.  For now, I'm happy thinking about him sitting in a warm pizza parlor, shoveling his favorite food in his mouth for the next few hours. 

Speaking of food, I thought I could take this opportunity to tell you a bit about the food I'm almost certain he's not looking forward to shoveling into his mouth for the foreseeable future (but will get to for the next week...eek!).  To be sure there are grocery/convenience stores/BnB meals along the way that Ryan plans on purchasing food from, but for the most part food comes by way of six drop boxes mailed to himself along the trail from McGrath to Nome (I'm not covering the drops he had the race deposit in McGrath and Cripple).

About a week before departing for Anchorage our living space was taken over by all things race prep, including the dining room table seen here covered in all the supplies for his drop boxes.  

(To address: "Ryan Wanless, ITI Athlete, General Delivery, Ruby, AK 99468...maybe on that zip code)

Flat rate boxes were addressed to the most comically generic addresses, often to a POC or the post office in a town. These boxes (if you're lucky enough for them to actually arrive) are usually collected by the BnBs hosting racers or available for pickup at the post office (which is hopefully open at the time of your arrival...not always the case!).

After Ryan departed I finished up the task of mailing two more boxes (to Elim & White Mountain) and took a picture of one "drop" worth of consumable items.  Note: racers are limited to shipping consumable items only in these drops...so, food, drink, hand warmers, pain relievers, toilet paper and wipes, etc.  They are not to ship extra clothing or bike parts.

(yes, that is a stick of butter...calories y'all!!)

This year, Ryan brought with him a little something special from SD, a flask (thanks Best Bud Sam!) of Weller whiskey.  This post is also especially timely because I do believe Ryan dipped into this special reserve last night...another reason the vibe of Old Woman makes it his favorite?

Speaking of last night, it sounded like a full team effort at Old Woman cabin. Ryan arrived at 8:30pm and promptly started a fire and melting snow for water.  I let him know that Asbjoern and Gavan were just a couple miles behind him.  He told me he cut a ton of wood down, but could only bring so much with him, and so he hoped the guys would think to gather along their way in.  Sounded like Asbjoern made good use of his skis, collecting all that Ryan cut, and Gavan had the smarts to cut and bring more.  With temps in the -20s, I think they were all aware it would take a chunk of wood to keep the cabin warm.  Good news, Ryan reported a 40 degree cabin upon rising...signs of a successful night of stove stoking!  And, hopefully there's wood leftover for Leah behind them!

I heard from Ryan midday that the trail was frustratingly slow.  I didn't hear from him again until a "Go Bucky!" response to an update from the Big 10 men's basketball tournament, so I'm assuming the trail got better (speeds seemed to indicate so...).  He should be rolling in to Peace on Earth as we speak and I couldn't be happier for him!