Colleen Robertia came into Unalakleet in need of rest and recuperation – both for herself and for her dogs.
She says she’s not accustomed to the colder weather of northwestern Alaska. The cold, dry climate of the last stretches of the Iditarod trail, Robertia says, can quickly dehydrate her sled dogs and freeze the moisture in her own breath.
It was a difficult, “disorienting” run from Kaltag, Robertia told KNOM trail reporter Laureli Kinneen. With tears in her eyes, the Kasilof, Alaska musher recounted her panic-inducing run, explaining how, in her view, her dogs “saved my life.”
Hear Colleen Robertia in Unalakleet:
Colleen Robertia left the Unalakleet checkpoint at exactly 12:00pm with 10 dogs.