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What's new with Jeff DeeterMarch 15, before dawn, Front Street in NomeJeff and his dog team completed the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race this morning before sunrise, crossing under the burled arch at 4:11:45. He finished in 59th place. The 11 dogs that crossed the line with Jeff are Biner, Cannon, Charlie, Cookie, Dipper, Eddie, Green Pea, Redline, Skeeto, Slick and Tears. His last leg, from Safety, took 2 hours 51 minutes for 22 miles. His speed on the last leg was 7.72 mph. The previous leg, from White Mountain, covered 55 miles in 6 hours 24 minutes, with an average speed of 8.59 mph. He paused for 5 minutes in Safety before the triumphal parade into Nome. Jeff's total time for the 2008 Iditarod is 12 days 13 hours 11 minutes and 45 seconds. Read what Cabela's writer Jon Little had to say about Jeff after the race. Video: Here's how Jeff was introduced to the public on March 1. As Jeff lined up for the ceremonial start in Anchorage, he was interviewed by KTUU's Megan Baldino and then the team dashed down Fourth Avenue. March 14, 10:21 p.m., on the way to SafetyJeff took his required 8-hour layover (plus 3 minutes) in White Mountain and is back on the trail. He left at 6:51 p.m., with 55 miles to go to Safety and 22 to Nome. It looks as if he'll finish ahead of his goal of crossing under the burled arch at noon. The temperature in White Mountain and Nome is just above zero, and there's a slight westerly wind, which drops the windchill to -10. Jeff and his team of 11 will be exposed to the wind the whole way. March 14, 11:43 a.m., in White MountainJeff arrived in White Mountain at 10:48 a.m. with 11 dogs. After leaving Elim at 4:56 a.m., he covered the 46 miles from Elim in 5 hours 52 minutes, an average speed of 7.84 mph. The team got a rest of 8 hours 11 minutes in Elim, and now it has a mandatory layover of 8 hours before the final dash into Safety (55 miles) and Nome (22 more miles). March 13, 10:45 p.m., in ElimJeff left Koyuk at 2:43 p.m. and arrived in Elim at 8:45 p.m. with his 11 dogs. The trip took 6 hours 2 minutes, and they did it after 6 hours 11 minutes of rest -- Jeff is sticking with his strategy for giving the dogs plenty of time off their feet.
He's happy, she said, and the dogs are healthy and frisky. Some of them have sore feet, but they still have plenty of spirit and are keeping a good pace. They have 123 miles to go after Elim. Jeff's team now consists of Tears, Skeeto, Redline, Charlie, Green Pea, Cookie, Dipper, Eddie, Biner, Slick and Cannon. Photo: Jeff poses with Frank and Claudia Sihler. He lives on their land in a trailer, and he was Frank's assistant in 2007 as Frank prepared for the Iditarod. Several dogs that ran with Frank -- Clarence, Eddie, Chinook, Dipper, Green Pea and Slick -- are on Jeff's team. March 13, 11:40 a.m., in KoyukJeff left Shaktoolik at 2:30 a.m. and arrived in Koyuk at 8:32 a.m., covering the 48 miles in 6 hours 32 minutes. Perhaps his 11 dogs sense that the end of the trail is only a couple of days away; they averaged 7.96 mph. The trail turns west now, heading along the southern edge of the Seward Peninsula. The team probably will leave at midafternoon for Elim, another 48-mile jaunt. It's a brisk 5 degrees with a windchill of -10. March 12, 11:35 p.m. in Shaktoolik
Photo: Colt, Bandit, Slick, Clarence, and U2 gave their best to the team but have been dropped off at checkpoints along the trail. Jeff and his 11 dogs arrived in Shaktoolik at 7:27 p.m. yesterday after a 5 hour 53 minute run from Unalakleet. And a run it was -- they covered the 42 miles at 7.14 mph. The team left Unalakleet at 1:34 p.m. after an 8 hour 1 minute rest. It must have been hard to leave town -- Nina had flown out to visit them at the checkpoint. Eric Deeter reported this before his son left for Shaktoolik: "His spirits are high. He is planning a good rest before continuing, but his dogs look good, and he is in race mode." Eric listed Jeff's dropped dogs: • U-2, Clarence, Slick, all older leaders. March 12, 10:15 a.m., in UnalakleetJeff and his 11 dogs have reached Unalakleet. They pulled into the checkpoint at 5:33 a.m. after being on the trail for 17 hours 10 minutes from Kaltag. Jeff averaged 5.24 mph over the 90 miles, although that included at least one long rest. March 12, 12:05 a.m., on the way to Unalakleet
Jeff's strategy calls for him to take a rest of six or so hours in Unalakleet. After Unalakleet, the trail heads north around Norton Sound, on land and on the sea ice, where is it cold and windy. Jeff's many hours of work with his dogs over several years are paying off. His team is a combination of huskies that Jeff has raised and those that he has bought. Slick (left, with an 11-year-old fan), for example, is a friendly 6-year-old stalwart who is in his fourth Iditarod but his first with Jeff. The last time he ran to Nome it was in 2006 with Ryan Redington, whose team coincidentally started this race immediately after Jeff's. Here is what Jeff has left: 42 miles to Shaktoolik March 11, 11:15 a.m., in KaltagJeff and his dozen huskies pulled into Kaltag at 4:58 a.m., covering the 42 miles from Nulato in 4 hours 58 minutes. That's a dandy 8.46 mph. Jeff has a big run ahead of him -- 90 miles to Unalakleet. Most mushers before him have made that leg in 14 to 18 hours. March 11, 1:40 a.m., into and out of Nulato
Kaltag is 42 miles from Nulato, and most mushers have been doing it in 5 to 6 hours. Jeff arrived in Nulato at 3:27 p.m. with 12 dogs; Eddie is one of them (if he wasn't dropped at a checkpoint along the way). The excursion from Galena took the team 7 hours 42 minutes, an average speed of 6.75 mph over the 52-mile leg. After Nulato, Jeff has 393 miles left in his adventure. Here's what lies ahead of him: 42 miles to Kaltag March 11, 11:35 a.m., heading to NulatoJeff pulled out of Galena at 7:45 this morning, after giving himself and his dogs a rest of 6 hours 53 minutes. That's a few minutes longer than his run into Galena. Jeff dropped a dog in Galena, leaving him with 12. The run to Nulato is 52 miles. March 10, 1:55 a.m., into GalenaJeff and his 13 huskies pulled into Galena, a Yukon River village, at 12:52 a.m. The journey down the frozen river from Ruby took 6 hours 29 minutes, and the team averaged 8.02 mph. This night is a shade cooler than previous nights; it's 25 degrees in Galena. Jeff will be in colder, more comfortable weather soon. Right now in Nulato and Kaltag, a cold front has passed through and it's 11 degrees; in coastal Shatoolik, 12; in Koyuk, 12; and in Nome, -3. Light snowfall is expected. The cooler weather will reduce the chance his dogs will overheat. Another thing Jeff does to ease the strain is revealed in his choice of harness. He uses a harness that doesn't have straps that run between a dog's front legs, a position that could chafe the dog's armpits and compress its chest. The dogs need to feel comfortable in their gear, because they're going to wear it every moment until they're unhitched from the sled in Nome and sent home. Video: Nina Schwinghammer puts a harness on Cannon as she talks with Frank Sihler, Jeff's mushing mentor and a three-time Iditarod competitor. March 9, 7:23 p.m., going to GalenaJeff and his team of 13 dogs (he left one in Ruby) are heading down the Yukon River to Galena -- a distance of about 50 miles. He left at 6:23 p.m., exactly 8 hours after arriving. Most mushers who have arrived in Galena took 6 to 7 hours to cover this leg. Jeff has now completed his mandatory 8- and 24-hour layovers, which he could have taken anywhere along the Iditarod course. All mushers must pause for 8 hours in White Mountain, on the Seward Peninsula, before the final 77-mile dash into Nome. March 9, 12:45 p.m., in RubyJeff and his 14 huskies arrived in Ruby at 10:23 a.m. They had been on the trail for 17 hours 23 minutes since leaving Cripple. Many mushers are taking their mandatory 8-hour layovers in Ruby, at the end of the race's longest leg. Eric Deeter, Jeff's dad, wrote that Eric is within a half-hour of his projected run/rest schedule despite mushing on a trail softened by the warmer than usual weather. "If this schedule continues to work for him," Eric wrote, "he should arrive in Nome just after 12 noon on Saturday. Colder temperatures will help him speed up a bit, but he will base his schedule on the welfare of the team." March 8, 11 p.m., heading toward Ruby
Photo: After Bandit gets a bootie, Jeff still has a big pile left for his other dogs. Running hundreds of miles can be rough on dogs' feet, so mushers place booties on each dog's paws during the Iditarod. The booties, made of cordura cloth, are supple yet strong enough to protect pads from ice and gravel and sticks in the trail. Each full team has 64 feet to cover up, and a team may go through several hundred booties by the end of the race. The mushers include bags of booties in the big sacks of human and canine supplies (food, snacks, clean socks) sent ahead to checkpoints so that the dogs will have a new set available every day. It's not hard to put booties on the dogs, but it does take a while to do the whole team. The musher straddles the dog and picks up one of the legs, brushes the snow out from between the pads, inserts the foot, and pulls the velcro band snug. Here's a brief video that shows Jeff putting a bootie on one of his team, Charlie. Video: Charlie gets a bootie. Remember, you can find photos of Jeff on the official Iditarod website. We'll add links to more official photos of him if they become available, but here are three to start with (you may have to scroll down on the gallery pages to find the photo):
March 8, 5:15 p.m., going to Ruby and the YukonJeff got into Cripple at 8:15 this morning and stayed for 7 hours 45 minutes before leaving for Ruby. He dropped one dog, leaving him with 14. The trip from Ophir took 19 hours 45 minutes, which produced an average speed of 2.99 mph. The leg included at least one long rest during the warm day (37 degrees at 5 p.m.) and night. Jeff and his hardy team left Cripple at 4 p.m. for Ruby, a village on the Yukon River. This stretch, about 112 miles, is the longest leg in the race. But the race is half over, and Jeff has moved up to 62nd place. March 8, 3 a.m., going to Cripple
Mushers have been taking 13 to 17 hours to make that 59-mile run, suggesting that they're pausing for a nap and a couple of feedings partway and not overworking their dogs in the relatively warm air. The temperature at 3 a.m. was hovering just below 30 degrees. For the record, Jeff's trip from Takotna to Ophir took 2 hours 27 minutes, which meant he averaged 10.2 mph. He arrived at 12:20 p.m. and left at 12:30, still with 15 dogs. Biner, left, may be one of those dogs. March 7, 11 a.m., on the way to Ophir and CrippleAt 9:53 a.m., after almost 26 hours hours of rest for himself and his dogs, Jeff left Takotna for Ophir (25 miles up the trail), where the trail turns sharply north toward Cripple (59 more miles). After that comes the route's longest leg, 112 miles to Ruby and the Yukon River. (Route map) Jeff is in 69th place out of 89 remaining mushers. Jeff dropped one of his dogs at Takotna. He or she, and all the other mushers' dropped dogs, will be flown by small plane back to Anchorage. A friend or family member will pick up the dog at the airport. Jeff still has 15 dogs to share the load, and that is more than most of the mushers have. March 7, 12:01 a.m., in Takotna
Because Jeff has a little down time, it's a good day to mention a book. In the last hour Sunday afternoon before Jeff left Willow to start the Iditarod, Eric Deeter said Jeff, as a youngster on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea with his teacher parents (his mother is Gretchen Diemer), had greatly enjoyed reading "Winterdance," a mushing book by Gary Paulsen. Paulsen has run the race himself and is also famous for his "Hatchet" series of books. Just that morning, Eric said, the family had read a few chapters together as part of the celebration of Jeff's embarking on his long-held dream. March 6, 11:15 a.m., through McGrath, into TakotnaJeff pulled into Takotna at 8:17 this morning after a 2 hour 32 minute run from McGrath, an important Kuskokwim River town. The team averaged 7.11 mph. He's nearly halfway through the race course. The team had been holding around 70th place, but now it's in 57th place. As Jeff said in a video before the race, he expected to be passed by a lot of teams at first. He started as No. 50. Jeff arrived in McGrath at 12:23 a.m. after a 7 hour 13 minute run from Nikolai. He averaged 7.48 mph. Jeff and his dogs left McGrath at 5:45 a.m., giving them at 5 hour 22 minute rest. March 5, 11 p.m., heading to McGrath
Jeff still has all 16 dogs, and he is one of only 7 rookies and 14 veterans with a full team. The Anchorage Daily News had a story in today's paper about the GPS tracking units that some veteran mushers were asked to carry. When he was putting the last items in his sled before the race, Jeff was asked by a handler whether he'd be willing to carry such a device. "No, it would take away the fun," he said. March 5, noon, into NikolaiAfter spending the night on the trail, Jeff pulled into Nikolai at 11:07 a.m. His trip from Rohn took 16 hours 25 minutes, with an average speed of 4.57 mph. Other mushers this year have made that 75-mile leg in about 8 hours, so it's safe to figure Jeff gave the dogs a 4-hour rest midway. It's warm in Nikolai, 36 degrees at noon. In an Anchorage Daily News story this morning, some mushers said the temperature was too high for their dogs. The dogs run better when they can keep cool. March 4, 10:45 p.m., out of RohnSafely across the Alaska Range and through the Dalzell Gorge, Jeff arrived in Rohn at 12:50 p.m. This leg took 5 hours 44 minutes, and the team averaged a snappy 9.7 mph. Jeff rested himself and the team -- he still has all 16 dogs -- for 4 hours 57 minutes and set out for Nikolai at 6:42 p.m.
Route and weather map: You can keep track of the weather along the route on this map. Video: This is a 360-degree panorama of the mushers enclosure on Willow Lake. It was made about an hour before the official start of the race. March 4, 9:30 a.m., Rainy PassJeff arrived at 11:35 p.m. after a 4 hour 23 minute jaunt through the darkness from Finger Lake. He averaged 6.84 mph, and he still has all 16 dogs. He's in 72nd place, according to the standings page maintained by the Iditarod Trail Committee. Descending from Rainy Pass, the team will be tested today by the Dalzell Gorge, which is famous for being icy and treacherous. Jeff was smart to wait until daylight. 10:10 a.m. update: Jeff left Rainy Pass at 7:53 this morning with 15 dogs; one will stay in Rainy Pass until it can catch a flight to Anchorage. The team spent 8 hours 18 minutes in Rainy Pass. March 4, 12:05 a.m., beyond Finger LakeJeff arrived in Finger Lake at 1:12 p.m. Monday with 16 dogs. He averaged 7.89 mph on the 5 hour 42 minute trip from Skwentna. Jeff left Finger Lake at 7:12 p.m. after a six-hour rest. He's holding to his strategy of resting his dogs as much as he runs them. All 16 are still on the team. His next stop will be in a few hours at Rainy Pass. After that, he's on to Rohn. Here's a video of Jeff talking about his huskies before the restart Sunday at Willow. Video: Jeff talks about his dog team and why they work so well together. March 3, 10 a.m., SkwentnaJeff pulled into Skwentna checkpoint at 3:18 this morning, concluding a 3 hour 25 minute run from Yentna. He's in 72nd place. He rested for his expected four hours (actually, 4 hours 12 minutes) and took off for Finger Lake at 7:30 a.m. He still has all 16 dogs, letting him keep a pace of almost 10 mph. March 2, 10 p.m., YentnaJeff checked into Yentna at 7:58 p.m., having covered the distance in 4 hours 22 minutes at an average speed of 9.62 mph. He's in 58th place (started 50th), but at this point in the race such standings rarely have much value. Next stop: Swentna, another river outpost. Video: Before leaving Willow, Jeff explains his strategy for the first few days on the trail. March 2, 8 p.m., WillowJeff set off just before 4 p.m. for Yentna, the first checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail. He is pulled by 16 energetic dogs.
It was a beautiful afternoon on Willow Lake, with a temperature in the mid-20s and high clouds. Snowmachines whined and growled back and forth across the lake, although the trail route -- lined by thousands of fans on each side -- was blocked off by orange fence. Jeff arrived early at Willow with his friend Isaac Mackey's pickup pulling the trailer. His dogs were checked by the Iditarod staff, then they went back in their boxes.
His sled bad was made to his specifications by his aunt, a fine seamstress. Jeff figured that his sled and goods total about 200 pounds, and he adds 150. 
Photo: Jeff puts on layers of clothing. Finally it was time to dress for the race. Jeff put on his mushing clothes. He donned a T-shirt, then a fleece shirt, a sweatshirt, an insulated jacket, another coat and finally his parka. It wasn't surprising to later hear him tell mushing mentor Frank Sihler, "I'm hot." But as Jeff is pulled tonight at 12 mph by his huskies and the temperature drops, he'll be glad to be toasty inside his coat and mittens that come nearly to his elbows. (When Jeff ran the Copper Basin 300 in eastern Alaska earlier in the year, said dad Eric Dieter, the temperature was around minus -60. The Iditarod isn't expected to be as cold, however.) 
Photo: Clarence, the white dog, and Frank Sihler lead the team toward the starting chute. The handlers, led by Jeff's uncle Alan and then by Frank, marshaled the dogs from the far end of the mushers enclosure to the starting chute. As the announcer provided a quick description of Jeff's mushing history (including two Junior Iditarods), Jeff got a quick round of hugs from his girlfriend and parents. He walked to the front of the team to talk to his dogs, then returned to the sled and, when the two-minute countdown ended, sped off through the cheering gauntlet. 
Photo: "It's my daughter's sign," said a fan, but she was glad to show off the poster. Jeff planned to mush for several hours and rest for several hours, taking good care of his dogs. He's not necessarily in this race to win, but to complete the challenge with his friends. He grew up with the Iditarod in his head, and he trained himself and his dogs for this race. He's doing at age 19 what a lot of men and women dream for decades of doing. When Jeff and his team pulled out from the starting line, he was grinning. 
Photo: Jeff and his team head for Yentna, Skwentna and Nome. March 2, 3 p.m., WillowJeff's Iditarider, Mary Ann McClure, who bid for a ride on Jeff's sled during the ceremonial leg Saturday in Anchorage, arrived at the restart Sunday with a poster signed by the students she works with in West Virginia. We have a photo of the poster, held up by Mrs. McClure and Mr. McClure. 
Mrs. McClure also wanted to say a few words to her class: Video: Mrs. McClure tells the students at Milton Elementary School about her trip to the Iditarod. March 2, Willow
Jeff will have 16 dogs in harness, but he'll have more in his trailer. Mushers often take a couple of extra dogs to the restart, just in case one of the top dogs has a problem and must be replaced. Mushers park in a big enclosure on the lake several hours before the first musher takes off at 2 p.m. They load their sled, then repack it and maybe take a nap after feeding the dogs. They talk with their friends and attend to such details as having their dogs' microchips checked by roving Iditarod workers. The dogs may go back in the trailer for a while. Finally, it'll be time to hitch the dogs to the long lead. The musher takes one dog at a time to the harness and clips it in. Sensing the excitement, the dogs bark and jump; they're ready to go. The musher accepts a last round of good wishes and hugs, and the lead handler walks the team to the starting chute. After a short countdown by the announcer, the musher heads off into the wild. March 1, Anchorage
Photo: Jeff Deeter and Mary Ann McClure take off down Fourth Avenue.
Jeff's Iditarider, Mary Ann McClure of Hurricane, W.Va., enjoyed her ride. Before it started, she said many good things about the class she volunteers with back home and how excited she was to help the students learn about the Iditarod. She said she became interested in mushing after hearing Alaska hero Libby Riddles speak aboard a cruise liner. She bid on a ride in Jeff's sled because he was one of the youngest mushers and she wanted someone her students could relate to. Frank Sihler, who started the Iditarod last year with many of the dogs Jeff is using, rode the trailing sled behind Jeff. The extra sled slows the team down for the trip through town. It won't be used for the real Iditarod. Video: Colt and U2 catch the excitement as they wait to be attached to the gangline of Jeff's sled. Nina Schwinghammer sewed neckwarmers -- made of red fleece with dark pawprints -- for the team's dog handlers. In the 18-degree, windy gulches of downtown Anchorage, the warmers came in handy. As Jeff's girlfriend and fellow musher, she had the honor of riding with Jeff on the sled to the starting line. 
Photo: Nina Schwinghammer, Jeff Deeter, Eric Deeter, Gretchen Diemer and Frank Sihler. 
Photo: Mary Ann McClure sits pretty as the team pulls Jeff's sled down Fourth Avenue. March 1, AnchorageToday's the big day for showing off the team. Jeff will make the ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race this morning in Anchorage and carry his Iditarider to the Campbell Airstrip, which is several miles south and east of downtown. His start time will be about 11:40 a.m. Feb. 29, AnchorageJeff drew bib No. 50 at the mushers banquet Thursday night, meaning that he'll start the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in the middle of the pack. Mushers leave the starting chute every two minutes, in bib order. Look for Jeff to leave about 11:40 a.m. Saturday in the ceremonial start in Anchorage. He'll leave about 3:40 p.m. Sunday when the race takes off for real at Willow. Feb. 28, AnchorageJeff and the other mushers in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will sit down to a nice banquet Thursday night in Anchorage. They'll also draw the numbers for their bibs. The bib number signifies the musher's starting position as the teams leave at two-minute intervals. A low number is desirable because a musher wants to be on the trail before it's torn up by the better share of 6,000 paws, 200 runners and 100 sled brakes. The ceremonial start of the race -- it's a parade through Anchorage -- is at 10 a.m. Saturday. The real race -- known as the restart -- begins at 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow, north of Anchorge. |
Nina Schwinghammer has been along the trail as an official Iditarod dog handler, seeing Jeff at McGrath and Unalakleet. Now she's in Nome, helping take care of teams that have crossed the finish line. In a phone call Thursday evening, she said she expects Jeff to arrive late Friday or early Saturday.
Jeff is expected to reach 
Jeff's on his way to Kaltag, the final checkpoint on the Yukon River. He left at 1 a.m. with 12 dogs after a rest of 9 hours 33 minutes, and he remains in 62nd place.
Jeff passed through 
Jeff is taking his mandatory 24-hour layover in Takotna, a town just past McGrath and 419 miles down the trail. He and his 16 dogs have gone nearly half the distance.
Jeff took a 6 hour 3 minute rest in Nikolai and pulled out at 5:10 p.m. for the 54-mile trip to McGrath. Traveling in the cooler night air may help his dogs stay fresh.
Clarence and Tears are leading the team, followed by these pairs: Skeeto and Redline (photo), Charlie and Green Pea, Cookie and Colt, Chinook and Bandit, Dipper and U2, Eddie and Biner (short for Carabiner), and wheel dogs Slick and Cannon.
As race time approached, Jeff had only a few remaining things to pack into his sled -- thawed meat for the dogs' evening meal, a sleeping bag, an official diary in which he is to record descriptions of his dogs' health and a zip-top bag of homemade cookies.
Redline and Greenpea will be Jeff's lead pair of huskies as the team leaves Willow Lake around 4 p.m.
Jeff and his dogs had a splendid 11-mile run from downtown Anchorage to the Campbell Airstrip. After he pulled through the finish chute, he tied up the dogs to his trailer and axed up a frozen salmon to give them a treat.